Listed 25 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "ANTALYA Town TURKEY" .
ATTALIA (Ancient city) TURKEY
Attaleia or Attalia (Attaleia, Attalia: Eth. Attaleus). A city of
Pamphylia. After mentioning Phaselis in Lycia, Strabo mentions Olbia as the first
town in Pamphylia, then the river Catarrhactes, and then Attalia, a city founded
by Attalus II. Philadelphus, king of Pergamum. Accordingly he places the Catarrhactes
west of Attalia. Ptolemy mentions Phaselis, Olbia, and Attaleia, and then the
Catarrhactes. Pliny mentions Olbia, but not Attalia (v. 27), though he mentions
the Catarrhactes. The modern town of Adalia, now the largest place on the south
coast of Asia Minor, corresponds in name to Attalia; but it is west of the Catarrhactes,
now the Duden Su. Strabo describes the Catarrhactes as falling from a high rock,
and the noise of the cataract was heard to a distance. It is generally assumed
that Strabo means that it falls over a rock into the sea; but he does not say
so, though this may be his meaning. Beaufort (Karamania, p. 135) observes, that
on the west side of the town there are only two small rivers, both of which glide
quietly into the sea through the sandy beach, and can by no means answer the description
of the Catarrhactes. But there are many small rivulets which turn the mills near
Adalia, and rush directly over the cliff into the sea; and if these rivulets were
united, they would form a large body of water. (Beaufort.) The water of these
streams is full of calcareous particles, and near some of the mouths stalactites
were observed. It is very probable, then, that the lower course of this river
may have undergone great changes since Strabo's time, and these changes are still
going on. D'Anville considered Adalia to represent Olbia, and Attalia to be further
east at a place called Laara, and he has been followed by others in identifying
Adalia and Olbia; but this erroneous opinion is founded entirely on the order
of the names in Strabo, who is contradicted in this matter by Ptolemy and the
Stadiasmus. Spratt and his associates visited Adalia. The houses and walls contain
many fragments of sculpture and columns: the cemeteries which are outside of the
city also contain marble fragments and columns. The style of all the remains,
it is said, is invariably Roman. Fourteen inscriptions were found, but not one
of them contains the name of the place. As Adalia is now the chief port of the
south coast of Asia Minor, it is probable that it was so in former times; and
it is an excellent site for a city. Paul and Barnabas after leaving Perga went
to Attalia, and thence sailed to Antioch. (Acts, xiv. 25.) The church of Attalia
was afterwards an episcopal see. There are imperial coins of Attalia, with the
epigraph Attaleon.
Leake, who fixes Attalia at Adalia, supposed that Olbia might be found
in the plain which extends from Adalia to the foot of Solyma; and it ought to
be found here, according to Strabo's authority. About 3 1/2 miles west of Adalia,
near the coast, there are the remains of an ancient city, on an elevated flat
with three precipitous sides, one side of which is bounded by the Arab Su. This
agrees with Strabo's description of Olbia as a great fort. The country between
these ruins and Adalia is a rocky tract, incapable of cultivation, but the country
west of them to the mountains of Solyma, is very fertile. This, as it is well
observed in Spratt's Lycia (vol. i. p. 217), will explain Stephanus (s. v. Olbia),
who finds fault with Philo for saying that Olbia belongs to Pamphylia: he adds,
it is not in Pamphylia, but in the land of the Solymi; and his remark is conformable
to the physical character of the country. He says, also, that the true name is
Olba. Mannert's conjecture of Olbia and Attalia being the same place, cannot be
admitted. Strabo, in an obscure passage, speaks of Corycus and Attalia together.
Leake (Asia Minor, p. 192) interprets Strabo, by comparing with his text Stephanus
(s. v. Attaleia) and Suidas (s. v. Korukaios), to mean that Attalus fixed Attalia
near a small town called Corycus, and that he inclosed Corycus and the new settlement
within the same walls. This does not appear to be exactly Strabo's meaning; but
Corycus was at least near Attalia, and received a colony and was fortified when
Attalia was built.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
MAGYDUS (Ancient city) TURKEY
Magydus (Magudos: Eth. Magudeus; called Masedos by Scylax, p. 39),
a town of Pamphylia, on the coast between Attaleia and Perge, and subsequently
of episcopal rank, is probably the Mygdale (Mugdale), of the Stadiasmus. There
are numerous imperial coins of Magydus, hearing the epigraph Magudeon. Leake identities
it with Laara. (Ptol. v. 5. § 2; Hierocl. p. 679; Stadiasms. §§ 201, 202; Leake,
Asia Minor, p. 194 Cramer, Asia Minor, vol. ii. p. 278.)
PERGI (Ancient city) TURKEY
Perge or Perga (Perge: Eth. Pergaios), an ancient and important city
of Pamphylia, between the rivers Catarrhactes and Cestrus, at a distance of 60
stadia from the mouth of the latter. (Strab. xiv. p. 667; Plin. v. 26; Pomp. Mel.
i. 14; Ptol. v. 5. § 7.) It was renowned for the worship of Artemis, whose temple
stood on a hill outside the town, and in whose honour annual festivals were celebrated.
(Strab. l. c.; Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 187; Scylax, p. 39; Dionys. Per. 854.) The
coins of Perge represent both the goddess and her temple. Alexander the Great
occupied Perge with a part of his army after quitting Phaselis, between which
two towns the road is described as long and difficult (Arrian, Anab. i. 26; comp.
Polyb. v. 72, xxii. 25; Liv. xxxviii. 37.) We learn from the Acts of the Apostles
(xiv. 24, 25) that Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel at Perge. (Comp. Acts,
xiii. 13.) In the ecclesiastical notices and in Hierocles (p. 679) Perge appears
as the metropolis of Pamphylia. (Comp. Steph. B. s. v.; Eckhel, Doctr. Num. i.
3, p. 12.) There are considerable ruins of Perge about 16 miles to the north-east
of Adalia, at a place now called Eski-Kalesi. (Comp. Leake, Asia Minor, p. 132;
Texier, Descript. de l'Asie Min., where the ruins are figured in 19 plates; Fellows,
Asia Minor, p. 190, &c.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
TERMISSOS (Ancient city) TURKEY
Termessus (Termessos, Termesos, Termesos, Termissos, Telmissos: Eth.
Termesseus), a town of Pisidia, celebrated for its natural strength no less: than
for its artificial fortifications, was situated on a height of Mount Taurus, at
the entrance of the defiles which are traversed by the river Catarrhactes, and
formed the means of communication between Pisidia, Pamphylia, and Lycia. (Strab.
xiii. p. 630, xiv. p. 666; Ptol. v. 5. § 6, viii. 17. § 34; Polyb. xxii. 18; Steph.
B. s. v.; Dion. Per. 859.) A peak of the mountain rising above the acropolis bore
the name of Solymus; and the inhabitants of the town itself were, as Strabo says,
called Solymi. They were certainly not Greeks, for Arrian (i. 27) distinctly calls
them Pisidians and barbarians. Their town stood on a lofty height, precipitous
on all sides; and the road running close. by the place was very difficult, passing
through a narrow gorge, which could be defended by a small force. Alexander the
Great succeeded indeed in forcing his way through it, but despairing of the possibility
of taking Termessus, he continued his march. Strabo (xiv. p. 666) therefore seems
to be mistaken in stating that Alexander conquered the place. The consul Manlius,
after relieving Isionda, passed along the same road. (Liv. xxxviii. 15.) The town
of Termessus continued to exist down to a late period, when it was the see of
a Christian bishop, who also had the administration of two neighbouring places,
Jovia and Eudocia. (Hierocl. p. 680.) The site of ancient Termessus has not been
difficult to discover by modern travellers, and considerable remains still exist
at Karabunar Kiui, at the foot of the height on which the ancient fortress was
situated. (Leake, Asia Minor, pp. 133-135.) As to the coins of Termessus, which
come down as far as the reign of the emperor Severus, see Sestini, p. 96. On some
of these coins we read meizonon in addition to the name of the Termessians, a
circumstance which confirms the statement of Stephanus B. that there was another
town of the same name in Pisidia, which was called Lesser Termessus (Termessos
he mikra.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ATTALIA (Ancient city) TURKEY
A city on the coast of Pamphylia, founded by Attalus II. Philadelphus, and subdued by the Romans under P. Servilius Isauricus.
PERGI (Ancient city) TURKEY
An ancient and important city of Pamphylia, a little inland, northeast of Attalia, between the rivers Catarrhactes and Cestrus, sixty stadia (six geographical miles) from the mouth of the former. It was a celebrated seat of the worship of Artemis. It was the first place in Asia Minor visited by the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey.
TERMISSOS (Ancient city) TURKEY
A city of Pisidia, high up on the Taurus in the pass through which the river Catarrhactes flowed, and regarded as so impregnable that even Alexander the Great made no attempt to take it.
ATTALIA (Ancient city) TURKEY
City in Pamphylia founded by Attalos II Philadelphos, probably before
150 B.C. After the end of the Pergamene kingdom in 133 Attaleia seems to have
been left free; it remained so even after the formation of the province of Cilicia,
but was finally annexed to Rome by Servilius Isauricus in 77. Proof is lacking
that the city had been involved with the pirates to any considerable extent. Attalein
served as a base for Pompey in assembling his fleet in 67 B.C., and a visit by
Hadrian in A.D. 130 was the occasion for much restoration and embellishment. At
a comparatively late date Attaleia appears with the title Colonia. In Byzantine
times, when much more mention is made of the city, the bishop of Attaleia came
under the metropolitan of Perge-Sillyon, until in 1042 he was raised to the rank
of metropolitan.
Whether Attaleia was founded on the site of an earlier town or city
is disputed. Strabo's words (667) are none too clear, but certainly do not imply
that Attaleia replaced a town of Korykos; and the old idea that Antalya is the
site of Olbia is quite untenable. The harbor, though small, is nevertheless the
best natural harbor on this coast, and it is likely enough that there was some
earlier habitation. If so, however, the name is unknown.
Nothing is standing today apart from the fortifications. No theater,
stadium, temple, or any public building has ever been located. The wall circuit
remains virtually whole, but only a few sections in the N part have been dubiously
attributed to Attalos' original foundation. The rest, as it now stands, dates
from the time of Hadrian or later, with much subsequent repair and reconstruction,
including many reused stones, some sculptured or inscribed. Many of the towers
are well preserved and contain more ancient work. Seven gates are identifiable;
the Gate of Hadrian, on the E side of the circuit, is the most impressive.
At the extreme end of the wall on the S side stands a tower quite
unlike the rest; it is known today as Hidirlik Kulesi. It is thought to have always
been isolated and not to have formed part of the wall circuit. It is in two stories,
the lower square, the upper round, both excellently preserved. The total height
is 14 m. The lower story consists of a nearly solid mass of masonry, in which
a passage leads from the door on the E to a small room in the center; short passages
lead off from this towards the other three sides. At ground level on the outside
a door in the N wall leads to a narrow staircase ascending in the thickness of
the wall to the foot of the round upper story; a second similar stairway leads
to the top of the building. Here a circular wall with crenelations surrounds a
platform open to the sky; in the center is a solid rectangular base 4.56 m thick,
resting on a vaulted substructure. Its purpose has been disputed; it may have
served as a base for a lighthouse or for artillery. A suggestion that the whole
building is a mausoleum is clearly improbable.
The Gate of Hadrian has recently been cleared and reconstructed. It
is a triple-arched gateway of familiar form and carried two dedications to Hadrian.
One was on the architrave in letters of bronze and was evidently the dedication
of the gate itself; the other, seen only by early travelers, seems to have been
placed on the upper story of the gate, related perhaps to a statue of the emperor.
There can hardly be a doubt that the building was erected on the occasion of Hadrian's
visit in A.D. 130.
The three arches are all the same size, their undersides decorated
with cassettes containing shallow-cut rosettes and flowers. In front of each of
the four piers of the gate, on the inner and outer sides, stood an unfluted granite
column on a high plinth; the rest of the building was of white marble. The capitals
are in the Composite order, the bases Attic, and the epistyle was richly decorated
with ovolo and leaf moldings. The upper story has disappeared.
The new museum in Antalya houses sarcophagi from Perge, epichoric
epitaphs from Aspendos, and reliefs of the twelve gods from Lycia.
G. E. Bean, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
PERGI (Ancient city) TURKEY
City in Pamphylia, 16 km NE of Antalya. The tradition that the city
was founded by the "mixed people" who wandered across Asia Minor soon
after the Trojan War, led by Amphilochos, Mopsos, and Kalchas (Hdt. 2.91; Strab.
668), seems trustworthy; statue bases of the last two, described as founders,
stood at the main gate in Roman times. In the Athenian tribute lists [P]erge is
included, with an unknown tribute, in the assessment of 425 B.C., but does not
occur earlier. When Alexander arrived in 333 Perge welcomed him, supplied guides
to lead his army from Phaselis (Arr. 1.26), and served as his base for operations
in Pamphylia. After Alexander's death the city came under the Seleucids until
Magnesia in 190; in 188 a Seleucid garrison still remained to be expelled by Manlius
(Polyb. 21.4; Livy 38.37). The city later came under the Pergamene kings, and
was included in the province of Cilicia; the Temple of Artemis Pergaea offered
rich booty to Verres in 79 B.C. St. Paul was twice in Perge (Acts 13:13; 14:24).
Despite her distinction and prosperity it was only in the 3d c. A.D. that the
city acquired the titles of asylos and metropolis. In Byzantine times Perge and
Sillyon were normally combined under a single metropolitan, until he was replaced
by the metropolitan of Attaleia.
It is generally agreed that the original settlement must have been
on the flat-topped hill at the N end of the site, though no early remains have
been found there. The lower town was not fortified until the 3d c. B.C. under
the Seleucids; about the 4th c. A.D. the area of the city was slightly enlarged
by the erection of an outer wall across the S end, but later, in Byzantine times,
occupation seems to have returned to the acropolis hill; the scanty surviving
ruins are all of this period. The acropolis hill was never fortified.
The main city is divided into four unequal quarters by colonnaded
streets crossing at right angles towards the N end; the streets are not quite
straight. Down the middle of each ran a broad water channel barred at intervals
of 6 m by cross-walls. The N-S street continues outside the city on the S for
ca. 0.8 km, and the streets were lined with stoas and shops. The city walls, dating
from the 3d c. B.C., are well preserved, especially on the E, and many of the
numerous towers stand almost complete. In addition to several posterns there are
four main gates, two on the S--one in each of the two walls--and one each on E
and W.
The inner, earlier, gate on the S is still in good condition. It has
the form of a horseshoe-shaped court flanked by towers in the wall, as at Side
and Sillyon; here the towers are round and still stand, though somewhat damaged,
nearly to their full height. At the back of the court a triple arch was erected
in Roman times, but only the lowest parts of this remain. On a ledge at the foot
of the walls of the court stood statues of the founders of the city; these were
mostly mythological heroes, including Mopsos and Kalchas. Two of them, however,
are M. Plancius Varus and his son, also designated "founders." The inscribed
bases survive, but the statues have not been found. Other statues stood in niches
higher up in the wall.
M. Plancius Varus is described in the inscription as father of Plancia
Magna, a lady mentioned in numerous inscriptions (nearly a score have been found)
in various parts of the city; in some cases she dedicated statues of members of
the imperial family, in others her statue was erected by the civic authorities.
She was priestess of Artemis, and held the office of demiurgus in the early 2d
c. A.D. Her tomb, now almost completely destroyed, stood beside the street outside
the later S gate.
In Imperial times an open court was constructed outside the earlier
S gate. Its E side was formed by a stoa. In the middle of the S side was a monumental
gateway, now ruined; its ornamentation was exceptionally massive. When the 4th
c. wall was built the S side of the court was made to form part of it, and the
gate became the main gate of the city. Outside it a whole series of marble statues
was found, representing the gods of the city. On the W side of the court stood
a small nymphaeum, with a water basin backed by a two-storied facade; adjoining
this on the N was a propylon with two rows of four Corinthian columns and rich
decoration. These buildings, as an inscription shows, date to the time of Septimius
Severus. Here also statues were found, two of which--one complete with head--represent
Plancia Magna. Behind the nymphaeum to the W are large baths, not yet excavated,
with walls standing to a considerable height.
Inside the Hellenistic S gate, E of the colonnaded street, is the
agora, ca. 65 m square and surrounded with stoas and shops; it appears to date
from the late 2d c. A.D. In the middle (as at Side) is a round building whose
character has not yet been determined.
In the NW quarter is the earliest building known inside the wall.
It is identified as a palaestra, and is dated by its dedication to Claudius by
C. Julius Cornutus. Its S wall, on the street, is well preserved, with numerous
windows. Nearby, beside the W city gate, is another bath.
Close below the acropolis hill, beside the short N arm of the N-S
street, is a second nymphaeum. This has the familiar form of a water basin enclosed
by a back wall with niches and two projecting wings. Along the length of the walls
ran a podium supporting Corinthian columns. Statues were found of Artemis, Zeus,
and a Roman emperor. An inscription on the podium seems to imply that the building
was dedicated by a certain Aur. Seilianus Neonianus Stasias.
Outside the city on the SW are the stadium and the theater. The stadium,
excellently preserved, is 234 m long, including a walled-off area 42 m long at
the N end. There are twelve rows of seats, with a broad gangway at the top, and
at the bottom a narrow passage originally separated from the arena by a barrier.
The N end is rounded; at the S end stood an ornamental gateway of which hardly
a stone remains. Under the seats on the E side is a vaulted passage divided by
cross-walls into 30 rooms; from every third room a door opens into the narrow
passage round the arena; the others were used as shops. In some of these the trade
of the occupant, and sometimes his name, is inscribed on the wall; the trade of
silversmith is mentioned twice.
The theater seated some 14,000 spectators. It has recently been partially
excavated and the retaining wall restored. It is of Graeco-Roman type, largely
built into the hillside, with a cavea of rather more than a semicircle and a high
Roman stage building. The cavea is divided by 13 stairways into 12 cunei, doubled
in number above the diazoma. At the top is an arcaded gallery, with an entrance
at its middle point. On each side two vaulted vomitoria lead from the hillside
to the diazoma. The stage building, of at least two stories, still stands to a
considerable height; its frieze of panels with reliefs of Dionysiac scenes is
still in fair condition. The outer E face of the building was later converted
into a nymphaeum, with five large niches, the smallest in the middle.
The foundations of a temple have recently been excavated 0.8 km S
of the city, near the end of the street. It was quite small, with a stylobate
some 23 by 14 m, and seems to have been prostyle tetrastyle, with pronaos and
cella. The columns were unusual; they stood directly on the stylobate as in the
Doric order, but had 24 flutes divided by narrow arrises. The main facade is on
the W, and the date appears to be Hellenistic. There is no evidence for attributing
the temple to any particular deity, but it is clearly not the Temple of Artemis
Pergaia, which was large, in the Ionic order, stood on high ground outside the
city, and has never been found. The old idea that its site was indicated by a
small church on the acropolis hill was discredited when the church proved to be
in reality a cistern, and other hills in the neighborhood have yielded no results.
Tombs stood beside the three roads leading to the city gates on E,
W, and S, though only those on the W survive in any quantity: excavation of a
street of tombs revealed some 30 sculptured sarcophagi, some of which are now
in the Antalya museum.
G. E. Bean, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
TERMISSOS (Ancient city) TURKEY
An old Pisidian foundation on Gulluk Dag, 25 km NW of Antalya, more
or less Hellenized by the 3d c. B.C. In poetic inscriptions the Termessians call
themselves Solymians (TAM III.1.103, 127, 135; cf. Strab. 650), and probably they
originally spoke a language which Strabo (631) calls Solymian and distinguishes
from Pisidian; later this dialect died out, apart from personal names. The Solymi
appear in Homer in the tale of Bellerophon (Il. 6.184).
In 333 B.C. Alexander, having completed his business in Pamphylia,
contemplated an attack on Termessos, but decided to march directly to Sagalassos
(Arr. 1.27-28). In 319 Alketas, defeated by Antigonos, took refuge in Termessos;
Antigonos demanded his surrender. To avoid falling into his enemy's hands Alketas
killed himself.
In 189 B.C. Termessos besieged neighboring Isinda, but the siege was
raised by Manlius Vulso in response to an appeal from the Isindians and Termessos
was fined 50 talents (Livy 38.15; cf. Polyb. 21.35). Probably at about the same
time the city became involved in a war with the Lycian League (SEG XVIII 570),
of which the outcome is unknown. At some time during the 2d c. Termessos concluded
an alliance with Adada (TAM III.1.2) in which reference is made to the democracy
in each of the cities. About 70 B.C. a treaty of friendship was made with Rome
(CIL I2, 589 = ILS 38), apparently as a reward for the city's opposition to Mithridates.
From 36 to 25 B.C. Termessos, with the rest of Pisidia, was governed by Amyntas
of Galatia; later, under the Empire, Termessian coins claim the title of Autonomous.
The city was approached by a Royal Road leading up the valley from
the NE to a gate through the outer fortification wall; higher up is a second wall
still standing in part to its full height. The site has never been excavated and
is heavily overgrown, but the ruins are considerable. The agora, in a central
position, is a paved area flanked on NW and NE by the stoas of Attalos II and
of a citizen named Osbaras. The latter apparently dates from the 1st c. A.D.,
and both are in poor condition. Under the paving is a row of five large stone-vaulted
cisterns with circular mouths, and in the SW corner is a remarkable heroon cut
in an outcrop of rock. A flight of steps leads up to a platform with a semicircular
bench, above which is a wall containing a plain grave lacking its lid. There is
no inscription or other indication of the owner's identity, nor is the monument
datable. In the W face of the rock are three large semicircular niches which may
be connected with the heroon.
A little to the E is the theater, small but well preserved. It dates
from Hellenistic times, with some later alterations. The stage building is simple,
a long narrow chamber with five doors opening onto the stage; between the doors
were columns, but only the supports remain in place. Below the stage is a hyposcaenium,
with five doors into the orchestra. The parodoi were open in the Greek manner,
but the S one was later replaced by a vaulted passage with a loggia above it in
the Roman style; above this again the rows of seats have been extended to join
the stage building. The cavea, facing E, is more than a semicircle, and has 24
rows of seats, 8 above and 16 below the single diazoma. Six stairways divide it
into five cunei; these are doubled above the diazoma. At the top of the central
stairway is a door 2.5 m wide.
Some 100 m SW of the theater is a well-preserved building identified
as an odeion, with walls standing up to 10 m high. It is thought to date from
the 1st c. B.C. It is rectangular in plan and faces roughly E; the upper part
of the walls is decorated on the outside with pilasters, and on the S and E sides
are 11 large windows. In the E front are two rectangular doors, and in the back
wall is a third. In the interior are some remains of rows of seats with a shallow
curve, forming an arc much less than a semicircle.
Close to the odeion on the S is the Temple of Artemis, identified
by an inscription at the door. This door stands complete with lintel and statue
bases at either side. The temple apparently dates from the 3d c. A.D. and probably
replaced an earlier temple the foundations of which still exist a few paces to
the SE, and in which a dedication to Artemis was found. Behind the odeion is another
small building, standing 5 m high, which may have been connected with the cult
of Solymian Zeus; it consists of a single chamber, beautifully built, with a bench
across the back wall.
To the SW of the agora is a large, ruined building which has been
called the Founder's House, a splendid villa of Roman type. The front door is
over 5 m high, with a window to its left; inside is a vestibule leading to the
central atrium, where the impluvium is surrounded by columns.
Heavy overgrowth impedes the investigation of other features, notably
a large and handsome gymnasium N of the theater, several large cisterns, and a
street in the W part of the city lined with stoas and shops and adorned with statues.
The necropolis is vast; there are tombs on all sides of the city,
but the main concentration is on the higher ground to the W and S. No fewer than
650 epitaphs have been published. The rock tombs in the NW quarter are the earliest;
they include a tomb of Lycian type with round beam ends, a pediment, and akroteria;
a group of five tombs including three arcosolia; and a remarkable tomb which has
been thought to be that of Alketas. The grave is cut in a ledge in an angle of
the rock face, with a bench below; above is trellis-work in relief between pilasters,
and above that a pediment and an eagle with spread wings holding a snake. Various
damaged rock-cuttings and reliefs, on either side of the tomb, include figures
of Hermes and Aphrodite, and in particular a fine relief of a horseman, with a
suit of infantryman's armor just below. The main mass of later tombs consists
of built tombs and sarcophagi, some very handsome.
Arrian, in his account of Alexander's visit, observes that the hills
below Termessos come down close to the road on either side, leaving only a narrow
passage easily defensible. This spot is identifiable on the present main road
about 1 km E of the Yenice Kahve, close to the new road leading to the site. Here
a wall bars the valley; it is built of excellent ashlar masonry, with 10 towers
and a gate, and is thought to date from the 2d c. B.C. The towers, surprisingly,
are on the W side of the wall, so as to halt an enemy only after he had passed
the foot of the city; but it may be that the wall served as much for the purpose
of exacting tolls as for military defense
G. E. Bean, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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