Yesterday, on our way back from Salda
Lake, I finally got to see a place I’ve wanted to visit for a while. It’s called Kibyra and it’s about 100km from
Fethiye. It’s basically another pile of
old stones – but what a pile! It has to
be one of the most interesting sites I’ve been to (and I’ve been to a lot!)
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| Stadium |
Although it was first identified in the
1840s, excavation only began in the last 30 years and has only been carried out
on a regular basis since 2006. Even so,
last year an application was made to include Kibyra on UNESCOs list of World
Heritage Sites.
The settlement dates from the 4th
century BC and its residents came from an older site 18km away. The city took 70 years to build, but most of
the infrastructure and public buildings were completed BEFORE anybody moved in!
An earthquake in 23AD destroyed the original buildings and those there now were
built after this, when the Roman Emperor Tiberius granted the city tax relief
for 3 years to enable them to rebuild.
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| Entrance to Agora |
In its prime, Kibyra had about 80,000 residents
and was the capital of the Kibyratis region.
This federation had a constitution and strong judicial system and brought
together two cultures and four languages.
In 83BC the Romans put an end to the federation and Kibyra became part
of Phrygia, but its location on the border and trade routes of several regions
(Lydia, Phrygia, Caria) ensured its continued importance. Its army kept order in the area and provided
protection to travellers passing through (for a fee!). It was also known for the quality of the
horses bred there and for metal and leatherwork – all vital for equipping an
army.
Another
earthquake in 417AD caused damage which due to economic conditions could not be
repaired and the population declined until Kibyra was abandoned in about the
eighth century. The ruins are extensive
and would take several hours to explore properly but here are some of the
highlights...
The stadium
is 197metres long and could accommodate up to 10,000 spectators. The uphill seating had 21 rows, while the downhill
stand had only five to prevent the structure from blocking the impressive view
of the valley. Sports events, races and
gladiatorial combat would all have taken place there.
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| Stadium |
The Odeon is
an impressive building situated next to the 8000-seater theatre. It was a music hall used for concerts, but
also housed meetings to discuss economic issues, announce new laws and judicial
proceedings.
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| Odeon |
It has
seven doors, five along the front wall and two at the top of the seating area
to allow people to enter and leave without disturbing events. The area in front
is covered by a huge mosaic, mainly geometric patterns and writing which is apparently
a promise by the builders to present the city they love with this work. The
building would have had a wooden roof that spanned the 36m space with no
vertical supports.
The most
impressive feature is a mosaic on the floor area that shows Medusa. Images of
Medusa were apparently often used in official buildings as it was believed that
her gaze would turn liars to stone! This
one is made up of larger pieces than a normal mosaic (Opus Sectile technique)
in five different colours. It took much
work to uncover this mosaic and it is now protected by covers most of the time;
I was very lucky to go at one of the rare times that it is on show!
There is
also an Agora (market place) with a colonnaded street lined with shops, a huge
(2500sqm) bath building with 500sqm of under-floor heating and many tombs. In fact, an announcement was
made yesterday of the uncovering of the biggest tomb on the site. One of the archaeologists described Kibyra as
the ‘Mediterranean Ephesus’ and it is sure to grow in fame and popularity but
for now there are so few visitors you can wander round the place undisturbed – and
imagine life there two thousand years ago!
