Archaeologists at the Karaagac burial site in Bilecik province, northwestern Turkey, have reported that the current excavation season began with what they called "the first comprehensive study" of a wooden grave buried beneath an artificial mound. The project began after the site's discovery in 2010, with excavations starting in 2013.
The mound stands more than 99 miles (160 kilometers) west of Gordion, the former capital of Phrygia. "Burials of high-status individuals far from Gordion indicate that the kingdom was richer and stronger than previously assumed," said Huseyin Arpeliben from the University of Bilecik, as reported by focus.de.
Researchers have dated the mound to the period between 1200 and 675 BCE, spanning the reign of the legendary King Midas. The mound served as a cemetery for nearly 3,000 years, with hundreds of human skeletons from different periods found within it – some predating the mound's construction and others added hundreds of years later.
Monumental tomb discovered in Turkey might be of royal from King Midas' kingdom https://t.co/ny1XLKSt0A pic.twitter.com/A3K5efA3bB
— Sarah (@Sarah404BC) January 11, 2026
At the mound's core, archaeologists uncovered a wooden chamber wrapped in layers of stone and earth. Inside, they found ceramic jars, ornate metal containers, and bronze situlae – buckets engraved with battle scenes. "The magnificent burial objects indicate that an important person is buried there," Arpeliben said.
Several situlae resembled items excavated decades ago from the tomb believed to belong to Gordias, Midas's father, suggesting dynastic connections. "The situlae may indicate gift exchanges rather than local royal status," Maya Vasilieva from New Bulgarian University told Live Science.
Secondary burials complicated efforts to isolate the primary burial, with some bones shifting as the mound settled. The team is conducting DNA analysis, residue testing on findings, and meticulous stratigraphic work to identify material related to the earliest Phrygian phase and determine whether the grave contained a member of the Midas family, a rival dynasty, or another noble family.
The excavation has expanded the geographic scope of documented Phrygian influence. If a prominent figure from the royal court rested at such a distance from Gordion, the kingdom likely managed a network of regional elites with considerable autonomy. Even if the objects arrived through diplomacy, their presence still indicated extensive connections throughout northwestern Anatolia.
Arpeliben's team plans to stabilize the wooden chamber and map the skeletal remains layer by layer. Experts in metallurgy, ancient carpentry, and textile preservation have joined the effort to analyze the findings without contamination, aiming to extract every possible insight from the mound.
