Pessinus Archaeological Sitevisitor guide.

PESSINUS ANCIENT CITY Located in the village of Ballıhisar, 13 km southwest of Sivrihisar district in Eskişehir. Excavations at the city were initiated on behalf of Belgium's Ghent University in 1967–1973 by Prof. Dr. Pierre Lambrechts, continued in 1987–2008 by Prof. Dr. J. Devreker, and carried out between 2009 and 2013 by Prof. Dr. Gocha R. Tsetskhladze from the University of Melbourne in Australia. Pessinus experienced its most magnificent period during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). Along with the monumental temple, whose construction commenced after Augustus's death and was completed under Emperor Tiberius (14–37 AD), structures with differing plans, workshops, residential houses, and a church belonging to the Christian Period were unearthed in the city. The area where the temple stands accommodates the Stepped Theater, Bouleuterion, Agora (Porticoed Square), and a colonnaded street. Furthermore, an 8,000-seat theater built under Emperor Hadrian (117–138 AD) on the slope of the hill to the east of the city—where only the cavea hollow and several rows of seats can be seen today—is located here. Pessinus, an important Galatian city of Phrygian origin during the Roman Imperial Period, began to lose its significance in the 9th century AD and was completely abandoned several centuries later. Artifacts uncovered during excavations and collected from the surrounding area are displayed in the Open-Air Exhibition in Ballıhisar Village and in the Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum. Temple: Completed during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14–37 AD), the temple is in the Corinthian order. Designed on a peripteral plan, it is thought to have possessed 6 columns on its short sides and 11 columns on its long sides, with two columns between the antae. Foundation remains measure 24.10 m x 13.70 m externally. Foundations of the pronaos and the innermost rectangular cella—the most sacred room housing the cult statue of the deity—are shared, measuring 17.15 m x 9.15 m. The temple is thought to have rested on a podium with five or six steps. Plinth steps, cella wall blocks, column drums, Corinthian capitals, architraves, friezes, cornices, and roof fragments of the superstructure are scattered across the surroundings of the temple and throughout the village. Stepped Theater: Featuring an orchestra in front of the steps reserved for religious or other performances, this structure is known as the Stepped Theater due to its design uniting monumental steps with a theater. Originally comprising 30 steps, 26 steps have survived, measuring 11.51 m below and 11.75 m above. The theater connects the temple to the Agora (Porticoed Square) below. Bouleuterion (City Council Assembly Place): Dated to the Severan Period (193–235 AD) and called Severus Theater, this structure was built over the orchestra of the Stepped Theater. Elliptical in shape with 6 marble seating rows and central steps, it was used as a Bouleuterion (City Council Assembly Place). Stonemason marks like 'K', 'Γ', 'Λ', 'A', and 'M' can be seen on blocks of local marble. Agora (Porticoed Square): Built under Claudius (41–54 AD), the agora consists of a public square enclosed on three sides by porticoes below the temple and the Stepped Theater. In its current excavated state, the square is 32 m long and 26.38 m wide. All three excavated sides feature three steps each, with portico columns standing on the upper step. Some columns and bases remain in situ. The Agora connects with the colonnaded street along the Gallos River. DOWNLOAD MUSEUM BROCHURE NEARBY MUSEUMS MIDAS YAZILIKAYA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ETİ ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM