The Asia Minor city of Perge
Remains of round towers near the city gates
…But the city was spacious and large,
Nehemiah 7:4
Nehemiah 7:4
Ruins of ancient times. Where else can so many monuments from diverse ancient cultures be found if not in Asia Minor? Wasn't this the site of Homer's Troy and its allied cities? The mighty Hittite Empire? Aristonicus's "Sun Kingdom"? And where did the Pergamon Altar in the Berlin Museum come from? Or where were two wonders of the world built? The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum of King Mausolus! The armies of Alexander the Great and the Crusader armies of Western Europeans marched here on their way to Jerusalem. Then the peninsula was captured by the Turks, and for many centuries it was erased from European culture. But now the Turks have "come to their senses": they are digging here and there, improving ancient ruins, restoring and fortifying them to prevent further decay. In short, they are doing, if not everything, then a great deal to preserve the monuments of ancient culture that fate has placed in their hands.
Of course, they don't do this without a reason. Because all these monuments are nothing more than an excellent attraction for tourists vacationing in this country. After all, you can't spend your entire time in the sea, even if it's warm and gentle, you can't lie in the sun on the sand forever either, and no one will drink all the alcohol offered at the hotel. But what else can you do then? Well, that's what you can do – explore ancient monuments! It's good for intellectual development, and pleasing to the eye. And so today we'll visit the ancient city of Perge in Asia Minor, which, thanks to the efforts of Turkish archaeologists, has been cleared of soil and transformed into an interesting cultural site.
Perge, or Perga, is the ruins of an ancient city in southwestern Turkey, 18 kilometers east of Antalya, near the resort town of Aksu. Legend has it that it was founded by the famous soothsayer Calchas immediately after the Trojan War. Fearing attacks from the sea, he founded it 11 kilometers from the coast. However, the city nevertheless had access to the sea, as it was located on the banks of the Kestrus River (now the Aksu River), which was navigable in ancient times. It was first controlled by the Lydians, then by the Persians. In 333 BC, the city surrendered without a fight to Alexander the Great, after which it became part of the Seleucid Empire, and then the Kingdom of Pergamon. In 262 BC, Perge's most famous native, the mathematician and geometer Apollonius, was born.
The city came under the rule of the great Rome in 189 BC, and it was then that it reached its true heyday.
In the first and second centuries CE, it became one of the largest cities in Asia Minor. During this time, it competed with the city of Side for supremacy in Pamphylia. It was also during this time that the apostles Paul and Barnabas preached there. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the stone slabs of its pavements bear the marks of the footsteps of truly holy apostles, who beheld Christ himself and personally heeded his teachings.
Well, then the Kestr River silted up, ships could no longer sail upstream, and the city fell into decline.
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Perge suffered devastating Arab raids. Then, in the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks arrived, and even the small settlement that remained here disappeared completely.
Although archaeological excavations in the area of Perge began in 1946, most of the city remains buried underground. Moreover, it was discovered that people lived here as early as the 5th millennium BC, and a permanent settlement existed here from the 3rd millennium BC. So the real story Perge predates the legend of its founding by far. Its value as an archaeological site is confirmed by its inclusion on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2009.
The city has many interesting sights. First and foremost is the enormous theater, located south of the city walls and seating 15 people, built in the first half of the 000nd century. It has 42 rows of seats, divided by a wide aisle (diazoma) into two tiers: 23 rows above and 19 below. The stage is 25 meters high and decorated with marble reliefs depicting mythological scenes. Some of the theater's decorations are housed in the Antalya Archaeological Museum. Now let's imagine the population of ancient Perge. If we assume that the theater was primarily attended by men (women and children had limited access, mainly on the Feast of the Great Dionysia, and were only allowed to watch comedies), who could also watch tragedies, then this means that at least 15 men lived there! Citizen men, because "non-citizens" were not allowed in the theater either. And then there were women, children, and slaves.
But the residents of Perge apparently found the theater's presence insufficient: a stadium for 12,000 spectators (34 meters wide and 234 meters long) was built next to it, one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Turkey. The stadium had 12 rows of seats, with a complex vaulted structure at its base. The entrance to the stadium was located through every third opening of this structure. The remaining (blind) openings likely housed vendors' stalls. Just as movie theaters sell popcorn today, so too back then they sold edibles: roasted almonds, honey cakes, figs, and, of course, wine.
The 12-meter-high fortress walls and the Southern Gate, dating back to the Hellenistic period and known as the "Roman Gate" (4th century), remain intact. Ninety-two meters beyond this gate stands another gate, dating back to the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC), but it was rebuilt in the 2nd century AD. Round towers rise on either side of this gate. Beyond them is a small U-shaped courtyard with niches in the walls, which once housed statues of gods, emperors, and, presumably, the city's founders.
If the Romans lived somewhere, it inevitably means one thing: they built a bathhouse. In Perge, directly west of the Hellenistic Gate, are the Roman Baths (2nd century). And this wasn't just a "city bath"—no, they were considered the largest baths in Pamphylia. And, like all Roman baths, they had marble trim, contained sculptures, and the walls were decorated with reliefs. The agora, an essential part of any ancient city, was located to the east of the Hellenistic Gate. It was a square 65 meters on a side, surrounded by columns on all sides.
Again, immediately beyond the Hellenistic Gate lies the city's central street, approximately 300 meters long. What's most interesting is that a canal with running water ran along its central axis, with roadways on either side. Porticoes were built on both side pedestrian areas of the street, housing the shops of merchants and artisans, making strolling along this street a pleasure. And again, we are very fortunate today that the colonnades of these porticoes have been partially preserved.
The central street is intersected by another, transverse street, which the Romans called the decumanus. It also featured colonnades supporting porticoes, and it ran from the western city gate to the eastern. And here, on the decumanus, were another bathhouse, so the inhabitants of ancient Perge clearly had no problem with ablutions.
Since the city stood on a river, its central street ended at a "nymphaeum," built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. This was a sanctuary dedicated to the nymphs, typically built near a spring or body of water. Beyond the Perge nymphaeum begins the ascent to the hill where the acropolis was located. However, its structures are poorly preserved.
Numerous remains of residential buildings and public buildings from both the Hellenistic and Roman periods have also been discovered within the city. Three basilicas have also been excavated within the city limits.
As for visiting Perge, the best time to come is now, in the fall, because the stone ruins are unbearably hot in the summer. Entrance to the site costs 11 euros (payment is accepted in Turkish lira only). However, a visit to this city, even just to see its ruins, is worth it.
The main street, surrounded by a forest of columns
Columns of the lush Corinthian style
A water pipe in the middle of the street
The remains of a ceramic water supply system. Now that's some culture!
The stadium
A nymphaeum with a sculpture of a nymph, and it was from here that the aqueduct that stretched through the entire city began!
There is still water in it today!
Niches near the gate tower. Beautiful marble statues once stood here!
Fountain in the town square
Inside the fountain
Town Square
Ruins of the baths
And here's a floor mosaic depicting the heroes of the Trojan War, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Achilles, and Ajax, in one of the excavated buildings. Obviously, walking on it is prohibited.
P.S. All photos by Svetlana Zolotareva
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