Priene

Lying 30 km south of Kusadasi, on the foot-hills of Mycale Mountain, and within the Meander River flood plane, the ancient city of Priene was once situated on the sea coast but now lies some miles inland. Similarly to the city of Miletus, Priene was filled with alluvium brought down by the Meander River. Founded by Ionians under Aegyptus, Priene flourished around 550 BC, but was soon captured by Cyrus of Persia in 545 BC. Around 300 BC it was a center for congresses and festivals of the Ionian League.

Later Priene became a Roman city, then Byzantine, and was still of big importance when captured by the Turks in the late 1200s. Due to the fact that gradually the alluviums from the Meander River started to fill the harbor of Priene, the Romans did not put so much importance to the city and refrained from building here when they conquered the area. Thus, what remains in Priene are Hellenistic ruins. The ruins include the once exquisite Temple of Athena, destroyed by an earthquake in the Middle Ages. The Temple was in fact the model for a book on design by its architect Pytheos. Attractive smaller buildings at the site include the council house, complete with altar used for sacrifices before each city council meeting, and the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Earth Mother, and her daughter, Core, where sacrifices were made to the gods of the underworld. Portions of the great walls (2 meters thick) that surrounded the city are still easily visible. The gymnasium and stadium were on the lower slopes of the hill, below the table land.