PUBLISHED 2022. Please also visit the publication's webpage.
The Iron Age capital on Kerkenes Dağ, probably the Pteria of Herodotus, is the largest pre-Hellenistic city on the Anatolian Plateau. Culturally Phrygian, as evinced by inscription, graffiti, architecture and material culture, it seems to have been founded as the capital of a new petty kingdom close to the end of the seventh century BCE, and to have been put to the torch during the conflict between Cyrus the Great of Persia and Croesus king of Lydia in 547 BCE. The city was surrounded by 7 km of towered stone defences pierced by 7 gates. Geophysical survey has revealed with remarkable clarity that the entire urban space was crammed with urban blocks each containing timber-framed buildings on stone footings. Excavations have exposed monumental architecture, sculpture, large semi-iconic and aniconic stele and idols together with sumptuous embellished ivories. This publication project is directed by Dr. Geoffrey Summers. Other publications can be downloaded at:
https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip135.pdf
https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/OIP/oip145.pdf
