I just got back from a wonderful trip to Turkey (exploring the regions of Lycia, Pisidia and Pamphylia), and to France where I visited Lugdunum (Lyon) and Vienna (Vienne).
I will be posting loads of photos in the coming days from the dozen of sites I visited… Sagalassos, Side, Seleucia, Aspendos, Myra, Xanthos, Letoon, Patara, Phaselis… but for now here is one of the most beautiful portraits of Hadrian I saw! The colossal head was found in the Roman Baths complex of Sagalassos in 2007 and is now exhibited in the Burdur museum nearby.
© Carole Raddato
The statue is clearly inspired by one of the eight official statue types of Hadrian, in this case the Chiaramonti type (named after a portrait in the Vatican).
Under Hadrian, Sagalassos flourished, like many other cities in Asia Minor, and was officially recognised as the first city of Pisidia and regional centre for the imperial cult.
© Carole Raddato
The site of Sagalassos was definitely one of the highlights of my Anatolian trip! Further photos from Sagalassos will be posted separately.
