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Aspendos

Famed for its theatre where the acoustics were good enough to win a princess' hand in marriage, legends claim that Aspendos was founded by survivors of the Trojan War.Although the Greeks claimed descent from veterans of the mythical war, Hittite hieroglyphics indicate that this most ancient of empires arrived at some point during the second millennium BC.While they left some carvings, it was their Greek successors who added prestige to the city, although it never became a major power. Subject to the Persians who extorted heavy taxes from it, city leaders were eager to embrace Alexander the...

31-01-2007 - read more...

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Caunos

An ancient Greek colony and early seat of Christianity, a short boat ride will take the modern visitor into the age-old ruins of Caunos, while turtles add an extra dimension to this remarkable city.Also known as Kaunos or Kaunus, legend states that it was founded by Kaunos, who was loved by his sister Byblis but he ran from her, she pursing him across Asia Minor until she died and was turned into a water spring by the gods.Caunos was established during the ninth century BC and reached local prominence around 400 BC, partly because it lay on the border with the kingdom to Lycia, meaning that...

26-01-2007 - read more...

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Perge

Settled inland as protection against pirates, Perge is one of the foremost archaeological attractions in Turkey's southern coast and home to one of mathematics' greatest figures.Greeks came from central Anatolia around 1000 BC and settled Perge along with Sillyon, Aspendos and Side to form what became known as Pamphylia, the 'land of the tribes'. However, there is evidence that prior to this was a settlement by the Hittites, the mysterious lost empire that founded Hattusas, who probably founded a settlement 500 years earlier. Part of the attraction of Perge - which is also known as Perga and...

29-01-2007 - read more...

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Sardis

A river of gold once ran through this ancient capital, flowing through a city that was a terminus of a royal road, a regal burial ground and was rumoured to have been founded by descendents of Hercules.Sardis first gained prominence in the eighth century BC when it became the capital of the powerful Lydian empire, though archaeologists have found evidence of Stone Age settlement from around 50,000 years ago.By the seventh and sixth centuries BC it had become a major power in the region, though it was then captured by the Cimmerians, Persians and Athenians. Yet Cyrus the Great confirmed...

24-01-2007 - read more...

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Nemrut Mountain

An artificial hill with a temple built for Roman client king Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, Mt Nemrut is truly an ancient wonder and one that draws thousands of tourists each year.Commagene was an independent kingdom in what is now the Kurdish south-eastern part of Turkey and it managed to keep its separation from Rome until it sided with Mark Anthony in the war after Julius Caesar's death and became a tribute state under the victorious emperor Augustus.Antiochus had tried to keep his Greek kingdom independent and it is he whose death caused the building of the temple at Mt Nemrut. Living...

22-01-2007 - read more...

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Hattusas

Former capital of one of the world's oldest empires, with the art and architecture placed in a heady mountain setting, Hattusas is central Turkey's most remarkable ancient city.The Hittites were an unknown civilisation when Hattusas was first excavated over a century ago by German archaeologists and their name is taken from a Biblical reference. However, hints of a great civilisation in the north of Asia Minor were suggested by unknown alphabets and obscure references found in Egypt's famous Amarna Letters, correspondence between the immediate predecessors of Tutankhamen. A link between...

16-01-2007 - read more...

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Bodrum

Home of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, birthplace of the 'father of history' Herodotus and fortress for the Knights Hospitaller, Bodrum is truly a city rich in history.Founded in the 11th century BC as Halicarnassus, historians generally believe that it was colonists from Troezen and Argos who first raised a city in the south-west of Anatolia, though legends say it was founded 17 years after the fall of Troy.They initially settled on an island now occupied by the Knights Hospitaller's castle of Saint Peter and moved to the mainland, where a marketplace was established which...

15-01-2007 - read more...

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Patara

Beloved by the god Apollo, Patara's beaches tempt both sunbathers and archaeologists, for the sands still cover much of the lost city's past.As with all the great ancient metropolises in the region, the Lycian city of Patara was settled by Classical Greek colonists and the sun god Apollo was said to be the father of the founder, Patarus.Such was the attraction of the place that the god himself was said to spend his winters there. In honour of this divine heritage, an oracle of Apollo was built and was second only to Delphi's famous one. Oracles would have uttered their pronouncements in a...

12-01-2007 - read more...

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