OR, A DAY OF LONG WALKS IN THE SEARING HEAT FOR MY LOVE OF ALL THINGS ANCIENT.
After nearly a week of stress organising myself in Turkiye, I finally got out to see some archaeology! Heaven!
I dragged myself off my makeshift bed on the floor and showered after a lovely cup of tea and first hit the Selcuk Saturday market. I wanted some provisions for a quick breakfast and a picnic lunch and desperately needed a frying pan to make a scramble eggy breakfast.
Although quite early, the market was already bustling with activity, and I went into a silently panicked state, an almost dream-like state of uncertainty. What was it I really wanted again? Until my first purchase, I always feel overwhelmed at these massive bazaars so I made a firm, but possibly erroneous start with a cheap pan and what looked like a child fork. I gritted my teeth and continued on safer territory to a very friendly genuine farmers stall and bought cherries, apples and oranges, all organic. Then safely found a spice stall with all organic stuff including organic freshly pressed olive oil in old coca cola bottles and Himalayan rock salt. Victory I was just short of a snack for lunch in the form of what turned out to be a very inferior cheese pie. With my rucksack full of purchases I went back home. I was yes to find organic cheese or rice or pasta but was feeling out of time before going off on my mission to Klaros by bus.
At home, I unloaded my shopping and gave the pan a check by first boiling some water in it. The result was less than comforting as the water became a dark grey and I feared what metal would be leaching into any food I prepared in it. Note to self to buy some activated charcoal for detoxing my body! Still, I ploughed on feeling anxiety rising. It would seem that only stuff from the farmers is truly safe. None of the cheeses were organic and I think that only once I go back up to my lovely mountain area will I be able to directly purchase pure dairy products.
So off I trot again to the bus station and get a minibus to my nearest point for Klaros. I would walk the rest, it looked so near on the map! On the motorway, we trundled then through the twisty mountain road until voila! My first view of the Aegean and very splendid it was too. My heart lifted, today would be easy. Wrong!
KLAROS
After being unceremoniously kicked off the bus with a curt nod at the opposite side of the road to wait for the bus later back to Selcuk, I reoriented myself and looked apprehensively up at the long straight road heading inland to this bloody mythical Shangrila. I started walking. The heat immediately intensified on this hell road with cars racing past and white dust being blown into my face, this was beginning to feel like a terrible mistake. The more I walked my little grey dot (for I had no WiFi) seemed to be dragging its heels. I asked an old man at a bus stop and he indicated over the road as did a shopkeeper but when I got there I found out it was the headquarters for the site diggers. On I staggered until I saw the sign. Only another 200 metres, not. The country road, dear traveller, you must take after the motorway doubles back for a further kilometre and some. It’s much prettier but as the chirruping of the cicadas will tell you, very hot.
My effort was worth it my friends. This beautiful site, which is still being dug, offers seats under the shade of cypress trees where I sat to recuperate and eat some of my delicious cherries and watermelon. There are brand-new toilets there so no panic about having a wee and it’s well signposted. I was at the point of crying with relief and joy. I’ll now fill you in on the blurb. Some of it is a little confusing, don’t blame me! Also, be aware that the sculptures are copies as Izmir Museum has the originals.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROPHECY CENTRE OF APOLLO KLARIOS (KLAROS)
The story of the establishment of the Prophecy Centre of Apollo Klarios in the ancient sources dated back to the period of the Achaean colonisation of the Country of Kolophon which occurred in the 13th century BC. In the region occurs two overseas migrations. Cretan immigrants who came to the Country of Kolophon under the leadership of Rhakius step into Kolophon by the seaside. However, here they encounter strong resistance from the Karians, the natives, and therefore have been settling down just along the coastline. The second wave of migration to the Country of Kolophon comes from Greece. However, Pausanias says that the new arrivals were Theban people who had to leave their homeland after Thebes was conquered by the Epigones. According to this story, after the fall of the city, the captured natives were offered to Delphoi as slaves. Teiresias the oracle of Apollo and his daughter Manto were among those slaves. The Gods orders the Thebans who were dedicated as slaves to colonize while the mission of establishing a prophecy centre in the country of Kolophon in the name of Apollo was given to Manto. She was married to Rhakius, and the Prophecy Centre of Klaros was found after the order given by Delphoi Apollo. The Centre has become well known during the period of Mopsus, who was the son of Manto and Rhakius or Manto and Apollo. Mopsus was also the oracle of Apollo and took over the task of prophecy from his mother and became an eminent oracle after the Trojan War. After the war, another eminent Achaian oracle Kalchas together with Amphilochos came to Klaros on foot in order to compete with Mopsus.
The Country of Kolophon including Klaros was shaken by the lonian migration once more. The poet Mimnermus (7th century BC) tells about this migration in his famous poem Nanno as follows: “After leaving the rough city Pylos of Neleus, we have arrived in beautiful Asia by ship and settled down in pretty Kolophon with our victory after we have conquered the city with the fatal challenge”. The city that Mimnermus mentions is Kolophon by the Seaside (Notion) and it is understood that the same name originated from the period that the poet lived.
The Information and inscriptions about prophecy centres go back to Hellenistic and Roman Periods. In this sense, it is known that the first personal references to the Sanctuary of Klaros started with Alexander the Great and continued intensely. According to the story: after conquering Smyrna, Alexander the Great falls asleep on Pagos Hill (Kadifekale). In his dream, the goddesses of Nemesis tell him to establish a city where he is sleeping now. Alexander sends one of his generals Lysimachus to Klaros in order to find out what his dream means. This is the first personal reference to Klaros. He gets a reply from God as “Those (locals) who will live in Pagos, outside of Sacred Meles Brook will be happier triple, even quadruple times happier” so he establishes New Smyrna on Pagos. Following Alexander the Great, another personal reference was done by Germanicus adopted child of Roman Emperor Tiberius. According to Tacitus, in the year 18 AD Germanicus who was sent to East by the Roman Senate as an “Imperium Maius” arrives in Klaros and gets down to Adyton of the Temple of Apollo Klarios and asks for a prophecy about his own future. The God’s reply is “a dark future waiting for you” and he dies in Antiocheia one year later after his illness.
People were applying for a prophecy from different regions of Anatolia (Bithynia, Mysia, Troas, Aiolis, Ionia, Lydia, Phrygia and Karia, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Paphlagonia, Kappadokia) besides from many cities of Greece, Thrace and Macedonia, as well as from islands such as islands Khios and Crete, and from Syria, briefly from many places of the ancient world to the Sanctuary of Apollo Klarios. Besides Hellens, the barbarians also could ask for the prophecy to the Sanctuary of Apollo Klarios and this made it popular. With this development, it became the second centre where world citizenship was applied in Asia Minor.
KATAGOGEION
Katagogeion which was first explored by L. Robert is located to the south of the sanctuary and on the west and east of Propylon. The structure found in Klaros is one of the katagogeions which were mentioned by the inscriptions and ancient writers. Klaros Prophecy Center was such a well-known place that delegations and people from the ancient Greek world came for consultation, katagogeions might be interpreted as today’s hostels. Apart from the rooms the katagogeions also contained a kitchen and bath. It was worth noting that the katagogeions were charged and booking was also needed. The inscriptions bear that constant visitors had privileges. For every city bringing a chorus
consisting of seven girls, and boys, was a precondition in order to be a consultant. Thus, every delegation should have comprised of approximately twenty people, in this way, it is possible to visualise the monumentality of katagogeions in Klaros.
Katagogeion excavations restarted in 2004, and discovered seven rooms. Being the only example in Anatolia according to recent research, it has a high importance for the cultural heritage and archaeology.
Although still early days in restoration it would seem that funding is hard to find as in many sites across the world so you need to imagine the beauty of this place. Also, the sea was higher up at that time and the temple has water conduits beneath its arched floor and processional pathways which is now inhabited by turtles. I’m not sure what type but there are warning signs around their pool, either because they are snapping ones or just to care for them!
THE WALK BACK AND THE ACCIDENTAL HITCH-HIKING.
After sitting and enjoying the scenery I knew I was just putting off the inevitable by lingering so I left my bench and spat a cherry pit to the ground hoping that my offering would thrive in years to come, and shuffled off through the orchard road, past the dried up river and back onto that white road from hell. In a bizarre way it didn’t seem as bad on the way back so I bought a beer for the beach and got my sorry dusty arse into that blue Aegean sea. With some chummy ladies taking care of my stuff I wallowed around like a whale and felt cool for the first time that day.
I glugged my beer then and as the wind picked up and umbrellas were flying I decided to call it a day and walked up to the spot the minibus told me to wait. It all looked really dodgy and I shouldn’t have listened to an old crone who was trying to give me a bum steer and stayed put, but I panicked and flagged down a posh-looking carrier who said I could have a free lift. I was hot and the air-conditioned van lured me in. This chap spoke a bit of English and never mentioned once that he would not drop me in Selcuk but at the fork in the motorway still a good 8 km away. Furious I hadn’t waited I miserably walked dangerously along the edge as yet more traffic thundered by. Surely this was the road the original minibus took me down? Surely one would turn up and save me, I didn’t fancy my chances and things got worse as what looked like a kidnap rape van pulled up in front of me and stopped. This had all the signs of something that happens in a horror film.
Clearly, none of this happened and I did safely get a lift back into town but how risky had this been? I really should have asked for that prophesy in Klaros.
Top Tip: Don’t do the reckless things that I did that day. Check your bus stop properly, you basically can flag the minibuses down along the road but just insist you know where for your return. Also, remember for these sites that look quite near on the map, they lie. You often have to wind back on yourself for miles and subjugate yourself to humiliation as you weep copiously.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 