A landmark of Phrygian archaeology, the rock-carved façade 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.

Selected Bibliography

C. Brian Rose, “Midas, Matar, and Homer at Gordion and Midas City,” Hesperia 90, 2021, pp. 27-78
Lynn E. Roller, “The cult of the Mother Goddess in Phrygia,”” chapter 4 in Search of God the Mother: The Cult of Anatolian Cybele, University of California Press, , pp. 63-115
Mark Munn, “The Mother of the Gods and the Sovereignty of Midas,” chapter 2 in The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia, University of California Press, 2006, pp. 56-95
Mark Munn, “Journey to Translation: Deciphering the Inscriptions of an Ancient Phrygian Monument,” Expedition Magazine, 67.1, summer 2025, pp. 43-53