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Priene, although estimated to have had no more than 3,000
residents around 300 BC was nevertheless important as a site for
Ionian congresses and festivals. The Meander River wound through
the plain below, eventually depositing enough silt to close up the
harbor. Because of this the Romans refrained from building here
when they conquered the area, so what remains are unusually
Hellenistic (Greek) ruins.
The streets of Priene were laid out in a deliberate grid, a precursor to
modern city design. Priene's ruins are among the most attractive
on Turkey's west coast. Conspicuous by their absence is the
immense Roman structures so familiar at other sites. Priene's
buildings are small and intimate, a feeling, which pervades the
entire setting.
The ruins include the once exquisite Temple of Athena, destroyed by an
earthquake in the middle ages. Only the foundation and five
reconstructed columns remain of these textbook example of temple
design. The Temple was in fact the model for a book on design by
its architect Pytheos. His book was still a classic in Roman times.
Attractive smaller buildings at the site include the council house,
complete with altar used for sacrifices before each city council
meeting, and the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Earth Mother, and her
daughter, Core, where sacrifices were made to the gods of the
underworld. |
