APHRODISIAS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The ramparts, which surrounded the centre of the city, were 3.5 km long. The path, opposite the museum, leads to the theatre (1st century BC) built by Julus Zoilos, a freed slave of Emperor Octavian. The north wall, 5 m high, bears Greek inscriptions from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

Behind the theatre is the Tetrastoon, a large square bounded by four (tetra) porticoes (stoai) and connected to the Imperial Hall of the Baths. Next to it is a cloakroom, a bathroom and a sweat room. Then, on the right, the Sebastêion, sanctuary of the deified emperor Augustus, supposed to be a descendant of Aphrodite.

Composed of two parallel rows of half-columns superimposed on three floors, it was decorated with decorative panels depicting mythological scenes. A series of bas-reliefs show the peoples conquered by Augustus. To the left of the Sebasteion, some columns among the poplars indicate the location of the agora, which consisted of two Ionic porticoes. The southern portico, Tiberius' portico, was decorated with impressive friezes, with heads of historical and mythological figures linked by garlands. To the west of the Tiberius portico, the ruins of Hadrian's baths stand. Continuing, on the right, a peristyle indicates the Episcopal palace, residence of a notable, converted into the residence of the bishop of Aphrodisias.

Overall plan. Near the temple of Aphrodite, a path leads to the well-preserved stadium, which could hold 30,000 people. 262 m long and 59 m wide, it was used for athletic games. To the north of the temple are the remains of six private houses. One of them housed a school of philosophy. Aphrodisias was home to a large Jewish community. A series of inscriptions indicate the existence of a synagogue, and an engraved pillar bears the names and professions of a number of Jews.

Next to it is a well-preserved odeon. Originally, it was used for artistic events and meetings of the city council. The mosaic that covered the floor of the orchestra is in the museum.

Next door, the most important monument of the city, the temple of Aphrodite, is easily identified by its fourteen columns, but its structure was largely modified when the Byzantines transformed it into a basilica.