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83-577: The Panionion is a sacred ground in Mykale, facing north; it was set apart for Poseidon of Helicon by the joint will of the Ionians. Mykale is a western promontory of the mainland opposite Samos; the Ionians used to assemble there from their cities and keep the festival to which they gave the name of Panionia. The sanctuary was under the control of the Ionian city of Priene , one of the twelve cities comprising

166-437: A temenos wall, of which one to three courses can still be seen, with an entrance from the west. In the central area can be seen evidence of a 17.5 by 4.25 m (57.4 by 13.9 ft) rectangular stone, presumed to be the altar of Poseidon, dated from the end of the 6th century BC. At the foot of the hill, 50 m (160 ft) southwest of the altar, is a small theatre or odeum . It is 32 m (105 ft) in diameter,

249-619: A deep gulf between Priene and Miletus, but which has been gradually filled up by this river's deposits. Two east–west mountain ranges divide the region and extend out into the Aegean as peninsulas. The first begins as Mount Sipylus between the Hermus and Caÿster river valleys and continues out as the Erythrae peninsula , which faces the island of Chios. The second is the Messogis range between

332-479: A flourishing city. In the eighth century, Ionian Greeks are recorded in Near Eastern sources as coastal raiders: an inscription of Sargon II (ca 709–07, recording a naval expedition of 715) boasts "in the midst of the sea" he had "caught the Ionians like fish and brought peace to the land of Que Cilicia and the city of Tyre ". For a full generation earlier, Assyrian inscriptions had recorded troubles with

415-551: A height of 380 metres (1,250 ft) above sea level at the top of the escarpment. Because of siltation from the river filling the bay over several centuries, the city is now an inland site. It is located at a short distance west of the modern village Güllübahçe Turun in the Söke district of Aydın Province , Turkey . Priene is known to have been the site of high-quality Hellenistic art and architecture. The city's original position on Mount Mycale has never been discovered; however, it

498-635: A large expedition to Asia Minor to defend the cities and attack the Persians, which landed in Ephesus. From there he invaded Phrygia and Lydia, sacking Sardis in 395 BC. But the outbreak of the Corinthian War forced him to withdraw in 395 BC. The region was under Persian control by about 390 BC, when the Persian satrap arbitrated a boundary dispute between Miletus and Myus. Sparta, Athens, and

581-590: A little bit more than semicircular, with 11 rows of seats, cut into solid rock, and is presumed to be the council chamber for the meetings of the Ionian League. It dates from the 4th century BC, when the Ionian League and the Panionia were revived. Between the sanctuary and the council chamber is a large cave, although what if any cult function it may have had is unknown. Ancient sources mention sacrifices, but no temple, and none has been found. However, in 2004,

664-456: A site at the end of the 19th century, and it was excavated in 1958 by Kleiner, Hommel and Müller-Wiener . It is located 17 km (11 mi) south of Kuşadası , near Güzelçamlı , on the north slope of Mt. Mycale , on the top of a low hill called Otomatik Tepe ("machine-gun-hill"), overlooking the sea. Wiegand's site has been for many years identified as the Panionion. It was enclosed by

747-559: Is Younan (یونان), a transliteration of "Ionia", through Old Persian Yauna . The same is true for the Hebrew word, "Yavan" (יוון) and the Sanskrit word " yavana ". The word was later adopted in Arabic , Turkish , and Urdu as well as in other places. Ionia appears as the major setting in these novels: Many scholars believe the biblical Yavan refers to the alleged ancestor of

830-581: Is accessible from there. In the 4th century BCE, Priene was a deep-water port with two harbours overlooking the Bay of Miletus and, somewhat further east, the marshes of the Maeander Delta. Between the ocean and steep Mycale, agricultural resources were limited. Priene's territory likely included a part of the Maeander Valley, needed to support the city. Claiming much of Mycale, it had borders on

913-407: Is believed that it was on a peninsula with two harbours. Priene never held a great deal of political importance due to the city's relatively limited size, as it is believed around four to five thousand inhabitants occupied the region. The city was arranged into four districts, firstly the political district, which consisted of the bouleuterion and the prytaneion ; the cultural district containing

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996-634: The Bronze Age collapse , but the lack of contemporary sources makes the sequence of events unclear. The ancient Greeks believed that the Ionians were the descendants of Ion (either a son or grandson of Hellen , the mythical ancestor of the Greeks) and had migrated from Greece to Asia Minor in mythic times. The story is attested from the Classical period. Herodotus states that in Asia the Ionians kept

1079-577: The Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who had settled in the region before the archaic period . Ionia proper comprised a narrow coastal strip from Phocaea in the north near the mouth of the river Hermus (now the Gediz ), to Miletus in the south near the mouth of the river Maeander , and included the islands of Chios and Samos . It

1162-702: The Ionic order built by Pytheos , the architect of the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halikarnassos, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . In 1870, silver tetradrachms of Orophernes, and some jewellery were found in excavations under the base of the statue of Athena. These were probably deposited at the time of the Cappadocian restoration. An ancient Priene Synagogue , with carved images of

1245-634: The Persian invasion of Greece . But the fleet of the Ionians was defeated off the island of Lade , and the destruction of Miletus after a protracted siege was followed by the reconquest of all the Asiatic Greeks, insular as well as continental. The victories of the Greeks during the Persian invasion of Greece and the liberation of Thrace , Macedon , and Ionia from the Persian Empire had

1328-514: The Roman , Byzantine and Ottoman Empires but were forced to vacate the region in 1922 after the events of the Greek Genocide which culminated with the population exchange between Turkey and Greece. The suburbs of Nea Ionia and Nea Smyrni were primarily settled by refugees from Ionia and still maintain an Ionian identity. From the 7th century BC, Ionia, and in particular Miletus ,

1411-452: The acropolis rising nearly 200 metres (660 ft) behind it. The city was enclosed by a wall 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) thick, with towers at intervals and three principal gates. On the lower slopes of the acropolis was a sanctuary of Demeter . The town had six main streets, about 6 metres (20 ft) wide, running east and west, and fifteen streets about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide crossing at right angles, all being evenly spaced. It

1494-474: The menorah , has also been discovered. Around the agora , the main square crossed by the main street, is a series of halls. The municipal buildings, buleuterion and prytaneion, lie north of the agora. Further to the north is the Upper Gymnasium with Roman baths, and the well-preserved Hellenistic theatre. These and most other public structures are at the centre of the plan. Temples of Asclepius and

1577-531: The stereotyped equation of wealth with aristocracy may have applied early in Priene's history, in the 4th century BCE the city-state was a democracy . State authority resided in a body called the Πριηνείς (Priēneis), "the Prieneian people", who issued all decrees and other public documents in their name. The coins minted at Priene featured the helmeted head of Athena on the obverse and a meander pattern on

1660-457: The theatre ; the commercial, where the agora was located; and finally the religious district, which contained sanctuaries dedicated to Zeus , Demeter and, most importantly, the Temple of Athena . The city visible on the slopes and escarpment of Mycale was constructed according to plan entirely during the 4th century BCE. The original Priene had been a port city situated at the then mouth of

1743-559: The 12th century CE, more Turkish people moved into the area. In the 13th century CE Priene was known as "Sampson", in Greek, after the biblical hero Samson (Samsun Kale, "Samson's Castle" in Turkish). In 1204, Sabas Asidenos , a local magnate, established himself as the city's ruler, but soon had to recognize the rule of the Empire of Nicaea . The area remained under Byzantine control until

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1826-561: The 13th century. The ruins, which fell on the successive terraces where they were built, were the object of investigatory missions sent out by the English Society of Dilettanti in 1765 and 1868. They were excavated by Theodor Wiegand (1895–1899) for the Berlin Museum . The city, as developed at this site that was new in the 4th century, was found to have been laid out on a rectangular scheme. The steep area faces south,

1909-495: The Archaic period, "the Ionian poleis were among the cultural, intellectual, and political leaders of the Greek world." The region prospered economically due to the contributions of immigrants , traders, and other social classes from at least 750 BCE to well after 510 BCE . The twelve Ionian cities formed a religious and cultural (as opposed to a political or military) confederacy, the Ionian League , of which participation in

1992-511: The Caÿster and Maeander ranges, which becomes the Mycale peninsula, which reaches out towards the island of Samos. None of these mountain ranges exceed 1,200 metres (3,940 ft). Ionia enjoyed the reputation in ancient times of being the most fertile region of Asia Minor. Herodotus declares "in terms of climate and weather, there is no fairer region in the whole world." The etymology of

2075-476: The Egyptian gods Isis , Serapis and Anubis , have been revealed. At the lowest point on the south, within the walls, was the large stadium. In Hellenistic times, it was connected with a gymnasium. Ionia Ionia ( / aɪ ˈ oʊ n i ə / eye- OH -nee-ə ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia . It consisted of the northernmost territories of

2158-711: The Empire. Ionia was settled by the Greeks probably during the 11th century BC. The most important city was Miletus (the Millawanda/Milawata of Hittites). There is no record of any people named Ionians in Late Bronze Age Anatolia but Hittite texts record contact with Ahhiyawans ("Achaeans") without being clear on their location. Miletus and some other cities founded earlier by non-Greeks received populations of Mycenaean Greeks . Greek settlement of Ionia seems to have accelerated following

2241-514: The German archaeologist Hans Lohmann, surveying the peninsula of Mt. Mycale, discovered another archaeological site high in the mountains, a settlement and an archaic temple (about mid 6th century BC) of the Ionic order . In the summer of 2005, the temple was excavated in cooperation with the Museum of Aydın . Lohmann assumes that this site, overlooking most of the Ionian region, has to be identified as

2324-536: The Great in 335 BC. Ephesus was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 336 BC in preparation for the invasion of Persia, which took place under his son Alexander the Great . After the battle of the Granicus in 334 BC most of the Ionian cities submitted to Alexander, except for Miletus, which was taken only after a long siege. Alexander presented his invasion as a liberation of the Greeks of Asia and therefore treated

2407-477: The Great personally assumed responsibility for the development. He and Mausolus intended to make Priene a model city. Alexander offered to pay for construction of the Temple of Athena to designs of the noted architect Pytheos , if it would be dedicated by him, which it was, in 323 BCE. The dedicatory inscription is held by the British Museum . The inscription translated to: "King Alexander dedicated

2490-747: The Hellenistic period was the Synod of the Dionysiac Artists of Ionia and the Hellespont, which was established around 250 BC and had its headquarters successively in Teos, Ephesus, Myonnesus , and Lebedus. Ionia became part of the Roman province of Asia in 133 BC, which had its capital at the Ionian city of Ephesus. Ionia had no formal place in the Roman administration of the province, which

2573-536: The Ionian League was primarily a religious organisation rather than a political one. Although they did sometimes act together, civic interests and priorities always trumped broader Ionian ones. They never formed a real confederacy. The advice of Thales of Miletus to combine in a political union was rejected. In inscriptions and literary sources from this period, Ionians generally identify themselves by their city of origin, not as "Ionians." The cities became prosperous. Miletus especially was, in an early period, one of

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2656-553: The Ionian League. Priene was about 15 kilometres (9 mi) away, on the opposite side of Mt. Mycale. The Prienians managed the sanctuary and presided at the sacrifices and sacred rites. The Panionium was the site of the Ionian religious festival and games ( panegyris ) called the Panionia (πανιώνια). Under Persian rule, activities at the Panionium were curtailed. Writing at the end of the 5th century BC, Thucydides says that

2739-559: The Ionians generously, granting them freedom, autonomy, and tax-free status. In the conflict that broke out between Alexander's successors after his death in 323 BC and throughout the Hellenistic Age that followed, Ionia was a contested territory, divided between the Antigonid , Seleucid , and Ptolemaic kingdoms. Cities were regularly forced to switch allegiance from one monarch to another, but they were also able to play

2822-413: The Ionians were then celebrating their festival at Ephesus . Diodorus writes that the Ionians were forced to move the Panionia from the Panionium to Ephesus, because of war in the surrounding area. Under Alexander the Great the games and festival were again held at the Panionium, and continued to be so under Roman rule, without however, regaining their previous importance. The approximate location of

2905-629: The Ionians" had married girls from Caria . He defines Ionians as all peoples who were descended from Athenians and celebrated the Apaturia festival, which aligns with the expansive Athenian definition of Ionian identity. The Spartans dissolved the Athenian Empire at the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. The Spartans installed harmosts (governors) in the cities, but had to withdraw them because they had promised Ionia and

2988-514: The Ionians, who escaped on their boats. About 700 BC Gyges , first Mermnad king of Lydia , invaded the territories of Smyrna and Miletus, and is said to have taken Colophon. His son Ardys conquered Priene. In the middle of the 7th century, the Cimmerii ravaged a great part of Asia Minor, including Lydia, and sacked Magnesia on the Maeander , but were defeated when they attacked Ephesus. It

3071-628: The Maeander ; Glaucus of Chios , Melas, Micciades, Archermus, Bupalus and Athenis of Chios . Notable works of the school still extant are the famous archaic female statues found on the Athenian Acropolis in 1885–1887, the seated statues of Branchidae, the Nike of Archermus found at Delos, and the objects in ivory and electrum found by D. G. Hogarth in the lower strata of the Artemision at Ephesus. The Persian designation for Greek

3154-643: The Maeander River. This location caused insuperable environmental difficulties, due to slow aggradation of the riverbed and progradation in the direction of the Aegean Sea . Typically the harbour would silt over, so that residents were living in pest-ridden swamps and marshes. The Maeander flows through a slowly subsiding rift valley, creating a drowned coastline . Human use of the previously forested slopes and valley removed trees and exposed soils to erosion. The sediments were progressively deposited in

3237-531: The Near East, compare Aramaic 𐡉𐡅𐡍𐡉𐡍 (* Yawnayīn ), Hebrew יָוָן ( yāwān ), Arabic يُونَان ( yūnān ), Demotic Egyptian wynn (/wəjˈniːn/) and Coptic ⲟⲩⲁⲓⲛⲓⲛ ( ouainin ). From the 18th century BC the region was a part of the Hittite Empire with possible name Arzawa , which was destroyed by invaders during the 12th century BC together with the collapse of

3320-595: The Pan-Ionic festival was a distinguishing characteristic. This festival took place on the north slope of Mt. Mycale in a shrine called the Panionium . The foundation took place late in the Archaic period, but the exact date is unclear. This is also when stories of the Ionian migration are first attested. All of these initiatives were probably aimed at emphasising Ionian distinctiveness from other Greeks in Asia. But

3403-477: The Panionion, if only because it agrees better with the written sources. 37°42′46″N 27°14′06″E  /  37.712747°N 27.234968°E  / 37.712747; 27.234968 Priene Priene ( Ancient Greek : Πριήνη , romanized :  Priēnē ; Turkish : Prien ) was an ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League ) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale , about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of what

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3486-473: The Panionium is given by several ancient writers. For example, Herodotus says it is on "Mycale facing north", and Strabo says it is "after the Samian strait, near Mt. Mycale, as one sails to Ephesus…lying three stadia above the sea". However, the exact location of the site was lost. A potential clue to the Panionium's location was the discovery of an inscription in the area in 1673. Theodor Wiegand discovered

3569-552: The Persian king. Art and archaeology show that Ionia was characterised by "openness and adaptability" towards the Lydians, Persians, and their eastern neighbours in this period. Lydian products and luxury objects were widespread. The Persians used "Yaunā" (Ionian) as a catch-all term for all Greeks, dividing them into "Yaunā of the mainland" in Asia Minor, "Yaunā dwelling by the sea" in the Aegean islands, "Yaunā dwelling across

3652-480: The base of an escarpment projecting from Mycale. A narrow path leads to the acropolis above. Despite the expectations, Priene lasted only a few centuries as a deep-water port. In the 2nd century CE Pausanias reports that the Maeander already had silted over the inlet in which Myus stood, and that the population had abandoned it for Miletus . While Miletus apparently still had an open port then, according to recent geoarchaeological research, Priene had already lost

3735-475: The cities of Ionia, but also Aeolis and Mysia to the north. Caria to the south was initially its own region, but was folded into the Ionikos phoros in 438 BC. The Athenians advanced an expansive definition of Ionian identity, which included most of the communities under their control and emphasised common descent from Athens. This was probably intended to legitimise their rule over the region. It clashed with

3818-850: The cities of the Province of Asia in the Roman Imperial period, Ionian cities emphasised their Ionian identity as "one of the purest, 'primordial' forms of Greekness," while their rivals denounced Ionians as overly influenced by oriental luxury and recalled their support for the Persians in the late fifth and early fourth centuries BC. Most sources discussing Ionian founding myths belong to this period. Ionian cities retained local month names and continued to count years by eponymous magistrates rather than adopting era dating like most other cities in Asia Minor. Distinctive Ionian personal names remained common. Greeks continued to live in Ionia through

3901-607: The city moved again to the port of Naulochos. At about 350 BCE the Persian-empire satrap , Mausolus (a Carian ), planned a magnificent new city on the steep slopes of Mycale. He hoped it could be a permanent deep-water port (similar to the many Greek island cities, located on and up seaside escarpments). Construction had begun when the Macedonians took the region from the Persian Empire , and Alexander

3984-496: The city, which was moved closer to the water again every few centuries in order to operate as a port. The Greek city (there may have been unknown habitations of other ethnicities, as at Miletus ) was founded by a colony from the ancient Greek city of Thebes in the vicinity of ancient Aneon at about 1000 BCE. At about 700 BCE a series of earthquakes were the catalyst to move the city to within 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) of its 4th century BCE location. At about 500 BCE,

4067-408: The countryside, the pedieis , "plainsmen", were defined by law. They were perhaps, an inheritance from the days when Priene was in the valley. Priene was said to have been first settled by Ionians under Aegyptus , a son of Belus and grandson of King Codrus , in the 11th century BCE. After successive attacks by Cimmerians , Lydians under Ardys , and Persians , it survived and prospered under

4150-582: The direction of its "sage," Bias , during the middle of the 6th century BCE. Cyrus captured it in 545 BCE; but it was able to send twelve ships to join the Ionic Revolt (499 BCE-494 BCE). Priene was a member of the Athenian-dominated Delian League in the 5th century BCE. In 387 BCE it came under Persian dominance again, which lasted until Alexander the Great 's conquest. Disputes with Samos , and

4233-599: The division into twelve cities that had prevailed in Ionian lands of the north Peloponnese, their former homeland, which became Achaea after they left. However, the story of the migration is recounted most fully by the Roman-period authors Strabo and Pausanias . They report that the Ionians were expelled from the Peloponnese by Achaians , and were granted refuge in Athens by King Melanthus . Later, when Medon

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4316-414: The effect of enfranchising their kinsmen on the other side of the Aegean, and the Battle of Mycale (479 BC), in which the defeat of the Persians was in great measure owing to the Ionians, secured their emancipation. They henceforth became the dependent allies of Athens within the Delian League . In the Athenian tribute lists , one of the regions of the empire is the Ionikos phoros , a region that includes

4399-473: The interest of Mausolus and Alexander the Great indicate its standing. One third of the houses had indoor toilets, a rarity in this society. Typically cities had public banks of outdoor seats, side by side, an arrangement for which the flowing robes of the ancients were suitably functional. Indoor plumbing requires more extensive water supply and sewage systems. Priene's location was appropriate in that regard; they captured springs and streams on Mycale, brought

4482-476: The islands of Samos and Chios . Smyrna , originally an Aeolic colony, was afterwards occupied by Ionians from Colophon, and became an Ionian city. The Ionian school of philosophy , centered on 6th century BC Miletus , was characterized by a focus on non-supernatural explanations for natural phenomena and a search for rational explanations of the universe, thereby laying the foundation for scientific inquiry and rational thought in Western philosophy. Ionia

4565-420: The kings off against one another in order to get better terms for themselves. Despite the political situation, the Ionian League continued to operate throughout the period. Following their victory in the War with Antiochus in 189 BC, the Romans placed Ionia under the control of the Attalid Kingdom , which retained the region until it was annexed by Rome in 133 BC. One of the major theatrical associations of

4648-399: The late 13th century. By 1923, whatever Greek population remained was expelled in the population exchange between Greece and Turkey following World War I. Shortly after, the Turkish population moved to a more favourable location, which they called Güllü Bahçe ("rose garden"). The old Greek settlement, partly still in use, is today known as Gelebeç or Kelebeş. The tourist attraction of Priene

4731-446: The most important commercial cities of Greece, and in its turn became the parent of numerous other colonies, which extended all around the shores of the Euxine Sea and the Propontis from Abydus and Cyzicus to Trapezus and Panticapaeum. Phocaea was one of the first Greek cities whose mariners explored the shores of the western Mediterranean. From an early period, Ephesus , though it did not send out any colonies of importance, became

4814-461: The north with Ephesus and Thebes, a small state on Mycale. Priene was a small city-state of 6000 persons living in a constrained space of only 15 hectares (37 acres). The walled area had an extent of 20 hectares (49 acres) to 37 hectares (91 acres). The population density of its residential district has been estimated at 166 persons per hectare, living in about 33 homes per hectare (13 per acre) arranged in compact city blocks. The entire space within

4897-412: The other Greek communities in Asia to the Persians. In 401, the Ionian cities and Sparta supported Cyrus the Younger , the Persian overlord of Asia Minor, in his attempt to seize the throne from his brother, King Artaxerxes II but he failed. Artaxerxes tasked Tissaphernes , the satrap of Lydia and Caria , with retaking the Ionian cities, and the Spartans opposed him. In 396 BC, Agesilaus led

4980-434: The other mainland Greek states formally acknowledged Persian possession of Ionia and the other Greek cities in Asia Minor in the Peace of Antalcidas in 387 BC. In this period, Ionia was a separate satrapy, rather than part of Lydia - the only time in the region's history that formed an administrative unit. Ionian cities appear to have retained a considerable amount of autonomy until the conquest of Asia Minor by Alexander

5063-416: The port and open connection to the sea in about the 1st century BCE. Its merchants likely had preceded most residents in relocation to Miletus. By 300 CE the entire Bay of Miletus, except for Lake Bafa, was silted in. Today Miletus is many miles from the sea. Priene stands at the edge of a fertile plain, now a checkerboard of privately owned fields. A Greek village remained after the population decline. After

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5146-437: The region stretching from the Archaic philosophers down to his own day - in contrast to the intellectual life of mainland Greece, which he presents as a thing of the past. Other authors sometimes use "Ionia" as a metonym for the whole province of Asia. Decreased political agency for the Greek cities under Rome, led to increased focus on cultural identity as a source of civic prestige. In the fierce rivalries that raged between

5229-594: The restrictive definition of Ionian identity that was maintained by the Ionian League. Herodotus, who came from Halicarnassus , a Dorian city in southwestern Asia Minor which was also part of the Athenian Empire, writes in opposition to the Ionian League's claims that "it would be stupid to say that they are more truly Ionian or better born ...." He lists other ethnic populations among the settlers: Abantes from Euboea , Minyans from Orchomenus , Cadmeians, Dryopians , Phocians , Molossians , Arcadian Pelasgians , Dorians of Epidaurus , and others. Even "the best born of

5312-490: The reverse; one coin also displayed a dolphin and the legend ΠΡΙΗ for ΠΡΙΗΝΕΩΝ (Priēneōn), "of the Prieneians." These symbols express the Prieneians identification as a maritime democracy aligned with Athens but located in Asia. The mechanism of democracy was similar to but simpler than that of the Athenians (whose population was much larger.) An assembly of citizens met periodically to render major decisions placed before them. The day-to-day legislative and executive business

5395-407: The sea" in the Greek mainland, and "Yaunā with shields on their heads" in Macedonia. It was at the instigation of one of the tyrants, Histiaeus of Miletus , that in about 500 BC the principal cities ignited the Ionian Revolt against Persia. They were at first assisted by the Athenians and Eretria , with whose aid they penetrated into the interior and burnt Sardis, an event which ultimately led to

5478-424: The temple to Athena Polias". The leading citizens were quick to follow suit: most of the public buildings were constructed at private expense and are inscribed with the names of the donors. The ruins of the city are generally conceded to be the most spectacular surviving example of an entire ancient Greek city; it is intact except for the ravages of time. It has been studied since at least the 18th century. The city

5561-429: The troubles after Alexander's death, brought Priene low. Rome had to save it from the kings of Pergamon and Cappadocia in 155. Orophernes , the rebellious brother of the Cappadocian king, who had deposited a treasure there and recovered it by Roman intervention, restored the Temple of Athena as a thank-offering. Under Roman and Byzantine dominion Priene had a prosperous history. It passed into Muslim hands late in

5644-399: The trough at the mouth of the river, which migrated westward and more than compensated for the subsidence. Physical remains of the original Priene have not yet been identified. It is believed they are likely to be buried under many feet of sediment. The top is now cultivated as valuable agricultural land. Knowledge of the average rate of progradation is the basis for estimating the location of

5727-420: The walls offered not much more space and privacy: the density was 108 persons per hectare. All the public buildings were within walking distance, except that walking must have been an athletic event due to the vertical components of the distances. Priene was a wealthy city, as the plenitude of fine urban homes in marble and the private dedications of public buildings suggests. In addition, historical references to

5810-499: The water in by aqueduct to cisterns, and piped or channeled from there to houses and fountains. Most Greek cities, such as Athens, required getting water from the public fountains (which was the work of domestic servants). The upper third of Prienean society had access to indoor water. The source of Ionian wealth was maritime activity; Ionia had a reputation among the other Greeks for being luxurious. The intellectuals, such as Heraclitus , often railed against their practices. Although

5893-406: The word Ἴωνες ( Íōnes ) or Ἰᾱ́ϝoνες ( Iā́wones ) is uncertain. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain its origins. Frisk suggests that it stems from an unknown root, * Ia -, which would be pronounced as * ya -. Nonetheless, there are several alternative hypotheses as well: The term Ἰᾱ́ϝoνες ( Iā́wones ) in turn became the source for words for Greeks in many languages of

5976-610: Was bounded by Aeolia to the north, Lydia to the east and Caria to the south. The cities within the region figured significantly in the strife between the Persian Empire and the Greeks. Ionian cities were identified by mythic traditions of kinship and by their use of the Ionic dialect , but there was a core group of twelve Ionian cities that formed the Ionian League and had a shared sanctuary and festival at Panionion . These twelve cities were (from south to north): Miletus , Myus , Priene , Ephesus , Colophon , Lebedos , Teos , Erythrae , Clazomenae and Phocaea , together with

6059-403: Was conducted by a boulē , or city council, which met in a bouleuterion , a space like a small theatre with a wooden roof. The official head of state was a prytane . He and more specialized magistrates were elected periodically. As at Athens, not all the population was franchised. For example, the property rights and tax responsibilities of a non-Prieneian section of the population living in

6142-447: Was constructed of marble from nearby quarries on Mycale, and wood for such items as roofs and floors. The public area is laid out in a grid pattern up the steep slopes, drained by a system of channels. The water distribution and sewer systems survive. Foundations, paved streets, stairways, partial door frames, monuments, walls, terraces can be seen everywhere among toppled columns and blocks. No wood has survived. The city extends upward to

6225-507: Was divided into conventus districts that were totally distinct from the traditional ethnic divisions of the region. However, the Ionian League continued to function in this period. The geographer Strabo treats Ionia as the narrow coastal strip from the Hermus river in the north to the Maeander river in the south (though noting that other authorities included the plain south of the river). He treats Ephesus as its most important city and presents an unbroken tradition of intellectual culture in

6308-474: Was home to the renowned Ionian school of philosophy . The Ionian school, founded by Thales and his student Anaximander , pioneered a revolution in traditional thinking about Nature. Instead of explaining natural phenomena by recourse to traditional religion/myth, the cultural climate was such that men began to form hypotheses about the natural world based on ideas gained from both personal experience and deep reflection. According to physicist Carlo Rovelli , this

6391-480: Was not until the reign of Croesus (560–545 BC) that the cities of Ionia fell completely under Lydian rule. The defeat of Croesus by Cyrus the Great was followed by the conquest of all the Ionian cities in 547 BC. These became subject to the Persian monarchy with the other Greek cities of Asia, forming part of the satrapy of Lydia. In this position they enjoyed a considerable amount of autonomy, but were subject to local despots (called " tyrants "), who were loyal to

6474-411: Was of small extent, not exceeding 150 kilometres (90 mi) in length from north to south, with the cities located on a narrow band between the sea and the mountains, which varies in width from 60 to 90 kilometres (40 to 60 mi). So intricate is the coastline that the voyage along its shores was estimated at nearly four times the direct distance. The location of the eastern border with Lydia and Caria

6557-688: Was selected as King of Athens, his brothers, the "sons of Codrus", led a group of Ionians and others to Asia Minor. Simultaneously, the Aeolians of Boeotia settled the coast to the north of the Ionians and the Dorians settled in Crete , the Dodecanese and in Caria . According to Pausanias, the sons of Codrus were as follows: Pausanias reports that other cities were founded or became Ionian later: In

6640-505: Was the "first great scientific revolution" and the earliest example of critical thinking, which would come to define Greek, and subsequently modern, thought. Ionia has a long roll of distinguished men of letters and science (notably the Ionian School of philosophy) and distinct school of art. This school flourished between 700 and 500 BC. The great names of this school are Theodorus and Rhoecus of Samos; Bathycles of Magnesia on

6723-537: Was then the course of the Maeander River (now called the Büyük Menderes or "Big Maeander"). It was 67 kilometres (42 mi) from ancient Anthea , 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from ancient Aneon and 25 kilometres (16 mi) from ancient Miletus . The city was built on the sea coast, overlooking the former Latmian Gulf of the Aegean . It was developed on steep slopes and terraces extending from sea level to

6806-419: Was thus divided into about 80 insulae . Private houses were apportioned eight to an insula. The systems of water-supply and drainage are still visible. The houses present many analogies with the earliest ones of Pompeii . In the western half of the city, on a high terrace north of the main street and approached by a fine stairway, was the temple of Athena Polias . It was a hexastyle peripteral structure in

6889-633: Was vague in antiquity. The region comprised three extremely fertile valleys formed by the outflow of three rivers, among the most considerable in Asia Minor: the Hermus in the north, flowing into the Gulf of Smyrna , though at some distance from the city of that name; the Caÿster (modern Küçük Menderes River ), which flowed past Ephesus; and the Maeander , which in ancient times discharged its waters into

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