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‘Aphrodisias, a Greco-Roman City and its Hinterland’
The ancient city of Aphrodisias is one of the most important and evocative Greco-Roman archaeological sites in Turkey. Famous in antiquity for its sanctuary of Aphrodite, the city’s patron goddess, Aphrodisias enjoyed a long and prosperous existence (2nd century BCE - 7th century CE). The great beauty and extraordinary preservation of this site combine to bring the civic culture of the Greco-Roman world vividly to life. The site was first identified in the early 18th century and a systematic program of archaeological research was begun in 1961 by NYU and continues to the present. Three aspects of the archaeology of Aphrodisias stand out: the remarkable preservation of the city’s most important civic and sacred buildings, residential areas, and rural sites; the recovery of an unusually high percentage of sculptures, both architectural reliefs and free-standing statues; and the a great number of inscriptions, many formulaic and others unique, that played such an important role in the configuration of ancient Greek and Roman public space. The Regional Survey project (2005-2009) helped us better understand the setting of the city within its territory, the local resources that were the source of its prosperity, and that the countryside is as archaeologically rich as the city itself.