Patara and Saturnalia

What does Patara have to do with Saturn? 

Nothing... and everything!  The little village of Patara had a major impact on many of today's democracies.  But Patara has had another major impact. What is Patara's link to a festival in honour of the Roman god Saturn, after whom we have named a day of the week (Saturday), a planet and a car.

Patara's Most Famous Citizen

Patara had one famous citizen that everyone knows. Born on 15 March 270 CE, several legends abound about his charity ‒ but who knows which are true. Perhaps the most well-known was his anonymously helping a man who did not have a dowry to marry his three daughters. In those days if you did not have a dowry, they would not have married but would have become prostitutes. 

 

Knowing the father would not accept charity, he left a bag of gold in the man's house for each daughter as they came of age.  To avoid being found out he dropped the second and third packages down the chimney.  One variant said the bag fell into shoes ‒ or was it stockings being hung to dry?

 

He became bishop of the city of Myra (called Demre today). He helped convene the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, which formulated the New Testament, and later was made a saint.  Patara was the birthplace of Saint Nicolas. Our present day name comes from Sinterklaas, Dutch for Saint Nicolas.  He is known to us as Santa Claus.  So Santa Claus has a Turkish origin ‒ wow!  

Saturnalia

Harvest Festival

In fact, Christmas is not Christian in origin.  The Roman festival of Saturnalia celebrated the harvest and the end of ever shorter days, the winter solstice.  Saturn was the god of agriculture and wealth.  The Temple of Saturn in Rome was the treasury of the Roman Empire ‒ food was wealth in ancient times. 

 

Saturn (or Cronus in Ancient Greek) was the god of agriculture.  One of his main symbols is the sickle of Father Time, which is not only an agricultural tool but a remnant of Cronus, which means time.  That is because delineating the seasons (time) is very important to agriculture. 

Saturnalia consisted of gift-giving, partying, drinking, and singing in the streets.  Romans even served supper to their slaves and gave them gifts. Homes were decorated with wreaths and greenery.  It was a Festival of Lights except that candles were used.  People spent weeks preparing and buying for Saturnalia.  Sound familiar?  Conspicuous consumption is not a modern invention. 

This festival was so popular it grew from one day to one week, taking in the winter solstice on December 24th (after the calendar was adjusted) and ending with Sol Invictus on December 25th.   As this was the beginning of longer days it is apropos to think of this as the re-birth of the sun god, Apollo, whose influence we have already seen in the Didyma and the God Apollo post.

 

Nativity Scene, Santa Maria d'Aracoeli, Rome

In the year 375 CE, Pope Julius I declared the birth of Jesus as December 25th.  Was this done to align it with the birthday of Apollo? Perhaps, but it is more likely to align it with the most powerful alternative religion, Mithraism.  

Saturnalia was just too popular to stop. It was easier to convince pagans to convert to Christianity by recasting Saturnalia as Christmas. This policy of cultural assimilation is reinforced by how many pagan temples became churches.  The Vatican itself was built on the ruins of a Mithraic Temple.  Why not build churches somewhere else?

Thotsakan, the Green Giant, Wat Arun

If you are still skeptical, just look at how often this happens around the world.  Look at how the Buddhists incorporated spirits and superstitions in Thailand and Burma.  So demons like Thotsakan in the photo of Wat Arun (Bangkok) became defenders of Budhha.  He is the King of the Demons from the epic Hindu story, the Ramayana.  Buddhism included major aspects of Hinduism into their religion.  This was a strategy for converting people to their faith.  It is very common to all human culture.
 



Pantheon, Temple of All the Gods

In order to convert the pagans, the early Christians in the Roman Empire took over many pagan customs, festivals and temples.  They reinterpreted these customs so they became a vital part of Christianity Thus the people could continue the festival of Saturnalia that they loved so much, which became Christmas.    

 

The pagan mother goddess became Mary.  The most famous and still in use building of Ancient Rome, the Pantheon, or Temple of All the Gods, became the church of St. Mary, Mother of God.  An ancient festival of the dead became Halloween.  All Popes use the title Pontifex Maximus, the title of the chief priest of the Ancient Roman religion. 

The Pantheon was also the first use of concrete in the world!!! 

Didyma and the God Apollo

Didyma

Temple of Apollo, Didyma

Didyma is important for the Temple of Apollo, one of the most famous oracles in the ancient world and equal in importance to the oracle at Delphi in Greece.  This was also one of the first Ionic temples to be built (mid-sixth century BC) in the world.

Day 10C: By the way, the signs for the archeology sites on this minor road from Priene and Miletus were very good. The signs for our last destination always stated Didyma (the Greek name, though maps will state Didim, the Turkish name) until you get to the final turn off to the left where it states Temple of Apollo. This road leads to a parking lot where the city wants you to park (TRY 6). Meanwhile, there is another road that goes right beside the temple, where the locals park (free) for the site or the restaurants. So if you have a disability or injury do the same.

You can see the temple, which is below ground level, from the outside on the park-like sidewalk. But walking among the massive columns gives you a better sense of the immense size of this temple. There are also very good explanatory signs around the site.
 

Apollo the God

Why is the oracle at Delphi and Didyma a temple to Apollo? Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the huntress Artemis. Interestingly, Didyma means "twin". Apollo is the god of oracles, truth, prophecy, plague, sun, light, art, music, poetry, and knowledge. Wow, what isn’t he the god of?  In art Apollo is often depicted as a handsome, clean shaven and perennially young man. Emperors were portrayed as the Sun God on coins. Sometimes, sculptures of emperors were rendered with the features of Apollo.  

 

Konarak Temple on Stone Wheels (below doorway)

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities. The gods of Classical Greek, Roman, and Viking religion are derived from a common heritage. That is because these deities are related to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) people (formerly called Aryans) who migrated from the Caspian Sea area east to India and west to Turkey. For instance, Apollo is often depicted driving the chariot of the Sun. The Konarak Sun Temple, a WHS in India, was built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya.   

 

So how is Apollo significant to us today? It is said that the date 25th December was selected for Christmas to correspond to the primary Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” at the winter solstice. While some historians challenge this, there is a definite pattern amongst early Christians to associate pagan festivals with Christian customs and to re-purpose and temples as churches for an equivalent Christian meaning. This was the best way to win pagans over to Christianity.  The same technique can be seen in Buddhism in Thailand and Burma.  The concept of giving gifts comes from the Roman festival Saturnalia, which ends on 25th December.
 

Apollo the Temple

The point of its size was to impress viewers. It was going to be 120 columns long but the temple was never completed! What can be more awe-inspiring than massive 65-foot tall columns that were composed of the drums like the ones lining the temple floor end to end as if they planned to re-erect them. How did they ever lift them?  

 

Temple of Athena Nike, Athens

These are Ionic columns, one of the three orders of classical architecture. The columns have a little bulge (entasis) to make them appear straight when viewed from a distance. I always imagined that Ionia was somewhere in mainland Greece. But this area of Turkey from the Island of Chios to Didyma is Ionia. This area invented the Ionic order in the mid-6th century BC. 

 

Dodecagonal Bases with Bas Relief

The Ionic Order sees its supreme expression in the Erechtheion (known for its Porch of the Caryatids) and the Temple of Athena Nike on the Athens Acropolis. It is used throughout the classical world and even in modern architecture; such as, the U.S. Capitol and the Jefferson Memorial.  

 

There were a lot of decorative features that are not usually found on temples. This indicates that the Oracle received a lot of money both from emperors as well as pilgrims. In fact, the surrounding mounds (now covered by the modern streets) were still laden with offerings when they were excavated. The columns (2nd century CE) across the east façade have dodecagonal bases with bas relief panels depicting Nereids, sea creatures, foliage (laurel leaves), meanders, etc.  

 

The Oracle of Didyma

In the middle of the temple platform, tread carefully down a mysterious, steep ramp. This leads to a peaceful, inner courtyard that was open to the outside and had grass and trees as well as the sacred spring that started it all. This was the actual Oracle. It also is the best place for photography in the afternoon because of the nice lighting on the remaining columns. Unfortunately the main entrance to the temple and even views from the sidewalk will be backlit.  

 

Shazie on Homeros Pension Rooftop

Selçuk

Then we returned to Selçuk for supper. This was our last of three nights at Homeros Pension. It was a great choice as a base for visiting this region. We had really enjoyed our host Shazie with whom we had several long chats, especially once on the panoramic roof-top patio. We really liked the folksy, craft-laden rooms.  

 

 

 

Homeros Pension Sitting Room

 

 

 

But best of all, we liked meeting other avid travellers like ourselves. The dining room was ideal for meeting people, especially at meal times. Tonight was no exception as we remained in the dining room long after the end of the meal chatting with the Australian couple who are on an eight-month trip and then talked until 23:00 h with an Argentinian lawyer, who was leaving at that late time.  

 

Are you getting "templed out"? We hope not. The next blog will describe Afrodisias, one of our favourite archaeology sites in Turkey, before we start touring the scenic spots of Turkey.

Miletus & its Roman Theatre

Miletus – What is a Vomitorium?

As you drive south from Priene to Miletus, imagine that when they were thriving cities 2000 years ago, you would now have either been swimming or sinking. Instead of the lake of Bafa Golu, this would have been the bay of Bafa Golu in the Aegean Sea. Miletus would have been 22 km on the other side of this large bay.  Is it worth going here?  This site will help you understand the origin of urban planning we still use today. 

 

Theatre of Miletus

Miletus Theatre

 

The most dramatic feature of Miletus is the huge Hellenistic theatre, built in the 4th century BC. Enlarged under Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century CE, it could seat 25,000 spectators, about as large as the theatre in Ephesus (day 9) – which was one of the largest theatres in Ancient Rome.

 

Is the Vomitorium for Throwing Up?

Day 10B: The Miletus theatre dominates your view as soon as you reach the park entrance. It is massive! But this is a frontal view with harsh lighting and no trees or other frames for photography. It is more interesting and better photography to walk up the road veering to the right, enter the theatre and walk a bit up the stairs. In the photo are four columns: this was the Imperial Box.

 

 

Also walk through the vomitorium, the passages situated inside the theatre behind each tier of seats. No, that is not the room where you throw up! The Latin word vomitorium is derived from the verb “to spew forth” from which comes the English word vomit. Now imagine the huge crowds exiting at the end of a performance. Not exactly the same image!
 

Delphinion Drowning

Delphinion

 
Another evocative place is the now drowned (at least when we were there) Delphinion, which we had all to ourselves. This main temple of Miletus is a shrine to Apollo Delphinios (Apollo of the Dolphins), protector of ships and harbours. With four ports this was a clear need for Miletus. The Delphinion leads onto the processional way to the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. The ancient road is below the water next to the remaining columns of a long corridor.

 

 

 

Miletus, Capital of the Ionian League

Miletus was the unofficial capital of the Ionian League as well as an important centre of learning, especially philosophy and science. In particular, it is the birthplace of two very important people to all travellers. Isidore of Miletus was the architect of Hagia Sophia (day 3).

 

Miletus Rebuilt by Hippodamus

 



What Blossoms are they?

Hippodamus is considered to be the father of urban planning. After the destruction of Miletus by the Persians in 494 BC, Hippodamus rebuilt the city on a gridiron plan, which became the Greek and Roman standard for urban planning. He was also responsible for Piraeus (port of Athens) and Rhodes.

His plan created separated spaces for public and private buildings. Even to this day, the centre of the city is the home to a city's most important civic spaces; such as, shopping centres (agora), government (bouleuterion), theatres, and religious buildings (temples).

Polis

We know of Hippodamus from Aristotle’s important work, Politika. But the word politics in Aristotle’s time meant “things concerning the city". The words politics, policy and police all originate from the Greek word polis, or city. For the same reason, polis is found in many current places names; such as acropolis (upper city), metropolitan, Napoli (actual Italian name for Naples, which was founded by the Greeks who named it Neapolis or new city), Indianapolis, and Tripoli.  

Last but not least, Istanbul was originally simply called Istimbolin by the Greeks meaning “(in) The City”, which was in turn was derived from polis.