Join us for a "King Midas & Ancient Phrygia " Zoom Talk by Dr. James Rietveld on Thursday, May 23 at 8 p.m.

Pay What You Wish: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/878507739297

In antiquity, Phrygia was a rich, powerful, advanced Bronze Age kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia (now Turkey), whose legendary king Midas (aka Mit-ta-a) ruled in the last decades of the eighth century B.C. The mythic Midas of Thrace (Eastern Macedonia), was famous in heroic Greek mythic legends where satyr Dionysus bestowed upon him the famous "golden touch."
In one account, discovering that turning food into gold left him hungry and thirsty, Midas traveled to Asia Minor to wash away the gift, transferring gold into the river Pactolus. There he was adopted by childless Phrydian king Gordias (famous for the legend of the Gordian knot) and taken under the protection of the Great Mother goddess Cybele.
Another Midas legend was of the divine gift of the asses’ ears, awarded by Apollo for publicly disagreeing with his decision in the Apollo vs. Pan musical contest. Despite concealing his donkey ears in a turban, and swearing his barber to secrecy, enchanted reeds and wind conspired to broadcast the King's shameful secret.
Aristotle wrote that Midas died of starvation as a result of a "vain prayer" for the gold touch, but historian, Strabo, documented Midas' despairing suicide by bull's blood during an attack in which the Cimmerians destroyed his city and kingdom around 695 B.C. Nonetheless, Phrygia continued to exist and prosper for decades afterwards.
The 1957 discovery of the Midas Mound, thought to be the final resting place of the legendary King, or possibly his father Gordias, revealed burial artifacts and the remains of the funeral feast, providing new insight into Phrygian history and culture.
Come join us to hear the legends and history of this colorful King of Ancient Phrygia.

This lecture will be posted on the Dr. James Rietveld Salon Lecture You Tube channel, where you can also watch previous lectures: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jamesrietveldsalonlectu2903

Dr. James Rietveld is a professor at CSU, Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona, CA of History, Anthropology, Religion with a PHD from Claremont School of Religion, is author of two books, and can be seen on History channel's "Crazy Rich Ancients."