Pteria appears to have been a capital founded around 600 BC by people of Phrygian stock, although it was not part of the Phrygian state. Inscriptions and graffiti are in the Old Phrygian language. If there is any truth behind the account of Herodotus, Pteria was considered to fall within the Median Empire. Kerkenes was large (covering an area of 2.5 square kilometers) and complex, with a palace complex, at least one temple, and residential structures suggesting social stratification. The city is fortified, with clearly planned urban blocks, water management and public buildings and open spaces.
Herodotus and Pteria
According to Herodotus, Pteria was first captured by the Lydian king Croesus about 547 BC, and then Croesus was swiftly over taken by the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great. In the process, Kerkenes was deliberately destroyed in a fire so hot that stone and mud melted.Remote sensing survey and excavations have been conducted at Kerkenes by a team led by Geoffrey Summers since 1993.
Sources
Detailed information about the ongoing investigations at Kerkenes can be found at the project website.Summers, Geoffrey D. 2006 Aspects of Material Culture at the Iron Age Capital on the Kerkenes Dag in Central Anatolia. Ancient Near Eastern Studies 43:164-202.
Also see
Brixhe, Cl. and Summers, G.D. 2006 Les inscriptiones phrygiennes de Kerkenes Dag (Anatloie Central), Kadmos 45:93-135.
Summers, G.D. 2006 Architectural Terracottas in Greater Phrygia: Problems of Chronology and Distribution. In B. Avunç (ed.) Hayat Erkanal'a Armagan: Kültürlerin Yansimasi. Studies in Honor of Hayat Erkanal: Cultural Reflections: 684-688. Homer Kitabevi, Istanbul: 684-688.
Summers, G.D. 2006. Phrygian Expansion to the East: Evidence of Cult from Kerkenes Dag. Baghdader Mitteilungen 37.
Summers, G.D. 2007 Public Spaces and Large Halls at Kerkenes. Pp 241-259 in A. Çilingiroglu and A. Sagona, (eds) Anatolian Iron Ages 6: The Proceedings of the Sixth Anatolian Iron Ages Colloquium Held at Eskisehir, 16-20 August 2004. Peeters Press, Leuven.
Summers, G. and Summers, F. 2006 Aspects of Urban Design at the Iron Age City on the Kerkenes Dag as Revealed by Geophysical Survey. Anatolia Antiqua XIV:71-88.
Summers, G. and Summers F. 2006 Orta Anadolu'da Yozgat'in güneyindeki Kerkenes Dagi kalintilari bir görkemli Demir Çagi kentinin hikayesini aydinlatiyor. Arkeo Atlas 5:70-77.
Summers, G. and Summers, F. 2006 Kerkenes 2006. Anatolian Archaeology 12:32-33.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
