Aphrodisias
Abstract
In the first centuries of the Roman Empire, the city of Aphrodisias presented itself as being very remarkable. The Aphrodisians liked to think of themselves as forerunners in the competition of connectedness with Rome among the cities of the empire. As home to an ancient fertility cult, Aphrodisias could present itself as the birthplace of Aphrodite/Venus - this religious sanctuary of local renown could thus show support for Augustus’ claim of divine descent. The Aphrodisians also built the ostentatious Sebasteion, a religious monument dedicated to the imperial cult. Their crowning achievement, however, was the public display of benefactor decrees and letters in the city declaring their tight relationship with Rome - some of these inscriptions, beautifully written on the theatre wall, were engraved over 250 years after their original issuing. This article will look more closely at the way the Aphrodisians tried to impress using these monuments.
Aphrodisias and Rome: an Identity captured in monuments
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Aphrodisias is located in the south west of modern day Turkey. Archaeological findings give evidence for settlement in the vicinity dating back to almost 7000 BC. Nowadays a small Turkish village partly overlaps the ruins. After a series of earthquakes from the seventh century AD onwards, the population became more and more sparse. The area never saw a resurgence, whereby the ruins of Aphrodisias have been greatly preserved. When the foremost excavator of Aphrodisias, Kenan Erim, began his work on the site in the 1960s, the villagers of Geyre were happily reusing the ancient ruins for their agricultural activities. The old sarcophaguses found at the edge of the site were turned into presses for their grapes. Even though the original intent of this object is very different from its modern use, it can make us aware of a double meaning or use a monument can have.
It was common in ancient times for a member of the elite, personally or in a combined effort, to issue the construction of a public building. These buildings usually held some practical purpose. In Aphrodisias we can find examples of this in the temple of Aphrodite, the theatre, Sebasteion, Odeon, stadium and the bath complexes, to name the most prominent. If there was city wide legislation for the creation and allocation of public funds, then this was more geared to the financing of festivals and ceremonies and the maintenance of public buildings. The building of these fell upon the patronage of the wealthy. This created the opportunity for the elite to use this as a way of promoting their own interests. However, the manifestation of these interests should align somewhat with public perception. Should the masses vehemently disagree with what is presented in public monuments, a widespread feeling of unrest could follow, resulting in riots and iconoclasm. Thus the process of creating monuments and the messages it contains is part of creating a common identity. When a member of the elite wants to show his grace towards an overlord, he must do so within the bounds of the larger sense of identity that the community has of itself. Therefore, when studying ancient monuments and their implicit and explicit messages, we must consider the identity that the city was trying to project and affirm for itself. For the 12.000 inhabitants of ancient Aphrodisias the formation of their identity for centuries to come took a significant turn at the end of the Roman Republic. Julius C. Zoilos was a slave of Octavian (later Augustus) and perhaps even a beneficiary in the inheritance of his father by adoption, Julius Caesar. Zoilos was a native of Aphrodisias and while we remain unsure of the details, the sequence of events suggests that he was greatly influential in the creation of Aphrodisias’ special relation with Rome and its identity as such, as he was released some time before the final confrontation between Octavian and Anthony. In this time he negotiated a special decree for his city from the senate. As a reward for the city’s support in Rome’s wars in the region, Aphrodisias was granted exemption from taxation and other bureaucratic freedoms. With Octavian as driving force behind this decree, Zoilos would have an easy time directing his city in supporting the future Augustus in his strife for sole rule. Aphrodisias backed the right horse. Its freedoms were upheld and a building program was conceived to show this identity of special connection with the Roman imperial rulers. Julius Zoilos, rich and influential, ordered a new temple of Aphrodite, a project in tandem with Augustus’s order for the writing of a foundation myth. The Aeneid written by Virgil connected the Julio/Claudian imperial genus line all the way back to the Trojan prince Aeneas, and ultimately his mother Aphrodite. This was a piece of propaganda that the Aphrodisians gladly added to their civic identity. Zoilos also commissioned a theatre, initiating a building spree that was to add a series of structures pertaining to Roman architecture and culture. The best examples of these are the stadium, one of the largest found in the Mediterranean basin, and the baths dedicated to Hadrian. During the reign of Tiberius, Aphrodisias added to the hype of imperial cult found througout the empire. Where the Aphrodisians had been content with their sanctuary of Aphrodite, some wealthy families now began work on a Sebasteion, a building to commemorate imperial rule. This word comes from the Greek version of Augustus’ name. Consisting of a huge altar building, a double row of triple storied porticoes and a propylon, it was the most monumental building of its sort found in the region. Sculptures of past and reigning emperors were displayed in poses defeating personifications of regions they had added to the empire. It was a collection of visual res gestae, not only of Augustus, but also of his successors. The identity Aphrodisias wanted to uphold is clear. But the zenith of this effort was perhaps reached in a time when the Aphrodisians no longer commissioned large buildings, but inscribed beneficial correspondence on a wall. This Archive Wall was not an archive at all. Carefully selected messages send from emperors were inscribed somewhere in the third century. These were not only messages directed to Aphrodisias, but even responses to others cities. These responses contained rejections of those cities’ requests for special treatment. Only the Aphrodisians were special and they didn’t shy away from bringing forth three centuries' worth of correspondence as evidence! |
References
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Image can be found at: https://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/academics/aphrodisias/aphrodisias-baths.htm |
