Aphrodisias enjoys both an unbelievable historical richness and a beautiful natural
scenery where all green tones from poplar to olive trees are present. The city was famous not only as a
philosophy and medicine center but above all as a school of sculpture: the masterpieces
realized there have been spread all over the Roman Empire and found back in the most
popular temples such as in Didyma. Aphrodisias was a Carian town named after the
goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite, whose origins date back from the Hittite and
Phrygian cultures. Lots of Aphrodite's characteristics are similar to those of the Ephesus
Artemis but cannot be compared with the Greek Aphrodite.
Aphrodisias
knew her golden years during the Roman period as it was located alongside
a main trade
road. Even after the upcoming of Christians, Aphrodisias remained an important pagan
center. Under the Byzantines, who renamed it "Stavropolis" (Town of the Cross),
Aphrodisias became the residence of the bishop of Caria. When
Aphrodisias had been
conquered by the Turks, it received its current name "Geyre", most probably a
deformation of "Caria".
Today
Aphrodisias is not only visited for its beautiful site but also for its opulent sculpture
museum. During the 35 years continuous excavations, the temple of Aphrodite, the
amphitheater, the thermal baths with their inlaid marble floors, the agora and the
stadium, one of the best preserved and biggest in the world, have been brought to
daylight.
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