Category: Archaeology

Located in the north of Bodrum, the ancient city of is Euromos worth visiting because of her temple. The city got its name 4th century BC when Caria became under the Greek rule. It is suggested that the name Euromos was also used for the district. The Temple of Zeus, which was partially searched and excavated, revealed some interesting results indicating the existence of an earlier shrine there. This Corinthian temple with peirpteros plan with 6*11 columns is believed to built during the time of Hadrian.

The existence of some unfluted columns show that the temple never got the finishing touches. From the inscriptions on the columns, we understand that prominent figures of the city donated those columns to the temple. Sixteen of the columns are still standing with their splendid Corinthian capitals.

Twelve of the standing coleus have plaques with dedicatory inscriptions, mentioning the name of the state physians and magistrate Menecrates and his daughter who presented these columns and other five columns with the dedications of magistrate Leo Quintus. An altar was unearthed at the east of the temple.

Located in the north of Bodrum, the ancient city of is Euromos worth visiting. The city got its name 4th century BC when Caria became under the Greek rule. The Temple of Zeus, which was partially searched and excavated, revealed some interesting results indicating an earlier shrine existed here. This Corinthian temple with peipteros plan with 6*11 columns is believed to built during the time of Hadrian. The existence of some unfluted columns show that the temple never got the finishing touches. From the inscriptions on the coleus, we understand that prominent figures of the city donated those columns to the temple

Due to its privileged location, its marble and fishing, Iassos had been inhabited since the earliest days of the history. The city was founded by the Greek colonist coming from Argos nearly 9th BC and then inhabited by the immigrants from Miletus. However, Italian archaeologists under the directorate of Doro Levi have found Minoan houses and Mycenaean pottery which indicates that the site had been inhabited at much earlier date than arrival of Greeks.

The digs started 1960s reveled that oldest part of Iassos was on the top of Acropolis hill, now taken by the Byzantine fortress. These evidences show some similarities between the Crete, Greece and Anatolian cultures. The chief divinities of Iassos were Apollo and Artemis. One of the inscriptions discovered in Iasos mentions Artemis Astias, apparently mixture of old Carian deity Goddess with Artemis the hunter. Her temple had unroofed cella. On the other side, theatre and festivals arranged for Dionysus shows also importance of God Dionysus in Iasos. The city is mainly is situated on the rocky island with the exception of city walls and necropolis.

One of the very impressive monuments of Iasos is a monumental mausoleum, a temple tomb in Syrian style. The burial chamber is surmounted by small Corinthian temple which rested on 10 stepped crepidoma. Although it is dated to Roman Period and many skeletons were discovered in the tomb, we have no idea about the identities of the owners. Behind the village, there are extensive ruins of a defense wall dating to 4th century BC. Rectangular in shape and situated at a certain distance from the town, this wall is believed to be used by a garrison protecting the city.

Among the noteworthy monuments, we can mention partly excavated agora; well preserved Odeon dated to Roman Imperial Period; Ceasarium where main deities of the city were worshipped; ruins of a Roman theatre dedicated to Dionysus and to the people of Iasos; a Roman villa where Italian team discovered the remains of Roman Mosaics and frescoes; a shrine dedicated to Demeter and Kore.

Some of the coins discovered at Iassos show the Dolphin and a young boy. This reminds us the story of a young boy who was befriended by a dolphin, a story both mentioned by Plinius and Aelian. According to Plinius, Alexander the Great was so charmed with the story of Dolphin and young boy, he took the youth along with him on his campaign to Asia and made the boy the head of priesthood of Poseidon, the god of Sea.

Labranda, is a holy area of Zeus Labraundos, is in ancient Karia (South-western Anatolia), 14 km to the north-east of Mylasa city to which it is affiliated. The most ancient findings belong to the year 600 BC.The area that was used as holy area in the 6th and the 5th centuries and then as temple terrace consisted of a single, small, artificial terrace. A war took place in the holy area in 497 BC and Karia army has been defeated by the Persian army with its alliances. The 4th century BC is the most important period for the temple.

At the times of the satraps named Mausolos (377 – 352 BC) and Idrieus (351 – 344 BC), this place gained a new appearance. In 355, during the sacrifice festival in Labranda, Mausolos escaped from an assassination attempt on his life at the last moment. Buildings such as a series of artificial terraces, one or two entrance buildings, a small Dor building (probably a fountain building), monumental stairs, two large feast halls (androns), a shed building (called oikoi), Stoa and Zeus Temple surrounded with columns must have been constructed after this event. With the death of Idrieus in 344, such works have been stopped. Because of the big fire disaster that took place in the 4th century BC, the holy area has lost its feature of being a cult place.

The excavation works here were started in 1948 by A.W.Persson and have been continuing with intervals since that time. The current excavations are being conducted by P. Hellstrom. The access from Mylasa to the holy area was provided via the holy road which is 8 metres wide.

The laying traces on this road can be seen even today. The access to the area was provided with one of the two entrance buildings (propylon). These were impressive passage doors made of Milas marble, having two columns and Ionian frontons on each side. The building called “Dor building” was located to the east of the southern propylon building with its irregular formation, which resembles a rectangle.

It is a building that is turned towards north, has four columns, a front courtyard, a marble side and is in Dor style. It had the function of a fountain building. This small building was included in the bath complex. The stadium lies 200 m to the west of the holy building. Its back side is reinforced with a retaining wall. The starting and final stones used for the competitions still exist at both ends. It is supposed that some competitions were organized in the holy area here during the feast of 5 days.

Miletus, the queens of the Ionian cities, was first founded 3000 years BC. It was first inhabited by the Minoens and the by the Mycenaeans. Ionians came to Miletos 1000 BC. according to the a legend, sacred fish of Apollo dolphin guided Ionians towards present day Miletos. On arriving to Miletos, Ionians built a shrine to Apollo and called it Dephiniaon.

Because of its location and its sea faring people Miletians established 90 colonies all over the Mediterranean Basin including Sinop on the Black Sea Coast, Cyscos in southern Marmara and Naucratis on the Egyptian Delta. The city was also birthplace of famous philosophers, architects, town planners and mathematicians. Thales, Anaximender, Aneximnes, Hipodamos, Isodorus, Aspasia were al native sons of Miletus.

Golden Age of Milestus ended with the Persian occupation during which Miletos was punished and burned as the leader city of Ionians. Persian occupation lasted till arrival of the Alexander the Great who liberated the city after a big battle with the Persians. During the Roman centuries, second golden age started for Miletos. About 41 BC, Miletians erected a monument for the Pompey the Great to thank him cleaning the Mediterranean Basin form the activities of pirates.

Another great visitor of Miletos was Apostle Paul who visited the city during his third missionary trip. After he set sail from Assos, he stopped at Miletus where h met with the elders of the Ephesian Church. This dramatic farewell of Paul took place at the lion harbour of the city. The city was embellished with the fascinating Roman structures during the secong golden age.

Turning off the Antalya – Alanya road at kilometer 30 in the direction of the village of Belkis we come to the best-preserved ancient theater in Turkey. According to Strabo, the city of Aspendos was founded by colonists who came from Argos under the leadership of Mopsos. Coins minted in the 4th and 5th centuries B.C. give the city’s name as Estwediya. (Aspendos had the distinction of being the only city besides Side that coined money in its own name at that early period.)

For a while, the city was a member of the Athenian maritime alliance (the Delian League). A naval battle was fought off Aspendos in 469 B.C. during which the Persian fleet was defeated by the forces of the Athenian general Cimon. Despite this however we see Aspendos being used as a Persian base in 411 B.C. With Alexander’s defeat of the Persians in 334 B.C., Aspendos was freed of Persian rule. It was ruled by various Hellenistic period kings following the death of Alexander and like most other cities in Asia Minor it came under Roman rule in 133 B.C.

The city particularly flourished in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. In the 5th century the city’s name was changed to Primupolis. Aspendos was badly affected by the Arab incursions in the 8th century. The Seljuks, who arrived in the area in the 12th century, appear to have made use of some of the ancient structures, the theater being among them. One may approach the ruins by car as far as the theater and we shall begin our tour there.

The Aspendos theater is built of regularly dressed blocks of conglomerate while the door and window frames are of a cream-coloured limestone. One enters the skene through five doors, the one in the middle on the east being larger than the other four on located two on either side. The stage building is a two-tiered facade with four rows of windows, each row of which is of a different form and size. The niches contained decorative statuary. Even today the facade has an attractive appeal.

From inscriptions at the theater we know that the structure was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180) by two brothers, Curtius Crispinus and Curtius Auspicatus, to be dedicated to the gods and the emperors. The architect’s name was Zeno. The auditorium is divided in two by a diazoma and there is a gallery of columns surmounting the top row of seats. While the theater appears to be built on barrel vaulted substructures, parts of it do rest against the hillside. With a seating capacity of 20,000 the Aspendos theater is still useable today.

North of the theater at the same level is the stadium. The Aspendos stadium resembles the one at Perge: the spectator’s seats are also set on vaults. To the south of the theater are the remains of a gymnasium and baths now in ruins.If we ascend to the acropolis on the hill above the theater from the path connecting the theater and stadium we pass through the eastern of the city’s three gates into the ruins of the city proper.

Proceeding west from this gate, we come upon a basilica, part of which was used for government and civic affairs and as a courthouse. Much of this section is still standing. The triple-nave basilica extending 105 meters to the west was a commercial building while the agora lay to its west. The agora was surrounded by public buildings. West of the agora is a covered marketplace measuring 70 meters in length.

The front was open consisting of a row of shops with a stoa in front. North of the agora are the remains of a nymphaion (fountain) of which only the facade measuring 32.50 meters in length and 15 meters in height remains. This elaborately decorated facade has two rows of niches. Northwest of the fountain are the remains of the bouleuterion, which was used as the city state’s parliament hall.

In the center of the ruin are the traces of the foundations of a monumental arch. At the southern end of the basilica are the remains of exedrae, which served both as pedestals for statues and stone benches for the public. Another of the remains worth mentioning at Aspendos are the city’s magnificent aqueducts, parts of which are in the nearby village and on the site of the ruins.