General Information about Phrygian Monuments

Phrygian facade

Façades: Typically carved on leveled surfaces of steep rocks, façades replicate the front faces of Phrygian houses (megarons), which were predominantly wooden structures. They symbolize the temple dedicated to goddesses, mainly Matar, showcasing pitched roofs and rectangular plans. The lower part of the façade often features a niche that resembles an entrance door and may contain a statue or relief of a goddess. Depending on their size, façades can be classified as large or small.

Niches: These are similar to the niches found in façades but consist solely of a niche without any surrounding structure. They appear as shallow, oval, or rectangular cavities carved into steep rock faces, usually at accessible heights. Most niches have a simple frame carved in low relief.

Altars and Idols: These three-dimensional cult structures, carved from the bedrock, served worship and sacrificial purposes. Generally located on the tops or edges of accessible rock formations, they feature low reliefs of one or two (rarely three) idols, characterized by rounded heads and rectangular bodies, symbolizing gods or goddesses. Some altars have a ‘seat’-shaped top instead of idols, referred to as ‘stylized idols’ or ‘thrones’ by various researchers. Many include steps leading to the idol(s) or provide a flat platform instead. It is believed that all these structures were utilized for similar ritualistic or cultic purposes.

Rock-Cut Tombs: The Phrygians constructed tumuli as monumental burial sites and also created chamber tombs carved into rock. A typical Phrygian rock-cut tomb mirrors the shape of a wooden house, complete with pitched roofs. Emilie Haspels classified these tombs into two groups: early and late periods. Group I tombs are small and simple, possibly containing rock-carved beds, dating back to the 8th century BCE. In contrast, Group II tombs are room-sized, showcasing meticulous craftsmanship with ornamental stone beds (klinai) and reliefs on their surfaces, dating to the 6th century BCE (while Phrygia was under Lydian rule but in prosperity). Almost all of the Phrygian rock tombs are located in the Phrygian Highlands. The vast majority of the hundreds of rock tombs that have survived to the present day were reused in the later Hellenistic and Roman periods. Only a few monumental examples are included in these pages.

References:
Berndt-Ersöz, S. 2006. Phrygian Rock – Cult Shrines. Structure, Function and Cult Practice, Leiden.
Brixhe, C. & M. Lejeune. 1984. Corpus des inscriptions paléo-phrygiennes, Paris.
Haspels, C. H. E. 1971 The Highlands of Phrygia. Sites and monuments, Princeton.
Tüfekçi-Sivas, T. 1999 Eskişehir-Afyonkarahisar- Kütahya İl Sınırları İçindeki Phryg Kaya Anıtları, Anadolu Üniversitesi Yayınları No:1156, Eskişehir.