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PRIENE
The
historical town of Priene is located near the village
of Güllübahçe, 16 kms from Söke. This town, a member
of the Ionian Confederation, especially prospered
during the Hellenistic period. The beautiful houses,
public buildings and temples are the most important
parts of this ancient city. The city walls surrounding
Priene were 2 meters wide and 6 meters high. The front
and rear faces of the walls were built of squared
stone blocks while the space in between was filled up
with rubble and mud. This construction technique,
called "emplekton" is characteristic of the
Hellenistic period. The Athena Temple, located on the
culminating point of the city, was the oldest, most
important and magnificent building in Priene. 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 Anatolian-Ionian
architectural style. The Agora, an important place in
the daily life of ancient cities, where meetings were
held to discuss various subjects, was built in the 3rd
Century B.C., and covers two blocks in the central
part of the city. The Bouleuterion is the best
preserved building in Priene. The Boule held its
meetings here and took the decisions relating to the
administration of the city. The Theatre, built in the
4th century B.C. in Hellenistic style, has reached the
present day in a well preserved condition. Like all
ancient Greek theatres, the building consists of three
main parts: the Skene, the Orchestra, and the Cavea.
There were two Gymnasiums in Priene, the "Upper
Gymnasium" and the "Lower Gymnasium". In these
buildings, children and young people, besides
receiving education, were also trained in physical
exercises by the practice of various sports.
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