THYATEIRA
W Anatolia.
Situated in the township of Akhisar, which is attached to the city of Manisa.
The name suggests an ancient Lydian settlement. The
city, located in the middle of the fertile Lykos valley and
at the crossroads of important trade routes, was under
the domination of Pergamon between the early 3d and
the 2d c. B.C. It was an autonomous city, and on its
coins Apollo and Artemis were represented. Apollo and
Helios were especially honored. Its zenith coincided with
Caracalla's visit to the city (A.D. 215). Soundings on the
acropolis brought to light a part of an apsidal structure
and various architectural elements (i.e. capitals, columns,
column bases) from the Roman period. Little else remains except inscriptions, 21 of which, recently found, are in the Manisa Museum.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
J. Keil,
Premerstein II. Bericht über
Eine Zweite Reise in Lydien (1911) 11ff; id.,
RE VI A1
658, Thyateira (1936); D. Magie,
Roman Rule in Asia
Minor (1950); Duyuran,
TürkArkDerg 17.2 (1968)
73-76.
U. SERDAROĞLU
