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Andrys Basten | profile | all galleries >> TURKEY Photos - Anatolia, 2004, with Canon Elph >> Aphrodisias site and museum - photos tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Flying to Istanbul - First views and photos | Istanbul - Sultanahmet photos | Photos: Istanbul Archaeological Museums: Alexander the Great | Istanbul's Bosphorus Cruise | Ankara , its museum, and Aksaray - photos | Cappadocia Balloon Ride Photos | Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride VIDEOclips (LOUD) | Cappadocia photos 2 | Cappadocia photos 3 | Photos: Goreme Open Air Museum frescos | Antakya and Mosaic Museum photos | Gaziantep photos, mosaics - Zeugma (Belkis) | Abraham's Pool & Harran - photos | Photos: Mt Nemrut heads, Perre-Perin, and Diyarbakir | Photos: Akdamar Island, Lake Van | Ishak Pasha Sarayi photos | Photos: In search of Noah's Ark - Mt. Ararat | Erzurum photos | Ephesus photos | Ephesus Museum and Selcuk photos | Pergamon acropolis ( Pergamum photos ) | Pergamon Asclepion - Pergamum Aesklepion | Aphrodisias site and museum - photos | Pamukkale photos ( Hierapolis ) | Dalyan photos - Turkey | Dalyan to Kaunos boat - photos | Lycian Telmessos | Kalkan - Kas photos | Photos: Kekova - Simena by Boat | Photos: St. Nicholas church. Old St. Nick origin | Myra, Antalya, Aspendos - photos | The Love Boat (Intro)

Aphrodisias site and museum - photos

  On the way to Pamukkale, we drove to the less-visited ruin site of Aphrodisias ( Aphrodesias ) which is quite a distance from the closest city, but it was as interesting to me as Ephesus.  My photos don't include the famous stadium (seated 30,000) because I never made it over to that side.

  This time we hit the museum first, as Aphrodisias was most known for its academy of sculpture, with copies later found in Italy and Greece.  Statues were carved from the white, gray-blue Carian marble nearby.  It was also a center for philosophy (Xenocrates) and medicine.

  While they've found settlements going back to ~2800 BC, its heydey was under the Romans (1C BC to 5C BC).  Originally known as Lelegonopolis, it was renamed to Megalopolis and later to Ninoe, after Ninos, the King of Assyria.  After the 3rd C. BC, it became Aphrodisias.

  In the 6th C., the name was changed to Stavropolis by the Christians to erase memories of free-spirit Aphrodite, but the locals preferred the name Caria, later likely modified to the name Geyre in Turkish.
  An earthquake in the 7th C. had devastating effect, but as you can see in the photos, this remains quite a beautiful site.  Excavations continue (since 1961) under Professor Kenan Erim.



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A relief at the Aphrodisias museum
A relief at the Aphrodisias museum		 To the left a bit
To the left a bit		 I don't know who is represented in this one. Let me know if you do.
I don't know who is represented in this one.
Let me know if you do.		 Also, I don't know who is on his left  :-)
Also, I don't know "who" is on his left  :-)
Didn't learn what caused the spotting.
Didn't learn what caused the spotting.		 Description there: AION - (Eternity) raises his right hand to his head in a gesture of foreboding and future knowledge, like a seer.
"Eternity" feeling some foreboding about eternity

Description there: "AION - (Eternity) raises his right hand to his head in a gesture of
foreboding and future knowledge, like a seer."

 Philosopher Row
Philosopher Row		 The ruins that survived are of 2nd-3rd century, however.
Eastern slope of the larger of two prehistoric settlement mounds ~2800 BC

The ruins that survived are of 2nd-3rd century, however.
Beautiful landscape.
The Romans built over the older sites.

Beautiful landscape.

 Possibly Hadrian Baths?
Possibly Hadrian Baths?		 Gorgeous trees
Gorgeous trees		 It felt like Italy here.
It felt like Italy here.
Seating was for over 10,000.  Built by the Greeks in the 1st C. and enlarged by Marcus Arelius.  It later became an arena for gladiators and wild animals.
Theater, with colorful stone stage

Seating was for over 10,000.  Built by the Greeks in the 1st C. and enlarged by Marcus
Arelius.  It later became an arena for gladiators and wild animals.

 More info (and then some) on the theater at the Whitman website.
Zoomed the little Elph S400 for stage detail

More info (and then some) on the theater at the Whitman website.

 Columns R Us (seen from a pathway above)
Columns R Us (seen from a pathway above)		 To be identified later ...
To be identified later ...
Now at lower level of the site
Now at lower level of the site		 Sturdy white column at left, and what seems like mix and match otherwise.
There's always a sarcophagus nearby in Ancient Anatolia.

Sturdy white column at left, and what seems like mix and match otherwise.

 u15/andrys/medium/38875148.mImg_3549.jpg Temple of Aphrodite in the distance.
Temple of Aphrodite in the distance.
Another sarcophagus in forefront.Am walking towards objects in back, right.
Another sarcophagus in forefront.
Am walking towards objects in back, right.		 u15/andrys/medium/38875151.mImg_3552.jpg This reminded me of Machu Picchu'sLower Urban Center.
This reminded me of Machu Picchu's
Lower Urban Center.		 u15/andrys/medium/38875154.mImg_3555.jpg
After the earthquake (especially 7th C.)
After the earthquake (especially 7th C.)		 This was a sundial.
This was a sundial.		 Baths of Hadrian section
Baths of Hadrian section		 Just whimsy, but this looked to me like a mother column showing her 2 young'uns the master columns of the old temple, the focus of the old site :-)
What's left of The Temple of
Aphrodite across the way

Just whimsy, but this looked to me like a mother column showing her 2 young'uns the master
columns of the old temple, the focus of the old site :-)
Built 2nd-3rd C., it once had a roof, with light coming from tall arched windows in the curved outer wall
Coming upon the marble Odeon (small greek theater)

Built 2nd-3rd C., it once had a roof, with light coming from tall arched windows in the curved
outer wall

 While the lower nine rows of marble seats survived intact, the 12 rows of the upper seating collapsed along with supporting vaults.
At an entrance, on the right side

While the lower nine rows of marble seats survived intact, the 12 rows of the upper seating
collapsed along with supporting vaults.

 Seating for ~1750.  The marble on lower portion, with large seats on top row, stayed intact unlike most stone theater seating we've seen.
The Odeon of the Bouleuterion (Council House)

Seating for ~1750.  The marble on lower portion, with large seats on top row, stayed intact
unlike most stone theater seating we've seen.

 In the 5th C., the space was used as a concert hall and lecture room and for competitive displays. It had probably already lost its roof.
Stone detail that I found quite beautiful.

In the 5th C., the space was used as a concert hall and lecture room and for competitive displays.
It had probably already lost its roof.
Note the lion's feet at the ends of the rows.
The stones were like modern art to me.

Note the lion's feet at the ends of the rows.

 Closer look at stone detail
Closer look at stone detail		 Shot this from radial stairway at end of row in that section.
Marble seats, with lion's paws
marking end of a row

Shot this from radial stairway at end of row in that section.

 Built during Hadrian's reign, it had 4 rows of 4 columns.  Am walking from site to the gate out.
The Tretrapylon - gateway to the site.
2nd C. AD

Built during Hadrian's reign, it had 4 rows of 4 columns.  Am walking from site to the gate out.
Tetrapylon - from the front.
Tetrapylon - from the front.		 You can see the Temple of Aphrodite in the distance.  This probably marked a Sacred path to it.
Tetrapylon - from left, as we exit the site

You can see the Temple of Aphrodite in the distance.  This probably marked a Sacred path to it.

 Tetrapylon - a last look at Aphrodisiaswhile exiting
Tetrapylon - a last look at Aphrodisias
while exiting

comment | share
Sukru Tul 13-Jan-2007 05:31
Leo Thomas,
The grave was belongs to Prof. Erim who excavated city from early sixties to 1990 when he died by a heart spasm. He was child of Turkish ambassadeur family, graduated from Princeton University Department of Classics.
Your photos and interest is great!
Leo Thomas 19-Sep-2006 12:43
We visited Aphrodisias last December as paart of Cosmos tour, I am now putting together a foto album of our trio.
I have a picture of a grave surrounded by ttrees with the Temple of Aphrodite in the backgrounf. From memory in was off to the left, behind the the Propylon.
Could you please tell me what it is.
Thanking you
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