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Aspendus (1)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.

Pictures of the theater of Aspendus can be found here.
The stadium of Aspendus. Photo Marco Prins. Aspendus, modern Belkis, was a town in Pamphylia, a region that was believed to have been settled by Greeks from Argos in the century after the legendary Trojan war. It was situated on the banks of the river Eurymedon, where the Athenian admiral Cimon defeated the Persians in 465. After the conquests of Alexander the Great, Pamphylia became Greek. This is the stadium of Aspendus.
The east gate of Aspendus. Photo Marco Prins. During the Roman occupation, the town became an important center of the trade in salt, oil, corn, wine, and horses. The ruins we can visit today, date from this period. 

The east gate of Aspendus, from the east.
The east gate of Aspendus. Photo Marco Prins. The east gate of Aspendus, from the west.
The sewer system, near the east gate. Photo Marco Prins. The sewer system, near the east gate.
The western agora (market) with shops. Photo Marco Prins. The western part of the agora (market) with shops. Here, the charismatic teacher Apollonius of Tyana, who had taken a vow of silence, was asked to put an end to a food shortage by an angry mob, that was about to kill one of the responsible magistrates (more...). According to Philostratus, Apollonius wrote a letter to grain merchants, threatening them with immediate death. Incidents like these must have been common in the ancient world.
The eastern agora (market) with a basilica and a legal building. Photo Marco Prins. The eastern part of the agora with the foundations of a basilica and a legal building. The basilica was built in the third century and is more than 100 meters long and 25 meters wide. Later, it was converted into a church. The ruin at the end is the Legal building. Its function is not exactly clear.
The nymphaeum (fountain) at the northern side of the agora (market). Photo Marco Prins. The nymphaeum (fountain) at the northern side of the agora (market). It was erected at the end of the second or beginning of the third century.
The town hall (bouleuterion). Photo Marco Prins. The town hall (bouleuterion), built at the end of the second or beginning of the third century. Some archaeologists maintain that this is in fact an Odeum.

Here you can see the agora on a satellite photo.
to part two
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