ANTALYA DAY 1: ASPENDOS AND PERGE

Between Konya and Antalya we had an interesting bus ride.  Along the way we spotted a train of tractors, trucks and container vehicles lined up in row, delivering grain to silos.  Once they had delivered their loads, they got back on the roadway, an excellent roadway, by the way. 

 

We had two stops before reaching our hotel.  One was the theater of Aspendos, which we were told is the best example of a Roman theater in Turkey.  In its prime, it seated 10-12,000 people. The stage area was decorated with carved ledges and niches which were filled with statutes, now gone.  Like the Coliseum and similar Roman structures, it had a basement level for animals and people and staging materials.  

 
This theater was best known for its acoustics, allowing everyone in the theater to hear actors.  We tried it with limited success – perhaps fewer people walking around and making cell phone calls would have been a better test.  The story goes that the king at the time offered his daughter in marriage to the man who greatest service to the city.  One man set up an aqueduct that brought water to the city from a great distance, and he looked like the clear winner.  The other designed and built this theater.  As the king wandered around the upper levels he heard a voice saying “The king’s daughter must be given to me”.  It was the second contestant using the acoustics of the theater to make his point.  According to the legend, he was the winner. 

 These are the niches that would have housed statutes of the gods and leaders.

 The ringside seats below were for dignitaries.  Bring a pillow. 

Our second stop was Perge.  Our first glimpse was of the colesium, on the outskirts of the city proper.  We could imagine the huge size, and the chariots barreling by.  

The arches are entrances to the stands. 

Perge was a thriving city in the fourth century BC.  We entered through a ceremonial gate, and from there could see the outlines of the city center, including the extensive baths and gymnasium, and the shopping mall, complete with shops and a covered arcade walkway for shoppers.  It also has a magnificent gate opposite the ceremonial entrance, with a defensive conical shape. 

 

 There are a few pirces they haven't sorted through yet...although every one has a numbered code. 

 Below is a shop, with a back window for deliveries. 

 A view into the baths.  Note the missing floor; underneath were the waterworks, delivering hot water to the baths themselves. 

The temple of Artemis.