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Sardis (Σάρδεις), or Sardes, was an ancient city in Anatolia. It’s located near the modern town of Sart, Turkey.
History of Sardis
Sardis was settled as early as 1400 BC. It became the capital of Lydia in the 8th century BC. The Lydians became wealthy due to gold deposits in the area. In fact, the world’s first coins were minted by the Lydians in Sardis.
The city was captured by the Persians around 547 BC and remained under their control until they surrendered to Alexander the Great in 334 BC. Sardis became Hellenized after Alexander, and in the 1st century, the city became part of the Roman Empire. It was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation and later became an important Christian center under the Byzantines.
The Seljuks conquered the city in 1071 and controlled it until Byzantine general John Doukas (1064-1137) retook it in 1097. Turkish emirs were given in a treaty in 1306. After Timur (1336-1405) captured Sardis in 1402, it rapidly declined. By the 18th century, it was only a small village.
Excavations at Sardis
Minor excavations were carried out in Sardis in the 19th century. The first major excavation took place between 1910 and 1914, and a brief period in 1922. They were led by American archaeologist Howard Crosby Butler (1872-1922) and his team from Princeton University.
Since 1958, the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, founded by Harvard University and Cornell University, have sponsored expeditions at the site. The organization was first led by George M. A. Hanfmann (1911-1986) of Harvard, who excavated the large area where the synagogue and gymnasium are located.
Visiting Sardis
The archaeological site of Sardis is open daily. Admission for foreigners is €3 (as of September 2024). There are two sections open to the public, and you’ll need to walk or have your own transportation to get from one to the other. Check the official website for more info. At the time of my last visit, new tourist facilities were being constructed at the main section of the site.
Roman Avenue
The Roman avenue was one of the important streets running through Sardis. It sits to the south of the Sardis Synagogue and runs from east to west.
The Roman avenue dates back to Lydian times, when a nearby road led to one of the city gates 100 meters to the east. The Lydian gate, which was built in the 7th century BC, stood until the Romans replaced it with an open plaza.
During the Roman period, the road was 12 meters wide and was lined with shops, homes, and workshops. It was paved with marble blocks and had a complex system of pipes underneath.
In the 5th and 6th centuries during the Byzantine period, colonnaded porticoes with mosaic walkways lined both sides of the street. Most of the shops were occupied until the late 6th century.
The path visitors walk down today sat under the north portico. Only a small section of the actual Roman avenue has been excavated with a few columns re-erected.
Latrines
First, at the very beginning of the archaeological site before walking down to the Roman avenue are the latrines. The doors opened to the north and to the east to serve both those in the gymnasium and those walking down the road.
The latrines consisted of two long rectangular rooms and may have been separated for use by men and women. Continuous marble benches lined the walls with holes cut about 40 to 50 centimeters apart. The marble floor had a channel of clean water flowing in front of each bench. The sewage canal beneath the benches was flushed with water flowing in from the bath. About 24 people could use the latrines at the same time.
Paint Shop
Once on the Roman avenue, many of the spaces along the north side have been identified for their purpose and partially reconstructed. The first shop of note is a paint shop (W8-9). It was a two-room shop that may have been used to prepare dyes and paints. Both rooms were directly accessible from the portico. The smaller room (W9) was paved with tiles and was most likely used for storage. The larger room (W8) was paved with stone slabs and terracotta.
In the northeast corner of the larger room is a water tank made of two marble slabs. The slabs had Greek inscriptions and were originally a gravestone and an honorific stele from the 2nd century. The owner of the shop was most likely a Christian and carved crosses into the slabs.
Restaurants
Next is a series of spaces used as restaurants or taverns. Archaeologists found two cooking hearths and dishes in one of the spaces (W1), while another (W2) had an L-shaped masonry bench outside the entrance to allow for extra seating. There was also a double-seat latrine in the corner of the room.
A third shop with two rooms (E1-2) contained ceramic and glass vessels, animal bones, storage containers, and shells. There was a wash basin with drains in each room. A window in one of the rooms (E1) may have been used for serving food to customers on the portico. Crosses and part of the name Kyriakos, as well as pig bones and shells, indicate the shop was probably frequented by members of the Christian community of Sardis.
Residence
Continuing down the Roman avenue is what’s believed to be a small residence (E5). Several domestic objects were found during excavations, including a brass lamp, a pottery flask, iron tools, a dagger, a sword, ceramic vessels, and lead weights.
Jacob’s Paint Shop
Further along is Jacob’s Paint Shop (E6-8). This three-room shop had the name Jacob scratched on two jars and a menorah symbol carved into the wall, which may indicate the Jewish heritage of the owner. Two rooms (E6-7) contained stone mortars along with different colored paints and dyes stored in reused pipe sections. There were also drinking vessels and a bronze jug.
Final Shops
Near the end of the excavated section of the Roman avenue is Sabbatios’ Shop, which contains a drain from the Sardis Synagogue along the back wall. Finally, the last space is the Shop of Jacob the Elder of the Synagogue.
Mosaic Floor
At the end of the Roman avenue is an elevated platform with a glass floor. It allows visitors to look below at a section of the mosaic floor that once sat under the north portico. As previously mentioned, the mosaic was laid in the 5th or 6th century during the Byzantine period. An inscription in the north portico indicates that the mosaic was commissioned by Flavius Maionios.
Hellenistic Steps
Finally, if you look down off the platform against the wall of the Sardis Synagogue, it’s possible to see the steps from an older Hellenistic building. On the other side of the platform, where the actual Roman avenue sits, is a pile of column fragments and other stones that hopefully one day will be put back in their original places.
Sardis Synagogue
The Sardis Synagogue is the largest known synagogue of the ancient world. The Jewish community in Sardis dates back to the 3rd century BC, when Seleucid King Antiochus III relocated Jews from other countries, including Babylonia, to Sardis and other cities in his kingdom. It’s known that by the 1st century they had their own place of worship in the city. The synagogue was abandoned in the early 7th century along with much of the rest of Sardis.
The Sardis Synagogue was rediscovered in 1962 by George M. A. Hanfmann. It was the most impressive synagogue ever discovered from antiquity, with over 80 inscriptions in Greek and another seven in Hebrew as well as numerous mosaic floors. Its discovery also changed assumptions about Jewish communities in Anatolia and their integration into Roman society.
The synagogue, which came to occupy the southeast corner of the huge gymnasium and bath complex of Sardis, has been partially restored and covered with a protective structure.
Forecourt of the Sardis Synagogue
The Sardis Synagogue was entered through a colonnaded forecourt on the east side. The center of the forecourt was open to the sky.
The large vase in the center is a replica of the marble original. It was used by worshippers to wash before prayers. The pool around it was paved with flat stones, most likely marble.
The walls of the forecourt were originally decorated with painted plaster. Marble paneling was added in the 5th century. Some of the marble was found still attached to the lower walls. Moldings and capitals of the arched frieze depict doves, vines, and vases, and were originally painted.
The floor mosaics of the forecourt are laid out with complex geometric patterns. Most of the mosaics were either installed or repaired in the 5th or 6th century.
Main Hall of the Sardis Synagogue
The main hall of the Sardis Synagogue was over 50 meters long and could hold up to 1,000 worshippers. Stone piers supported the roof of the main hall, which stood 14 meters above the floor.
The wall decorations in the main hall were installed continuously from the late 4th through 6th centuries. The names of donors are inscribed on marble plaques in Greek. Two of those inscriptions have been restored. Many of the donors were city council members or other government officials.
Hundreds of pieces of cut marble were found during excavations. They were once mounted on the walls inlaid in marble panels. Most designs were similar to the geometric patterns of the floor mosaics. The designs on the south wall are a replica using new pieces of marble.
Shrines in the Sardis Synagogue
On the east side of the main hall are two shrines. They stood between the doors to the forecourt and most likely housed the Torah scrolls.
Table in the Sardis Synagogue
The Torah scrolls were probably carried from the shrines on the east side of the main hall and read from the marble table near the apse. The table is older than the Sardis Synagogue and was moved there from another location.
The supports of the table depict eagles clutching thunderbolts. The table is guarded by a pair of lion sculptures each featuring two lions, one facing east and another facing west. The original sculptures are in the Manisa Museum.
Apse of the Sardis Synagogue
Finally, the apse of the Sardis Synagogue contains three marble covered benches similar to a synthronon in a Byzantine church. The benches provided seating for synagogue elders. The floor mosaic in the apse was a gift of two brothers, Stratoneikianos and Synphoros Flavius. The original is in the Manisa Museum.
Gymnasium and Bath Complex
The gymnasium and bath complex is one of the most impressive structures in Sardis. It’s located just north of the Sardis Synagogue.
The gymnasium and bath complex is one of at least two in Sardis. It covers 23,000 square meters and was probably completed in the 2nd or 3rd century. The southeast hall was eventually converted to the Sardis Synagogue, and the complex was abandoned by the 7th century along with much of the rest of the city. The complex was restored between 1963 and 1974.
Palaestra
The eastern half of the complex consisted of an open-air palaestra with a sand floor. It measured 600 x 150 feet and provided space for exercise and ceremonies. Small rooms situated around the courtyard were used for weight training, skill development, cardiovascular training, and massage and oil treatments.
The palaestra was surrounded by a colonnaded portico on all four sides. Some of the columns of the portico have been re-erected.
Marble Court
The most impressive part of the gymnasium and bath complex is the Marble Court. It was a two-story colonnaded courtyard dedicated to the Roman imperial cult. It sat in the center of the complex between the palaestra and the baths.
A statue of the emperor sat in the main apse. He was honored with ceremonies and sacrifices. The pediments held more statues. A Greek inscription dedicated the space to Caracalla and Geta, and their mother, Julia Domna.
Another inscription indicates that the hall was gilded by two women of consular rank. One of them was Claudia Antonina Sabina, whose sarcophagus was found in Sardis and is on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Also, columns in the Marble Court featured both Ionic and Corinthian capitals.
Baths
Finally, to the west of the Marble Hall were the baths. The room closest to the Marble Hall held the frigidarium (cold pool) where the bathing process was completed. To the west were two more rooms, the tepidarium (warm pool) and the caldarium (hot pool). Walking through the bath complex in what was probably the tepidarium is another dedicatory inscription in Greek.
Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis in Sardis is one of the largest temples of the ancient world. It’s located at a site south of the main section of the city.
The Temple of Artemis was built in the 3rd century BC during the Hellenistic period. Only the main building was constructed at that time, with two rows of interior columns supporting the roof.
The Romans enlarged the temple in the 1st or 2nd century. They divided the main building into two rooms and cut a doorway between the wall. The interior columns were removed and replaced with statues of Roman emperors and their wives.
The Romans started a colonnade at the east end of the temple but it was never finished. The fluted columns on pedestals were probably Hellenistic columns removed from the original building. Foundations were also laid for columns on the north and south sides but were never begun.
The decline of the cult of Artemis coincided with the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire in the 4th century. The Temple of Artemis probably went out of use in the 390s after Emperor Theodosius I ordered the closing of pagan temples. It had fallen into disrepair by the 7th century and many of its stones were recycled in other buildings or burned for lime.
When Italian antiquarian Cyriacus of Ancona (1391-c. 1453) visited Sardis in 1444, only 12 of the original 20 or so columns were still standing. By 1750, it was only six, and by 1907, it was two. At that time, the temple was buried by ten meters of earth.
Excavation of the Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was excavated between 1910 and 1914 by American archaeologist Howard Crosby Butler (1872-1922) and his team from Princeton University. All but two of the columns have been re-erected.
Between 1914 and 2014, lichens and bacteria began growing on the temple, turning it black. Archaeologists developed a new technique to disinfect it with a mild biocide. This killed the microorganisms without harming the marble.
Altar of Artemis
The oldest part of the Temple of Artemis is the Altar of Artemis, which sits on the west side. The altar was where rituals and ceremonies would take place. The original altar was probably built by the Achaemenid Persians in the 5th century BC. It consisted of limestone steps on all four sides leading up to a platform. Another altar was built around it, this time with marble steps on only the west side. Those steps were replaced with travertine blocks during restoration of the altar between 2010 and 2012. This helped protect the original foundations.
The altar faced the temple directly and is almost connected to it. Normally, the altar would face away from a Greek temple. Archaeologists believe the altar may have even served as the main entrance to the temple in its final years.
Honorary Stele
A few stelae were situated on the left side of the altar. During excavations, a few were found in their original places. Some of them even had Lydian inscriptions. One of the stelae at the site honors Apphion, a priestess of Artemis.
Byzantine Church
Behind the unfinished colonnade to the southeast of the temple is a small Byzantine church (Church M). It was built of brick and rubble, probably in the late 4th century. The church was later abandoned in the 7th century.
The church was discovered in a well-preserved state in 1911. It may have been used by local families. Also, if you look closely at eastern sections of the temple, you might spot crosses and Christian symbols carved into the marble.
The church was built in two phases. The first structure was a small rectangular building with an apse. It had a door that led to another room on the north side, of which only the foundations remain.
Later, a larger apse was built five meters behind the original apse. It had an arched window. Doors on the north and south allowed access to the second apse.
Unexcavated Area
Finally, when I climbed up a hill to the northeast of the Temple of Artemis, I spotted a few ancient remains and a wall. It looked like an unexcavated area near the temple, which made me wonder how much more there is to uncover in Sardis.
