Under
Emperor Hadrian, the Attaleia
area became an independent province with a senator as their governor. After
serving the Crusaders as a supply port and being conquered by the Seljuks, it
finally was incorporated in the Ottoman Empire .
The city was famous for its fine wines, but under Islamic law the tradition of
wine-making was lost and replaced by the cultivation of roses. So for the next
centuries rose oil for perfumes became the main source of income. More recently
the farming of silkworms was introduced.
There
is nothing left to see from Hellenistic times in today’s Antalya Antalya
It is a feast each time I visit this Museum and the
thought of seeing all these marvelous statues and well-organized exhibition is
very exciting, although I must have been here at least four or five times
before. There always remains something new to discover, a detail I missed on
previous occasions, a statue that now demands my special attention, or simply a
name that I now recognize.
Among the archaeologists for instance, there is the
name of Cevdet
Bayburtluoğlu which I recognize now as the man who excavated Arykanda
and most of Lycia for that matter, and
whose discoveries and analysis are publicized in his precious guide “Lycia
Of
exceptional quality are the many statues from Perge that once enhanced
the large theatre, the baths, the stadium, the Nympheions (fountains) and the Agora.
The walls of these rooms have all been painted in pinkish terracotta making
sure the statues of emperors and dignitaries stand out against them. Almost
each statue has its own floodlight that switches on as soon as the visitor
moves close enough. What a treat! I am particularly impressed by the Diana/Artemis and the Hermes attaching his Sandal as I know both
statues from the Louvre in Paris
After
a open space filled with mosaics badly needing a scrub down, I arrive among the
sarcophagi – a rich collection in all sorts of styles and from different
provenances. I’m happy to find the one belonging to the Lyciarch Mausoleum in Olympos with a top lid on which a
couple attends a banquet. It pays off to return to the museum after visiting
more excavation sites for what previously was only a name can now be mentally
placed in its original context. This happened for instance after visiting Limyra
as I can now find the long frieze belonging to the Temple together with
the special caryatid from the Heron that was built for the Lycian King Pericles in the 4th century BC; I also get a better
idea of the Cenotaph of Caius Caesar for
which a detailed reconstruction is shown here.
It is a lot of information and a lot of beauty to
take in, and I’m happy to relax for a moment in the museum courtyard to enjoy a
cup of tea. After that I take a last stroll under the awning along the objects
that are not considered good enough to be taken inside. I’m amazed by the many
huge sized amphorae that somehow remind me of Crete
and have not suffered any damage at all. Unbelievable!
[Click here to see all the pictures from the Archaeological Museum in Antalya]