Aphrodisias

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Aphrodisias
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem

Tetrapilón - Afrodisias - 02.jpg
Tetrapylon
National territory: TurkeyTurkey Turkey
Type: Culture
Criteria : ii, iii, iv, vi
Surface: 152.25 hectares
Buffer zone: 1,040.57 hectares
Reference No .: 1519
UNESCO region : Europe and North America
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 2017  ( session 41 )

Coordinates: 37 ° 42 ′ 28 ″  N , 28 ° 43 ′ 19 ″  E

Relief Map: Turkey
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Aphrodisias
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Turkey
Aphrodite Temple
bath
Agora
theatre
Stadion
Odeon

Aphrodisias ( Greek  Ἀφροδισιάς ) was an ancient city ​​in the Caria landscape in the southwest of today's Turkey near the village of Geyre in the Aydın province . Your name derives from Aphrodite - cult from which the central Aphrodite Temple was practiced.

history

The origins of the settlement can be traced back to the 3rd millennium BC. Traced back its name, however, only in Hellenistic times, probably in the 3rd century BC. Previous names were Lelegonopolis , Megalopolis and Ninoe . In Hellenism, Aphrodisias also entered into a connection ( sympolity ) with the neighboring Plarasa . This was done by minting common coins. Aphrodisias did not gain importance until the 1st century BC. Through a close relationship with Rome : During the war against Mithridates VI. Aphrodisias stayed with the Romans and even sent auxiliary troops when the Roman general Quintus Oppius around 88 BC. Was besieged. Out of gratitude, Oppius became the patron and advocate of the city in Rome. During the Roman civil wars after the death of Gaius Julius Caesar , the city was able to maintain a good relationship with the rulers, as it opted for the right side in the long term: After the troops of Quintus Labienus had forcibly conquered the city in 40 or 39, the three triumvirs secured Antonius , Octavian and Lepidus her after winning out of gratitude in a inscriptions traditional decree v. 39 BC. Freedom (from the Roman provincial administration), immunity from Roman taxes and the right of asylum and had this confirmed by a resolution of the Senate and the people. The privileges were confirmed again and again, most recently in 243 AD by Emperor Gordian III. Further inscriptions provide information about the relationship between Aphrodisias and Rome ( lit .: Reynolds).

Aided by the nearby quarries, an extensive marble industry and a famous school of sculptors flourished ; Aphrodisias was also known for fine textile products ( wool and cotton ). Starting in Augustan times, the city was provided with numerous public buildings in the first two centuries AD, like many cities in Asia Minor. In the late 3rd century it became the capital of the newly established province of Caria .

The victory of Christianity in late antiquity led to an outlawing of the Aphrodite cult. In late antique-early Byzantine times, the city was renamed Stauropolis ("City of the Cross"), but the name Caria prevailed, from which the Turkish name Geyre eventually became. Between the 7th and 13th centuries, wars and earthquakes caused the city to decline further. Geyre has been repopulated since the 15th century.

Excavation history

The first excavations took place in 1904–05 by the French railway engineer Paul Gaudin. A team from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University has been digging here since 1962 , initially under the direction of Kenan Erim , now under RRR Smith ( University of Oxford ).

Attractions

Numerous and well-preserved ruins make Aphrodisias one of the most important archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean from Greco-Roman times.

The remains of the temple of Aphrodite, still visible today, date back to the 1st century BC. BC (although there was a temple of Aphrodite earlier). Under Augustus and Hadrian the temple was further expanded and rebuilt. In the 5th century it was converted into a church. Further sights of Aphrodisias are the Tetrapylon , the Odeon or the Bishop's Palace, the Agora, the theater, the baths of Hadrian, the Sebasteion (which indicates an imperial cult) and the stadium.

museum

The local museum contains a rich collection of ancient statues from the city. The reliefs of the Sebasteion, the Temple of Aphrodite and the equestrian image of Troilos , whose original place was in the basilica , are particularly worth seeing

Reliefs of the Sebasteion

literature

  • Sheila Campbell: The mosaics of Aphrodisias in Caria. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto 1991, ISBN 0-88844-367-6 .
  • Kenan T. Erim: Aphrodisias. City of Venus Aphrodite. Muller, Blond & White, London 1986, ISBN 0-584-11106-1 .
  • Wolfram Letzner: Aphrodisias - topography and settlement history of a Carian city. In: Ancient World . Volume 42, Issue 4, 2011, No. 4, pp. 38-48.
  • David MacDonald: The coinage of Aphrodisias. Royal Numismatic Society, London 1992, ISBN 0-901405-30-2 .
  • Joyce Reynolds: Aphrodisias and Rome. Documents from the Excavation of the Theater at Aphrodisias conducted by Professor Kenan T. Erim, together with some related texts (= Journal of Roman Studies . Volume 1). Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, London 1982, ISBN 0-907764-00-2 .
  • Charlotte Roueché: Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity. The Late Roman and Byzantine Inscriptions including Texts from the Excavations at Aphrodisias conducted by Kenan T. Erim (= Journal of Roman Studies Monographs. Volume 5). Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, London 1989, ISBN 0-907764-09-6 .
    Revised second edition 2004 online

Web links

Commons : Aphrodisias  - collection of images, videos and audio files