DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4326#0096
58 APHRODISIAS.
Laodiceia and Hierapolis. As it may not be uninteresting to compare his description with our
plan and drawings, we subjoin it, extracted from the second part of the second volume of his
Travels (p. 69).
" The walls (of Aphrodisias) are about two miles in compass, of an irregular triangular figure,
the east side of the town being very narrow; they seem to have been for the most part destroyed
and rebuilt out of the ruins of the ancient fabrics, which appear to have been very magnificent;
there are three gates of the city remaining, one to the west, and two to the east. In the middle
of the city there is a small hill, in the side of which there was a theatre, now almost entirely
ruined: there are remains of an arched entrance to it, about the middle of the north side, and of
some arches at each end of it, on which the seats are probably built. The very summit of the
hill seems to have been a fortress; for this hill and some public buildings near, appear to have
been enclosed with a very strong wall, cased with small hewn stone, which might be designed
for the greater security of their gods, and their treasuries. To the north west of this hill are
remains of a building which I take to have been a temple built to Aphrodisia or Venus, from
which this place might have its name, and I collected from an inscription that there was some
goddess particularly worshipped here. This temple is built something after the manner of that
of Ephesus, with large piers of hewn stone, on which it is probable arches were turned; and by
the holes in the stones, the building appears to have been cased with marble ; it may also be
concluded from some remains near, that this temple was of the Corinthian order. About a fur-
long to the north-east, there are ruins of another most magnificent temple, which I conjectured
was dedicated to Bacchus, from an Inscription there mentioning a priest of Bacchus, and from a
relief of a tyger, and a vine, which I saw among the ruins. The walls of it are destroyed, and
the stones were probably carried away to build the town walls: but there are two magnificent
rows of fluted Ionic pillars of white marble, which are almost entire; there are nineteen on
each side, four feet in diameter and about five feet apart, each consisting of five stones; there
were five entrances at the west end, three of which are to the middle part between the pillars and
one on each side; from the front there was a colonnade of Corinthian pillars of grey marble, one
foot six inches in diameter, but it could not correspond with the magnificence of the lofty temple :
there was a door place at each end about thirty paces from these pillars, with which it is probable
another colonnade ranged : and some paces farther at the east end, there are two fluted Corinthian
pillars of grey marble, two feet in diameter, which support an entablature. It is probable that a
row of pillars went all round at this distance : and I have great reason to think, that between
these and the temple, there were continued colonnades of Ionic pillars two feet and a half in
diameter, two thirds of which were fluted, for there are a great many of these pillars standing,
particularly to the south. I concluded that there were above fifty from east to west, and between
twenty and thirty from north to south, by supplying such as had fallen down between others that
were standing, and on all sides I saw remains of such pillars extending to the theatre and the
other temple, all which were probably covered, and made spacious shady walks for the great
number of people that resorted to this place, to their public games, as it appears they did by some
Laodiceia and Hierapolis. As it may not be uninteresting to compare his description with our
plan and drawings, we subjoin it, extracted from the second part of the second volume of his
Travels (p. 69).
" The walls (of Aphrodisias) are about two miles in compass, of an irregular triangular figure,
the east side of the town being very narrow; they seem to have been for the most part destroyed
and rebuilt out of the ruins of the ancient fabrics, which appear to have been very magnificent;
there are three gates of the city remaining, one to the west, and two to the east. In the middle
of the city there is a small hill, in the side of which there was a theatre, now almost entirely
ruined: there are remains of an arched entrance to it, about the middle of the north side, and of
some arches at each end of it, on which the seats are probably built. The very summit of the
hill seems to have been a fortress; for this hill and some public buildings near, appear to have
been enclosed with a very strong wall, cased with small hewn stone, which might be designed
for the greater security of their gods, and their treasuries. To the north west of this hill are
remains of a building which I take to have been a temple built to Aphrodisia or Venus, from
which this place might have its name, and I collected from an inscription that there was some
goddess particularly worshipped here. This temple is built something after the manner of that
of Ephesus, with large piers of hewn stone, on which it is probable arches were turned; and by
the holes in the stones, the building appears to have been cased with marble ; it may also be
concluded from some remains near, that this temple was of the Corinthian order. About a fur-
long to the north-east, there are ruins of another most magnificent temple, which I conjectured
was dedicated to Bacchus, from an Inscription there mentioning a priest of Bacchus, and from a
relief of a tyger, and a vine, which I saw among the ruins. The walls of it are destroyed, and
the stones were probably carried away to build the town walls: but there are two magnificent
rows of fluted Ionic pillars of white marble, which are almost entire; there are nineteen on
each side, four feet in diameter and about five feet apart, each consisting of five stones; there
were five entrances at the west end, three of which are to the middle part between the pillars and
one on each side; from the front there was a colonnade of Corinthian pillars of grey marble, one
foot six inches in diameter, but it could not correspond with the magnificence of the lofty temple :
there was a door place at each end about thirty paces from these pillars, with which it is probable
another colonnade ranged : and some paces farther at the east end, there are two fluted Corinthian
pillars of grey marble, two feet in diameter, which support an entablature. It is probable that a
row of pillars went all round at this distance : and I have great reason to think, that between
these and the temple, there were continued colonnades of Ionic pillars two feet and a half in
diameter, two thirds of which were fluted, for there are a great many of these pillars standing,
particularly to the south. I concluded that there were above fifty from east to west, and between
twenty and thirty from north to south, by supplying such as had fallen down between others that
were standing, and on all sides I saw remains of such pillars extending to the theatre and the
other temple, all which were probably covered, and made spacious shady walks for the great
number of people that resorted to this place, to their public games, as it appears they did by some