Aphrodisias

From quarry to workshop

Aphrodisias's marble quarries and sculpture workshops made it a major art centre in the Roman world. UNESCO notes one of the few systematically excavated Roman sculpture workshops here.

Goddess, makers, spectators

The sanctuary of Aphrodite, Sebasteion, theatre and stadium create an urban rhythm where worship, imperial representation, craft and large gatherings coexisted.

From temple to cathedral

The conversion of the Temple of Aphrodite into a cathedral around AD 500 is a concrete example of changing belief and architectural use. It shows that an older structure was not simply abandoned.

From excavation to conservation

UNESCO's evaluation notes a contemporary focus on conservation, documentation and publication rather than broad new excavation. The site therefore tells a story of caring for existing stone as well as new discoveries.

Research and conservation

Aphrodisias's World Heritage property encompasses city and marble quarries as one whole. This dossier connects the place where stone was extracted with the public monuments it became.

Four sourced layers from the research library

How is the place situated?

The official record places Aphrodisias on a plateau in the Dandalaz or Morsynus Valley and links the city to the marble quarries on the slopes of Babadağ to the northeast. The city and the quarries about two to three kilometres away are connected components of the same World Heritage property but should remain separate map entities.

How do the layers change?

Settlement extends back to the middle of the fifth millennium BCE. The site appeared as a small village in the 6th century BCE, gained polis status in the 2nd century BCE, developed through close relations with Rome and preserved building and inscription layers into the Byzantine period. This sequence does not make every visible structure contemporary.

How was the place inhabited?

From the 1st to the 5th centuries CE, sculptors from Aphrodisias produced signed works known across the Mediterranean world. The proximity of the quarries created a strong relationship between material and skill in buildings, reliefs and sculpture, while the official record does not assign every work to one artisan or workshop.

What can be said today?

Aphrodisias and the ancient marble quarries to its northeast were inscribed together on the World Heritage List in 2017. Current visiting, transport, opening and field conditions must be checked separately through dated official channels.

Connected stops

• Hierapolis-Pamukkale
• Laodikeia
• Miletos

Stories that include this stop

• The bends of Menderes, the voices of Caria
• The memory of marble: Aphrodisias

Sources

• UNESCO · Aphrodisias
• UNESCO · ICOMOS değerlendirmesi
• Afrodisias Antik Kenti