Sagalassos, Turkey

Sagalassos - details and images

Sagalassos is located in southwestern Türkiye, near the town of Ağlasun in Burdur Province, on the southern slopes of the Taurus Mountains. The ancient city was built at high altitude, in a mountainous area overlooking the surrounding agricultural territories. The region was inhabited long before the development of the urban centre, and some ancient and Hittite sources are associated with earlier settlements in this area. Sagalassos gradually developed into one of the principal cities of Pisidia and later became an important centre under Roman administration.

The city came into direct contact with the army of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, when the inhabitants of the region resisted the Macedonian conquest. During the following centuries, Pisidia passed successively under the control of several Hellenistic states, while Sagalassos became increasingly influenced by Greek culture. After the region was integrated into the Roman political system, the city experienced a period of economic and urban development. Agriculture in the surrounding territories, the production of oil and grain and local clay resources supported the economy of the urban centre.

The monumental area preserves several important buildings from the Roman period. These include the Upper Agora, the Lower Agora, public baths, temples, a library, a theatre and monumental fountains. One of the best-known structures is the Antonine Fountain, built in the 2nd century CE and restored in modern times using numerous original elements. The theatre, positioned on the mountain slope, could accommodate several thousand spectators. Fragments of large imperial statues associated with Roman emperors and members of imperial families have also been discovered at the site.

Sagalassos was also an important centre of pottery production. Local workshops manufactured for approximately one thousand years a category of fine pottery known as Sagalassos Red Slip Ware. These products were distributed throughout Anatolia and other areas of the eastern Mediterranean, while archaeological research has identified dozens of kilns and production areas. The continuity of this activity provides information about the organisation of crafts and the role of local production in the economy of a provincial Roman city.

The city continued to be inhabited after the Roman period, but earthquakes, epidemics and economic changes gradually caused the population to decline. During the 6th and 7th centuries, several urban areas were abandoned, while settlement became restricted to smaller and more easily defended sectors. Some communities remained in the area until the 13th century. The isolated position of the site and the gradual covering of the ruins by layers of soil contributed to the preservation of a large number of original architectural elements. For this reason, Sagalassos is important for the study of the development of a provincial Roman city and the transition to the Byzantine period. The site has been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 2009.

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