classicalmonuments:Temple of ApolloSide, Asia Minor (Turkey)2nd century CE The Temple of Apollo is
classicalmonuments: Temple of ApolloSide, Asia Minor (Turkey)2nd century CE The Temple of Apollo is a hexastyle Corinthian temple in Side, Turkey. It originally had 6 front columns and 11 side ones. 5 of its columns were re erected in modern times. What made it different from other temples of that era, is its antechamber which had a pair of massive Corinthian columns. It is believed to be the place where Anthony met Cleopatra; he presented the Apollo Temple as a token of his love and devotion to her. From an architectural point of view, this temple was a peripteros i.e. it was surrounded by a colonnade on all four sides of the inner chamber (called cella or naos). In the case of the temple of Apollo this colonnade was executed in the Corinthian order. Each longer side of the building was originally adorned with 11 columns and both shorter sides were decorated with 6 columns.The stylobate of Apollo’s temple, that is the top step of the platform on which colonnades of temple columns were placed, has the dimensions of about 16 meters (52 feet) by 30 meters (98 feet). Five columns that are currently standing were re-erected as part of the reconstruction work carried out in the 80s of the 20th century under the supervision of Professor Jale İnan. The frieze placed above them depicts the heads of Medusa - a mythological monster that had the face of a human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair.The two main deities of Side in Roman era were Apollo and Athena. One of the two temples built in Side during the period known as the Roman Peace is the Temple of Apollo. Apollo is known as the god of music, poetry, sun, and light in Roman mythology. The other temple constructed in this period is the Athena Temple built in the honor of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill. These two temples lie close to each other on the tip of Side peninsula. It is believed to be the place where Anthony met Cleopatra; he presented the Apollo Temple as a token of his love and devotion to her. (according to a local legend, and not backed by any account)Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -- source link