Geyre
(Aphrodisias)
"Imagine coming upon a city of antiquity so rich in archeological
treasure that choice sculptures roll off the sides of ditches, tumble
from old walls, and lie jam-packed amid colonnaded ruins." Those
are the words of Turkish archeologist Professor Kenan Erim who directed
the excavations at Aphrodisias under the auspices of the New York University.
He is so closely associated with the site that he can suitably be accepted
as the father of Aphrodisias and therefore fully deserved to be buried
near the Tetrapylon.
The name of the city has the same root as "aphrodisiac". Both words derive from the Greek name for the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Aphrodisias was one of several ancient cities dedicated to the goddess of love. Within the borders of Caria, during the Roman period, Aphrodisias became an artistic center with a famous school of sculpture.
The
site has been systematically excavated since 1961 by professor Kenan Erim
and has yielded a wealth of art treasures to archaeologists.
Names of many sculptors from Aphrodisias have been seen in lots of works in Italy, Greece and elsewhere. Fame of Aphrodisias is not only limited to arts. It also had a number of renowned scholars and writers as well as philosophers, of whom the most notable was Xenocrates.
History
of Aphrodisias:
Excavations in the 24-meter-high (78 ft) theater hill have revealed layers
of settlement going back to the Bronze Age (c. 2800-2200 BC).
It was founded in the 5C BC and flourished under the Roman Empire (1C BC-5C AD). Mark Antony recognized the autonomy of Aphrodisias in the 1C BC. In the Byzantine period it was first the seat of an archbishopric, then of the metropolitan of Caria. In the 6C AD the name of Aphrodisias was changed to Stavropolis, the city of the Cross, to erase the pagan goddess of love from people's minds. As the capital of Caria Aphrodisias was finally called Caria which then became Geyre in Turkish. Later in the 13C it was abandoned.
