A magnificent
city of antiquity, Aphrodisias is
situated on a plateau of 600 m.
altitude on the side of Babadağ
Mountain Range. It is approximately
230 km by land route to the
southeast of İzmir; near the Geyre
Village of Karacasu District, Aydın.
Ancient
sources tell very little about Aphrodisias.
According to Stephanos of Byzantium, the city
was founded in the 13th century BC
and was originally named Ninoe (rooting from the
legendary king of Babylon, Ninos). The city had
other names as well.
Aphrodisias, where rituals were held for the
love and beauty goddess Aphrodite, was the
leading architecture, art, sculpture and worship
centre of antiquity. The scientific researches
and archaeological excavations indicate that the
first settlement in Aphrodisias was in 4000 BC,
the Chalcolithic Ages. The positive knowledge
dates back to the 11th century BC as
recorded by the historian Appian. He writes that
in this period Aphrodisias, together with the
neighbouring city Plarasa (Bingeç), used to coin
silver and bronze money. The most brilliant and
developed era of Aphrodisias was in the Roman
Period. The sculptors of Aphrodisias, producing
sculptures and building elements of
extraordinary beauty with the precious marbles
they obtained from the quarries in the sides of
Babadağ Mountain, established the Manierist
School, known also as the Aphrodisias style.
During the traditional Roman life and busy
settling that lasted for about 500 years, a city
full of gorgeous buildings aroused.
The
adverse religious and political effects of the
Byzantine Period impeded the progress of
Aphrodisias and gradually the city lost all the
glory. It was destroyed by fires, earthquakes,
Sasani and Arab invasions; and was eventually
abandoned.
The
archaeological excavations and researches
started in 1904. As from 1961, the works funded
by the National Geographic Society in the name
of New York University were carried under the
chair of Prof. Kenan Erim until his death in
1990 and then by Prof. Roland Smith to our day.
These excavations and researches revealed the
important works and studies done in the city in
the fields of architecture, sculpture, medicine,
mathematics, astronomy and arts. The medical
researcher Xenocrates, novelist Chartiton and
philosopher Alexander are all from Aphrodisias.
The
baths, agora, temple, stadium, amphitheatre of
10.000, city walls from the Roman – Byzantine
periods, acropolis and the odeon are among
buildings that have survived to present.
Aphrodisias, with the abundance and beauty of
the well-preserved artefacts and with the museum
on site which displays all the excavated
objects, is the most precious cultural heritage
that Aydın province has.
Very
little information is found in historical
records on Aphrodisias, which is on the
southeast of Aydın and the northeast of the
Caria region. The knowledge we have today is
rather based on the excavations. The Byzantine
historian Stephanus writes that the first name
of the city, which was originally a Leleg-Pelasg
settlement, was Lelegonpolis. The city developed
and acquired the name Megalopolis. Then it was
named as Ninoe, after the legendary king of
Babylon, Ninos. This name was also found on a
relief in Aphrodisias. The words “nino, nina,
nin” in Akhad language also indicated the
Goddess Ishtar, known also as Astarte or
Astartia. Ishtar, which had governed even the
Prophet Solomon, was the goddess of love in
Babylon and Ninova; and she very much resembled
Aphrodite. In fact, Aphrodisias was the Greek
translation of Ninoe. This is considered a proof
that the city was a very ancient worship centre
for a Mother Goddess; a Caria settlement under
the effect of eastern culture. The assumption of
the Assyrians founding a worship place for
Ishtar at a very far corner from Babylon is a
very likely possibility. In the beginning of
2000 BC, the early period of the Hittites, there
were many Assyrian colonies in Anatolia. In the
Hellenistic period, it was a tradition to change
the names of local gods and goddesses to their
likes in the Greek mythology. Aphrodite of
Aphrodisias actually has little in common with
her Greek namesake. She rather resembles the
Mother Goddess Kybele, who symbolises earth,
underground and fertility in Anatolia. She in a
way also resembles the Artemis of Ephesus.
The hill
that the amphitheatre rests against is actually
a tumulus, which had started forming before the
3000 BC. The excavations yielded sufficient
evidence on the prehistoric cultures here even
before the settlements of eski Tunç Age.
Historian Appolonios, who had come from Egypt in
the 3rd century BC to write a book
about Caria, is considered as Aphrodisian. The
first account of Aphrodisias in historical
records is with the Roman dictator Sulla sending
a labrys and a golden crown to the city to abide
the prophecy of the Delphor Oracle in 82 BC.
Though somewhat exaggerated, the document
mentions a large Caria city dedicated to the
Goddess Aphrodite. Also coins with the name
Aphrodisias printed on them are found.
In the
first coins, the name of Aphrodisias comes after
the name of the neighbouring city Plarasa (Bingeç).
In the later-dated coins the name of Plarasa
disappears. These prove that Aphrodisias was
only a worship centre, just like Didim, at the
beginning but then a settlement grew around it
due to needs until one day Plarasa wore off from
stage of history and Aphrodisias rose to the
condition of a full city.
On an
inscription found in Aphrodisias, two
Aphrodisians are mentioned going to Rome in the
1st century BC on a mission to
complain about the attitude of the tax
collectors in the state. A senate decree sent by
Marcus Antonius between the years 39-35 BC
states that the sanctuary borders of the
Aphrodisias Temple were extended to equal those
of the Artemisium in Ephesus. At the
amphitheatre excavations numerous emperor
messages, most of which were about the granted
privileges and immunities, were unearthed. The
time of the Roman Empire was the golden era of
Aphrodisias. An important centre for literature
and arts, the city also developed in medicine
and philosophy during this period. Furthermore,
Aphrodisias was very well-known for sculpture
school. The excavations revealed a sculpture
atelier and many unfinished or half completed
sculptures. The grey-blue marble used in the
sculptures was obtained from quarries on the
skirts of Babadağ Mountain, 2 km to the east of
the city. This stone was processed on the spot
as well as being exported to other cities in
Anatolia, especially to those in Meander Valley,
as half processed or as blocks to be used in
sculpturing. Many beautiful sculptures in Rome
and all over Italy and Greece were found to bear
the signatures of the masters from Aphrodisias.
It should also be expressed that the sculpture
competition held at the Aphrodisias festival is
unique to this city.
With the
spread of Christianity and the empire accepting
it as the official religion, the place was named
Stavropolis (city of the Cross) in the Byzantine
period to make the name of Aphrodite long
forgotten. Yet the city was called Caria, the
name of the region. The village built by the
Turks on the ruins of the ancient city was named
Geyre, possibly after Caria.
The
ruins of Aphrodisias have been attracting the
attention of western travellers since the
beginning of the last century. Charles Texier
and Laborde told about the ruins and also made
sketches of them. In 1904-5, a French commission
under the chair of Paul Gaudin conducted two
short-term excavations here. In 1913, A.
Boulanger had an attempt. In 1937, the Italian
commission under Julio Jakopi also conducted
excavations. The most productive excavations
have been conducted since 1961 by the New York
University under the chair of Prof. Kenan Erim
(died 1990), also with the support of National
Geographic Society. These excavations have
unearthed many well preserved buildings as well
as numerous exceptionally fine statues. Only
some of these were placed in the special museum
built in Aphrodisias.
The
ancient city of Aphrodisias, covering an area of
520 hectares, was enclosed with a city wall of
3.5 km, which was built in the Roman period and
restored in the Byzantine period. Architectural
elements from earlier periods were used in the
building and restoration of the wall. The land
that the city was founded on was flat, except
from the 15 metre high Acropolis hill, which was
actually a prehistoric tumulus.
