Sagalassos

Author: * Antinous Flavius - 6 Posts on this thread out of 91 Posts sitewide.
Date: Nov 19, 2007 - 11:26

Sagalassos is a major Greco-Roman archaeological site in southwest Turkey, where excavations under the direction of Marc Waelkens of the Catholic University of Leuven have been going on since 1990.

It was an important urban center of Pisidia during the Roman era, particularly favoured by the Emperor Hadrian, who named it as the "first city" of the Roman province and made it the regional centre of the imperial cult. This official recognition brought trade and prosperity to the city, and as marks of gratitude to the emperor, there were many private and public monuments to Hadrian constructed. A sanctuary, or temple, to Hadrian was built in the southern part of Sagalassos, and the construction of a bath complex was started during his reign, though only finished several decades later.

Photo Copyright: Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project

The last major find at Sagalassos was discovered in the Roman bath complex back in August this year. It is a colossal statue of Hadrian, a magnificent work, estimated to have originally stood between 13 and 16 feet in height (4-5m). It was originally created in pieces which slotted together, and when the bath house in which it was found was destroyed by a major earthquake sometime between the late 6th and early 7th centuries CE, the statue fell apart along its joins. By comparing the head with other official portraits of Hadrian, the researchers were able to tell that the statue, which depicts the emperor in military garb, dated to early in his reign. The excavation director Marc Waelkens calls it one of the most beautiful portraits of Hadrian ever found, and I would agree with that.

More details on the Sagalassos excavations can be found on the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project website. Also, Archaeology Magazine have an online interactive dig which gives regular updates on the current excavation campaign: Interactive Dig: City in the Clouds.