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The Traces of the Roman Empire
The historical structure of the city of Rome: Aspendos
by Andira Vitale
Once upon a time, the ancient city of Aspendos had a good king. He loved his daughter, who was famous for her beauty and his country. One day, he had an idea for his two loves. He declared to his people that a man would marry his daughter who rendered the most advantageous service to the city. This service would significantly benefit the city and its people. An exciting race began in the city when the king’s announcement was heard. Single men started carrying out projects they thought would help the town to marry the king’s daughter. The twin brother architects of the city also participated in this competition. They created two architectural works, which are “still competing” for splendour and functionality. One of these architectural works that everyone left behind was the “Aspendos aqueduct”, and the other was the “Aspendos Theater”.
The king’s first encounter with the aqueducts was a moment of awe. Their grandeur and functionality, bringing water from distant lands to the city and meeting the water needs of all of Aspendos, left a lasting impression on him. Our king, known for his righteousness, was drawn to the theatre building, even though the aqueducts still captivated his heart.
The king was also fascinated by the theatre. It was a magnificent masterpiece. But his mind and heart were still in the aqueducts. He started wandering around the theatre. He went up the stairs. From there, while observing the entire theatre from above, his senses were frightened by a whisper. A voice was saying, “His daughter must marry me.” Turning his head towards the sound, he saw a man standing in the centre of the stage below. When he looked carefully, he saw that this person was the theatre’s architect. From the scene below, the architect said: “I am in love with the king’s daughter. Inspired by my love for her, I made this theatre. The king should give me his daughter.” he whispered again. The architect whispers from below; the king listens from above. This acoustic theatre, ahead of its time, will make Aspendos’ voice heard far away and dramatically influence the king. While choosing the aqueducts, the king prefers the theatre and decides to marry her daughter to the architect Zenon. These two magnificent structures still retain their existence in the historic town of Aspendos. The superb theatre that carries the voice of Aspendos far away continues to host essential concerts and festivals today.
Legends, stories, and myths don’t end when the ancient period is the subject! But these two architectural works, which compete with each other in their beauty and emerged from the rivalry of two twin brothers, are authentic and still alive.
We are on Turkey’s Antalya coast to see this fascinating city that has been the subject of legends. It bears the footprints of the Roman Empire. From here, we will pass to the ancient city of Aspendos. We will see these two architectural works, each more beautiful than the other, which are the subject of legends, with our own eyes. We will also participate in the competition.
The central part of the region where Antalya is today was known as Pamphylia, which in ancient times meant “The land of all tribes”. Aspendos was the most important and well-known ancient city of Antalya and the Pamphylia region. It was one of the prosperous cities of ancient times, founded in the 10th century. The city was founded on two hills, one large and the other small. Aspendos today has an international reputation as having the best-preserved Roman theatre. Köprüçay, which passes close to Aspendos, and the Eurymedon River, as it was formerly called, is another significant city value. The first name of Aspendos, as evidenced by the minted coins, was Esivediiys. Today’s word Aspendos is formed by combining the Persian words Aspa and Spanta, which means “Horse and Holy Place”.
The main structures of the town of Aspendos are located above the riverbed, that is, in the upper city. So we had to climb the hill. In ancient times, the upper town was accessed through 3 monumental gates. One of them has survived to this day. We started climbing the street next to the Ancient Theater. This stubborn door appeared first. Under this gate passes one of the main roads that enter the city. As we walk, we see the sewer system laid under the road. This demonstrates the importance of the infrastructural system present in all Roman cities.
From Troy to Rome
Aspendos witnessed many wars along with other cities of Pamphylia, his contemporaries. The Pamphylia region is believed to have been colonised by the Greeks from Argos (the northwestern town in the Peloponnese) in 1000 BC. However, some associate its foundation with the survivors of the legendary Trojan War. Indeed, Karatepe Castle and the surrounding landscape significantly overlap with Homer of Troy’s descriptions in the Iliad. According to this theory, Homer combined his knowledge of the Trojan legend into a historical account, using his experience as a scribe in the service of the Assyrians in Karatepe and his access to the writings. According to some, the city’s name derives from the hero Aspendos.
Rich coins indicate that in the 5th century BC, Aspendos was the most important city in Pamphylia. Still, although it was a prosperous trading centre, it did not play an essential role as a political power. Its political history during the colonisation period was limited to the Pamphylia region. It remained under the rule of Lycia, Persia and Athens. After Alexander the Great took Phaselis, which the Persians conquered, he captured Perge, an important city in Pamphylia, and BC. He also entered Aspendos in 333. The Ptolemies and Attalides later dominated the town, and finally, the Romans took over with the death of Attalus III. It began to decline during the Byzantine period. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the city no longer resisted earthquakes, epidemics and pirate attacks, and after the seventh century, it was withdrawn from the stage of history.
Timeless monuments of Rome
During the Roman occupation, the city expanded and was filled with monuments. It became an important trading centre for salt, oil, wheat, wool, oil, wine, and horses. The Aspendos ruins that we can still admire today date back to this period. The wide range of its coins throughout the ancient world indicates that, by the 5th century BC, Aspendos had become the most important city of Pamphylia. According to Thucydides, the Eurymedon river was navigable up to Aspendos at that time.
The three-storey market building to the east of the agora is the earliest period building that can be identified in the city. Other structures are from the Roman and post-Roman periods. Among these structures is a second two-storey market building, a Christian Basilica, a fountain, an Odeon, a monumental gate, a temple, aqueducts, Roman baths and a theatre, and a bridge built during the Ottoman period. The siphons of the aqueducts, one of the most essential structures of Aspendos, are unique and have been the most studied structure. The theatre building, which is shown as one of the best-preserved theatres in the world, is one of the most essential structures of the Ancient City. According to the inscription on the south parados, the building is from the period of Marcus Aurelius and was built by the architect Zenon, the son of Theodoros of Aspendos.
Ancient Roman theater
The Ancient Roman Theater, built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD, has survived to this day thanks to the fact that the seating rows and the stage building were constructed as a whole. The Ancient Theater hosts various cultural events and festivals from time to time. It was built during the reign of King Marcus Aurelius by the “architect Zenon”, son of Theodore of Aspendos. We enter the theatre through the entrance door constructed much later. However, the original entrance was at either end of the stage building. The theatre is shaped like a semicircle, with 20 rows of seats below and 21 above. The theatre has a capacity of 7000 people. But when other areas are used, this number reaches a capacity of 7500 people. At the top of the theatre seating, there are 59 arched galleries. According to protocol, the lodges above the entrances on both sides belonged to the imperial family and the holy virgins. Starting from the orchestra and going up, the first row was reserved for senators, judges and ambassadors, and the second was reserved for the other notables of the city. Other parts were open to all citizens. The women usually sat in the upper rows. There are the remains of a theatre, basilica, agora, nymphaeum, and a 15-kilometre (9.3 miles) Roman aqueduct. Nearby is also the Roman bridge of Eurimedonte, rebuilt in the 13th century.
The Roman Aqueducts
The Aspendos aqueducts, about 1 kilometre long and 15 meters high, are located in the northwestern part of the city. About 25 km. It carried water from the mountains of the far north to the town. The Aspendos aqueducts, a masterpiece of Roman hydraulic engineering, the artificial barriers created in the watercourse and the outflow of holes in the pipes met Aspendos ‘ water needs. The siphons in the aqueducts slow down the water coming from a distance of about 25 kilometres to press the city and make it proportional.
In the ancient city of Aspendos, there are not only Roman aqueducts and ancient Roman theatres. As we have listed above, an entire town awaits its visitors, from the basilica to the bazaar and stadium. To live the spirit of the times … us? We were amazed by the splendour and functionality of both works. We couldn’t make a decision. According to a legend, not even the king could decide. He cut his daughter in the middle and gave her to two architects. We think it’s not fair enough to cut out the daughter he loves so much. But it is a fact that both the ancient theatre and the aqueducts are too perfect architectural works to decide …