Knidos
Knidos
Türkiye · Muğla
In brief
Knidos, at the tip of the Datça Peninsula, is an ancient city built on terraces with two harbors. The Demeter and lion statues recovered during excavations are in the British Museum collection.
What was found?
- 1Demeter of Knidos
The marble statue found in the Sanctuary of Demeter shows the goddess seated on a throne. It is an important example of divine depictions in the sanctuary.
- 2Lion of Knidos
The large marble statue found at the Lion Tomb depicts a reclining lion. It documents the use of large-scale animal sculptures in funerary monuments.
- 3Dual harbor arrangement
Two separate harbors were created by filling in the area between the island and the mainland. The small northern harbor was used for military purposes, while the southern harbor served merchant ships.
- 4Church remains
Church buildings have been identified in different parts of the city. These remains show the religious construction of the ancient city during the Christian period.
- 5Great Theater
The remains of the Great Theater are located in the eastern part of the mainland. They document a monumental space dedicated to performances in the terraced city.
What does it point to?
The allocation of different functions to the two harbors shows that maritime transport, trade, and defense were considered together in the city’s layout. The statues, sanctuaries, and churches also allow the religious life of Knidos to be traced across different periods.
What did it teach us?
- Showed that two harbors were created by filling in the area between the island and the mainland.
- Documented the separate arrangement of the military and commercial harbors.
- Revealed the different contexts of use of the goddess statue and the funerary sculpture.
- Documented the city’s construction during the Christian period through church remains.
Images


Record
- Culture
- Carian, Dorian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine
- Team / historical
- Selçuk University Knidos Excavation Directorate
- Coordinates
- 36.6859°, 27.3737°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Iasos 68 km
- Medieval City of Beçin 75 km
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma 78 km
- Amos 80 km
- Euromus 81 km
- Sanctuary of Labraunda 91 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
All excavation sites (385)
Türkiye
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- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
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- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
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- Aşıklı Höyük
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- Kibyra
- Knidos
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