Prien's History page 2

PRIENE FESTIVAL is 15 years old. 15th Traditional Gullubahce - Priene Festival will take 3 days. Festival is going to start on Friday 12th of May and end by Sunday 14th May 2006.

After a difficult period, Priene participated in the Ionian revolt against the Persians started in 500 BC and joined the Battle of Lade with 12 ships. However, as a result of the Persians completely destroying the Ionian fleet, the city was sacked agaia The Persian fleet, defeated after its attacks on Athens, had to retreat and take refuge in the bay in front of Mycale, whereupon the Spartans attacked and burnt the whole Persian fleet (479 BC). The "Attic-Delian Sea League" was founded immediately following upon this battle and victory, and Priene joined it in 450 BC. In 442 BC the Samos-Priene war came to an end through the mediation of this league. Up to the mid-4th century, the city, though at times under the influence of Athens, was more under the domination of the Persians. After the death of Mausolus (353 BC) the Persian satraps came under the rule of Athens. According to findings and remains, the re-funding of the city of Priene coincides with this period.

During the Hellenistic period, which began with the victory of Alexander the Great over the Persians and his capturing of Anatolia, all Ionian cities showed great prosperity. Alexander the Great gave the cities autonomy and abolished the excessive taxes paid to the Persians.
It is known that when Alexander besieged Miletus and the city resisted, he came to Priene and stayed there for some time and he made a donation to the Temple of Athena. After the death of Alexander the Great, his commander Lysimachus ( 287 BC) came into power. Lysimachus acted as mediator between Samos and Priene to solve the misunderstanding  about borders that had been going on for a long time. He re-conciliated the two parties and gave Dryussa (north of Mycale) to Priene (283-82 BC) During the Hellenistic period, the city came under the rule of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Kingdoms and the Kingdom of Pergamum. Prince Graphemes who had spent his childhood in Priene, came to rule the Kingdom of Cappadocia in 158 BC, but when he was banished from the throne a short time later, he left the state treasury to Priene for protection.
His brother, King Ariarathes V of Cappadocia, asked for the treasury to be given
back, but the Prieneans replied that they could only give it back to the person
who had entrusted it to them and rejected the request, whereupon Ariarathes V and
the King of Pergamum, Attalus II, attacked Priene together and destroyed the
city completely (155 BC).

Later in time, the treasury was given back to Orophernes who, in return for this kindness, made a considerable donation to the city and worked hard for its prosperity. Treaties made in 196 and 188 BC were not able to put a stop to the fight over borders between Samos and Priene. In 135 BC, through a decree issued by the Senate of Rome, Dryussa was definitely joined to Priene and the misunderstanding was thus ended After the death of King Attalus II of Pergamum in 133 BC, his lands were attached to Rome in conformity with his will, and Priene thus came under Roman rule. During the Roman period, Priene went through very difficult days because of the many wars and especially the attacks of pirates, and could only achieve a more peaceful period during the reign of Emperor Augustus.

In the 1st century BC, one of the arms of the Meander river, flowing out to the sea, provided a connection to the port, but as time went by, the alluvial mud brought down by the river caused the sea to move continually away from the city, and the connection to the port was cut off. This caused the city started to loose its interest, and Priene began to be abandoned. In the Byzantine period the city was a bishopric, and findings prove that, until the fall of the empire, it was still populated. At the end of this period Priene was completely deserted.

Map of Priene
map explanation by DidimGuide		2	temple of demeter
1	is hidden on the map but shows where you are; is where you start your visit just after ticket office
3	Houses	4	harbour Road
5	Temple of Athena where is the best spot to take full picture of Soke plain untill the sea. Notice, as far as eye can see used to be sea.	6	where the stairs going down to the agora (shopping arcade or political in those times)
7	Theatre where you will see an amazing theatre with armchairs carved into the stone	8	Later period; late Roman - Byzantine Chapel.
9	Upper gymnasium	10	Governal Buildings facing to Agora
11	Lover gymnasium facing to agora	12	Prytaneum
13	Bouleuteriun	14	Stadium
15	temple of zeus	16	Agora
17	famous fish market	18	west harbour
19	Houses	20	is hiden on this map where blue arrows finally end up at the norhern gate of the city is also exit

Some of the important buildings in the Priene ruins are as follows:
The Temple of Athena: It is the ruin of a monumental temple which can be first seen from the plain with its five standing Ionic columns. Its architect was one of the architects of the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus, Pytheos.
Along Its long sides, there were eleven, and on its short sides, there were six columns. This kind of temple surrounded by only a single row of columns was called peripteros. The peripteros in Priene is a mature example of the Ionic order.
the Theatre: In the Greek theatres, there was only a round orchestra in front of the audience without the high stage and the backstage which were the characteristic of the Roman theatres. In the Roman period all Greek theatres were changed into Roman theatres.
The Priene theatre, very well-preserved, the best example of the Greek theatres in western Anatolia still retaining its original characteristics.

Bouleterion: It is a conference hall with its cornered structure forming an amphitheatre in three sides. Its roof, standing on vails and two-cornered columns on the sides, was covered with wooden planks. There was an altar in its centre. Rectangular shaped altar has bulls head motive carved on it. The city council met there.
The Prytaneion: the state guest house where high-ranked officials worked and where fire burned the sacred-fire continuously was located east of the Bouleterion.
The Upper Gymnasium: Although of Hellenistic period, the building under-vent certain changes from time to time; in the Roman period, a bath was add-;d and eventually, in the Byzantine period, it was changed into a church.
The Lower Gymnasium: It is close to the southern ramparts of the city, built in the 2nd century B.C., surrounded by a gallery with columns. It has an open exercise hall, bath rooms and exercise rooms.
The Agora: It is in the centre of the city, built in the 2nd century B.C. Its northern side was open to the street, the other three sides surrounded by stoa's. In 130 B.C. a 116 meter gallery was donated as a gift by the King of Cappadocia -Ariartes IV (Orophenes) behind the street on the northern side as sacred stoa.