Phrygian rock - cut altars: In the light of Eskişehir - Afyonkarahisar - Kütahya provinces surveys

The Phrygians have a special place among the Iron Age Kingdoms of Anatolia in the first half of the 1st miilenium B.C. The archaeological and epigraphical evidence for Phrygian religious cult indicates that the major divinity was a goddess known to the Phrygians as Matar/Mother Goddess who has her origin in Anatolia. She is the goddess of nature and fertility. The prominence of Matar is demonstrated by a series of religious rock monuments. The monumental rock facades, the stepped altars and the niches are the most original and impressive types of these monuments. In our study the Phrygian rock cut stepped altars have been studied. These altars are three dimensional monuments carved out in isolated rocks. They are composed of steps and idols which symbolize the goddess. On the first step, 83 Phrygian rock cut stepped altars which were discovered during the archaeological surveys have been catalogued. This catalogue contains detail deflnation, photographs, plan and section drawings of every altar. On the second step the Phrygian altars under consideration have been compared with other similar altars of Anatolia and the surrounding cultures. Finally the study has tried to comment on the architectural and functional characteristics of Phrygian altars.