Burdur Archaeological Museum

Burdur Archaeology Museum is located in the city center of Burdur in Türkiye’s Mediterranean Region. It is one of the most important institutions showcasing a large number of artifacts related to Anatolian archaeology. With an inventory of over 65,000 objects, it ranks among Türkiye’s richest archaeological museums and represents a cultural accumulation spanning approximately 9,000 years from the Neolithic Age to the present.

Burdur Archaeology Museum (Culture Portal)

History

The museum was established in 1956, and its initial collection was housed in the surviving library building of the 18th-century Pirkulzade (Bulguroğlu) Medresesi. The museum building was opened to the public on 12 June 1969. To accommodate its growing collection, a new site was acquired in 1992; the foundation for modern exhibition spaces was laid in 2001, and the museum reopened in its current structure on 7 July 2006. The complex includes an administrative building, additional exhibition areas, a conference hall, and an open-air display area in the garden. The museum directorate is also affiliated with the Museum of Natural History.

Geographically, Burdur Museum lies within the ancient region of Pisidia and occupies a crossroads between the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolian regions. This location highlights the museum’s significance in terms of both cultural diversity and the variety of excavation sites represented.

Sources of the Collection

The museum’s collection is primarily derived from excavations at mound sites such as Hacılar, Kuruçay, and Höyücek, as well as from scientific excavations at ancient cities including Sagalassos, Kibyra, Boubon, and Kremna. Additionally, cultural artifacts obtained through confiscation or purchase are also part of the collection.

Exhibition Layout

Ground Floor: Roman Period Artifacts

The ground floor of the Burdur Archaeology Museum is the main hall displaying large-scale statues and architectural sculptures primarily dated to the Roman Imperial Period. The majority of the artifacts on this floor were recovered from excavations at the ancient city of Sagalassos. Statues depicting emperors Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, as well as deities such as Apollo, Asklepios, Hygieia, Nemesis, Dionysos, and Satyr, were chiefly unearthed from the niches and ediculae of the Antonine Fountain, offering remarkable examples of marble craftsmanship from the era.

The Dancing Girls Frieze, also excavated from the same region, dates to between 10 BC and 10 AD and is notable for depicting thirteen young women dancing accompanied by a figure playing a zither.

Dancing Girls Frieze (Culture Portal)

The stone Sundial located in front of the Sagalassos heroon provides tangible insights into ancient timekeeping systems. Small burial vessels known as ostothek, dating to the Early Imperial Period, were also discovered at the same excavation site and offer significant clues regarding burial customs of the time. The ground floor also features relief panels depicting hunting scenes from the ancient city of Kibyra, as well as nine finely carved marble statues from excavations at Kremna. All these artifacts are exemplary representations of Roman aesthetic values, imperial ideology, and ritual practices.

Sundial (Culture Portal)

Upper Floor: Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

The upper floor of the museum displays artifacts from prehistoric settlements in Burdur and its surroundings. This section primarily features cultural objects from the Aceramic Neolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze Age periods. The most striking group consists of ceramic vessels excavated from the Hacılar Höyüğü site located west of Burdur. These ceramics, dated to around 6500 BC, are decorated with geometric patterns, zigzags, dots, triangles, and animal figures and are recognized as some of the earliest and most original examples of the Anatolian pottery tradition. Additionally, stone tools, bone objects, and fired clay figurines recovered from excavations at the Kuruçay and Höyücek mounds are also exhibited on this floor. These artifacts provide crucial archaeological evidence regarding the transition to settled life, the origins of agriculture, and the evolution of social structures in the region.

Hacılar Ceramic Vessels (Culture Portal)

Notable Artifacts

Ostothek vessels (Culture Portal)

Statue Group of Dionysos and Satyr (Culture Portal)

Recognition and Awards

In 2008, the Burdur Archaeology Museum was awarded the title of “Museum Worth Visiting” by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Furthermore, its institutional role in the management of archaeological sites such as Sagalassos and Kibyra has also established its importance within the academic community.