Aphrodisias - In Honor of the Goddess of Love and Beauty

The Stadium at Aphrodisias

  Who wouldn't want to run in one of the oldest preserved stadiums? The majority of our group ran a race against one another in the largest excavated stadium. Everyone was rippling with excitement at the thought of being able to stand and run in the same place where many gladiators fought and proudly died. You could sense the tension as the group of runners walked or jogged their way to the starting line on the western side of the stadium. Once everyone was set in their starting position, Hannah Tims gave the ready, set, go, which sent the group sprinting their way to the finish line. It seemed to be questionable as to who would get to the dirt path first; ensuring that it would be difficult for anyone else to pass them. Reuben and Taylor were neck and neck until the finish line, sending the rest of the group watching into a frenzy of cheers and applause.

Some of the group demonstrating the different colors of teams from antiquity--white, red, blue, and green

Taylor and Dr. Tims doing a celebratory lap

   Dating back to 2nd century A.D., Aphrodisias holds many wonders that a picture just does not seem to capture. Emperors were thought of being like the gods of their time, so Emperor Augustine named the city in order to honor Aphrodite because he claimed that his great-great-grandfather was the child of Aphrodite. This fact proved that he was related to the gods as well, which he used to honor Aphrodite by naming the city Aphrodisias.
   The Temple of Aphrodite is located through the tetrapylon. This is a monumental gateway that greeted visitors to the city. This is where people could make a sacrifice to Aphrodite, whether it be money, an animal, or gifts. This gateway leads to the temple.

Our group in front of the tetrapylon. Cenk didn't run quite fast enough to make that 10-second self-timer window!

 Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the sea when Cronos castrated his father and threw his genitals into the sea. This mixed with the sea water causing Aphrodite to be born from the sea foam. Aphrodite received the title of the most beautiful goddess due to a contest. Athena, Hera and Aphrodite were the contestants where the Trojan Prince Paris had to decide who was the most beautiful. Hera, as the wife of Zeus, promised him power. Athena, the goddess of war, promised him victory in his battles. Aphrodite however, promised him the one thing she could give, love. Paris chose love, giving Aphrodite the title goddess of love and beauty.

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Boticelli, circa 1485 (not housed at Aphrodisias)

    Before Aphrodisias was brought to attention and excavated completely, the people who lived in the city used parts of the buildings and pieces of pillars for their own use. For example, on houses you can see the bottoms of marble pillars holding up the wooden pillars of the house. Another example is that the marble sarcophagi were used for crushing grapes with their feet, or as a bathtub within the house. They also used other pieces of the marble as tables and seats.

Picture housed in the Aphrodisias museum of villagers' houses using the columns

Coffins used in a grape crushing (photo also housed in the Aphrodisias musuem)

    Zoilos was originally a slave who turned into a hero for the city of Aphrodisias. In an inscription, archeologists realized that Zoilos was the freed slave of Julius Caesar’s son Octavian. Once Zoilos was freed, he became extremely wealthy and returned to his homeland of Aphrodisias. He supplied many gifts and donated a lot of time and money towards the city. For example, the theater that is located within Aphrodisias was funded by Zoilos and his name is inscribed proudly over the entrance. The city even created a mausoleum in honor of Zoilos with friezes depicting him participating in his daily civic duties. Zoilos life was a rare occurrence, for a slave, that allowed him to use his freedom to better his home that he loved.

3D reconstruction in the museum of how Aphrodisias would have looked

    I was really excited to be visiting Aphrodisias because of my fascination with Greek mythology. This site blew me away. The beauty and preservation of the site was incredible. They unearthed the majority of the buildings and even had an interactive map in the museum that allowed us to touch the buildings on the screen in order to learn more about the history and use of the specific buildings. The statues that were placed in and on each building and monument were replicas. The originals can be found in the museum that is found on the site. They maintain the statues in the museum to prevent weathering and damage. The details of each and every one of the statues and images were so intricate that each one held its own identity. The experience I had at Aphrodisias was so insightful and an experience I would never trade.

The Sebastian reconstructed with replicas of the friezes housed in the museum

All the ladies of the group in the ruins of Aphrodite's Temple

By Sarah Newton