Welcome to our website
We intend it to be a resource by which Friends may easily access information relating to the wonderful site of Aphrodisias. This is particularly needed as Aphrodisias has no website of its own.
This website is still (and may always be!), like Aphrodisias itself, under construction. We would love your feedback, please use the Contact Us form.
This website is still (and may always be!), like Aphrodisias itself, under construction. We would love your feedback, please use the Contact Us form.
The Ancient City of Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias was a Greek city established in the 1st C BC in Caria (S W Turkey) within the Roman province of Asia Minor. It lies in the Maeander river basin, 230 kilometres southeast of the port of ancient Smyrna (Izmir). It was particularly dear to Octavian (later the emperor Augustus). The city was near a marble quarry and was renowned for its sculptors. Until about the 4th C AD it was a centre for the cult of Aphrodite. Later the temple was converted to a church by the Byzantine Christians. The city was abandoned in the 7th C AD after a major earthquake.
The Archaeological Site
Aphrodisias is one of the most important Graeco-Roman sites in Turkey. Today, many of the city's ancient monuments remain standing, and excavations have unearthed an unusual number of marble statues and inscriptions, as well as buildings and other artifacts.
Major excavations commenced in 1961 under the auspices of New York University, directed by Kenan Erim, and continue today with the Director of Excavations being Professor R.R.R. Smith of the University of Oxford.
The archaeological site of Aphrodisias was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 41st World Heritage Committee session held in Kraków on 9 July 2017.
For maps of the site, excavation history, and principal monuments, please explore either the New York or Oxford web sites.
Major excavations commenced in 1961 under the auspices of New York University, directed by Kenan Erim, and continue today with the Director of Excavations being Professor R.R.R. Smith of the University of Oxford.
The archaeological site of Aphrodisias was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 41st World Heritage Committee session held in Kraków on 9 July 2017.
For maps of the site, excavation history, and principal monuments, please explore either the New York or Oxford web sites.
The Friends of Aphrodisias
The Friends of Aphrodisias Trust (a UK charity) has the following principal aims:
- to support ongoing excavations and research
- to disseminate the findings
- to raise awareness of the importance of this well preserved Hellenistic and Roman site.
Other Supporting Organisations
A number of other organisations are involved in supporting the excavation and conservation work, including:
- Geyre Vakfı, Istanbul
- American Friends of Aphrodisias
- Aphrodisias Sevenler, Izmir
- Association des Amis d'Aphrodisias, Paris