The Sanctuary of Athena Polias at Priene
 

The Temple of Athena

   This Temple, located on the culminating point of the city, rose over a wide terrace of rocks and the defense walls, and was the oldest, the most important, the largest and the must magnificent building in Priene. It was oriented on an east­west axis in conformity with the city plan and faced east.

Map of Priene, the Acropolis, the Temples and the village.
(Click the image for a full screen view)

   It is believed that the construction of the Temple was begun at the same time as the founding of Priene (4th century BCE). The architect of the building was Pythius, who also constructed the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, counted as one of the seven wonders of the world. The Temple is accepted as being a classical example of the Anatolian­Ionian architectural style.

   The building was destroyed completely in an earthquake in ancient times and the pieces were scattered over a large area. It also suffered great destruction in a later fire. However, the construction of the plan and the reconstruction of the building have been possible through the fragments found in the excavations.

   Large­grained grey-blue local marble brought from Mycale was used as construction material.

   The Temple, constructed in the Ionic style, consists of a pronaos (an entrance-hall), a naos (the sacred chamber where the statue of the cult was kept) and an opisthodomus (a porch at the rear). The pronaos is larger than in earlier examples. There was no opisthodomus in previous Temples; it is first seen here. Pythius has taken this characteristic from the Doric style and applied it to his plan, and has thus set a model for later Temples. The building, a combination of the Ionic and Doric architectural styles, emerges as a different architectural example.

Clickable Plan of Athena Sanctuary at Priene
A: Temple and Altar. B: Propylaeum. C: Athena Street. D: Doric Stoa. E: Statue Pedestals. F: Storage Building
(Click the image for a full screen view)

   The plan of the Temple is peripteral, with 6 columns on the short sides and 11 on the long ones. Together with the 2 columns each of the pronaos and the opisthodomus, the total number of columns adds up to 34.

   The building rests on a three­stepped platform (crepis), 37.17 m. long and 19.53 m. wide. The lower diameters of the columns are one tenth of their 10.10 m. height (a feature of the Ionic style). The columns of which the bases are built in the Ephesus type, have 24 flutes in their shaft. The capitals height is 0.48 m. 

   The Ionic foot (0.295 m.) is used as a unit of measurement throughout. The total column height and entablature height equal 50 feet, corresponding to half the length of the cella. The cella, of 100 feet, is thus a hekatompedon, and corresponds closely with the length of the cella of the Parthenon. 

   The entablature resting on the capitals consists of the architrave, made up of three hands, and above it in rising order, a row of egg­and­dart molding, dentils. another row of egg­and­dart molding. the cornice, and on the top a cymatium decorated with plant motifs and lion-headed gargoyles. These parts were polychromed in bright colors, red and blue being the most used.

Priene Sanctuary Reconstruction
(Click the image for a full screen view)

   The artist, desiring to bring to the attention only the architectural characteristic of his work, has put in no other decorations. There are no sculptural examples except the cult statue. Only a woman's head, revealed in the excavations, may have been one of the votive statues on display in the pronaos.

   When Alexander the Great came to the region, he made a donation in 334 BCE for the completion of the Temple. This is also proven by an inscription on a tablet belonging to the Temple, and now in the British Museum, which reads, "King Alexander has dedicated this Temple to Athena Polias".

   However, the fact that architectural elements found on the west or rear side of the Temple carry characteristics peculiar to the 2nd century BCE shows that, due to various but especially to economic reasons the building could not be completed up to that period. It is understood that the Temple was completed by the donation made in 158­157 BCE by Prince Orophernes mentioned in the history of the foundation of the city. That the Altar and the new cult statue were also erected ca. 158­156 BCE is proved by the silver coins found under the base of the statue. 

Silver Tetradrachm of Orophernes, King of Cappadocia in the year 157 BCE. One coin of this type has been found in Priene in 1870.

   The cult statue of Athena was a copy of the statue of Athena Parthenos made by the famous sculptor Phidias for the Parthenon. However, it is half the size. One sees the image of the statue on coins dating from the Roman period. The standing Athena, with a helmet on her head, is seen with goatskin, spear and shield. In her right hand she holds a Nike. Fragments of the gold­plated bronze wings of Nike, and fragments of the marble left foot and arm of the Goddess, indicate that the statue was 6.5 meters high. 

   After 27 BCE, the Sanctuary was rededicated to Athena Polias and Augustus, and continued as an important cult center throughout the Imperial period. On the architraves of the Temple and the Altar there are inscriptions indicating that the Temple was dedicated to Emperor Augustus as well as to Athena. The propylaeum, located to the east of the building, is believed to have been built during the reign of Augustus. This monumental gateway, of which the front stairs and part of the south wall are still standing, was connected to the street in front. A sixstepped flight of stairs which could be ascended on all three sides led to a porch with four Ionic columns, and from there one could reach through a single door, a large space again with four columns. According to the elements found the building had a pediment and a roof.

The Altar of Athena

   The Altar, situated to the east of the Temple was, according to findings discovered, erected in the mid­2nd century BCE with the financial support of Orophernes. The Altar is considered to be a model of the Great Altar of Zeus at Pergamum. The building, of a horseshoe shape, was surrounded by a portico with columns, between which stood figures of women on high pedestals. The part of the building where offerings were received was approached by a flight of stairs. The reliefs decorating the Altar represented scenes from the battle of the Gods and Giants. On a relief from the Altar, (now in the Museum of Archaeology in Istanbul) representing the battles of the Giants, the influence of the Pergamene school of sculpture is clearly visible. In contrast with the Pergamene model, the reliefs here were placed not in the frieze but in the metopes of the lower structure. At the time of the building of the Altar, the area surrounding the Temple was also put into order and the front was paved with stones.

The Doric Stoa

   Also at this time, a stoa (a portico with a colonnade) in the Doric style was built on top of the 7 meter high terrace wall situated to the south of the Temple. This stoa which was 78.40 meters long had a row of columns (32 in number) in front. In the stoa which faced the valley of Maeander, the people of the city did their daily jobs, walked and looked at the sea and the view. The rear facade of the stoa faced the Temple, and therefore blocked the facade of the Temple on the city side.

Inscriptions

   Text of inscription on south anta:
 

basileus Alexandros anethêke to nao Athênaiêi Poliadi.

King Alexander dedicated the temple to Athena Polias.
(Text in von Gaertringen 1906, no. 156) 

   Text of architrave inscription rededicating the Temple to Athena Polias and Augustus:
 

ho dêmos Athênai [P]oliadi kai [aut]o?kratori Kaisari theou huiôi theôi Sebastô[i kathierôsen]

The people dedicated it to Athena Polias and to the divine emperor Caesar Augustus, son of the god.
(Text in von Gaertringen 1906, no. 157). 

Priene Plan 389 X 540 21 KB	Sanctuary Plan 503 X 344 10 KB	Reconstruction 850 X 488 79 KB
Propylaeum SE 363 X 553 70 KB	Altar SW 592 X 396 55 KB	Altar NW 592 X 396 52 KB
Columns E 592 X 396 53 KB	Columns NE 366 X 369 39 KB	Columns SE 390 X 537 77 KB
Temple E 592 X 396 53 KB	Temple N 592 X 396 45 KB	Temple SE 776 X 516 130 KB
Temple SW 776 X 506 121 KB	Naos SE 592 X 396 61 KB	Opisthodomus 592 X 396 58 KB
Ent. Detail 784 X 445 113 KB	Ent. Inscription 592 X 396 58 KB	Ent. Rosettes 757 X 517 116 KB

  Tourist Information:

   Priene lies 35 km to the South of Kusadasi, Turkey. Arrival is by frequent dolmus from Soke to the very spread-out village of Gullubahce, scattered 200 to 700m east of the ruins.

   There is only one small and relatively expensive pansiyon and campsite in the village, Pension Priene; it's prudent to book space first thing, or phone in advance.

   Of the handful of restaurants, best is Pinar, at the far west end of the village, right below the site car park; Selale, in the village center, has a wider menu.

  Views:

Acropolis and Columns of the Temple of Athena from S

View from above toward SW and the Temple of Athena and the plain

Overall view from the Sanctuary of Demeter toward S and the Temple of Athena

South side of the pronaos, from NE

Pronaos, from SE

Crepidoma and stylobate blocks at SE corner of pronaos, from N

Grooves in the stylobate floor caused by S door of E entrance to cell, from N

Northwest corner of the cella with foundation stones for the cult statue (above) and the cella wall (below), from above and NW

Cella and remains of statue base (stylobate paving stones visible at right), from W-SW

Northwest corner of cella and remains of the Athena statue base, from SW

Cella with remains of the base for the Athena statue, from SW

N base block with dowel holes for orthostate wall or rail of the opisthodomus, from N

Pavement blocks of the opisthodomus, at bottom; at left, slightly out-of-place base for N column; at right, narrow block with dowel holes (to support orthostate wall or rail) projecting from N anta, from NE and above

  Links:
 

Timeline: Greek period, Hellenistic period, Roman period.

Perseus Project: Priene, Priene, Temple of Athena

Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents: Dedication on architrave of the temple of Athena Polias to Athena Polias and Augustus by the demos of Priene, c. 27 BCE - 14 CE.