-
15 Support and Conserve: Conservation and Environmental Monitoring of the Tomb Chamber of Tumulus MM
- University of Pennsylvania Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
The burial mound known as Tumulus MM is by far the largest of approximately 80 tumuli around Gordion marking the burials of the Phrygian elite. Excavated by Rodney Young in 1957, the tumulus has since been developed by the Turkish authorities as an archaeological attraction for some 40,000 local and foreign visitors each year. The tumulus itself currently stands about 53 m high, and it contains a wooden tomb chamber that is approximately 2,700 years old and is considered to be the oldest standing wooden building in the world (Fig. 15-1; Young 1981). Although traditionally Tumulus MM (“Midas Mound”) has been associated with the legendary King Midas, recent analysis dates it to ca. 740 BC—too early for the burial of Midas, who died near the end of the century (DeVries et al. 2003). Midas, most likely, built Tumulus MM for his father. Whoever the actual occupant, that Tumulus MM was created for a Phrygian king seems beyond dispute: it is the largest of the tomb chambers thus far excavated; it has a double pitched roof unlike the flat roofs in other tumuli; its grave goods were more numerous and expensive than those of other tombs; and finally, the tumulus that covered the tomb chamber was over twice as high as any other tumulus in the area. In recent years, archaeologists and conservators have worked on a series of projects to improve the documentation and interpretation of the tomb construction, to create an improved support structure, and to define the current environmental parameters affecting the long-term preservation of the chamber. A brief account of its unique construction and excavation provides a foundation for understanding the current project. The excavation and construction of the tomb is described in Rodney Young’s (1981) posthumous volume on the Three Great Early Tumuli; while certain construction details there are wrong, the basic outline remains the same. CONSTRUCTION The Phrygians began MM tomb construction (Figs. 15-2, 15-3) by digging a roughly rectangular foundation pit about 2 m deep, which was then lined with soft limestone blocks and filled with rubble. The tomb chamber measured 5.1 m x 6.2 m and was constructed of well-finished squared pine timbers, with a 15 SUPPORT AND CONSERVE Conservation and Environmental Monitoring of the Tomb Chamber of Tumulus MM RICHARD F. LIEBHART AND JESSICA S. JOHNSON THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF MIDAS AND THE PHRYGIANS 192 double-pitched roof supported by three sets of beams stacked in pairs and trimmed to the proper angle. The pine timbers were held by a system of notched joints designed to withstand the inward pressure of the tumulus which would cover the tomb. Surrounding the pine tomb chamber was an outer casing of rough juniper logs, set about 0.5 m out from the chamber walls. Stone cobbles filled the area between the pine tomb chamber and the outer casing and between the outer casing and a stone perimeter wall (the continuation of the lining of the sides of the foundation pit). The entire structure was raised level by level, with the stone cobbles holding the juniper logs in place and the stone perimeter wall held by the surrounding fill of the tumulus which was being built at the same time. The burial of the king took place before the placement of the pine roof timbers, which sealed the tomb. A mound of stones covered the tomb chamber complex, and the earthen tumulus was extended upward to a height even greater than its current 53 m. The tumulus sealed the wooden tomb and created a dry, cave-like environment that protected the wood from biological attack, with only a slow-acting soft rot fungus able to cause any serious damage to the wood in the next 2,700 years. Although the fungus weakened the timbers, it did not ultimately destroy them: today most feel solid to the touch, while portions of some timbers are soft and powdery. Upon its completion, Tumulus MM contained over 3,500,000 m3 of earth which once covered hundreds of stone blocks, millions of rough cobbles, over 180 wooden timbers, a vast array of grave goods, and the body of one man. EXCAVATION In 1955 and 1956, based on his experience excavating smaller tumuli, R. S. Young used a water-assisted drill to locate the stone packing the excavators expected to find over the tomb chamber in Tumulus MM. Unfortunately, as the drillers were delimiting the boundaries of the stone packing...