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The city of Gordium, sometimes referred to as “Gordion,” was built by a people known as the Phrygians as the capital of their kingdom, Phrygia. The origins and backgrounds of the Phrygians are a bit enigmatic, although it is believed they either arrived in Anatolia or coalesced from other groups in the region after the Sea Peoples invasions of circa 1,200 BC. Many, if not most scholars believe that the Phrygian language was related to the earlier Hittite language and was therefore most likely Indo-European, <ref> Masson, O. “Anatolian Languages.” In <i>The Cambridge Ancient History.</i> Edited by John Boardman, I.E.S. Edwards, N.GL. Hammond, E. Sollberger, and C.B.F. Walker. Second Edition. Volume 3 part 2. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), pgs. 699-70</ref> although not all historians are convinced of that assignment. <ref> Kuhrt, Amélie. <i>The Ancient Near East: c. 3000-330 BC.</i> (London: Routledge, 2010), p. 566</ref> The culture and kingdom of Phrygia that formed after 1,000 BC, though, was distinct from the earlier Hittite culture and had more in common with the Greek world.
By the eighth century BC, Phrygia was the dominant kingdom in Anatolia, serving as an economic and cultural bridge between Europe and the Near East. The height of Phrygian power came during the rule of the legendary, yet real, King Midas (ruled c. 738-696 BC). Assyrian, biblical, and later Greek written sources all seem to validate Midas’s claims of wealth, with one particular Old Testament relating that the wealth came from trade in copper: “they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.” <ref> Ezekiel 27:13</reref> The Phrygians used their wealth to build a capital city that was the envy of the world and that also proved to be a prime strategic location.
Gordium was not only the seat of Phrygian power, it was the economic and strategic heart of the kingdom. Mid-twentieth century excavations at the archaeological site of Gordium have proved its importance, as its fortifications show that the Phrygians dedicated plenty of their resources to building one of the most fortified cities in the region during that period. In addition to its walls, the important temples and palace were situated high atop a citadel, which reflected a “society prepared for war and siege.” <ref> Mellink, M. “The Native Kingdom of Anatolia.” In <i>The Cambridge Ancient History.</i> Edited by John Boardman, I.E.S. Edwards, N.GL. Hammond, E. Sollberger, and C.B.F. Walker. Second Edition. Volume 3 part 2. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), pgs. 626-629</ref> The Phrygians constantly had to defend against other powerful kingdoms in the region at the time, and since Gordium was landlocked its defense posed some unique challenges.