x0x Capital City of Pamphylia Perge

(See http://www.ntimages.com/Perge-site-plan.htm and the links at
the end of the article for more.)
 
x0x Capital City of Pamphylia Perge

By  Nermin Baycin

There are some ancient cities whose fascination is felt
immediately, even before exploring them. With skilful
tongue they bridge the ages, creating a sense of
familiarity that draws you towards them. They do not
leave you alone amidst the ruins of past times, but
tell you about themselves. Colonnaded streets, some of
the columns still standing, ruined houses with mosaic
floors, fountains whose water no longer flows,
fragments of statues scattered on the ground, ornate
carved stones blocking your way, reliefs that are half
missing, and tombs, all speak of the time when people
walked the streets and dwelt in the houses. Perge is
such a city, situated at Aksu near Antalya, 11
kilometres from the sea. The moment you arrive the
monumental gateway arouses wonder, telling you that
this is no ordinary city and giving a foretaste of the
splendours that await you beyond it. The gateway is
guarded by two gigantic Hellenistic towers, their
stones so precisely cut that no mortar was needed, and
enabling them to remain standing over more than 2000
years.

The gateway is quite unlike its contemporaries in
Anatolia, with its circular towers and oval courtyard.
And these are not the only marvels with which Perge
welcomes visitors. Perge was for a time proclaimed
capital of the Roman Empire by the deified Emperor
Tacitus in the 3rd century AD. In an inscription
discovered on Tacitus Street, whose columns have now
been restored, Perge tells its own story: 'Of old I was
the capital of the land of Pamphylia. Now I have been
declared metropolis by Zeus Tacitus. One of the
celebrated rulers made me famous as the "chief of
cities". Now I appear as the mother city after the
example of Ephesus in Asia... All the Pamphylians who
live here are now high priests of the God Tacitus.' The
city describes itself in terms used by other emperors,
such as 'excellent' and 'friend and ally'. Another
inscription found nearby is the response of the reader
to Perge's declaration: 'May you live long Perge! You
are the only untouchable land...

Long live Perge! You are the city renowned for the holy
standard...  You are chief of agoras... There is no
falseness in your doings, because you attained all
these rights by decree of the Roman Senate.' Perge
reached the height of its glory in the 2nd and 3rd
centuries AD, and all its buildings reflect its
privileged status under the Roman Empire. The theatre,
stadium, agora, baths, fountains, colonnaded streets
and other structures are almost all still standing,
astonishing us today with their magnificence. The main
street stretches to the foot of the acropolis, whose
summit rises higher than the monumental gateway. This
street is one of the most imposing in Anatolia, with
mosaic pavements running down either side. An
exceptional feature, not seen in any of Turkey's other
ancient cities, is the water channel flowing along the
centre of the street. The road and channel end in a
monumental nymphaion (fountain) and gate complex whose
impact is so powerful that the past seems to come
alive. Perge's theatre numbers among the most
impressive examples of Roman architecture anywhere in
Turkey.

The splendid façade of the skene is embellished with
columns, niches for statues, skilfully composed reliefs
at each of the three levels, each illustrating a
different myth, exquisitely carved decorations, and
pediments of different types. The statues of gods,
goddesses and emperors discovered here reflect another
significant aspect of the city: its school of
sculpture. By 1987 archaeologists working on
excavations here had revealed 47 statues, all
outstanding examples of Roman art and most still in one
piece, demonstrating the high artistic standard
achieved by the sculptors of Perge. Professor Dr Haluk
Abbasoglu of Istanbul University, who is in charge of
the excavations, explains that although no trace of a
sculpture studio has as yet been discovered, the
quality of the statuary and sarcophagi make it certain
that a school must have existed here, and moreover that
it was second only to that of Aphrodisias among the
sculpture schools of Anatolia.

Perge's necropolis is of exceptional interest, with a
wide variety of structures, including four nymphaions,
triumphal arches, and above all the public baths next
to the monumental gate where 27 statues have been
unearthed. One of the most important discoveries of
recent years shows that the history of Perge goes back
far earlier than previously thought. Finds at the new
excavation site on the acropolis reveal that there was
a settlement here in 3000-4000 BC. According to
Professor Abbasoglu this is particularly important
since nothing was known before about the history of the
city prior to the Greek and Roman periods. It also
undermines the Pergeian legend that their city was
founded by seven Greek heros returning from the Trojan
War, and that the land of Pamphylia, meaning 'All
Tribes', was named after them. Now we know that there
was already a city here, inhabited by indigenous
Anatolian people, when the Greek colonists arrived.

This is confirmed by a 5th century BC inscription
referring to Artemis of Perge by the goddss'sn
indigenous Anatolian name, as 'Wanassas of Preia'.
Professor Abbasoglu adds that another important piece
of evidence is a bronze tablet discovered at the
Hittite capital Hattusa which refers to Perge as Parha.
There is now no doubt that the city existed in the 13th
century BC, before the arrival of the Greek Achaeans in
Anatolia.

* Nermin Baycin is an archaeologist

(More Perge photos are at:

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-20.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-21.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-22.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-24.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-25.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-26.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-27.jpg
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hbwang/photo/pcd4855/Perge-28.jpg )