Perga

36.96083333333330.853333333333Koordinaten: 36 ° 57 ' 39 " N, 30 ° 51' 12" E

The ancient city of Perge (Greek Πέργη, Hittite Parcha / Parha ) located 14 kilometers inland from the southern coast of Turkey and 16 kilometers northeast of Antalya (ancient Attaleia ) in Aksu. She was next to the main city of Side in Pamphylia. The ruins still standing today to give a good impression of a city system of the late Hellenistic -Roman period.

Location

The level of Perge, where the two river Aksu ( the ancient Kestros ) and Köpru flow south to the Mediterranean, on all three sides of land surrounded by high mountains (up to 3070 m, east of the Taurus Mountains to 2980 m). In the Northeast behind this mountain range is located in 150 kilometers from the city of Konya - the ancient Iconium. This landscape between Lycia and Cilicia, the peninsula was partly anticipated in antiquity to Pisidia, but was also a long -time capital of Pamphylia.

History

Traces of settlement in the early Chalcolithic ( 4th millennium BC) on Table Mountain are the oldest evidence. The hethithischen in a treaty of 1235 called BC Parcha / Parha place is equivalent to Perge. This suggests a Late Bronze Age settlement. For the Hittite times, there are only a few archaeological evidence, as well as for the allegedly carried out according to the local tradition after the Trojan War Greek immigration. For example, two participants are called the Trojan War as a founding heroes - the seer Calchas and Mopsos. In the 7th century BC started under rhodischem influence the development of a Greek influenced settlement after Perge in 10 -8. Century BC apparently close contact with Cyprus used. As the leading city of Perge was a member of the Delian Confederacy. The city of Alexander the Great was found, then under the Seleucid and Ptolemaic rule, after the Peace of Apamea 188-133 BC under Pergamonian rule; then Roman. Perge was 73/74 AD Lycia et Pamphylia capital of the province.

Ruins

From the coast or coming from Antalya, located in the west (left) the ancient theater of Perge, which took 14,000 spectators, making it one of the largest of its kind. Half of the stage building is preserved in full; you can still see parts of the former facilities with marble friezes and reliefs, wall paneling and niches with statues. The reliefs show, inter alia, the battle of the giants, and some centaurs. The top of the 48 rows of seats offer a magnificent panoramic view of the entire ruined city and its surroundings. Originally there was there an encircling arcaded gallery.

Between the theater and the city is a large, well-preserved stadium with 15,000 seats and 50 arches which support the rows of seats still well preserved. They served partly as a business, as every third access.

The larger rest of the city is behind the impressive ramparts. They were built in the third century BC - probably faster under the influence of Alexander's conquest of the city. Behind their first oval towers open the wide and long colonnades. However, the room to the side of a striking Table Mountain is partly overgrown with weeds and reeds today.

On the large Agora is the round temple of the goddess of fortune Tyche. Follow into town palace ruins of the imperial period and the large palaestra, which is part of a large gymnasium. This building is the oldest outside the original city walls.

At the west gate spas are - even an aqueduct can be seen - and behind the necropolis. The most important of the sarcophagi and statues are now in the Archaeological Museum of Antalya.

Since the 1970s, excavations of the University of Istanbul are held here, initially led by Arif Müfid Mansel, then Jale Inan, today Halûk Abbasoğlu.

Research on Table Mountain

Since 1988, archaeologists from the University of Istanbul cooperate with the University of Giessen during the excavations in Perge.

The strategically located in the North Table Mountain is known as Acropolis since the work of Karl Graf Lanckoronski (1890), because the town's main street running straight at him. The 90 m high and 700 m wide plateau with steep flanks was an ideal settlement system in pre-Hellenistic times. A first survey was sponsored since 1995 by the DFG priority program to Asia Minor, which has been extended to issues of acculturation in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1999. The excavations soon showed that the Table Mountain was inhabited from the Neolithic period to the Middle Byzantine era.

In 2001, a sacral center of the classical period was explored on the western edge of the plateau. It was probably the Artemis Pergai ordained, whose cult - as in Ephesus - the art and the economy coined. Last but not least is seen on many ancient coin.

Perge in Christian times

In Perge Christianity is occupied early. Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey came here twice (Acts 13.13-14 and 14.25 ). From there they moved to the north ( Pisidia ) or East ( Iconium ) on. During the following centuries was particularly revered in Perge Mary. In Byzantine times it was the seat of a bishop, who was also the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province. Today Perge is only a titular of the Roman Catholic Church. Under the Seljuks (from about 1400? ) Here a large garrison was built.

Personalities

Perge is the birthplace of the mathematician Apollonius of Perga.