PRIENE

Priene is situated in Ionia, the ancient region, the sky of which was described as the most beautiful sky on earth. Priene was established as a harbour near the Great Meandre in the I millenium B.C., together with the other 12 Ionian towns. Later, due to the river flooding the town, and sand blocking the harbour, it was transferred to the slopes of Mount Samsun, 7km. inland (4century B.C.) The new city was built on a series of terraces on the mountain slopes descending into the green sea which is the Menderes plain with considerable artistry.
On arriving at the site, one sees the city walls partially to the right. The town has two gates. The eastern gate which lies on the north east of the theatre is used today as the exit to the site. The second gate is on the western side of the site, and was defended by a strong wall, 2 metres in width and 6 meters in height. The walls are crenated and are re-inforced with independent towers.
Pipes distributing water throughout the city are laid extremely well. One building visible on the top of the mountain when looking from below is the water cistern serving the city. This system was successfully used from the Hellenistic period up to the Byzantine period. We understand from the remaining ruins that the water distribution to each street and to various houses and square was very effective.
The excavations begun by Carl Humann in 1895 and carried on by Theodore Wiegand uncovered the town of Priene. The plans of the city were also drawn as a result of these excavations. Prieric was built on the Hippodrome system in which streets intersect at right-angles. They are arranged on four terraces on the mountain slopes.
The seven streets of the town lie on an cast-west axis are intersected by fifteen streets which are stepped and very steep. Buildings have been built on the square-shaped plots left between the intersections.The temple of Athena dominates the city layout. Immediately south of the temple is the agora, forming the centre of the city, which one descends to via 72 steps.
The theatre and gymnasium are located at the highest point and on the lowest terrace. At the top of the slope, apart from the residential area is situated the temple of Demeter. At a height of 280 metres, we see the rock temple, and at 381 metres, the Acropolis.
Passing through an archway, which is, in fact, the portal to the city. Inside the archway, one finds oneself in a street of marble steps leading to the temple of Athena, hence the name, Athena street. In fact each important building gives its name to the street which runs alongside it. For example, the street of the theatre, and the street of the agora. The side streets are 3.00 metres wide, the streets are 4.44 metres and the avenues arc main avenue is 7.36 metres in width, permitting chariots to travel over them with ease.
At the termination of the marble steps of the street of Athena, on our right are the terrace walls of the temple of Serapis, with fine decorations showing the characteristics of Hellenistic work. Near this wall are the vault piers dating from the Byzantine period. These two structures are most striking. The wast-water system has remained intact to the present day. Continuing on we arrive at the cross-roads. The street on the right leads to the theatre.

Forking to the right, we follow the road to the theatre. Further to the right is the temple of Serapis, the temenos of the Egyptian gods which have been erected on two sites measuring 31 x 47m. On our left lies the upper gymnasium and the Roman baths. Under the Roman wall lies a wall dating to the Hellenistic period The theatre lies on the terrace above. As we turn left at the end of the street, we are confronted with the graunder of the theatre, which dates from the Hellenistic period. The original entrance can still be distinguished. The orchestra-pit was grounded with beated earth, and was encircled by a prohedra which had five special seats. These had been presented by a person of the name of Nysios, The altar in the centre of these seats, according to the inscription it bears, was dedicated to the God Dionysus by Pythomitos.
On the left-hand side is the water clock. When the cisterns were full, water would emerge from the centre of the clock and this practical device assured the distribution of water thoughout the town. Although the theatre, which was capable of holding 5000 spectators is in ruins, the lower parts have survived. The auditaurium was estimated to be of 50 rows of seats contained the prohedria in the centre of the fifth row, special galleries reserved for important personages. It is a horse-shoe shaped theatre, built in the Hellenistic period, with six narrow stairways leading to the rows of seats. Walls on the sides of the theatre reflect stone masonry of the 4 century B.C.
The skene section underwent extreme restoration under the Roman period. A building 2 metres to the south was constructed, with two atoreys, three doors, and two niches. It measured 21 x 2.74 metres and had a highly decorative architrave and triglyphs. The front face of the building has 12 supports in the form of Doric columns. The statues found here were in all probability those of important Prienians. The skene is divided into three chambers and has a wooden roof. These divisions are still visible. Through the changing rooms of this beuatiful theatre one can enter a basilica, built using the stones of the gymnasium which had been reduced in size during the Byzantine period. In the centre is to be found a shell and vine-leaf motifed device.
Crossing over the walls of this church, one comes to the most remarkable of the ruins of the site. This is the temple of Athena. As we go back along the street from which we emerged we return along this to the temple of Athena, whose name she takes. On the way, to the right lies the terrace walls of the upper gymnasium and on our left the rear sections of he Bouleterion and of the stoa can just be seen.
Now we are in front of the magnificent temple of Atheoa, goddess of wisdom. The building was built on high ground, and blends very well with the surroundings.

In the past, man has symbolised the unknown in the form of a god. Natural occurances were considered to be the anger of a god or some portentious action. Thunderbolts and lightening were the anger of Zeus, the most important of the gods. To appease these powers, the ancient peoples made sacrifices and had temples built.
According to mythology, Athena is known as the goddess of wisdom, and she is the daughter of Zeus, the principle god. Among the gods and goddesses there was known who was wiser than she, for which reason was a temple built in her honour at the most magnificent spot in Priene.

Continuing along the street of Athena, we come across the propylae of the temple. This entrance, which had five steps was faced with a four-columned facade and a similar arrangement to the rear. Today part of the left-hand wall still stands. Now we may see the altar, within temple, which was built during the 2 century B.C., and decorated with figures of gods and giants in high relief. The foundation of the altar built from the grey stone of the Mykale mountain is all that remains in site.
The courtyard was paved with stones during the construction of the altar. A stoa was built at the lower part of he temple at the same time. The stoa, facing the city was 78.40 metres in length and had 32 doric columns and a terrace wall 7 metres in height. Having seen the altar, let us cross the stone-laid floors and enter the main chamber of the temple. The sanctuary is on an east-west axis and has three steps. During the third quarter of the 4 century B.C. the temple was begun by the architect Pytheos, who also built the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. It was built in the Ionic order measuring 19.55 x 37.20 metres, with six columns in the facade, and to the rear, and 11 columns to the sides. The marble of mount Samsun has been used in its construction. The facade was completed by Alexander the Great, but unfortunately the western part of the temple was only completed two centuries later.
The inscription belonging to the temple, which is today in the British Museum, reads "King Alexander presented the temple to Athena Palas." A large chamber is situated in the centre of the building, where stands the statue of the goddess. This is flanked behind and preceded by a small anti-chamber. Coins of the same period portray the goddess standing upright with a spear in one hand and a shield. Nearby is the hill with the acropolis of the town, below the acropolis is situated the rock temple. The temple of Demeter is situated on the slope at a height of 126 metres, close to a lonely tree. Demeter, the goddess of fertility has her origins in Anatolia. She is regarded as being silent and naive in comparison to the other goddesses. The temple built in her name has its entrance to the east through a courtyard lined with statues of vestai virgins. Unfortunately nothing of this has remained to the present day, and so we will not be extending our visit so far.
South east of the western gate is situated the temple of Cybele. Cybele was the Ancient Anatolian mother goddess, and the cult of the goddess is carried on in Priene, emphasising the fact that Anatolians (even today) practise the customs of Ionia rather than that of Greece itself. The Ionian culture was thought, until fairly recently to be a part of the Grecian culture, and Central Anatolian culture was rather neglected with regard to its emergence in Ionia. It is now, however, established that this was a result of its own soil, and not a wholly imported from the Pelleponesian mainland.
To the side which still stands is a narrow flight of steps descending below the portal level on 72 treads. Descending these stairs, we reach the agora. As we go down we pass the colossal walls of the temple and having reached the foot of the steps we see the fish market ahead of us. Stalls for vending fish and meat can be identified. A stone-paved road goes past these and continues down the hill to the houses of Priene. These dwellings present the best example of the Hippodromian system of the Hellenistic period. The doors onlook the street. This outer portal once opened onto an inner courtyard onto which all the windows and inner doors in the house would look. The street facades were always closed. The general characteristics of the Prienian house included a main cella facing south, which was seperated from the courtyard by a columned hall. The walls were constructed of rough stone chips and mud bond, overpainted with white-wash. The houses of the more affluent, however, were built of finer stone. The walls were 5.5m-6m. in height. The windows were of the Mediterranean type, high up on the wall, narrow, with a pair of shutters on each. The house was covered with a roof which did not extend over the courtyard. Thus a secluded area was allowed to the occupants, without a view from the street, and light for the interior of the house was assured. A similar system still obtains in many of the houses of Anatolia, even today.
The road leading to the eastern gate is the largest in the town, and is flanked by many important houses on both sides. Alexander the Great, during his seige of Miletus had stayed in Priene, and did much to aid the town. Here lies the house known as the House of Alexander, built in a style reminiscent of a temple rather than a house. The inscription to be found on the walls of the house indicates that only those dressed in while may enter the temple. It is assumed that the people of Priene had this inscription set up as a mark of their gratitude to Alexander the Great.
Now we begin our tour of the agora, which was built in the 3 century B.C. Its measurements are 75.63 x 46.35m. Like other peoples of the classical world, the people of Priene have afforded a great deal of important to their agora. As it was a place both for trading and for public intercourse, it was placed in the centre of the town, and closed on three sides by stoas. The shops are placed west of the stoa. A later date, the agora was enlarged into a large hall with a row of columns in the centre.

A shrine to Hermes is situated in the centre of the agora, and two stone galleries from which important personages would watch ceremonies were originally situated to the east of the shrine, and from the surviving traces of them, we understand that they were covered with a kind of baldichino. Opposite the agora, a colossal stoa is situated, 116 m. in length, reached by six steps. The archetrave uncovered here bears the first three letters of the name of king Anarathes VI of Cappadocia, which indicates that the stoa was built by him during 130 B.C. A flight of steps takes one to an open platform 6.41m. in width. In the rear, a building is situated which is divided into two wings. This contains 15 chambers. The facade is decorated with 49 columns of the Doric order, while 24 columns on the interior were Ionic. These supported the wooden roof. On the western wall there were 1400 lines of inscription, related to the daily life of Priene and the orders of Roman governors. The statues once lined in front of the stoa cast a beauty of own upon the square, but now, only their pedestals remain.
At the end of the sacred stoa is to be found one of the best-preserved buildings of Priene, the Bouleuterion. This is square in plan, and has seats on three sides, ten tiers on the eastern and western sides, 16 to the north, The hall could seat 640. There were no seats on the southern side, which contained two entrances, and three tiers for visitors and members of the city council. In the centre of the hall stands a small altar with sides covered with relief. A wooden roof covered the building. It was here that all the important civic decisions were taken, and consequently was one of the most important buildings in Priene. Luckily it has survived to the presetiel day in fairly good condition. After leaving the Bouleuterion, let us now visit the Prytaneion. Here, the civic officials had their offices, and it was here that visitors to the city were cared for, in three rooms to the rear, reserved for this purpose. In the centre of the building was the sacred fire, to which great care was given to ensure that it never went out. This section of the building was restored and changed during the emperor's period, and has thus survived to our own time. The floor is marble-covered.
Now let us visit the Temenos of Zeus Olympics that lies opposite the Bouleuterion. A sanctuary for the god Zeus was built by modifying the eastern part of the agora. Today only the ruins of a temple built during the 3 century B.C. are to be seen. The temple is of the Ionic order, and measures 8.50 x 13.50m. The traces of the altar can still be seen. The style of Pyheos can be reconstructed from the present traces. The bases of the columns resemble those of the temple of Athena, and the entrance lies to the east. The large number of architectural fragments unearthed during the excavations enabled a complete reconstruction to be made. Four columns lined the facade. Now very little is left of this sanctuary, and many parts of its remains have been completely destroyed by the Byzantine castle built on one corner.
There was no passage from the agora to the temenos of Zeus. The rear of the temple faced the agora on an east-westerly axis. Constructions belonging to the Byzantine period have blocked the entrance. The columns to one side bear no relation to the temple, but extend from beyond the agora, the temple remaining somewhat recessed. If we continue along the path leading downwards, we come upon the terrace below which holds the gymnasium and stadium.