About Aizanoi
At Çavdarhisar, Aizanoi stands out for its Temple of Zeus on a high podium, combined theatre and stadium, and macellum bearing an ancient price edict. Stone bridges over the Penkalas stream still connect the ancient settlement with the modern town.
History
Settlement around Aizanoi dates back to the Bronze Age. The city developed between the kingdoms of Pergamon and Bithynia during the Hellenistic period. Under Rome, it became a prosperous rural centre supported by grain, wool and livestock. Major monuments, including the Temple of Zeus, theatre-stadium complex and bridges, were built in the second century CE. Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices, inscribed on the macellum, is an important document of the late Roman economy. Reuse of the temple and surrounding buildings in Byzantine and Turkish times created a multilayered townscape.
Highlights and principal structures
- Temple of Zeus
- Theatre-stadium complex
- Macellum
- Roman bridges
- Baths
- Sanctuary of Meter Steunene
Historical period
Hellenistic–Roman–Byzantine