The magical site of Aizanoi

Aizanoi, regretfully, doesn’t make headline news - yet. Several years ago, I watched a program on TRT TV that showed many imposing monuments from Roman times at this site which was otherwise unknown to me. After that, I didn’t hear anything about further excavations or remarkable finds until today, that is. The massive entrance to the Temple of Zeus has been re-erected, which rightfully makes it one of the best-preserved temples in Anatolia. 

As always, I like to put things in context. Looking at the map, Aizanoi lies roughly 200 km south of Bursa, in the heart of ancient Phrygia. The city occupies both sides of the Kocaçay River (Penkalas). The first settlements have been dated back to 3000 BC, but what we see today are roughly the remains of the Roman city from the 2nd century BC. 

The Temple of Zeus indeed commanded the view, as it still does today, standing on its podium on top of a low hill. It measured 33x37 meters, counted 15 x 8 columns, and was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian. Thanks to an inscription on the architrave, the temple could be dated to the second quarter of the 2nd century BC. The inscription also mentions M. Apuleius as a benefactor of the city. 

The base of the podium of this temple is covered with vaults – an unusual and unique occurrence in Roman Anatolia. Archaeologists concluded that this was a double temple, with the one dedicated to Zeus beckoning us, and a vaulted underground space where the cult of Cybele was practiced. This goddess was worshipped under the name Metre Steunene in Aizanoi. However, more recent in-depth research has revealed that this temple could not be devoted to both Zeus and Cybele. Consequently, the underground space is thought to be a prophecy center or a mere storage room. Whatever its purpose, it is an odd construction. 

Opposite the temple are the remains of a small Bouleuterion, but its history remains unknown. The same problem applies to the Heroon and the Agora and surrounding Stoa because the remains were either reused on other structures or disappeared under the modern houses. 

Aizanoi counts remains of many monuments, among which a rare combined theater-stadium complex, linked together by a large stage building. Its construction started shortly after 160 AD and was completed halfway through the 3rd century AD. Several inscriptions have been found in the stadium and the theater, and they confirm that the same M. Apuleius contributed substantially to building this complex. 

The excavations done between 1970 and 2011 have exposed two public Baths, a Gymnasium, a Macellum, five bridges, an ancient dam, a colonnaded street, and a large necropolis. 

One of the Baths sat between the theatre-stadium complex and the Temple of Zeus and included a Palaestra or Gymnasium. With its recognizable frigidarium and caldarium, the Bath has been dated to the end of the 2nd century AD. In the largest side room, a marble statue of Hygeia was found. Also, the water and heating pipes are still in situ. Despite its rich marble décor, it has been recognized as a precursor of the Turkish-style Bath. The Palaestra has been located at the northeast end of the Baths. 

The second Turkish-style Bath built a century later was found northeast of the city center. Here a beautiful mosaic floor representing a satyr and a maenad has been exposed. 

[Picture from Arkeonews]

The circular Macellum of Aizanoi was built simultaneously with the first Bath and was used as a food market. Here, a copy of the Price Edict of Diocletian from 301 AD was found. The edict aimed to limit the severe inflation that followed the debasement of the coinage initiated by Emperor Nero. 

During recent excavations, remains of a colonnaded street have been uncovered over a length of 450 meters. This street had its own Stoa, which could be dated to ca. 400 AD. A pedestal carried a marble statue of a satyr dressed with panther skin at the very end of the Stoa. 

The Roman city of Aizanoi occupied both sides of the Kocaçay River and was protected against the rise of the water level by walls or dams made of large cut stones. Two of the five bridges are still used today. They both have five arches, and one of them still supports modern-day traffic. In between these two examples, we can recognize the remains of a bridge with three arches that fell in disuse. Further north, a low wooden bridge was used as a pedestrian crossing. 

The main bridge displays an inscription on the pedestal of the railing and tells us it was opened in September 157 AD. An illustrating relief shows the sea voyage undertaken by M. Apuleius as he paid for the bridge’s construction. It may be essential to mention that M. Apuleius represented Aizanoi in the Panhellion Union held in Athens from 153 to 157 AD. The new railing was installed in 1990. 

The large necropolis of Aizanoi reflects the size of the city. It includes a wide array of tombs, including door-shaped Phrygian tombs from the 2nd century AD. The typical tomb doors, which often bore the name of the deceased or donor, symbolized the passage to the other world. These tombstones usually showed bulls, lions, or eagles for the men and baskets of wool or a mirror for the women. 

In one of the tombs, archaeologists made a remarkable discovery. They found a “lykion,” a typical jar made to contain a precious salve to treat eye dryness which frequently occurred to soldiers traversing large stretches of dry lands or deserts (see: Eye cream from antiquity). 

[Picture from Daily Sabah]

More recently, they unearthed a jug containing an exceptional hoard of 651 silver coins from the days of Emperor Augustus. Remarkably, 439 coins were standard Roman silver denarii, but 212 were cistophorus coins typically from Pergamon. This is not surprising considering that Aizanoi was ruled by Pergamon until the kingdom was bequeathed to the Romans in 133 BC. 

Aizanoi started minting its first coins in the second and first centuries BC. During the days of the Roman Empire, the city grew wealthy thanks to the production of grain, wine, and wool. Aizanoi fell into decline in Late Antiquity.