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TERMESSOS & ASPENDOS TOUR & TRIPS
Termessos ( Termessus )
 Termessos is a sort of "Machu
Picchu" of Turkey, a picturesque tumble-down ruin on the
top of a mountain. Situated in a part of the country
less visited by foreigners and requiring a short
vertical hike, the site remains remarkably undisturbed...
Termessos (also known
as Termessus) was inhabited by the Pisidians, an
indigenous Anatolian nation of noted ferocity. The
city first appears in history during the conquests
of Alexander the Great. Alexander swept through the
region but after winning a skirmish in the narrow
mountain passes near the city, declined to storm it.
(Guidebooks
consistently portray Alexander as unable to take the
city, but in fact he was merely disinclined to try.)
After Alexander's death the city saw a famous clash
during the wars of Alexander's "Successors." One of
Alexander's generals, Alcetas, found himself trapped in
the city by another of Alexander's generals, Antigonus
the "One-Eyed." Beloved by the city's young people,
Alcetas was betrayed by its "senior citizens" and
comitted suicide rather than fall into Antigonus' hands.
Mutilated and left unburied by Antigonus, Alceta's body
was retrieved by the younger generation and given a
hero's burial. The extant "lion sarcophagus" has
convincingly been identified as his final resting place—among
the only surviving graves of Alexander's friends and
companions.
In the Hellenistic period,
Termessos gradually "Hellenized," adapting Greek culture,
language and even becoming a democracy. The impressive
theatre was built during this period, no doubt serving
as both entertainment venue and political meeting place.
Throughout the period, Termessos was engaged in frequent
warfare with its neighbors, often taking on more than
one. For its help in his campaign against Selge (c. 158
BC), Attalus II of Pergamum erected the city's elegant
stoa (porch).
Termessos passed easily
into Roman friendship and later empire. The city
received considerable autonomy for its role against King
Mithridates. It guarded its privileges jealously;
remarkably, its coinage never included either image or
title of the Emperors. (This is the source of the tour-guide
story that Termessos was never conquered by Alexander
or the Romans!) Most of the city's buildings were
erected in this period, including a temple to the
Emperor Hadrian. At some point the city Christianized,
and bishops from Termessos participated in the early
church councils, but the city was abandoned between the
5–7 centuries. (Remoteness and earthquakes may have both
played their part.) Except for the occasional nomad it
lay empty after that, which explains its relatively
pristine state.
Including : Transfer from your hotel + Guidance + lunch + insurance ...
Avaliable days :
Price : |
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