| Didyma |
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| Didymaion - Temple of Apollo |
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The
first temple to occupy this site was built about the 8th Century B.C..
The greater part of the original 'Archaic' Didymaeon was completed in
the 6th century B.C. but most of this structure lies beneath the later
Hellenistic structure that one sees today. It bore many similarities
with the temples at Ephesus and Samos, built at about the same time. It
was substantial, a double row of columns 21by 8 surrounding a
solid cella. After the Ionian rebellion the Persians, having won the
battle of Lade devastated the Didymaion and Miletos. |
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rebuilding of the 'Hellenistic' Didymaion that is seen today was
started by Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th century B.C.
and Seleukos 1, King of Syria, helped with the construction and
brought back a cult statue of Apollo from Ekbatana. The architects were
Paionios and Daphnis, the latter being the architect of the artemision
in Ephesus. It was bigger than the earlier temple and almost as big as
the Artemision. It was third in size in the ancient world to this and
the Heraion on Samos. It was now 21 by 11 columns. Construction
continued throughout the third and second centuries B.C. and was only
finished in Roman times. |
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Adyton or Sacred courtyard in Didymaion |
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| Steps to chresmographeon - oracle room |
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A
naiskos lies within a sunken unroofed cella within the temple. Only the
foundations of the naiskos remain but it was within this that the
bronze statue of Apollo resided. The surrounding walls of the sekos ,
built towards the end of the construction were 25m in height. The
pilasters of this wall were capped with a frieze of griffins many
of which still lie scattered around. It was open to the sky. At the top
of the steps at the eastern end was a room where the oracle of Apollo
was delivered and written. The supporting pillar on the south of this
doorway is the largest monolith in antiquity. It weighs 70tons.
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Medusa head portion of frieze |
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busts of deities (Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, and Leto) on the two corners
of the outer row of columns and the associated capitals were decorated
with also with the heads of griffins and bulls. The medusa heads
forming the frieze over the architrave of the outer row of columns were
completed in 2nd century A.D. and are most likely to have been figured
by craftsmen in Aphrodisias. |
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