Aizanoi

Aizanoi

Türkiye · Kütahya

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period3,000 BCE — 1,300 CEHellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Aizanoi, in Çavdarhisar, is an ancient city known for its Temple of Zeus and theatre-stadium complex. Scientific excavations began in 1926; current work has continued around the agora, propylon, theatre and Penkalas.

What was found?

  • 1Temple of Zeus

    This is a monumental temple with a vaulted space beneath it. Its preserved architecture allows temple design in Roman Anatolia to be studied.

  • 2Theater-stadium complex

    This is a group of structures in which the theater and stadium were designed adjoining one another. It shows how performances and sporting activities were brought together in architecture.

  • 3Macellum price inscriptions

    The inscriptions in the market building bear Diocletianus’s price regulation of AD 301. They constitute a direct source for commodity prices and the attempt to combat inflation.

  • 4Penkalas bridges

    These are Roman bridges connecting the city’s two sides. The bridge inscriptions identify M. Apuleius Eurycles, who contributed to the construction work.

  • 5Heating channels of the baths

    Water and heating channels have been preserved in the baths alongside marble cladding. They make the technical operation of bathing buildings visible.

What does it point to?

Aizanoi’s prosperity, linked to grain, wine, and wool production, is reflected in its large public buildings. The inscriptions also identify the benefactors and economic regulations behind these structures.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that a theater and stadium could be designed within a single architectural complex.
  2. Documented the Roman administration’s intervention in inflation through price inscriptions.
  3. Revealed the contributions of wealthy citizens to public construction through bridge inscriptions.

Images

Aizanoi Zeus temple 2212b
Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Stadium-Theater, Aizanoi
Htkava · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Aizanoi Another Roman Bridge june 2008 2107
Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Aizanoi Roman bath 2nd century 2266
Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Phrygian, Roman and Byzantine
First modern dig
1926
Team / historical
Gökhan Coşkun; Kütahya Dumlupınar University
Coordinates
39.1947°, 29.6303°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. aizanoi.dpu.edu.tr
  3. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı — Aizanoi Ancient City

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12.000

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