Εμφανίζονται 8 τίτλοι με αναζήτηση: Πληροφορίες για τον τόπο στην ευρύτερη περιοχή: "ΑΦΡΟΔΙΣΙΑΣ Αρχαία πόλη ΑΪΔΙΝ" .
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΣΙΑΣ (Αρχαία πόλη) ΑΪΔΙΝ
Aphrodisias (Aphrodisias: Eth. Aphrodisieus, Aphrodisiensis). An ancient
town of Caria, situated at Ghera or Geyra, south of Antiocheia on the Maeander,
as is proved by inscriptions which have been copied by several travellers. Drawings
of the remains of Aphrodisias have been made by the order of the Dilettanti Society.
There are the remains of an Ionic temple of Aphrodite, the goddess from whom the
place took the name of Aphrodisias; fifteen of the white marble columns are still
standing. A Greek inscription on a tablet records the donation of one of the columns
to Aphrodite and the demus. Fellows (Lycia, p. 32) has described the remains of
Aphrodisias, and given a view of the temple. The route of Fellows was from Antiocheia
on the Maeander up the valley of the Mosynus, which appears to be the ancient
name of the stream that joins the Maeander at Antiocheia; and Aphrodisias lies
to the east of the head of the valley in which the Mosynus rises, and at a considerable
elevation.
Stephanus (s. v. Megalopolis), says that it was first a city of the
Leleges, and, on account of its magnitude, was called Megalopolis; and it was
also called Ninoe, from Ninus (see also s. v. Ninoe),--a confused bit of history,
and useful for nothing except to show that it was probably a city of old foundation.
Strabo assigns it to the division of Phrygia; but in Pliny (v. 29) it is a Carian
city, and a free city (Aphrodisienses liberi) in the Roman sense of that period.
In the time of Tiberius, when there was an inquiry about the right of asyla, which
was claimed and exercised by many Greek cities, the Aphrodisienses relied on a
decree of the dictator Caesar for their services to his party, and on a recent
decree of Augustus. (Tac. Ann. iii. 62.) Sherard, in 1705 or 1716, copied an inscription
at Aphrodisias, which he communicated to Chishull, who published it in his Antiquitates
Asiaticae. This Greek inscription is a Consultum of the Roman senate, which confirms
the privileges granted by the Dictator and the Triumviri to the Aphrodisienses.
The Consultum is also printed in Oberlin‘s Tacituss, and elsewhere. This Consultum
gives freedom to the demus of the Plaraseis and the Aphrodisieis. It also declares
the temenos of the goddess Aphrodite in the city of the Plaraseis and the Aphrodisieis
to have the same rights as the temple of the Ephesia at Ephesus; and the temenos
was declared to be an asylum. Plarasa then, also a city of Caria, and Aphrodisias
were in some kind of alliance and intimate relation. There are coins of Plarasa;
and coins with a legend of both names are also not very uncommon. (Leake.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
A town of Caria sacred to Aphrodite.
Generally reckoned among the cities of NE Caria though close to the
confines of Lydia and Phrygia, the site is located in a well-watered tributary
valley of the Maeander (Buyuk Menderes) river system. It lies on a plateau ca.
600 m high by the W slopes of the Salbakos (Baba Dag) range, in the vilayet of
Aydin, near Karacasu, ca. 230 km SE of Izmir. The hamlet of Geyre situated in
the SE part of the ancient city was resettled by governmental decree on a new
site 2 km to the W a few years ago.
Recent discoveries have revealed a long prehistory for Aphrodisias,
dating back at least to the Chalcolithic period (early 3d millennium B.C.) and
ranging through all phases of the Bronze Age, with especially rich evidence for
Early Bronze II and III. Textual sources provide little information about the
city. Stephanos of Byzantium refers to it as Ninoe and by several other names.
It is possible that Ninoe is to be connected with the Akkadian (Nm or Nina) names
for the goddess Ishtar. In view of the fertility of the soil, a nature goddess
cult probably developed here early and combined several native Anatolian with
eastern traditions, culminating in the equation of the divinity with Aphrodite
in the later Hellenistic period (hence the name Aphrodisias, a Greek version of
Ninoe). Numismatic and epigraphic evidence suggests a sympolity with the neighboring
town of Plarasa in the late 2d--early 1st c. B.C. Occasional references are encountered
in Strabo, Pausanias, Tacitus, and Pliny the Elder. Extremely cordial relations
with Rome started with Sulla (App. 1.97), continued with Julius Caesar and Octavian,
who was involved in the grant of privileges (including the inviolability of its
sanctuary) to the city. Most emperors maintained their benevolent support. It
is, therefore, during the early centuries A.D. that Aphrodisias (eventually metropolis
of Caria) reached great fame and prosperity both as a religious site and as a
center of art and culture. Because of the popularity of Aphrodite, paganism remained
strong in Early Christian times, even though the city became the seat of the bishops
of Caria. Consequently, the name Stavropolis, and more simply Caria, began to
be used to eradicate the memory of the goddess. Except for sporadic mentions of
bishops, the history of Byzantine Aphrodisias is relatively obscure, though its
role continued to be significant. Located in an area strategic in the 11th to
13th c., Caria (Aphrodisias) suffered at least four captures by the Seljuks, recorded
by Nicetas Choniates and George Pachymeres between 1080 and 1260. The site was
then virtually abandoned, though eventually the small Turkish village Geyre (etymologically
derived from Caria) grew up among its ruins.
The evidence of some 30 signatures on many items found in Rome and
elsewhere, bolstered by the discovery of much statuary and decorative sculpture
of high quality, induced scholars to identify Aphrodisias as one of the major
sculpture centers, as well as marble suppliers (quarries are located ca. 2 km
E of the site in the mountains), of the Graeco-Roman world. New discoveries have
more than confirmed the validity of this theory. Aphrodisias contributions to
other fields also merit attention: Xenocrates was a medical writer of the late
1st c.; Chariton, an early novelist; and Alexander was an exponent of Aristotelian
philosophy.
The core of the city is surrounded by a fortification system over
3.5 km long, begun in the A.D. 260s against the threat of Gothic invasion, repaired
in the mid 4th c. (according to a dedication to Constantius over one of the gates)
and in the Byzantine period. A great quantity of architectural blocks, inscriptions,
and sculptural fragments was incorporated in the wall construction. The circuit
is irregular in shape with several towers at intervals and at least six gates.
The enclosed area is ca. 520 ha, though it does not represent the full extent
of the Roman city. The ground is essentially flat with a gentle inclination towards
the S, and a tributary of the Maeander (today, the Geyre, possibly ancient Morsynos).
A conical hill ca. 15-20 m high rises in the S sector of the site. Though labeled
an acropolis, this formation is actually a prehistoric mound. The remains of a
series of mudbrick settlements of all phases of the Anatolian Bronze Age were
brought to light on the W slope. Similar and even earlier (Chalcolithic) discoveries
were made SE of the acropolis at Pekmez. The great number of artifacts recorded
in both areas indicates that Aphrodisias was a significant prehistoric site connected
with the Aegean, NW (Troy, Yortan, Kusura) and NE (Beycesultan) Anatolia, as well
as the center (Kultepe) and the SE (Karatas) of the peninsula in the 3d and 2d
millennia B.C.
The Temple of Aphrodite, chief sanctuary of the city, is located at
about the center of the settlement; 14 columns of its peristyle are still standing.
The building was transformed into a Christian basilica from the 6th c. onwards
by removal of its cella, the shifting of its columns (to create a nave and two
aisles) and the addition of an apse, including a presbyterion, prothesis, and
diakonikon incorporated within an early temenos (?) wall to the E. A double narthex
and an atrium were contrived to the W within the Roman temenos colonnade. The
temple was Ionic, octostyle with 13 columns on the sides. Though generally dated
to Hadrianic times, recent discoveries have suggested the 1st c. B.C. for the
beginning of construction. The elaborate Corinthian temenos with naiskoi was,
however, erected under Hadrian according to its epistyle inscription. The cella,
destroyed by later transformations, consisted of a large chamber with a pronaos,
but no opisthodomos. Testimonia of earlier structures, presumably sanctuaries,
were also recorded, including a rough mosaic pavement of the 3d c. B.C. and some
late archaic (6th c. B.C.) fragments, terracotta as well as architectural. Unfortunately,
subsequent rebuilding activities have obliterated much of the earlier evidence,
but the antiquity and sanctity of the area is secure since even prehistoric data
were found here.
Though the Hadrianic temenos featured a central gate opening to the
E towards an open area, the chief doorway lay farther E. A monumental tetrapylon
was discovered and studied there. Built in the mid 2d c., it consisted of two
pairs of four columns standing on high bases. The pairs farthest E, spirally fluted
and double Corinthian, presented an elaborate facade with a central door and a
broken arcuated pediment and marble screens. The temple side was decorated with
handsome pedimental reliefs showing Eros and Nike figures among acanthus scrolls
and elaborate acroteria. The space between the two column pairs was probably timber-roofed.
South of the temenos there is a well-preserved odeon; its lower cavea
consisted of nine tiers of seats, but its summa cavea, once supported by 11 vaulted
chambers, collapsed in late Roman-early Byzantine times and was never repaired.
The orchestra was modified, as shown by its opus sectile mosaic, in order to create
a conistra. Handsome statuary decorated the elaborate stage, which consisted of
four naiskoi between five doors opening on a backstage corridor. At opposite ends
of the corridor, staircases led to the upper cavea, whose seats reached over the
vaults of the parodoi. Five other doors opened from the corridor onto a porticus
post scaenam, part of the large agora complex and decorated with the portraits
of prominent citizens. Large buttresses built at intervals along the exterior
semicircle of the cavea were connected with the timber-roofing scheme of the building.
West of the Odeon, an elaborate complex of rooms and halls, including
a triconch to the E and a peristyle court communicating with it, was probably
begun in Late Roman times as a private residence and subsequently turned into
a bishop's palace, to judge from a number of seals uncovered during the excavations.
The plan of the agora S of the odeon and bishop's palace was initiated
in the 1st c. Its large dimensions, however, extended the period of its construction
into the 2d c. Most of this marketplace remains to be investigated, but it consisted
of two adjacent Ionic porticos (ca. 205 x 120 m each) with colonnades on at least
three sides. A long row of the columns of the N portico is still standing. The
N side of the S portico is shown by its epistyle inscription to have been dedicated
under Tiberius. The most elegant feature of this portico was its frieze featuring
a vast repertory of beribboned masks and heads (including identifiable dramatic
types) joined by garlands of fruit and flowers. Recent excavations in the SW part
produced an unusual number of fragments of Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices.
This decree was probably exhibited here in a large basilica which lay S of the
colonnade.
The S side of the Portico of Tiberius partly skirted the acropolis,
but its W end communicated with imposing Baths of Hadrian. Many huge consoles,
in the shape of Medusa, Minotaur, bull, or lion protomes were found here. Large
pillars decorated with elaborate scroll motifs with figures formed large exedras
and an unusual facade for the baths. Most of these decorative elements are today
in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Their resemblance to finds made at Leptis
Magna (especially in the Severan basilica) have led several scholars to suggest
the involvement of Aphrodisian sculptors in the decoration of the forum of that
North African city.
Newly excavated portions of the baths (dedicated to Aphrodite and
Hadrian) have revealed that the core of the building was constructed of large,
uneven tufa blocks, revetted with marble and colored stone. Five large galleries,
parallel and intercommunicating, have so far been revealed. The central one, beyond
a praefurnium, was a caldarium with shallow stepped pools at either end, and flanked
by two tepidaria (?). On either side of the praefurnium, sudatoria with a central
circular pool were located. To the N, an area with a rectangular stepped pool
adorned, like the whole establishment, with much statuary (including Achilles-Penthesileia
and Menelaus-Patroklos groups) may be the frigidarium. Intricate networks of underground
corridors crisscrossed the whole area. The baths were used in Byzantine times
but their size was modified, possibly after earthquake damage.
The large theater of Aphrodisias was located in the heart of the city,
built against the E acropolis. When the hillock was turned into a Byzantine fortress,
some of its features, as in Miletos, were incorporated into the defensive system.
Recent operations have revealed a well-preserved monument with several unique
characteristics. The summa cavea was heavily damaged, but below the N diazoma,
27 rows of seats were revealed in excellent condition. The theater was built in
the 1st c. B.C. Its plan shows the horseshoe-shaped cavea typical of many theaters
in Asia Minor. In the 2d c., modifications were undertaken to accommodate gladiatorial
games, wrestling bouts, and animal baiting. Only half of the stage has so far
been excavated, but a conistra and via venatorum arrangement are recognizable.
Six vaulted rooms of the stage were used as storage areas for "props"
at one time. The wall of the stage building facing the N parodos proved to be
entirely covered with a long series of inscriptions cut in the 2d and 3d c. The
documents include a senatus consultum and official letters, some dating back to
Republican times and all relevant to the history of Asia Minor and the city. Many
of the abundant sculptures found on or near the stage betray signs of ancient
repair, probably due to earthquake damage in late Roman times. The ultimate destruction
of the stage and the lower theater, however, occurred in Byzantine times (post
6th c. ?). Evidence indicates Early Christian occupation at several points.
No attempt seems to have been made to restore the theater after this
date. Activities were transferred to the E half of the imposing stadium located
in the N part of the city. This very well-preserved structure was incorporated
in the fortifications in late antiquity. Both its extremities were semicircular,
but its long sides bow out gently, giving it a roughly elliptical shape (ca. 262
x 59 m, with 30 tiers of seats). Byzantine transformations created an arena in
the E end with a conistra and protective gates or booths.
Several other monuments require brief mention. North of the temple
and E of the tetrapylon, two large early Byzantine houses with peristyle courts
decorated with figurative mosaic pavements have been partly revealed. A triconch
church (martyrion?) was investigated at the SW foot of the acropolis. Several
columns of an area partly explored and labeled gymnasium were re-erected to the
SE of the acropolis.
Though only a few streets and roads have so far been located, the
plan of the city betrays essentially a grid system with chief arteries cutting
one another at right angles. The scheme was probably initiated in late Hellenistic
or early Imperial times since most of the known thoroughfares appear to be axially
aligned with the agora porticos. Areas long occupied, however, like the Precinct
of Aphrodite and the acropolis, fell outside the grid which grew organically around
them.
K. Erim, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 15 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
The ancient city of Aphrodisias, once the capital of the province of Lydia, is located near the village of Geyre in the district of Karacasu 38 km south of Nazilli.
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