The Acropolis and Agora of Aspendos - Turkey

Hello my friends. We went to see the acropolis of the ancient city of Aspendos after the theater. This is the highest and best preserved part of the city. The Greek word acropolis means upper city. The main administrative and religious structures were located right here. Surrounding areas were controlled from here and the mountains were defended from here. When we climbed up here, we found ourselves right in the center of ancient Aspendos. There were many ceramics and a deep well on the way. They had fenced it off so that curious people like me would not fall in. 😊 Some blocks are in very good condition. Spotless, as if someone just brought them from somewhere and placed them here. Some on the other hand, have completely crumbled into dust.

While wandering through the acropolis ruins, we reached the stone gate leading to the central square of the city, that is the agora. Right over there, just like in Termessos, there is only a small open top channel. I will talk about the details of my Termessos trip in my later posts. Under our feet the remains of the ancient road that the inhabitants of the city walked on about 2000 years ago were still standing. I was moving forward with the thought in my head of who knows who passed through here. I also saw that the drainage channel was preserved. This shows that the city, with a history of more than 3000 years, had many comforts and much of the technology from that period still works today. Aspendos was one of the first cities to start minting coins in its own name. This happened around 500 BCE.

After walking a little further, standing before us among the ruins of Aspendos was the most amazing and well preserved building that has survived to this day the Basilica. Inside there was a courtroom, an assembly hall and workspaces for many officials. A section of the basilica was used as a massive market place where wealthy residents of Aspendos traded valuable goods. They also hosted foreign guests and important officials coming from the region. Looking from below, it seemed small. But from above it was immense.

This basilica was built during the Roman period. At that time the city was thriving as a major commercial and cultural hub in Pamphylia. It reflects the mix of Greek and Roman architecture that we frequently see in many cities in Anatolia. Although now only ruins remain of the basilica, it is not difficult at all to imagine how this structure looked in ancient times. The arches and stone blocks tell us that the basilica was one of the most solid and important structures in the city. In some ancient cities basilicas were later converted into churches. bBt the structure in Aspendos has preserved its original form, which makes it a particularly important building for archaeologists and historians.

The interiors of basilicas usually have wonderful acoustics. Thanks to high ceilings and arches, even a whisper could be heard from far distances. This situation helped judges and orators make their voices heard without extra efort. It is believed that not only merchants and judges, but also philosophers, poets and even travelers frequently gathered in such basilicas. Here the latest news was discussed, deals were made and new ideas were born. I really wished to be there at that time. Perhaps the speeches that once influenced the history of the city echoed right here. The basilica was the center of the city and even now centuries later, it continues to tell us its secrets. Under some basilicas there were underground rooms or storehouses where goods and valuables were kept. Legends say that from time to time, treasures or important documents were hidden in these places. Who knows, maybe somewhere under these stones, the secrets of ancient Aspendos are still hidden.

I did not quite understand what the ruins at the bottom of the wall were, whether a sarcophagus lid or a massive unfinished sarcophagus draft or column fragments. Unfinished columns lie just like that. There are galleries of this style on both sides of the wall.

We reached the Agora. Every ancient city had its own central point, a place where gatherings, ceremonies and various events were held. This is called the Agora and was usually surrounded by the city's most important structures. Today's agora is called the market. Right here before us stood the ruins of the Nymphaeum, an ancient fountain or sanctuary dedicated to the water nymphs. During the Roman period in the second and 3rd centuries AD, such nymphaeums were not just water sources, but amazing structures decorating the city square. Water came from the aqueduct, flowed down the steps and gathered in the pool on the front facade. This is one of the best preserved structures of the Aspendos Agora after the famous theater.

They placed each stone on wooden planks so that they would not crumble or crush each other. The square was quite large. I wonder where the columns came from, as it is now impossible to understand where they stood. The craftsmanship on the ruins is impressive. Every single leaf was intricately carved.

Aspendos was established along the Eurymedon or Koprucay River, which allowed it to trade with other provinces and cities in the region. The city mainly exported salt, oil and wool. Despite their serious wealth, the residents of Aspendos did not have such great political ambitions. They were not a very warlike people. As a result, subsequent conquerors and colonies invading Pamphylia did not touch the people of the city much, which allowed the city to flourish despite paying taxes to new rulers.

Persian rule in Pamphylia lasted until a major battle took place between the Persians and the Delian League at the mouth of the Eurymedon River in 466 BCE. A few years later, the Persians returned to Pamphylia, took the city again and ruled for another hundred years until Alexander the Great arrived. The great commander agreed to leave the city gates untouched and render the city immune in exchange for an annual tax of 100 talents of gold and 4000 horses. Another turning point in the history of Aspendos was the arrival of the Romans in 190 BCE. Seeing the power of the Roman legions, the city surrendered without trying to defend itself, yet it could not escape being looted. It was precisely the Romans who brought about the city's modern form with its colossal theater in the city center. Over the centuries, with the fall of Rome, Aspendos began to lose its importance, even though it still played an important role in the region during the Middle ages. Unfortunately the once amazing city turned into ruins over time. Ancient monuments turned to dust and the glory of the city first turned into history and into a legend.

There are many neatly cut, framed blocks here. Obviously these were underground. I think there are many more cities of this style around. Here is the thing. At a fork in the road, if everyone goes left, I go right. If everyone goes right, I go left. I think the paths taken by crowds only offer you things everyone sees, whereas what is worth discovering begins at that very first step when you deviate from the trail. The path here is that shortcut where you can enter Aspendos secretly and for free. The only problem is if you can climb, of course.

When we moved just one kilometer away from the popular spots, little known ruins hidden from main tourist routes caught our attention. We made the decision to stop and examine these places suddenly, but it was incredibly interesting. Covered in the net of time, these ruins held as many secrets and stories as the famous Aspendos. On the way back, there was no explanation as to what the mansion like structure we encountered by the roadside was. Everywhere we stepped was full of broken pottery, endless ceramic pieces. What was just an old piece of ceramic to us was once the bowl an Aspendian ate soup from in their home, the small jug they put olive oil in for their lamp or perhaps the handle of an amphora in which merchants carried wine in the market. It is impossible not to be amazed. Turkey is an amazing country where history comes alive at every turn.