Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Monday, November 18, 2024

Latest finds in Aspendos

Visitors to Aspendos rarely venture beyond the well-preserved Roman theater, ignoring the remains of the city proper behind it. 

Aspendos was an important trade center famous for wheat and horse breeding. The Persians had the exclusive rights to these horses but when Alexander arrived he claimed their yearly contribution, including four thousand horses.

The ancient city can be accessed over a path that starts to the right of the theater as facing it. It leads over a paved Roman road to what is left of a large Nymphaeum. At a right angle with this fountain are the remains of the Basilica, and in between them lies the Agora, now entirely overgrown. Only the 15 two-story shops and warehouses on the opposite side of the Agora are clearly visible (see: Aspendos, the unfaithful). 

It is here that recent excavations have exposed large amounts of coins dating from Hellenistic and Roman times. From the 5th century BC onwards, Aspendos minted coins following Persian standards, and the obverse of the bronze coins used, very appropriately, the picture of a horse. 

Valuable objects changed hands in these stores although some spaces served as offices for trading. One of these shops yielded a wide array of precious artifacts such as small oil and perfume bottles, rings and precious gemstones, lamps, bronze belt buckles, bone hairpins, etc. 

In some of the two-story shops, bits of wall paintings and hundreds of sand mussel shells were recovered, probably used as decoration. 


[Pictures from Arkeofili]

In May 2024, statues of Zeus and Aphrodite approximately fifty centimeters tall were found in good condition. Zeus is sitting on a throne. Aphrodite is represented holding her cloak with one hand and an imperial armor standing at her feet. The material has not been specified but the statues appear to be made of marble. From a stylistic point of view, they could be dated back to the Roman Imperial Period.

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