Burdur Archaeological Museum

Burdur Archaeology Museum – Burdur
Burdur Archaeology Museum is one of Türkiye’s richest museums, housing more than 60,000 cultural assets. The museum exhibits remarkable findings from the excavations at Hacılar, Kuruçay, Höyücek mounds and the ancient cities of Boubon, Kibyra, and Sagalassos, along with artifacts obtained through confiscation and purchase.
Founded in 1956, the museum was reorganized in 2001. The museum building was inspired by the architectural style of the former Ottoman Pirkulzade Library, once located in the courtyard of the old madrasa.
Burdur Archaeology Museum received the “Museum Worth Visiting” Award in 2008 and features exceptional collections spanning from the Neolithic Age to the present day.

Ground Floor Exhibitions
The entrance floor is divided into three sections:

Sagalassos Gallery
Exhibits uncovered during excavations at Sagalassos, including colossal statues of the Roman emperors Hadrian and
Marcus Aurelius.

Kibyra Gallery
Displays the impressive hunting-scene friezes found in the ancient city of Kibyra.

Kremna Gallery
Features nine first-class marble statues unearthed in excavations at the ancient city of Kremna.

Upper Floor Exhibitions
The upper floor showcases artifacts from the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic periods, as well as items from the Early
Bronze Age.

Highlights of Burdur Archaeology Museum

Dancing Girls Frieze
Discovered in the central section of the northwest heroon (monumental tomb) at Sagalassos, this frieze depicts thirteen dancing girls in a halay formation, one of whom plays a zither-like instrument.
The frieze—now on display in the museum—is dated between 10 BC and AD 10.

Sundial
Found in front of the heroon at Sagalassos and dated to the 2nd century AD, this sundial consists of a 60-degree ring resting on a lion-paw–shaped base. The name of the person who commissioned it is inscribed along the rim. The rod that originally served as the indicator is missing.

Satyr and Apollo Statues
Two remarkable sculptures—thought to have stood in the niches of the Hadrian Fountain at Sagalassos—are exhibited in the museum:
A marble Satyr statue believed to have been placed in the upper right niche.A four-and-a-half-ton Apollo Klarios cult statue, similar to the one in the fountain’s central niche.In addition, the Dionysos and Satyr statue groups, unearthed during excavations at the Antonine Nymphaeum, are among the finest and most original sculptures of the monument, dated to the 2nd century AD.

Antonine Nymphaeum Sculptures
Besides the Dionysos and Satyr groups, the niches of the monument also contained sculptures of Nemesis, Asklepios, Koronis, Apollo, and Hygieia—all of which are now displayed on the museum’s lower floor.

Ossuaries (Ostotheks)
These ossuaries from Sagalassos provide valuable insights into burial traditions of the Early Imperial Period.

Sarcophagus Lid
Found in Karacaören and dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD, this lid depicts a husband and wife reclining side by side on a kline, symbolizing the tomb’s owners.

Hacılar Pottery
Located 25 km west of Burdur, Hacılar is one of Anatolia’s earliest and most prominent prehistoric settlements, with continuous habitation traced back to around 6500 BC.
The inhabitants produced their own pottery and developed advanced mudbrick architecture.
Hacılar ceramics are renowned for their:
*Zigzag motifs
*Geometric shapes
*Painted triangles
*Wavy lines
*Dots
*Animal figures
Hacılar pottery is considered one of the most distinctive and important art forms of its period, not only in Anatolia but in the prehistoric world.