PAMUKKALE I HIERAPOLIS

The city was founded by the Pergamon king Eumenes II in the c 190 r. p.n.e., so it was not the oldest in the area. The ruins of the city of Laodicea, located closer to Denizla, date back to half 111 w. p.n.e. Temples in the place of the later Hierapolis were built here much earlier in connection with local sources, which the ancient inhabitants of Anatolia thus worshiped. In the times of Laodicea, a temple in honor of Hiera was built near the springs, the wife of the legendary founder of Pergamon-Telephoros. Hence the name of the city. When the kingdom of Pergamon fell to Rome, also Hierapolis came under Roman control in 2. half. loam w. p.n.e. The city grew in strength under Pergame and Roman rule, but in 17 r. was completely razed to the ground during the disaster, which also swallowed up Sardis. It was one of the largest earthquakes of that era, which visited Asia Minor. Still in the time of Emperor Nero (54 – 68) the ruined city was deserted, but in the centuries that followed, they slowly began to be rebuilt, so that it soon became one of the many typical Roman cities.

Hierapolis lived its golden days during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus (193 – 211) and his successors Caracalla, after which the imposing ruins of two baths have been preserved (one belonged to junior high schools nu), temples, fountain surrounding the holy spring, theater and the main street with a colonnade on the sides. At that time it was an important scientific and cultural center of the Roman Empire with a population exceeding 80 thousand. Most were Greek. The Romans dealt with administration; they had slaves brought from distant lands. Christians made their home early in Hierapolis, creating strong, a commune competing with the Jews. Christians were drawn to the city by the martyrdom of St.. Philip the Apostle, who, according to tradition, was crucified upside down here in 87 r. Hierapolis was the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus (50 – 125), whose works, steeped in profound religiosity, had a great influence on Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 – 180), called "the philosopher on the throne".

In the times of Byzantium, thought began to build more powerful defensive walls (the existing ones were no longer very functional) against the threat from the east, on the part of the Turkmen tribes. The city was surrounded by massive fortifications from the north, eastern and southern. In later times, Hierapolis became the seat of an archbishop, as a result, it became an important center of Eastern Christianity. From XI w. the city was invaded by the Seljuk Turks, until it was finally conquered by them at the beginning of the 14th century. The Turks settled here and lived together with the Greek and Jewish minorities only to 1354 r., when the disastrous earthquake struck. The ruined city was abandoned by the survivors and never returned here. Excavation work in the 20th century. mainly Italian archaeologists conducted there, contributing to the restoration of most of the monuments, which we will be happy to visit.