Priene of Ionian Asia Minor, the most extensively excavated Hellenistic city of Asia Minor and an outstanding example of Hellenistic architecture, comes to life in the "Virtual tour of ancient Priene" on your computer! With the creation of a structured environment that is clear and balanced, the city expressed the mature philosophical and political thought of the classical times. Public buildings, private residences, and temples are the stops on the tour of this Asia Minor city.
Priene
Priene, a city of western Asia Minor, home -among others- to one of the Seven Sages of antiquity, Bias of Priene.
It is a characteristic example of a medium-sized Hellenistic city of Ionia. Spread at the foot of Mount Mycale, near the Latmian Gulf, it was built around 370 BC as a relocation of an older city, whose location is unknown, to a new site, as the silting of the Maeander River changed the coast and its landscape. According to Strabo, it was a colony of Thebans, with settlers Aepytus of Neleus and Philotas from Thebes.
The location chosen for the founding of the city adheres to the general principles governing the establishment of Greek cities. According to these principles, it is oriented towards the south and developed in tiers, so that sunlight is maximized, and the best ventilation of the residential complex is facilitated.
