ABSTRACT

From the late fi rst century BCE to the seventh century CE, the city of Aphrodite was one of the most important urban centres in Asia Minor.1 The city on the river Morsynos owed its name and its fame to the sanctuary of an old Anatolian goddess of fertility and war, who was later identifi ed with the Greek Aphrodite. During the wars of the Late Republic the Aphrodisians were fortunate enough the have chosen the right allies among the Romans. As trustworthy allies they received a series of political and economic privileges that made Aphrodisias a prosperous city and at least in theory an independent community. From the late fi rst century onwards an extensive building program fi lled the city with beautiful buildings, which still impress the modern visitor; among them the temple of Aphrodite and the impressive gate of the sacred precinct (Tetrapylon), a theatre, two market places surrounded by richly decorated porticos, the bouleuterion (townhall), a building complex dedicated to the cult of the emperors (Sebasteion) and the stadium (Figure 10.1). Imperial support, the exploitation of a fertile territory and of marble quarries, and the famous local school of sculptors made the city of Aphrodite a prosperous urban centre. Sometime before the end of the third century CE, Aphrodisias became capital of the province of Karia, and both the governor and wealthy citizens donated new buildings or restored the old ones.