Ephesus Plus Tours: 2012

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Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias (...: www.ephesusplustours.com Aphrodisias Aphrodisias ( Turkish: Afrodisias) It was the monumental gateway which greeted pilgrims w...

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The History of Ephesus
E...: www.ephesusplustours.com The History of Ephesus Ephesus is within the borders of Selçuk County in the Province of Izmir and was one o...

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Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias ( Turkish: Afrodisias)

On the pediment over the west columns were decorated with relief figures of Eros and Nike hunting among the acanthus leaves.

Aphrodisias is unquestionably one of the most impressing ancient cities of Anatolia with its well-preserved buildings and numbers of magnificent sculptures from the Roman period. Being built near a marble quarry, the city was also an important center in the past with its famous sculpture school and for being one of the several cities that was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The city was named after Aphrodite in the second century BC. but according to the Suda, before being known as Aphrodisias, it had three previous names: Lelegon Polis, Megale Polis and Ninoë, a name derived from Ninos. Ninos was the mythical founder for the Assyro-Babylonian Empire and the husband of the famous Semiramis. The city was later renamed as Stauropolis in the Cristian Era.

Aphrodisias was not the city of famous sculptures only, but it was also a hometown for renowned scholars and philosophers. The philosopher Xenocrates, who had been a student of Plato, is believed to live in Aphrodisias.

The excavations at the city have been held systematically since 1961 by deceased Professor Kenan Erim, whose grave is now near Tetrapylon.

Tetrapylon

It was the monumental gateway which greeted pilgrims when they approached the Temple of Aphrodite. The Tetrapylon consisted of four rows of four columns (tetra = four and pylon = gateway in Greek) It connects the major street to the sacred way heading toward the sanctuary of Aphrodite.

On the pediment over the west columns were decorated with relief figures of Eros and Nike hunting among the acanthus leaves.

Stadium

Located in the north end of the city, the Stadium is probably the best preserved and biggest of its type in Mediterranean. It is 262 m long and 59 m wide with 22 rows of seats. It has the capacity of 30.000 spectators.

The ends of the stadium are slightly convex, giving the whole a form rather suggesting an ellipse. In this way, the spectators seated in this part of the stadium would not block each other's view and would be able to see the whole of the arena.

The stadium was specially designed for athletic contests, but after the theatre was damaged in the 7th century earthquake the eastern end of the arena began to be used for games, circuses, wild beast shows and gladiatorial combats. During the Roman period the stadium was the scene of a large number of athletic competitions and festivals.

Temple of Aphrodite

The Temple of Aphrodite was located in the northern section and formed the centre of the city. All that remains of the ancient temple consists of fourteen of the over forty Ionic columns that once surrounded it and the foundations of the cellar section. Although the cult centre dates back to earlier times the temple whose remains we see today had begun to be built in the 1st century B.C. and is thought to have been completed during the reign of Augustus.

The temenos (temple precinct) was completed in the 2nd century during the reign of Hadrian. The building would appear to have been what is known as an octastyle temple with thirteen columns on each side and eight columns at front and rear. On some of the columns are inscribed the names of the donors who presented them to the temple.

The discovery of several mosaic fragments belonging to the Hellenistic period indicate the existence of an older temple on the same site, but with the conversion of the temple to a church in the 5th century all traces of the older building were erased. At the same time, the walls of the cellar containing the cult statues were removed and the building enlarged by moving the side columns outwards. Walls were added at the front and rear of the building to form an apse and nave. An apse and an atrium were added on the east and west.

No cult statue was found in the cellar but in 1962 a statue was found immediately outside it bearing all the characteristics of a cult statue and in the museum now. The goddess is wearing a long garment. One of the arms is stretched forward. The reliefs carved on the bands of the garment are very interesting. The sun god and moon goddess, the Three Graces with Aphrodite in the middle, Aphrodite and three Cupids seated on a goat with the tail of a fish are all symbols which frequently appear on various copies of the cult statue.

Odeon

To the south of the temple of Aphrodite, a very well-preserved Odeon (Concert-hall) was discovered in 1962. It is a semicircular building and has 12 tiered rows of seats with lion’s feet. Its orchestra and stage were elaborately decorated with mosaics. It had a roof but its upper tiers of seats collapsed probably in the fourth century by an earthquake.

This hall had a capacity around 1700 people. It was used also as the Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Senate and remained in this form until the early fifth century, when a municipal official had it adapted as a palaestra, recording his achievement on the upper molding of the pulpitum (stage). It had a hall function of lectures, performances, and various kinds of competitive displays, as suggested by a number of factional inscriptions carved on the seats. The architecture of the Bouleuterion is being studied by Lionel Bier, Professor at the Art Department of Brooklyn College.

Baths of Hadrian

Built in the 2nd century B.D, the remains of the baths are facing the Agora gate to the west end of the Portico of Tiberius.

The Baths of Hadrian had two large galleries on either on both sides of a central, with underground service corridors and water channels. The core of the baths was light sandstone covered with marble plaques.

Theater

The Theatre of the city was built in the second half of the first century B.C on the eastern slope of the acropolis. According to its inscription it was dedicated to Aphrodite and the people of the city by Julius Zoilos, a former slave of Octavian. The seating capacity was 8,000. The stage building consisted of six vaulted dressing or storage rooms out of which four opened into the corridor behind the proskene.

The stage building wall had Greek inscriptions of important documents related to the history of the city such as letters of emperors to the city or senatorial decrees. The orchestra and the stage building were restored in the 2C AD in order to make the building more suitable for animal or gladiatorial fights. The theater was seriously damaged in the 7C, and the Byzantines built houses on top of the cavea and converted the hill into a fortress by circling it with walls and towers.

Although several tiers of its upper seats were visible there were cottages of the village. The excavations of the theatre started in 1966 with the help of the National Geographic Society. Till our present day’s form, the theatre had a number of repairs and changes. The stage building was obviously damaged in the fourth century.

Agora

The Agora of Aphrodisias was the large public or market area in the northern part of the portico between the Temple of Aphrodite and the Acropolis. It is a structure built mostly for musical events. Eventually it was also serving the purpose of holding public speech and literature competitions as well.

The Agora had two long Ionic porticoes. The northern portico is still unexplored, but seems to be built earlier than the southern one. The southern portico is the one called the Portico of Tiberius.

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Pamukkale

Cotton Castle ( Turkish: Pamukkale )

Although Denizli is not by the coast, Denizli means "a locality by the sea". The name must have referred to the abundance of underground water sources.

Denizli is a rapidly growing industrial (especially textile) and touristic town with numerous beauties.

Being a fertile region, the city has always been a center of cradle of civilizations succeeding one another. Luvians, Phrygians, Persians, Greeks and Romans are counted among the early civilizations; the later ones include the Byzantines, Seljuk and the Ottomans.

Denizli’s popular site Pamukkale is a must-see natural thermal water source and a unique in the world with its calcareous white steps. The ancient sites Laodicea, Tripolis, Hierapolis, Colossae, Eumania, Heraklia Salbace, Tabae, Dionysopolis, Apollon Lermenos Temple, Sebatopolis, Anava, Trapezopolis, Attuda, and Apollonia Salbace are also inside the borders of Denizli city.

Hierapolis / Pamukkale

In ancient times all religious buildings were built nearby hot or cold water sources.

Beside religious buildings, some other buildings such as fountains and baths also were built for curing. The numbers of baths, fountains and also churches are evident of the importance of waters in Hierapolis and Christianity.

The temples were significant trade centers and Hierapolis had many temples that made people confused about which god they would worship before Christianity.

People in Hierapolis worshipped Apollo as their main God. Beside Apollo, Artemis-the goddess- had been very important too. Local people in Hierapolis had worshipped many other gods and goddesses such as Dionysus, Leto who was the mother of Apollo, Poseidon who was the reason of earthquakes, Pluto who was the god of underworld, Heracles etc.

Hierapolis means “Holy City” because of its religious importance and also temples together with other religious buildings.

The area of Hierapolis was exposed to be a place for many settlements for its abundant water sources. It is highly believed that the ancient city was built by the people of Pergamum. The history of Hierapolis before the Hellenistic period is not known exactly but there had been a settlement existence here. It is known that around 1900’s BC Luwis were in the scene of the area. The most civilized city of its time was Cydrara in the area around 500 BC and they had built a holy temple here.

After the fall of Troy, many colonists migrated to Anatolia from Greece and south east Europe in the Hittite Period. But it is still unknown if they established new cities or captured the existing cities or combined to live with others. When everything was settled, disagreements began among the people after a few centuries. Anatolians were invaded by Lydians that were living in the west of Asia and Lydian became successful. Afterwards actions stated with Lydian King Croesus. But their period did not last long; Lydian was defeated by Persians in 646 BC. Persians aim was not only Anatolia but also Greek land and Aegean Island. After the long wars Anatolia went under Greek domination. But this situation didn’t affect the lives of Anatolians.

On the other hand it is thought that Hiera was the name of the wife of Telephos. Telephos was the legendary founder of Pergamum so the founder of the city, Eumenes, named here as Hierapolis in honor of Hiera. Women took very significant place through the history of Anatolia therefore their names were used for newly founded cities.

The ancient city of Hierapolis was settled in an area of 1000 x 800 m. Hierapolis had many destructive strong earthquakes and as a result, each earthquake razed the city. (First destructive one in 17 AD, second one in 60 AD, third and last one in 1354)

Trade

Wool production, spinning, weaving, wool shearing, washing and dyeing were developed highly therefore textile industry had a great extent in Hierapolis.

The tradesmen of Hierapolis used to sell goods by exporting them to various parts of the empire.

Other sources of income were farming, producing copperware and stockbreeding. Also tourism had become an important source. Tourists from all of the empire visited Hierapolis for its temples, thermal waters also for literature and music competitions and festivals.

People could benefit from the thermal waters to get treatment or to enjoy themselves, or even to make sacrifice for their god.

Gates of Hierapolis

Domitian Gate; is on the north of Hierapolis and has two round towers. This gate is the best preserved one. It is also known as Frontinus Gate because it was built by Julius Frontinus (84-86 AD ), proconsul of Asia Minor. Then it was dedicated to the Emperor Domitian by Frontinus. It has three openings so is also known as the three gates. One of the towers of the gate is still in good condition today. The gate at the south end of the main street is the oldest one and was built in 65-86 AD. The lower parts of it are still under ground waiting for excavation. Also there are gates in the middle of the street which were built in the 4th century AD as a monuments of Christianity period and are shaped like triumphal arches.

Roman THeatre

It is located in the middle of Hierapolis and is very well preserved. it was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in 2nd century AD. In Emperor Severus period the cavea and the stage of theatre were restored by using the remains of another old theatre built earlier on the north of the city. Roman Theatre had a capacity of 8500 – 10000 spectators and was divided into two parts as upper and lower parts of seat by a diazoma.

People arranged concerts, religious ceremonies, competitions in this theatre. In the friezes of the theatre some mythological scenes had been depicted.

Temple of Apollo

Apollo was the most important god for local people. An honorary temple was built in front of the theatre for him. Because of the rock mass at the back of the temple which was excavated it assumed that there were large steps to reach the temple of Apollo.

Doric style marble columns which have higher quality than main street columns were used for the temple. Local people believed that Apollo and Artemis met here.

A prediction center and the gate to the hell have been also found near the temple.

Great Bath

These baths which has the plan of typical Roman Baths were built after the earthquake occurred in Neron Time.

It includes adjacent rooms containing pools. In the second section of the baths a palaestra locates where athletic and gymnastic activities were held.

The rooms were built parallel to each other and they were heated with fireplaces. First room was cold room which was known as Frigidarium, then 2nd was the tepid room which was known as Tepiderium and at last was the hot room which was known as Caldarium. Marble slabs were used to decorate walls.

Martyrium

This martyrium which is an octagonal structure and has a square base is a monument of Saint Philip.

Saint Philip was one of the twelve apostles of Christ and he was martyred in Hierapolis in 80 AD. Monument was built in the 5th century AD. He and his daughter contributed greatly to the spreading of Christianity in Hierapolis.

Saint Philip Martyrium is another sign of the influence of Christianity in the city. It was not a church but was used for religious ceremonies.

Agora

Agora means marketplace and place of public assembly. This big open market was set up near the Roman baths in Hierapolis. Local public meetings were also held here.

Archeologists found some inscriptions which have given some important information about the social life of the city in this agora. Agora area was surrounded by shops.

Roman Baths

It was built in the 3rd century AD, Roman time. Classical architectural features which have large stone blocks were used in the construction.

When the effects of Christianity had increased and accepted by everyone in Hierapolis in the 4th century AD, Roman baths were converted into a church.
The pedestals are carved by Christianity symbols such as crosses etc. Walls were covered with marble slabs originally.
Except from this converted church there are couples of more churches in Hierapolis.

Necropolis

Necropolis means cemetery. In Greek language it means city of dead. Necro : dead, polis : city. Necropolis is a large burial site generally it was located outside the settlement.

Hierapolis cemetery is one of the widest cemeteries in Anatolia. It has three different parts, north, south and west. The north one is the largest one in Hierapolis with more than 1200 graves. Graves in Hierapolis necropolis have suitability for the social class of the dead.
There are 4 different types of graves here and belong to the late Hellenistic, Roman and Eastern Roman periods. Hierapolis was not very big settlement in itself but it has huge necropolis lands because it was a holy city and old people used to come to benefit from the thermal baths and spend their last days here and many of them died and buried here.
In addition some people who lived nearby were also buried here on their own wishes.

Tumulus Graves: They have a round plan and very large. They are mound raised over a grave. Inside of them there are grave rooms and it is possible to enter this inside rooms with a small doors. Tumulus type graves look like small hill.

Sarcophagus: All sarcophagus type of graves was made from marble because they were belonging to the upper social class such as riches, heroes, noble people etc and they were large decorative coffins. It means in Greek “flesh eating”. Sarcophaguses stand on ground, on a podium, or on top of a cell.

Public Graves: Public graves were underground and made for the ordinary people. They had box shape.

Family type graves: According the number of the persons in the family, largeness of the family type grave changes because these graves were made for all individuals of a family. Mostly they have several rooms, roofs and also windows.

Among these all types just sarcophaguses were made from marble all others made from limestone. Each tomb has an inscription about name and life of the deceased and also social clubs in the city and their activities are mentioned.

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Roma A BriefHistory
The ...: www.ephesusplustours.com Roma A Brief History The founding of Rome goes back to the very early days of civilization. It is so ol...

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Roma A Brief History

The founding of Rome goes back to the very early days of civilization. It is so old, it is today known as 'the eternal city'. The Romans believed that their city was founded in the year 753 BC. Modern historians though believe it was the year 625 BC.

Rome knew four classes of people. This division was very important to the Romans.
The lowest class were the slaves. They were owned by other people. They had no rights at all.
The next class were the plebeians. They were free people. But they had little say at all.
The second highest class were the equestrians (sometimes they are called the 'knights'). Their name means the 'riders', as they were given a horse to ride if they were called to fight for Rome. To be an equestrian you had to be rich.
The highest class were the nobles of Rome. They were called 'patricians'. All the real power in Rome lay with them.

The Roman Republic was a very successful government. It lasted from 510 BC until 23 BC - almost 500 years. In comparison the United States of America only exist since 1776 - less than 250 years.

The greatest challenge the Roman Republic faced was that of the Carthaginians. Carthage was a very powerful city in North Africa which, much like Rome, controlled its own empire. The fight between the two sides was a long one and took place on land and on sea.
The most famous incident came when the great Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the mountain chain of the Alps to the north of Italy with all his troops, including his war-elephants !, and invaded Italy.
Though Rome in the end won and Carthage was completely destroyed in the year 146 BC.

Rome's most famous citizen was no doubt Julius Caesar. He was a Roman politician and general who, without having any orders to do so, conquered the vast territory of the Gauls to the north of his province in France.
In the year 49 BC Caesar crossed the small river between his province and Italy, called the river Rubicon, and conquered Rome itself which he then ruled as a dictator.
His military campaigns also took him to Egypt where he met the famous Cleopatra.
His life though was ended as he was infamously murdered in the senate in Rome.
So famous and respected was Caesar that a month of the year is still named after him and his heirs today, July (after Julius Caesar). Also the great English poet Shakespeare wrote a famous play called Julius Caesar about his famous murder.

After Caesar followed the many emperors of Rome - and there were truly very many of them. So, here are some of the most famous ones.
Augustus	Rome's first emperor. He also added many territories to the empire.
Claudius	He conquered Britain.
Nero	He was insane. He murdered his mother and his wife and threw thousands of Christians to the lions.
Titus	Before he was emperor he destroyed the great Jewish temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
Trajan	He was a great conqueror. Under his rule the empire reached its greatest extent.
Hadrian	He built 'Hadrian's Wall' in the north of Britain to shield the province from the northern barbarians.
Diocletian	He split the empire into two pieces - a western and an eastern empire.
Constantine	He was the first Christian emperor. He united the empire again chose his capital to be the small town Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople.
Romulus Augustus	He was the last emperor of Rome, nicknamed Augustulus which means 'little Augustus'.
Justinian	He was the last 'great' emperor. He conquered many territories, created the 'Justinian Code' and built the fantastic church Santa Sophia.
Constantine XI	The last emperor of Constantinople. He died defending his great city against the Turks.

The Roman empire in the end was overrun by millions of barbarians from the north and east of Europe. It is believed to have happened two or three times in history that huge migrations took place across Europe, where peoples moved to settle in new territories. The great migration proved too much for the Romans to stem. Their armies were designed to defeat other armies, not entire folks and peoples flooding toward them. The collapse was completed when Rome itself was conquered by the Visigoth Odoacer and his men in the year AD 476.

But what is generally referred to as 'the Fall of Rome' doesn't include the eastern empire. This, with its centre in Constantinople, managed to cling on for almost another thousand years until it was eventually conquered by the Turks under their leader Mohammed II in the year AD 1453.

About Kusadasi

KUSADASI - Perfect summer holiday destination
Kusadasi (“ Bird Island”) is situated on the Aegean Coast of Turkey in a gulf some 90km South of IzmÄ±r & is served by Adnan Menderes Airport. Its clear warm waters & golden sandy beaches have helped it to become one of Turkey’s main holiday resorts .

Kusadasi has a large marina with berthing for more than 600 boats & is a regular stop off point for cruise ships.

Kusadasi is close to many important archaeological site including the most famous one in Turkey - Ephesus which is less than 30 minutes away.
There are numerous gorgeous beaches here including Ladies Beach. As this is in the centre it can get very busy but there are others to choose from including Dilek Peninsula National Park some 17 km outside the town that also boasts a superb sandy beach.

Because of the varied nationalities of visitors, Kusadasi is a cosmopolitan town & as such has a huge variety of shops, bars, cafes & restaurants. It also have a diverse & lively nightlife scene to cater for all .
Pigeon Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. It has beautifully landscaped gardens that surround the restored 15th century fortress now housing a restaurant and disco
With hundreds of cruise ships calling in for a day or 2 throughout the season there is always a vibrant feel especially at night. Most daytime activites here centre around the beaches & sea, with water sports on offer aplenty.

There are many hotels in Kusadasi of all sizes & star ratings from small family run pensions to large holiday villages on the shores of the sea.
With its choice of lovely white beaches & vast array of amenities Kusadasi offers all the elements required for a fantastic holiday to Turkey

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16 Aralık 2012 Pazar

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Şirince Village

Şirince Village, which is centered on a valley among mountains at the northern part of Selçuk, is 8 kilometers away from the county seat. To reach this fascinating village, you travel within a green atmosphere, on a winding way that is environed with olive and fruit gardens.

In Şirince Village, which is anticipated that it was a residential area in East Roman Empire, some building ruins were discovered. Tower ruins, aqueducts and monastery/church structures that are supposed to remain from 11. century are some of the archeological and historical sources that reach a standstill in Şirince till today. Şirince Village was built in 19. century as an Ottoman residental area at the valley hillside. 200 houses, which are integrated with natural environment, have been protected until today in the urban configuration which is compatible with land structure. This cute village - as its name (the root word “şirin” in “Şirince” means cute) is known as a haunt place for local and foreign tourists. Restored old houses are used as pensions. Şirince is an ideal place to rest and walk around with its authentic nature, kitchens, wine houses, restaurants, clean air and cold water.

15 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi

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The Monument of Memmius(Ephesus)

In the third quarted of the 1st century B.C. a monument of honor was constructed north of Domitian Square,at the north corner of Kuretes Street.It is one of the few architectural monuments dating from the Late Hellenistic Period that has survived to the present day at Ephesus.In this monument discovered in 1959/60,an inscription was found on the first level on an architrave which recorded the name Memmius in both Greek and Latin.The monument was erected in honor of C. Memmius,the nephew of the Roman dictator Sulla ,by Gaius Memmius,who was one of the prominent people of the city.Regarding the architectural finds made during these excavations,it was found that there was a structure above the pedestal,which had circular niches facing east,south and west.It is thought that the reliefs,which are embedded in the appropriate spaces between the columns on the walls of the Cella, concerned the prominent people of the Memmius family and the virtues of Memmius relations depicted in a personalized manner.It is possible that the oval structure ,adorned with garlands and bull capitals ,and the marble tile pieces ,which are displayed in proximity to this monument of honor ,also belonged to this structure.

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