Aigai (Aeolis)

38.83111111111127.188611111111Koordinaten: 38 ° 50 'N, 27 ° 11' O

Aegae, also called Aigaiai (Greek Αἰγαί, Αἰγαῖαι ), Latin Aegae, Aegaeae, Turkish also Nemrutkale or Nemrut Kalesi, is an ancient town in the historical region of Aeolian. It is located on the ridge Gün Dagi at the village in the district of Manisa Köseler the Turkish province of Manisa, about 35 km south of Pergamon ( Bergama ), 20 km east of Aliağa.

History

Aegae is mentioned by Herodotus and Strabo at. It belonged in the eighth century BC to the Aeolian Twelve Cities and Towns, after the end of the Lydian and later the Persian Empire. Beginning of the fourth century BC it was part of the kingdom of Pergamum. After it was temporarily in the possession of the Seleucids, it was reconquered in 218 BC by Attalus I of Pergamum. In the war between Pergamon and Bithynia it was destroyed BC 156 by Prusias II. After a peace mediated by the Romans, the city was compensated with 100 talents. Under the dominion of Pergamum market investments and a temple of Apollo were built.

In the year 17 AD Aegae was completely destroyed in 133 BC after the end of the Attalids dynasty under Roman rule, by an earthquake, but received by Emperor Tiberius aid for the reconstruction.

Ruins

The city is situated on the summit plateau of the steep Gün Dagi, which can be climbed from the north. The plateau is surrounded by a wall of 1.5 km in length. On the eastern slope are the remains of three-storey indoor market. They are preserved to a height of 11 m and 82 m long. The upper floor of the Hellenistic building has been renovated in Roman times. In the grounds are scattered, partly overgrown to see the remains of numerous buildings, including the Acropolis laid out in terraces, a theater, a gymnasium, a Buleuterion and the foundations of three temples.

About five kilometers east (one hour walk) Located on the bank of the stream that flows around the mountain city, the foundations of a sanctuary of Apollo, an ionic Peripteraltempels from the first century BC, by the still the six -meter-high Cellator of three monolith is obtained.

History of Research

The first western visitors of Aegae were William Mitchell Ramsay and Salomon Reinach, 1881 in the Journal of Hellenistic Studies and 1882, reported on in Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. They were followed by the architectural historian Richard Bohn and prehistorians Carl Schuchardt, in the course of the excavations at Pergamum the place examined and about 1989 published their writing antiquities of Aegae.

Since 2004, excavations carried out in Aegae headed by Ersin Doger of the Ege Üniversitesi, Izmir. To date (2010), among others, the access road, a bouleuterion, an odeon, shops, numerous water pipes and large parts of the market hall have been exposed. In the next few years is planned, with the still numerous existing original stones erect their facade again.

Bouleuterion

Facade of the Market Hall

Meat and fish market in front of the market hall

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