Nov 3 - Just 15 km east of Antalya is the ruined city of Perge. It is easy to get to, the blue metro line heading east from downtown comes close. We depart at the town of Aksu and walk the 2 km north to the archaeological site entrance. On the way pass the local high school just as they ring the bell to start afternoon classes. Odette is scandalized by the sight of several teenagers pushing through a hole in the perimeter fence to get back on the grounds. Apparently they were not supposed to leave campus for lunch. The scandal grows when we pass a park, where several other teens are hanging out behind a utility building, smoking cigarettes.
Perge is an impressively well preserved city, that uses several small hills around it as natural barriers. The early evidence of structures here dates from 3000-4000 BCE, but the city really began in about the 7th century BCE, probably as a Greek colony town of Rhodes. It was conquered later by both the Athenians and Persians. Eventually it was occupied by the Romans, who built it up substantially. It benefitted from the extended Pax Romana, seeing no warfare for all of its history as a Roman city.
Hard to see from this angle, but there is a low, u-shaped stadium at the southern end of the city.
The outer edge of the stadium has numerous entrances, that descend from the outside ground level to the stadium floor.
The most exciting discovery here for Odette was of a baby tortoise. Somehow she spotted it underneath a huge bush.
The Roman Gate, on the south side of the city. Built in perhaps the early 2nd century CE.
There are many columns here, many with bases made during reconstruction of the site.
Near the gate is the Southern Bath. Shown is the frigidarium with an apsidal (curved) back wall.
The agora, or bazaar area. The perimeter is square and columnated.
The columnated main street. The built up median has space for a canal underneath. It runs for almost 500 meters from south to north.
Columns with a rare preserved bit of roofing between them.
The expertly applied Greek on this pedestal reminds me of what we saw at the funerary complex of Hierapolis (Day 211).
Impressively, for a city in such a dry place, there used to be a fountain that fell from below this reclining statue and flowed down the channel though the center of the street.
This room was closed off, so difficult to get a photo, but this is a mosaic that recounts some episode of the Trojan War. Among the characters featured (and helpfully labeled) are Agamemnon, Odysseus, Achilles, and Ajax.
A well-crafted detail in the limestone wall. of the Western Street.
One of the two Hellenistic-aged oval towers near the Roman Gate. This was the only part I could photo that wasn’t covered in scaffolding.
This was another fountain, dedicated to Caracalla (r, 198-217 CE), whose name as actually Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. They know it was his because a statue of him was found in it during excavation.
Yes another tortoise at the site, this one an adult.
I was impressed with the state of preservation of the amphitheatre. Perhaps because so many of these have been modified for use in concerts and performances today. This one has been left alone. Nearly all the seating is intact (probably seated about 12,000).
The friezes behind the stage are decently preserved as well.
Get the metro back to the hotel very late afternoon. Our room is a few floors up and we can see on of the small plazas, where live music is played in the evenings.
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