The Midas Monument: Behind the Facade
Mark Munn, Pennsylvania State University
Mon, 9/14 · 4:30 pm—6:00 pm · Tuttle Lecture Hall, Princeton University Art Museum
Department of Art & Archaeology; Program in Archaeology; Archaeological Institute of America
AIA ∙ The Elizabeth S. Ettinghausen Lecture
A landmark of Phrygian archaeology, the rock-carved facade in the highlands of western central Anatolia known as the Midas Monument has been thought to be the tomb of King Midas, or a tribute to the greatness of his kingship at the end of the eighth century BCE, or a hero shrine to the memory of King Midas and his deified mother in the sixth century BCE. Supporting this last interpretation, this lecture explores the meaning of Midas and his patron deity, the Phrygian Mother of the Gods, as they were viewed by the kings of Lydia, successors to the kingdom of Midas.
