home   :    index    :    picture archive    :     Turkey     :    photos by Marco Prins ©

Priene
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The temple of Athena Polias. Photo Marco Prins. The city of Priene was some five centuries old already, when the inhabitants decided to move to a more western location. The town  was refounded in the fourth century BCE, perhaps after a suggestion made by Maussolus of Caria. The site of the citadel  was almost impossible: on the top of a very steep hill. 

This picture shows the remains of the sanctuary of Athena Polias, with the citadel. It can also be seen on this satellite photo.
General view of Priene. Photo Jona Lendering. The citadel was on top of the giant rock to the left, the town itself on the lower hill at the right hand side of this picture. The view is from the battlefield of Mycale, west of Priene.
Terrace walls at Priene. Photo Marco Prins. Terrace walls. The construction of terrace walls was necessary because of Priene's location on a steep hill. 
The main road of Priene. Photo Marco Prins. The main road of Priene. 
The terrace on which the temple of Athena Polias was built. Photo Marco Prins. The terrace on which the temple of Athena Polias was built.
The temple of Athena Polias. Photo Marco Prins. The temple of Athena Polias, which was presented to the city by Alexander the Great. It was designed by an artist named Pytheos, who had also worked on the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The cult statue was a copy of the famous Athena of Phidias in the Athenian Parthenon.
The temple of Athena Polias. Photo Marco Prins. The temple of Athena Polias.
Inscription of Alexander the Great from the temple of Athena Polias. British Museum (London). Photo Marco Prins. The foundation inscription by Alexander from the temple of Athena Polias, which is now in the British Museum: "King Alexander built the shrine of Athena Polias".
Bust of Julius Caesar from Priene. British Museum, London (Britain). Photo Marco Prins. This bust of Gaius Julius Caesar was made in c.50 CE (one century after the death of the dictator), and was excavated  in the temple of Athena Polias, It is now in the British Museum in London.
An inscription from the temple of Athena Polias, to honor Julia, the daughter of the emperor Titus. Now in the British Museum.
The house of Alexander the Great. Photo Marco Prins. The house of Alexander. He stayed here for some time during the siege of Miletus. Later, it became a sanctuary; an inscription (now in Berlin) says that the visitors have to wear white garments.
Statue of Alexander from Priene. Antikensammlung, Berlin (Germany). Photo Marco Prins. A statue of Alexander that was found in Priene. It is now in Berlin, in the Antikensammlung.
The view from the house of Alexander the Great. Photo Marco Prins. The view from the house of Alexander. On the background, you can see Miletus and Lade, where the Macedonians were fighting against the Persians.
 home   :    index    :    Turkey