Knidos, Knidos (Κνίδος, also Stadia and Triopia) - a colony of Lacedaemonians on the Triopian Cape of the Carian Chersonesos, built partly in Asia Minor, partly on an island connected to the land by a dam, with two harbors, one of which was intended for the military, the other for merchant ships … When you stand on the dam, from the north and from the south you are surrounded by two different bays. If the wind blows on one side and the sea is agitated, then the opposite side is completely calm.
It is not known exactly where the border of the water areas of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas lies, but by all accounts, the border point is located exactly at the tip of the Datca Peninsula, exactly where the city of Knidos was located. A large trading city, the center of the cult of Aphrodite, one of the six members of the Doric Union, the site of the Doric Games
Old Knidos (Burgaz)
Cnidus is already mentioned in the Homeric hymns. In ancient times, the Cnidians, who considered themselves descendants of the Lacedaemonians (Spartans), had already colonized the Aeolian Islands and Korcula in the Adriatic.
Initially, Knidos was founded by the Dorians in the area of the town of Burgaz, located on Cape Dalajak, 1.5 kilometers from modern Datca. Knidos was the center of six cities founded by the Dorians (Halicarnassus in Bodrum, Kos on Istankoy (Kos), Ialysos, Kamiros and Lindos on Rhodes). These six cities were named the Dorian League. In the 7th century BC. the city became more and more developed and populated.
Herodotus reports that when the Persian conqueror Garpagus conquered Ionia, the inhabitants of Knidos wanted to dig an isthmus of 5 stadia that connected them with the mainland in order to turn the Triopian cape into an island of the Aegean Sea, but were stopped in this endeavor by the Delphic Pythia and surrendered without resistance to the Persians. (see Benchik)
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This city was the center of all the scientific, religious and sporting events of the cities of the Dorian League and was the center of the Dorian festivals (Dorian Games). After the transfer of Knidos to Cape Cryo, the old city was not completely abandoned. It continued its existence under the name of Stadia. Burgaz is located on a small peninsula 12 meters above sea level. The perimeter of the 400-meter-long peninsula is surrounded by a city wall. During the walk, your attention will be attracted by the scattered fragments of pottery. Excavation and restoration work continues at the site of the ruins. In this city, viticulture, the production of wine and olive oil were greatly developed, which shows the places of production and storage of these products that are often found in the city. Some of the collapsed buildings belong to just such buildings.
Traces of Old Knidos are also found in the Sarah harbor area, south of Datca, near the road to Emecik. The most important find here is the Temple of Apollo. During the excavations carried out, traces of a temple and a church belonging to later times were also found.
Then, in the interests of developing trade, the city was moved to Cape Cryo, at the very tip of the peninsula.
"New" Knidos 29 km. from Datca there is a "new" Knidos. You can reach Knidos by boat or, more recently, by car. "Old" Knidos was founded in 700 BC. Carians in the Burgaz Valley, located 2 km. from the sea. The city initially developed and grew rich due to agriculture, but the development of trade made it necessary to relocate the city in 360 BC. to a more strategically advantageous place - to the very tip of the Datca Peninsula.
Ancient Knidos, built on terraces, like a giant theater rising from the coast to the acropolis, was described by the Greek historian Strabo as "a city built for the most beautiful goddess Aphrodite on the most beautiful peninsula." This description refers to a new city on Cape Cryo (modern Tur. Deveboinu). Cape Deveboinu was created by nature as an island. The strait, separating the cape from the rocky island lying directly opposite, was blocked by the townspeople with a dam, thereby creating two bays. Artificial harbors were formed on both sides of the embankment. The northern harbor was used for military purposes, there were observation towers and the entrance was blocked by a chain. Now the northern bay has become shallow due to the sand brought by the constant north wind, and is suitable only for small boats. One of the observation towers, the one in the south, has survived to this day. The wider southern harbor was used as a port for merchant ships. If necessary, for example, in an attack by an enemy fleet, the entrance to a military base, which could accommodate up to 20 combat triremes, could be completely blocked from the sea, and ships along a 10-meter wide canal could be transferred to another bay. Some journalists write that it was just such a tactic that the commander of the Persian fleet used when he defeated the Spartan fleet in the naval battle of Knidos. In fact, this battle did not take place here, but near the old Knidos, not far from the present town of Datca. During the Peloponnesian (Corinthian) War, Knidos hesitated between the warring parties. In 394. BC. "Athenian" naval commander Konon under Knidos won, commanding the Persian fleet, a victory over the Lacedaemonians. 394 BC,which involved 120 Spartan triremes under the command of Pisander and a much larger Persian fleet under the command of Pharnabazus and the Athenian Konon. Pisander was defeated and killed, his fleet was destroyed. Thus, Persia restored its power in the Greek cities of Asia Minor, and the sea power of Sparta was undermined. In history, this remains a shameful example of how political divisions between the Greek poleis placed all Greek settlements in Asia Minor under the rule of the Persians. In commemoration of the victory in the battle, two marble lions were sculptured by the famous sculptor. Each weighs approximately six tons. They were assigned to guard the tomb of the heroes who fell in the battle. The tomb had the appearance of a large square with a round interior and a pyramidal stepped roof. This architecture is undoubtedlywas inspired by the Mausoleum of King Mausoleum in nearby Halicarnassus. The tomb was located on a steep coastal cliff, which drops abruptly from a height of 60 meters into the sea. The lion's eyes were originally made of colored glass and, according to contemporaries, were very expressive. Then, after transferring the city to the extremity of the peninsula, they decorated the breakwaters of the harbor, and the incoming ships saw in their appearance the greatness of the ancient city. Lions were found in 1859 by architect Richard Pullan, who was a member of Charles Newton's expedition to Asia Minor. Newton was responsible for acquiring this and many other pieces of Greek sculpture and architecture for the Museum. Unfortunately, one of the lions was lost in transit, and the remaining one greets all visitors menacingly at the entrance to the British Museum. Ancient Knidos was a rich and famous city,which was recorded in the Treasure Chamber of the Apollo Sanctuary at Delphi, where he regularly received rich donations. Knidos was a major trade center and famous for its wine. But nevertheless, the residents of the city made a much greater contribution to the development of medicine, science and art. Sostratus was born in Knidos, the architect who built the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the wonders of the world), the scientist Jovdoks (4th century BC), the astronomer who was the first to calculate the circumference of the Earth and founded the observatory in Knidos. In Knidos he built the world's first marble solar clock in the shape of an armchair, showing the season and time of day. The sculptor Praxitel became famous for creating the first nude antique sculpture - Aphrodite of Knidos. She stood in the center of the temple, which stood in a beautiful garden on the steep bank overlooking the northern bay. In the 4th century BC.the statue was one of the first statues of a nude woman (until that time there were only male nude statues). Unfortunately, only the foundation remained from the temple. The Byzantines transported the statue to Constantinople, where it was later burned down in a fire. The most successful copy of this beautiful statue is in the Vatican Museum. According to its plan, the current Knidos does not differ at all from the ancient one. The famous military and commercial bays of the city are immediately visible, as well as streets, terraced above the sea. The remains of the famous artificial canal that once connected the bays, which made it possible to easily transfer combat triremes and repel enemy attacks from both the east and west, have also survived. The historian Strabo compared this city, gradually rising from the coast to the acropolis, to a theater. Private houses were built on the isthmus separating the two harbors. Slopes,slightly rising from the coast towards the acropolis, were given over to buildings that housed government and social services. Four main avenues, which were up to 10 meters wide, stretched from east to west, parallel to one above the other. For communication between the avenues, inclined staircases were built, forming special streets. The city was surrounded by walls 4 kilometers long. The wall started from the military port, bypassed the acropolis and reached the commercial port. The most beautiful point of the ruins is the Temple of Aphrodite (Aphrodite Euploia), located between the two ports. The building, built according to a circular plan, was 17 meters in diameter and stood in a beautiful garden on a steep bank overlooking the northern bay … The statue of Aphrodite was inside the temple. When the doors opened, the goddess seemed to be meeting you. Now only the pedestal remains of the statue. The temple of Aphrodite was dedicated to the goddess, who was revered not only as the goddess of love, but also as the protector of sailors and fishermen - everyone who traveled to the sea. There was also a "brothel" at the temple, in which the priestesses engaged in "sacred" prostitution. Whether the offering of the pilgrims was rich or modest, the grace of the Goddess of love equally descended on everyone through the priestesses of this sanctuary. It was not allowed to refuse, and it was not accepted to refuse. Now only a round marble base of the building remains of the temple and a heart-shaped alley has been preserved, framed by an arcade of white marble columns. The sculpture of Aphrodite has come down to us only in the form of Roman copies. (see Aphrodite of Knidos) There were also two theaters in Knidos - Lower and Upper. The lower theater, built on the very shore of the southern bay, accommodated about 8 thousand people. It has been perfectly preserved to this day. The bright white marble steps-benches, as if polished by the sun, amaze the imagination, as well as the perfectly preserved acoustics. The Upper Theater was much larger and was located higher up the slope. But its whereabouts can only be found on a special plate. They did not even begin to excavate the theater, its contours can only be guessed by the shape of a semicircular slope and rare stones protruding above the ground. At the very top of the hill was the Temple of Apollo and it seemed that the city was like a theater. The Temple of Corinth, located directly above the small theater, is the work of the architect Stratos. Along the road leading to the Temple of Apollo, a church was built on the foundations of one of the Dorian temples during early Christianity. Even now, you can see colored mosaics on the floor of the church. The work on the restoration of the Stoa, which began in 1996, has already been completed by two-thirds; the Stoa dates back to the 3rd century BC. and belongs to the work of the architect Sostratos. In this building, 113 meters long and 16 meters wide, small rooms measuring 5 x 3.80 meters were built. All of them are directed with their windows to the south. The finds found during excavations are exhibited in a small museum located in the city. In the years 1857-59. the ruins of Cnidus were investigated by the British under the leadership of Newton; their main find was a marble statue of Demeter. During excavations in the 1970s. archaeologists uncovered a round Doric temple of Aphrodite, in which the pedestal of the legendary statue of Aphrodite of Cnidus was discovered. During the excavations, they also discovered "Buleuteriy" - the building of the city council, an elected body, which suggests the presence,in certain periods, the democratic order in ancient Knidos. Also at an altitude of 284 m. Above sea level in Knidos was the city Acropolis. Until 412 BC. e. Cnidus sided with Athens in the wars with Sparta, then ruled by the citizens themselves in the spirit of democracy, in the 3rd century AD. recognized the power of the Ptolemies. In Roman times, Knidos retained autonomy, depopulated by the 7th century. AD As with other coastal settlements in Anatolia in the 7th century AD, during the Arab invasion and the subsequent earthquake, life in this area ended. Now on the site of the ancient city there is no settlement, except for the house of the family of the caretakers of this museum in the open air, a restaurant for yachtsmen (however, they are absurdly large due to the lack of competition) and a small gendarmerie department, which also carries out border service: after all, it is very close,in a direct line of sight, - Greece, a group of islands, the largest of which is Kos - the birthplace of the healer Hippocrates. The abandonment of Knidos has a special charm. There are no clear tourist routes, narrow paths trodden by goats and rare tourists often hang from terraces over the sea and are littered with the remains of antique columns and statues. Signs installed in all places will facilitate your walk through the ruins. The only drawback is that the general city plan is made in English only. The amazingly transparent blue sea will be a reward for those who can conquer all the nooks and crannies of the ancient city from top to bottom. Author: ZigZagtrodden by goats and rare tourists, they often hang from terraces over the sea and are littered with the remains of antique columns and statues. Signs installed in all places will facilitate your walk through the ruins. The only drawback is that the general city plan is made in English only. The amazingly transparent blue sea will be a reward for those who can conquer all the nooks and crannies of the ancient city from top to bottom. Author: ZigZagtrodden by goats and rare tourists, they often hang from terraces over the sea and are littered with the remains of antique columns and statues. Signs installed in all places will facilitate your walk through the ruins. The only drawback is that the general city plan is made in English only. The amazingly transparent blue sea will be a reward for those who can conquer all the nooks and crannies of the ancient city from top to bottom. Author: ZigZag