The Ancient City of Sagalassos
Although it is still not so popular among the visitors, Sagalassos is definitely one of the best preserved ancient cities in Turkey. It is located in southwest Turkey, north of the coastal city of Antalya in the Mediterranean region. It was the most important city of ancient Pisidia, located in the Taurus Mountain chain. The city is located 1450 meters above the sea level.
The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 333 BC on his way to Persia, and it joined the Roman Empire in 25 BC, when it started to grow as an urban center. Sagalassos was on the Anatolian road network, so it was well connected with both the interior and the cities on the coast. The city was an important production and export center for pottery and agricultural products. It is one of the cities that very quickly adopted Hellenistic culture. After the Hellenistic and Roman rule, the third important period in the city’s history starts in the 4th century when it becomes Christian, which especially influenced the architecture.
The gradual decline of Sagalassos that began in the 7th century was caused by earthquakes and a plague epidemic, so by the 13th century it was completely abandoned. Then the Seljuk Turks arrived and developed a town of Aglasun (name derived from the word Sagalassos) in the same area
The first excavations in the city started in 1990 by archaeologists from the University of Leuven in Belgium. The highlights of this amazing site are a huge Roman bath complex, library, urban mansion with more than 80 rooms, and a theatre with seating for up to 9000 people. Excavated finds have been exhibited at the Burdur Museum.
Antonine Nymphaeum
In the 2nd century CE, a public fountain was built in the Upper Agora. The name of this magnificent nymphaeum refers to the successful Antonine dynasty of Roman emperors, and it was probably built during the reigns of emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. In late antiquity it was reconfigured as a monument dedicated to the family of the Titi Flavli, one of the richest families of Sagalassos.
The architecture of the Nyphaeum, with impressive length of 28m and 9m height and the use of seven types of Stone, is a typical example of the very rich architecture of the Roman empire. The cascading water accentuated the appearance of the coloured stones and various statues served as an additional decoration in the niches in the back wall.
Most of the statues were lost, with only the two statue groups still visible. They represent the god of wine Dionysos with a satyr, Nemesis - the goddess of divine retribution, Asklepios - the god of health, his mother Koronis and a figure that possibly represents Apollo, of which only the feet remain.
An earhquake in the 7th century CE destroyed the Antonine nymphaeum. Its ruins had been covered by soil and were exposed during the excavations 1993-1995. Most of the building elements were found and the podium of the building was preserved in its original place, so it was possible to repair and reerect the monument. Restoration with the original architectural pieces was completed in 2010.
The Northwest Heroon
This heroon (a small monument or a grave that honours a local benefactor) was built around the year 1 AD during the reign of the Emperor Augustus, and it was recently re-erected with its original stones. It was clear where each block belonged on he monument by looking at the original connection holes on the stones. The monument stands on a square podium which is 15 meters high. Members of the local aristocracy constructed this type of monuments in order to be remembered.
The Nortwest Heroon was a monument for a young aristocrat, but a dedicatory inscription wasn’t found. A 2.5 meter high statue of this person, including the beautifully-carved head was found, and it probably stood in front of the doors of the monument. Around 400 AD this Heroon was incorporated into the new city walls, where it functioned as a tower.
Doric Fountain House
After Sagalassos became a part of the Roman Empire, it started to grow and new neighbourhoods were created for the new inhabitants, amongst others on the eastern slopes of the town. Of course, one of the main elements to make living possible was the potable water. This fountain house from the 1st century BC had a natural water source which is, fortunately, still active. The fountain in Doric style was a functional building, where the inhabitants of the urban quarter could collect their daily supplies of water. There are some indications that the people of Sagalassos used this fountain house as a wash house for their laundry. In late antiquity, the fountain house and its courtyard were filled with dirt and the water diverted in terracotta pipes to various parts of the town. Afterwards, parts of the monument collapsed.
The Neon Library
This library, built around 120 AD is one of several monuments built by the elite families of Sagalassos. By building such monument, these aristocrats wanted to show their wealth and leave legacy. Titus Flavius Severianus Neon, a member of one of the most important families of Sagalassos, built the library. He was the greatest benefactor of the city and the patron of the games. He built the library in honour of his deceased father. It resembles the Library of Celsus at Ephesus (114-117 AD), which was also dedicated to a deceased father by his son. The two buildings also have some architectural similarities.
Only the podium of the rear wall belongs to the original building phase. The niches in the podium held small statues, and a series of inscriptions were placed on a row of slabs above them. In the inscriptions, Neon and some members of his family are honoured by the city council (boule) and the assembly (demos). The back wall made of solid brick and the side walls belong to the 2nd building phase of the library (200 AD). During the renovation, due to structural problems, the interior of the library was made narrower. The black and white mosaic floor is from a 2nd renovation phase, carried out during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the mid 4th century. The damaged middle panel of the mosaic depicted a scene from the Trojan War, showing Achilles saying farewell to his mother Thetis before leaving to join the war. The artist’s name, Dioskoros, is also visible on the panel.
Towards the end of the 4th century, this monument and the mosaic panel were destroyed by the Christians, because they were symbols of pagan culture. The large cracks on the mosaic floor are the result of the big earthquake in the 7th century.
The Hadrianic Nymphaeum
This monumental fountain from the 2nd century was built on a terrace above the Lower Agora and it was dedicated to Emperor Hadrian. Originally 17m high, this was the only two-storey fountain in Sagalassos. Functional and prestigious at the same time, this monument was aligned with the South Colonnaded Street so that visitors could see it as they entered the city. It was commissioned by the first Roman knight of Sagalassos, Tiberius Claudius Piso, who ordered its construction in his will.
This monument is an example of “tabernacle architecture”: the back wall has niches, while projecting podiums made of one or two pairs of columns formed ‘tabernacles’ in which statues were placed. In the centre of the lower part stood a 4 meter high statue of Apollo. The fountain was close to the Temple of Apollo Klarios and was dedicated to this god. Above the statue of Apollo stood a bronze statue of Emperor Hadrian, with bronze statues of Piso on both sides. The other statues in the fountain represented Piso’s two heirs and statues of gods and semigods.
The plasters of the podium are decorated with relief carvings of six of the nine muses. All statues of the nymphaeum are of a very high quality. This fountain probably collapsed in early 6th century and was never reconstructed.