About Termessos
On the steep slopes of Mount Güllük, Termessos combines natural defences with monumental remains in woodland. Its cliff-facing theatre, agora, cisterns and rich necropolis show a city skilfully adapted to mountain terrain.
History
Ancient sources associate its people with the Pisidian Solymi. In 333 BCE, Alexander continued his campaign without besieging the city, adding to its reputation for inaccessibility. Termessos retained a distinct political identity in Hellenistic times and established friendly relations with Rome, gaining substantial internal autonomy. Theatre, baths, waterworks and tombs developed in the Roman period. Severe earthquakes and problems with the water supply contributed to abandonment in late antiquity.
Highlights and principal structures
- Mountain theatre
- Agora and stoas
- Bouleuterion
- Large cisterns
- Gymnasium and bath
- Tomb of Alcetas
- Necropolis
Historical period
Classical–Hellenistic–Roman