Hadrian goes to Phaselis – images from a Lycian harbour city

Phaselis was an ancient Greek and Roman city on the coast of Lycia, today situated 35km south of Antalya. Shaded by towering pine trees, its ruins lie scattered around three small, beautiful bays. Once a thriving port shipping timber and rose oil, its beauty is now admired by thousands of visitors each year.

Phaselis was founded in 690 BC by colonists from Rhodes. Due to its geographical position, on an isthmus, it became the most important harbour city of western Lycia and an important centre of commerce between Greece, Asia, Egypt, and Phoenicia. The city was captured by the Persians after they conquered Asia Minor, and in 334 BC by Alexander the Great. Alexander admired the city’s beauty and remained at Phaselis throughout the winter of that year. This event elevated the city’s importance and prestige throughout the Mediterranean. After the death of Alexander the Great, Phaselis came under the rule of the Ptolemies and of Rhodes.

After 160 BC, Phaselis was absorbed into the Lycian confederacy under Roman rule. In the 1st century BC, the city was under constant threat from pirates and was even taken over by the pirate Zekenites for a period, until he was defeated by the Romans.

Hadrian visited Phaselis in AD 129. The Phaselites erected statues to greet the emperor with a flamboyant ceremony. They also built a gate and an agora near the south harbour. Most of the remains visible today date back to this period.

Upon entering the ancient site, the aqueduct, Phaselis’ best-preserved and most impressive ruins, greets the visitor to the city.

The aqueduct began at a spring on the hill behind the northern harbour and extended as far as the agora. The water was then distributed throughout the town via channel pipes.

As Strabo mentioned, Phaselis had three harbours. The best preserved of these is the main one, otherwise known as the military or middle harbour, through which fishing and tourist boats easily enter and leave even today.

The street linking the main harbour to the southern port is paved with blocks of conglomerate rock and measures 225 metres in length by 25 metres in width. Narrow raised pavements in the form of terraces and reached by stairs line both sides of the street.

The paved street ends on the side of the southern harbour with a single-arched monumental gateway erected for Hadrian’s visit. Sadly, it is now in ruins.

Epigraphic evidence provides solid support for the emperor’s visit to Phaselis. A dedicatory inscription (see image below), carved in three lines onto the architrave at the top of the arch, honours Hadrian as saviour and benefactor.

Other inscriptions found near the gate are dedicatory inscriptions to Sabina and Matidia, Hadrian’s wife and mother-in-law, respectively. The empress Sabina would have accompanied Hadrian on his tour of the Roman provinces.

A second agora, the commercial heart of the city, was built during Hadrian’s visit. The agora was lined with porticoes and shops, and decorated with statues and a fountain.

Statues were erected to Hadrian as “saviour of the universe and their country” by a woman from Phaselis named Tyndaris. Two neighbouring cities, Korydalla and Akalissos, also erected altars in Phaselis for the explicit purpose of honouring his visit.

Domitian’s agora lies along the second section of the main street. It had two gates that faced the street. The courtyard of this agora was a major complex structure. The agora’s inner courtyard was surrounded by corridors in a portico manner, and the shops were located at the rear.

An inscription written in honour of the emperor Domitian was found above one of the two gates.

The theatre, situated on the north-west slope of the Acropolis, is approached by steps from the town square. It was most probably rebuilt on the Roman plan in the second century AD on top of an earlier Hellenistic theatre.

The cavea, which is in quite good preservation, had a capacity of around 2,000 people. The partially preserved walls of the two-storey stage building indicate it had five doors.

The Roman theatre overlooks the city and the sea, offering a spectacular view of Mount Olympos (Tahtali), which rises to 2,365 metres.

On the west side of the main paved street are the baths, which were part of the bath-gymnasium complex unearthed in recent excavations. The baths’ floors and walls, constructed in the 3rd century AD, were once covered in marble and mosaics.

On the east side of the main street lie the Small Baths built in the 3rd-4th century AD.

The Acropolis, covered with thick vegetation, is located above the theatre. According to ancient writers, here stood the Temple of Athena, where Achilles’ broken spear was exhibited. It is said to be the first place that Alexander the Great visited upon his arrival in the city. However, the temple has not yet been located. Other temples, including a palace and official buildings, were also built on this site.

With its unmatched natural beauty and ancient historical legacy, Phaselis should be at the top of your list of places to visit if you are travelling to Antalya province or following the Lycian Way.

Phaselis is on the Lycian Way, a long-distance footpath along the Lycian coast. The Lycian Way is approximately 510 km long and stretches from Ölüdeniz, near Fethiye, to Hisarcandir, about 20 kilometres from Antalya. According to the Sunday Times, the Lycian Way is one of the ten most beautiful long-distance hikes in the world.

Sources: Antalya, Lycia, Pisidia, Pamphylia: Antique cities guide by Kayhan Dörtlük / Hadrian: The Restless Emperor by Anthony R. Birley