Aphrodite, Aphrodisiac, Rome in Aphrodisias

Turkish slippers are tempting souvenirs - Photo by Tina

"History is everywhere you look in Turkey," That is what a lecturer said on a Swan Hellenic sail along the Turkish Riviera when I was aboard

Legacy of the Roman World

Historians and archaeologists - both amateur and professional love to visit Turkey because of its wealth of antiquities. Everywhere you look in Turkey there is a history story to be told, according to Dr. Alan W. Johnston, one of the lecturers aboard my cruise along the Turkish Riviera. Dr. Johnston was with the Classical Antiquity Department, University College, London and is now on the Advisory Committee. He enthusiastically pointed out that remnants of ancient Rome are particularly striking at Aphrodisias, founded in the second century B.C.. Aphrodisias is easy to visit from Kusadasi, a port of call on almost every sail along the Turkish Riviera. The ancient town, now called Geyre, is approximately 170 km. from Kusadasi.

Waves of Barbarians Passed Through Aphrodisias

Neither the ravages of time nor those of successive waves of barbarians have managed to obliterate the extensive ruins of this ancient city, especially the theatre which is in a wonderful state of preservation. Rooms for housing theatrical props below the stage still survive, as well as an archive of inscriptions carved on the wall of the stage.

Dr. Susan Walker, Keeper, Department of Antiquities, Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England described the theatre in a cruise handbook, saying that the theatre inscriptions included official letters dating back to the time of the Roman republic and "offer a detailed and informative account of the relations between Aphrodisias and the ruling power, Rome." She added: "Like the other public buildings of Aphrodisias, the theatre was decorated with large numbers of sculptures, many of which were repaired in late antiquity."

Aphrodite was a Greek Goddess

In Greek religion, Aphrodite was the Olympic goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The Romans called her Venus. Her husband was called Hephaestus - Vulcan by the Romans - and legend tells us that she loved many gods and also legendary mortels. She was closely identified with Adonis. Some historians believe the worship of Aphrodite was imported into Greece from the Orient. and that she may be the cult goddess known further east as Astarte (Ishtar).

Where to See the Goddess

In Aphrodisias, if you head for the on-site museum called simply the Aphrodisias Museum, you will find the cult statue as well as many other interesting artifacts, such as beautiful white marble sculpture made from marble quarries only two km. away. A Turkish-born professor, Dr. Kenan Erim who got his first degree at New York University directed excavations at Aphrodisias for more than a quarter of a century. Dr. Erim received his PhD. from Princeton. He is known for his work at Aphrodisias and actually died at the site in 1990. He believed that a school of sculptors grew up at Aphrodisias, encouraged by the quality of the white marble which was so near the town. That is why so many beautiful finds have been made. Other places to see sculptures of this goddess include Paris where the famed Venus de Milo is housed in The Louvre and Rome where the Colonna Venus may be found in the Vantican Museum.

The Sebasteion or Sanctuary

In the "Cruise handbook" I learned that Dr. Susan Walker thinks one of the most remarkable finds in Aprodisias in recent years was the processional way of the Sebasteion or sanctuary of the early emperors of Rome. This was flanked by two walls of sculpture in relief, dedicated by prominent citizens of Aphrodisias and designed to celebrate the achievements of the Roman Imperial Family. As Dr. Walker points out in the handbook, the reliefs also include the only known representation in marble of Britannia "shown felled by the Emperor Claudius, whose successful invasion of Britain took place in A.D. 43".

The Cult of Love

To immerse yourself in the cult of love, it may be interesting to note that the apple, the rose, the myrtle, the dove and the sparrow are sacred to the goddess. I won't even mention the various foods which are said to be aphrodisiacal but they may be found on the web.

Sources: Swan Hellenic Cruise Handbook and the Columbia Encyclopedia, 1950.

Copyright Susan Hallett. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/aphrodite-aphrodisiac--rome-in-aphrodisias-a378150

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