Phaselis

36.52361111111130.552222222222Koordinaten: 36 ° 31 ' N, 30 ° 33 ' E

Phaselis (Greek Φασηλίς ) was an ancient town in Lycia (Asia Minor, now Turkey), which was directly on the coast about 53 kilometers south-west of Antalya. It is explored archaeologically since 1811 and is, as Olympos, Olympos National Park Beydağları far away from the nearest modern village. As a trading town with three harbors in close proximity to the Persian sphere of influence in Asia Minor they had until the founding of Attaleia ( Antalya) to 150 BC outstanding significance and was economically exceptionally wealthy. Get the boulevard, agoras, theaters, spas, harbor walls, aqueduct and Byzantine ruins.

History

The city said to have been founded in the sources after 690 BC as a Rhodian colony. In the 6th century, it was represented in the trading post of Naucratis in Egypt, including with Rhodes, Cnidus and Halicarnassus. Phaselis, which was expected in the first centuries of its existence to Pamphylia, was from about 550 BC a long time to the Persian Empire - a position that was culturally and economically important to many of Asia Minor Greek cities. Politically, however, this was taken in Athens as a pretext to disguise the activities of the Athenian Delian League as anti- Persian alliance battle. So Phaselis was 469 BC " forced liberated" and the Confederacy forced - as a thriving commercial city with high tributes in strategically important location a significant gain for Athens.

After 411 BC, Persian again to Phaselis resulted in 334 BC Alexander the Great, who wintered there in winter 334/333 before the battle of Issus. According to Pausanias, was located in the Temple of Athena, the main sanctuary of the city, the spear of Achilles. Also, this may have been a reason for Alexander to stay here because he thought he was the "new Achilles ". Plutarch, the inebriated from wine Alexander was decorated on the way home from a drinking session with his companions the monument of Theodectes with wreaths. During the Diadochenkriege the city was first Ptolemaic ( to 197 BC), then to 187 BC Seleucid. Then it was placed by the Romans until 167 BC under Rhodian rule, together with Lycia, was numbered among the Phaselis henceforth. From 167 BC it was part of the declared by the Romans for independent Lycian Federation. The strong competitor Attaleia as a port and trading city of Phaselis brought a first decline, which made it the beginning of the 1st century BC, coming down together with Olympos to a loophole Cilician pirates.

Under Domitian, Trajan and Hadrian ( the Phaselis around the year 129 attended ) destroyed in the pirate wars town was built in the late AD 1st century representative again and experienced a second bloom. From that time, most of the obtained today ruins date. From the later invasions of the pirates and Arabs in the middle of the 7th century, Phaselis but never recovered, even if it temporarily again, rising to become economically Byzantine naval base in the 8th century. From the 10th century it served only as a quarry for Antalya, needed the material for his fortifications.

Excavations

Phaselis is located on a small peninsula at the foot of the Taurus Mountains. The few hinterland is largely marshy. The particular form Phaselis owed ​​its unique importance as a city with three largely natural harbors. In the large north harbor the ancient breakwater can still be seen. There also the well-preserved to around 400 meters imperial times aqueduct runs along the city.

The so-called city harbor with its mighty quay walls is a popular bay today. From there, about 20 meters wide boulevard leads to the important Roman buildings on both sides of the South Haven, which is protected by a wall. On the northwest side of the three agoras (market places) rows from the times of Hadrian, Domitian and late antiquity to each other. There are also remains of the thermal baths and Byzantine ruins. Across the southeast side of the city had been built theater on the hillside. The above preferred acropolis of Phaselis still shows remnants of the house last inhabitants, who had since the 7th century abandoned the city and entrenched on the ridge. The remaining residential area with streets and houses are almost completely removed.

Sons and daughters of the town

Theodectes, born about 400 BC, Athens was a speechwriter and author of plays. He took 353 BC in Halicarnassus at the funerals for Mausolus at a speech tournament. In Athens, he met the young Aristotle, the later teacher of Alexander the Great. When he came to Phaselis, Theodectes was already dead Phaselis built his famous citizens a still image on the Agora.