Phrygia, central Anatolia, Turkey, ca. early 1st millennium BCE. In antiquity, Phrygia (/ˈfrɪdÊ’iÉ™/; Greek: ΦÏυγία, Ancient Greek: [pÊ°ryɡía], Turkish: Frigya) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Turkey, centered around the Sakarya River. The Phrygians are most famous for their legendary kings of the heroic age of Greek mythology: Gordias whose Gordian Knot would later be untied by Alexander the Great, Midas who turned whatever he touched to gold, and Mygdon who warred with the Amazons. According to Homer's Iliad, the Phrygians were close allies of the Trojans and participants in the Trojan War against the Achaeans. Phrygian power reached its peak in the late 8th century BC under another, historical king Midas, who dominated most of western and central Anatolia and rivaled Assyria and Urartu for power in eastern Anatolia. This later Midas was, however, also the last independent king of Phrygia before its capital Gordium was sacked by Cimmerians around 695 BC. Phrygia then became subject to Lydia, and then successively to Persia, Alexander and his Hellenistic successors, Pergamum, Rome and Byzantium. Phrygians were gradually assimilated into other cultures by the early medieval era, and after the Turkish conquest of Anatolia the name Phrygia passed out of usage as a territorial designation.

Polychrome pottery panel with repeating scrolls at top in alternating red and black, lower section repeating diamonds, also in red and black, each against a white background. Set in wooden panel and needs to be professionally framed. 17-3/4" W x 8-1/2"H.

Provenance: Ex-private collection of William Dale, a career diplomat stationed in Turkey in the early 1960's, who acquired a vast collection of Greek, Roman and Near-Eastern treasures during his tenure.

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Comprised of 7 pieces, but color is still quite vibrant