KIBYRA CAISARION (EMPEROR CULT TEMPLE)

 

            Caisarion is located to the Southwest of the main hill. The hill, at this point, goes towards the stream (Kanlı Dere)  in South and West directions by forming steep crests and  creating an area to control everywhere easily. Caiserion was built at this dominant point of the city. The reason why it is called as ‘Caisarion’ is the inscriptions. Inscriptions are reliable proofs to show us that the construction was built for the memory of Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia, by the order of Emperor Cladius (41-54 AD). Thanks to the insriptions, it is also understood that it was built during the reign of Emperor Cladius. Therefore, this construction must have been built as a Caisarion (emperor cult temple). Facade of the North-South directioned construction is on the North. Total area of the construction is 16.00 x 8.90 m. Findings, which can be seen today, give us information about the structure because the whole construction except for the foundation must have been destroyed by the devastating earthquake in 417 AD. Caisarion is originally an Ionic emperor cult temple built in ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­prostylos (four columns on the facade).

KIBYRA BASILICAL PLANNED CHURCH

    The Basilical Planned Church, located just above the Kibyra Stadion, is the largest religious building of the Eastern Roman period city, measuring 20.00 x 48.00 m from exterior to exterior. This church has a basilica plan with three naves and a triconchos (clover-shaped) apse. The central apse has an altar and synthronon, while the pastophorion rooms are located behind the side apses. The three rooms to the south of the basilica and the rooms next to it are burial chambers. In the first room in the east, an altar and a relicer were found inside the altar. In the other rooms, burials were made in terracotta sarcophagi under the floor. In front of the basilica is a landing added later. From here, the narthex (the covered front space at the entrance of the church) is entered through four doors, two at the front and one on each side. The floor is paved with opus sipicatum (rectangular pieces of terracotta/tile arranged side by side to form the spica (spike) motif that gives the floor its name) decorated with different geometric ornaments. Entered through three doors from the narthex is the naos section (the place where the congregation gathers in basilicas consisting of the central and side naves). The naos is divided into three naves by colonnades (spaces within the naos, placed perpendicular to the apse, separated from each other by columns or pillars). During the excavations, it was observed that the floor of the central nave was paved with marble slabs reclaimed from Roman Imperial Period buildings. The floor of the side naves, which are separated by colonnades from Roman Imperial buildings, is paved with opus spicatum. At the eastern end of the naos is the bema (a raised space with an altar separated from the naos by parapets and accessible only to priests). The bema is surrounded by a buttressed tempo (a parapeted section separating the naos from the altar room). In the center of this area, traces of the etching of the metal doors on the stone are still visible. A four-legged altar table was excavated in the center of the area. In the central apse, there is a stepped Synthronon (stone or wooden seating benches placed inside the apse). To the north and south of the main apse, two rooms were exposed. These rooms are called "pastophorion". The room to the north, where bread and wine were prepared, is the "prothesis" room. The room to the south, where liturgical objects or vestments were kept, is called "diakonikon". To the south of the basilica are the burial chambers, which seem to have been planned together with the building. In the first room, which is accessed through the diaconicon room and paved with marble, an altar is observed to the east of the row of three opposite columns. During the excavations, a silver relicer (objects in different forms made for placing relics belonging to holy people) was found inside this altar. This room and the rooms to its west were used as burial areas. Fifty-five terracotta sarcophagi placed under the floors of the rooms were found during the excavations. Architectural fragments, ceramic vessels, lamps, coins and medallions were found inside the basilical planned church with triconchos apse. The dating of the building is based on its plan with triconchos apse, which is not very common in Anatolia, and it is thought that it was built in the 5th-6th century AD after the 417 AD earthquake, which was the second largest earthquake that the city suffered according to ancient sources. 

LIFE OF PROCOPIUS

  

 Procopius, one of the most important historians of Byzantine History and the Justianic Period, wrote about the city of Kaiseria, founded by the Romans on the seashore of Palestine,

    He is thought to have been born in or shortly before 500 AD. He would have studied in Constantinople or in Gaza, an important Hellenic cultural centre where the classical rhetorical tradition was established and where the school of philosophy reconciled neo-Platonism with Christianity. In 527 AD he became a private scribe and legal adviser (symboulos) to the commander Belisarius. He participated in campaigns in Iran, Africa and Italy with the commander Belisarius. He was in Istanbul during the great plague epidemic in 542 AD. After the death of Theodora, he established relations with Justianius and became illustres (distinguished and enlightened) in 560, and in 562 he became Byzantine city administrator or Praefectur in Latin. He is believed to have died in 565, the same year as Justianius.

WORKS

    The historian has three important works. Wars, which consists of eight books, Structures and Secret History, which consists of six books.

Wars

    In his book History of Wars; He describes the campaigns he participated in with Belisarius. The first three volumes are on the war with the Goths (De Bello Gothica), two volumes are on the war with the Persians (De Bello Persico), two volumes are on the war with the Vandals (De Bello Vandalico), and the eighth volume is a later addition.

Structures

    It deals with the works built or repaired on the territory of the Empire during the reign of Justianius and consists of six books based on three main themes: church buildings, fortifications and waterworks. Book I covers the buildings in Constantinople and its outskirts, Book II covers the defences surrounding the farthest borders of the Empire. Book III deals with the defence structures on the borders with Persia, Book IV with those in Europe, Book V with those in the remaining parts of Asia, and Book VI with those in Africa. While Books I and II are dealt with in a certain completeness, from Book III onwards, he is contented with giving a list.

    Secret History

    Ostrogorsky, one of the important Byzantine historians, emphasised the importance of the work by calling the Secret History "the famous Secret History", and Procopius, in his introduction, said: "In the events discussed in my previous narrative, I was obliged to conceal the causes that led to their formation. Therefore, in this book, it is necessary not only to explain what has remained hidden until now, but also to explain the causes of the formations previously described". In 1623 a copy was found in the Vatican Library and in the same year it was partially published in Lyon by Alemannus, who found some parts of it objectionable. In 1663, a complete edition was published in Paris by Maltretus. The ancient Greeks called the Secret History Anecdota, in Latin it was called Historia Arcana, and English Historians translated it into English as Anecdotes.

    In Chapter 1, Commander Belisarius and his wife Antonina, in Chapter 2, the emperor justinus period before Justianius and how Justianius ascended the throne, in Chapter 3, Justianius' mismanagement, in Chapter 4, Theodora's affairs, in Chapter 5. Chapter 5 declares that Justianius is the devil disguised as a human being, Chapter 6 describes how Theodora and Justianius oppressed various classes of society, Chapter 7 describes Justianius' fondness for money.

    STYLE

    We know that Procopius received a classical education for that period. In his time, the Byzantine Empire was under the influence of both ancient Rome and Greek civilisation. We see that Procopius followed the methods of Herodotus and Thucydides in his official histories inspired by the ancient historians. We can say that he was under the influence of classical writers and thinkers due to his quotations from the plays of Aristophanes. The difference in style and interpretation between the three works of the historian emerges in his attitude towards the Emperor and brings along the temporal problem. While criticising the Emperor in his work titled Wars, in Structures, we encounter praise for the Emperor in the Christian ideology, while in the Secret History, the Emperor is vilified and his cruelty and mismanagement are emphasised. Especially in the Secret History, we see that the actions against the aristocratic class are criticised by Procopius. This shows that he came from the upper strata, if not from the top, and that he had an elitist view. Av. Cameron, in his work on the temporal problem, Procopius and the Sixth Century (1985), argues that the books I-VII of the Wars were written in 550 A.D., Book VIII in 554 A.D., the Secret History in 550 A.D., and the Structures in 554 A.D., based on comments and styles.