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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Panionion |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Sanctuary |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Aegean |
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Province:
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Aydin |
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District:
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Söke |
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Village:
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Davutlar |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Archaic Classical |
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| Location: Panionion is situated 15 km north of the ancient city of Priene near the Mount Mykale on the Dilek Peninsula. It is within the borders of the Davutlar Town of the Söke District in Aydin. |
| Geography and Environment: According to Herodotus, Mykale is a promotory of the mainland extending to the west towards Samos; and Panionion is located on the northern section of this promontory. Strabo says that Panionion is three stadia from the sea, and it is the land of Pan-Ionia. And, surveys conducted by German archaeologists showed that Panionion was founded on the highest hills, which are approximately 750 m high, on the Mount Mykale. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The localization of Panionion was made following recovery of an inscription that was dated to the second half of the 4th century BC and referred to the name of the city in 1673 in the Güzelçamli Village (Chandler saw the same inscription in a church on the shore in 1764; but the inscription was lost after the church was demolished). In 1900 U. von Wilamowitz-Moellendorf reached the conclusion that Panionion of the Ionians was probably Melia, which was a Carian settlement based on ancient sources. Then in 1904 the first archaeologist to excavate Miletus and Priene, Th. Wiegand discovered a stepped semi-circular building and an altar which he believed to be the remains of this legendary Greek sanctuary on the Otomatik Hill to the east of Güzelçamli. In 1950s, a second excavation was initiated under the direction of G. Kleiner and P. Hommel, but no Archaic remains related with Carians or Ionians were uncovered. In late 1960s, Lohmann paid his initial visit to the area, 15 km north of the present Priene. In late 2004 H. Lohmann et al. from the Institute for Archaeological Sciences at Ruhr University in Germany claimed that they discovered the common sanctuary of the Ionian Confederacy, the so-called Panionion, previously unlocated, but referred by ancient historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Architecture: Based on a few preserved architectural elements, it was found out the temple was built around 540 BC. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: It is very likely that some of the Ionian Federation states decided to destroy Melia (Güzelçamli) around in 700s BC, and divided its land among neighbouring cities. As a result of this division, the Temple of Poseidon Helikonios became a property of Ionian Federation. Subsequently called as Panionion, the temple was used as a common worshipping site by Ionians and the representatives of cities hold meetings, and festivities for celebrating their feast of the Panionia. Diodorus states that nine cities participated in these celebrations instead of twelve. Herodotus, on the other hand, says that the Ionians agreed upon isolation of other cities and that it became a tradition of the cities of the Ionian Federation to assemble here over time to celebrate the Panionia. Strabo says that Panionion was a place where traditional festivals of the Ionians were held each year, and sacrifices were performed in honour of the Heliconian Poseidon. The cult of Poseidon Helikonios is also mentioned in the Iliad of Homer. However, the life of the Panionium was very brief. It seems to have been destroyed about 40 years after its construction during the battle between the Ionians and the Persians under the command of Darius I, who also destroyed Miletus in 494 BC. This event prepared the end of the Panionion cult and the Ionian Confederacy. |
