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BODRUM GUIDE - HISTORY - Priene

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Less than a two-hour drive north of Bodrum, these three Ionian cities are close enough together to visit all in one day. Priene lies in a spectacular setting, perched on a cliff above the Meander River. Miletus still has an impressive theatre, and Didyma's Temple of Apollo still inspires awe.

Priene, although estimated to have had no more than 3,000 residents around 300 BC was nevertheless important as a site for Ionian congresses and festivals. The Meander River wound through the plain below, eventually depositing enough silt to close up the harbor. Because of this the Romans refrained from building here when they conquered the area, so what remains are unusually Hellenistic (Greek) ruins.

The streets of Priene were laid out in a deliberate grid, a precursor to modern city design. Priene's ruins are among the most attractive on Turkey's west coast. Conspicuous by their absence is the immense Roman structures so familiar at other sites. Priene's buildings are small and intimate, a feeling, which pervades the entire setting.

The ruins include the once exquisite Temple of Athena, destroyed by an earthquake in the middle ages. Only the foundation and five reconstructed columns remain of these textbook example of temple design. The Temple was in fact the model for a book on design by its architect Pytheos. His book was still a classic in Roman times. Attractive smaller buildings at the site include the council house, complete with altar used for sacrifices before each city council meeting, and the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Earth Mother, and her daughter, Core, where sacrifices were made to the gods of the underworld.

Once the greatest of the Ionian cities, Miletus also lost its harbor to silt. The site is now nearly eight kilometers from the sea, which still retreats at the rate of six meters a year. Its large harbor was a great commerce center of the Greek Empire, figuring predominantly in Roman times as well. Famous sons of Miletus include the sage Thales, whose dictum 'Know thyself was inscribed on the Temple at Delphi, Anaximenes, who discovered in air, ether, the supposed substance of the universe and Anaximander, who produced the first map of the world.

Today Miletus' most notable feature is its Graeco-Roman theatre. Originally built by Greeks to seat 5,300, its capacity was nearly tripled by the Romans. The fortification has enabled the theatre to remain nearly intact.

While most visitors see only the theatre before moving on, the rest of Miletus is well worth investigating. A climb up the hillside above the theatre provides a spectacular view of the fertile plain which once was sea. Visible from here are two pieces of white rock about 1150 meters apart. These were once marble lions guarding the entrance to the harbor.

The city's ruins include a harbor monument adorned with carvings of marine life on one side and a half-man, half-fish triton on the other. Also uncovered are the remarkably well-preserved Baths of Faustina, erected by the wife of Marcus Aurelius, which include a headless but otherwise exquisite reclining statue.

Ancient Didyma was not a city, but rather the home of the God Apollo. Only priests were allowed entry here to consult the oracle in the great Temple of Apollo. The site served as a divine sanctuary at least as early as the 10th Century B.C Priestesses of Delphic origin fasted here for three days, then inhaled sulfur fumes until they entered a supposed state of divine inspiration. Their ramblings were then translated by priests into prophecies.

The site continued to issue predictions via pries throughout several centuries. In 300 B.C construction began on the Temple of Apollo and continued for the next 500 years. Of the temple's original 120 columns 103 have been set up again. Some remain unadorned, evidence that the temple was never completed. Didyma and other oracles eventually fell victim to Christianity's scorn for pagan prophecies. The final assault at Didyma was the erection of a Christian chapel in the holiest part of the Temple of Apollo.

This temple impresses visitors today with its size and the painstaking reconstruction by French and German teams. A sacred road, used for religious processions, leading to the temple was once lined with statues, but Sir Charles Newton sent these to the British Museum in 1858. The temple has an elaborate bust of Medusa. The nearby remains of Greek and Roman houses and a stadium have also been uncovered.