Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:52 AM Sayfa
Perge
The ruins of Perge are located sixteen kilometers along the Antalya-
Alanya highway in the district of the town of Aksu. It is one of the
better-preserved archaeological sites in Turkey.
Although the Pergeans attributed the founding of their city to Kalkhas,
Mopsos, and Amphilokhos after the Troian War, a tablet discovered at
Bo¤azköy is proof that it existed at least during Hittite times when it
was known as ‘Parha’. We have little information about the city until
Alexander's arrival here in 333 BC.
The Pergeans opened up their gates to Alexander and allowed him to
make use of the city as a base during his Pamphylian campaigns. With
the death of Alexander, Perge remained in Seleucid hands until 190
BC, in which year it was annexed to the kingdom of Pergamon. Like all
the Pergamene possessions, it too came under Roman rule in 133 BC
and it was during the Roman imperial period that the city flourished.
Most of the ruins we see at the site today are from Roman times.
Excavations at Perge were begun in 1946 by Professor Arif Müfit
Mansel. Following his death they were taken up by Professor Jale ‹nan
and are still in progress.
Before coming upon the ruins of Perge proper we first encounter the
city's magnificent theater. Of the Greco-Roman type, this theater
could seat 15,000 and was built in the second half of the 2 nd century
AD.
The stage building had two stories on the lower of which there were
scenes concerning Dionysos and reliefs of a river-god, Kaystros. It is
still possible to see some of these in place today. The seats of the
theater are divided into two sections with thirteen sets of steps. During
late Roman times, the theater was used for spectacles of gladiatorial
combats and a fountain was built into the outer wall. Before the
theater is a U-shaped stadion which is in a fine state of preservation. It
too was built in the 2 nd century AD and there are seats for 12,000
supported by barrel-vaulted constructions. The entrance to the 34 by
234 m. arena is on the southern side, but the once monumental
Monumental fountain, Perge. 2 nd century.
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