Priene was situated in a very convenient and extremely beautiful place, on the slope of the mountain Mykale (belongs to the Samsun Daglari chain), over the valley of the Great Meander. It is different from Ephesus, because it has kept its original, greek character. The city lost its port during the sedimentation process, which resulted in, that in Roman times it was virtually useless. That is why the Romans did not pay attention to the new buildings in the city, leaving the original, Greek character of most buildings.

The first settlers appeared here approx. 1000 r. p.n.e., that is, with the great migration of the Ionian Greeks (some of them founded Ephesus). However, the city was built first in the valley, by the sea. Only the permanent silting up of the area by the Great Meander, thus isolating the city, forced the inhabitants to move to the mountainside, which happened approx. 350 r. p.n.e. The new city has been carefully planned and represents the so-called. Hippodamian model. The famous Hippodamos of Miletus, living in the middle of the 5th century. p.n.e., he was the first true ancient urban planner. To professionally describe his achievements, must be said, that he developed a spatial development plan for the city within certain limits in the form of streets crossing at right angles, i.e. the so-called. chessboard. As a result, all the buildings inscribed in this grid were in some way ordered relative to each other. This is not only Priene, but also the hometown of Hippodamos (Nation), planned by himself. The only irregular elements in the city are the walls surrounding it, built in accordance with the topography of the area.

In Hellenistic times, Priene was an important city belonging to the Ionian Union. From approx. 190 r. p.n.e. it came under the rule of Pergamon, and from 129 r. p.n.e., according to the will of Attalos III, fell to Rome. During the Romans, Priene did not play a special role, experiencing its peak heyday under Emperor Augustus (30 p.n.e. – 14 n.e.). As a result of silting the shore, the sea began to recede (similar to Ephesus), which led the inhabitants to abandon trade in favor of agriculture. Thus, the city was relegated to the role of an insignificant village. The Byzantines drew attention to them again, they even renovated old walls and built new ones, but then the Turks captured it (XI c.), who settled at the foot of the hill, assuming the later Gullubahce.

Places, which are worth seeing

After going through the checkout – open from. 8.30 – 19.30 (off season until 17.30), introduction: 2 USD, students: 0,4 USD – we follow the path leading between the walls, to go up the stairs to the center of the ancient city. Heading west, towards the theater, we pass the temple of the Egyptian Gods on the left. It was dedicated to Isis, Serapis and Anubis, and it was built with the funds of Egyptian merchants approx. 250 r. p.n.e. About 100 m further, to the right, there are ruins of the theater, created in 300 r. p.n.e., which in 50 rows could hold approx. 5000 people. Represents, like most of the local buildings, Hellenistic architecture, even though it has been rebuilt (gently) by the Romans. They were moderate, leaving the skene (building adjacent to the orchestra, that is, a semicircular scene) in its original shape. The storeyed skene was tall on 6 m. In the first row, by the stage, there are marble benches – the seats that stood out from the rows above were intended for the city's nobles. Not only performances were held in the theater, but also the Priene city council meeting, where the vital interests of the city were debated. In the south-west corner, even the remains of the water clock have been preserved, which was used to measure the timing of politicians' speeches. South of the theater, on the opposite side of the former street, there are ruins of a Byzantine church (perhaps a basilica). In Byzantine times, Priene was the seat of a bishop.

Continuing west, we come to the temple of Athena Polias, the most famous monument in the city. The building began to be erected in between 350 a 330 r. p.n.e., designed by Pyteos from Halikamas (Bodrum today), the same, who built the famous mausoleum. The temple – as the inscription says – sponsored by Alexander the Great, but it is not even known, whether he was in the city at all. He was definitely in Ephesus and Miletus, and maybe from there, at the request of the people of Priene, he ordered the construction of a temple in honor of the patroness of the city. Anyway, the temple was built for two centuries, and in Roman times it also served as the sanctuary of Augustus. The structure represented the classical Ionian model order for later temples. The long sides of the building had eleven columns, and the front and rear wall are six. The descriptions of the house were first used in a Little Asian temple, i.e. the rear part behind the cella (main part of the temple with a statue of a deity), which served mostly as a kind of treasury. The building was as high as the right 15 m, and in the center stood a great statue of Athena. In front of the temple, you can see the foundations of the former sumptuous altar, the remains of which in the form of a relief can be admired in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Na temenos (holy circle) consisted of a temple, altar, south coast (porch) long on 80 m and the portal, through which you entered the complex.