Leaving Kusadasi we had our last sight of the sea as the remainder of the tour took us inland. After a few hours driving we turned off the main road and headed for the ancient site of Aphrodisias - which to my shame I had never heard of. It turned out to be probably the most interesting and most impressive of all the historical sites which we visited. It was 'rediscovered' relatively recently when a touring politican noticed the ornate carvings and columns which the local villagers were using as seats and wall supports. It is evident that a great deal of excavation remains to be done at this site. A nice feature is that the site is relatively quiet as it is quite far off the usual tourist route.
The site was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and was given the name Aphrodisias in the 2nd century BC. It rose to prominence in 74BC when Rome defeated the local ruler and the city prospered as a cultural and artistic hub. The city had a famous school of sculpture and its works were exported as far afield as North Africa and Rome. Some of these sculpture works can be seen in the small museum which adjoins the site.