Sunday, September 16, 2012

Knidos. A guide to the Ancient Site by Christine Bruns-Özgan

Knidos (ISBN 9759798123), a most practical and complete little guide (115 pages) to the site of Knidos, located at the western tip of the Dorian peninsula, some 18 miles due south of Bodrum, Turkey.

It contains several aerial views to show the selected location of the city founded around 360 BC with its two well-protected harbors and the place where the first nude statue of a woman ever was presented to the Knidians in the shape of Aphrodite. This statue has been copied time and again for several centuries because of its indisputable beauty.

Enhanced with plenty of pictures and drawings, this book takes you step by step through the streets of Knidos, stopping at those temples, churches and other monuments that have so far been excavated. It dates from 2004 and is by far the most update and most comprehensive guide to take you around this unique site. The British archaeologist Charles Newton spent time digging here as one of the very first and obviously his best pieces went to the British Museum, but other statues and artifacts have been moved for safe-keeping to the museums of Bodrum and Marmaris. The pictures in the booklet show exactly what you have to look for.

Although Knidos is accessible by land, the best approach in my eyes in by boat – a unique experience to drop the anchor in the same harbor as the one that has been used for more than two thousand years!

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