Perga was an old city even in the first century. Its name (which is not Greek) indicates that its origin dates from pre-Greek times. Alexander the Great passed through it twice while the Pergaeans offered no resistance to him although it was a walled city with a citadel. In Roman times the main streets were over twenty-one meters wide. They were lined with Ionic colonnades and a water channel ran down their center in a series of small waterfalls as in Antalya today. Behind the colonnades stood the shops. Of the early buildings the stadium and the theater have survived the ravages of earthquakes and wars with the least damage. In fact this stadium which could seat about fourteen thousand people is one of the best preserved in Turkey.
The temple of the Pergaean Artemis according to a writer of the time was “a marvel of size, beauty, and workmanship.” Its location has yet to be established; it may have been where there are now ruins of a Byzantine church on a hill to the southeast of the city.
Perga is on a rise not far from the Cestrus River which was navigable In Paul’s time. It was not a seaport in terms of Its being directly on the Mediterranean even then, but rather it was more easily defended where it was: its distance from the open sea made it less vulnerable to piracy.
Two people stand out among the early residents of Perga. Apollonius was a third century B.C. astronomer and mathematician who believed that the movements of heavenly bodies in the universe were explainable by orbits within orbits: that the moon went around the earth as the earth went around the sun. He was much ahead of his time in his theories of astronomy, so much so that the ideas had to be rediscovered during the Renaissance. Plancia Magna was unusual for a second century A.D. woman: she held the highest city office during her life, that of demiurgus. She must have been well-to-do for a number of inscriptions record her gifts to the city.
Paul and Barnabas went through Perga on their way to and from Antioch on their first journey (Acts 13:13, 14:25). John Mark was with them at first but left them at Perga to return to Jerusalem. The reason for that must have been such that Paul doubted his commitment to the cause. Later when Paul and Barnabas were about to start on their second journey from Antioch they had a sharp dispute over his worthiness. Paul refused to have him go along, so John and Barnabas went to Cyprus while Paul chose Silas to accompany him.
Paul talks in II Corinthians 12:7 and in Galatians 4:13-14 of bodily illness that brought him to Galatia the first time. It may have been on that account that he did not stay long in Perga the first time. Whatever the illness was, it seems to have improved in time in the dry mountain air to the north.
The second theory of why they did not stay long in Perga is that their interview with Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus, had made them want to hurry to the Roman colony in Antioch of Pisidia. This interpretation may lay too much stress on the lasting importance of that meeting with a cultured Roman who could have been more interested in the pursuits of the mind than the salvation, in Christian terms, of his soul. It is interesting, however, that this is” the point in Acts (13:9) that Luke begins to call Paul by his Roman name, not his Jewish “Saul”.
On their return they did stay in Perga long enough to preach and talk with people there. Nothing else is told about the city or their time there.
Pillars of the Agora
Palaestra in front of the Roman baths
Perga Nymphaeum
Perga,
Not a big history fan, but these were well worth a visit. Not much shade though, so take a hat if it's sunny….
The ruins were absolutely amazing and unreal to touch and see such ancient history! I spent a lot of time in awe with the entire site. Life is too short to not enjoy these beauty created by mankind.
To add a little to the practical information provided by “A TripAdvisor Member” on 12 May 2005.
If you don't fancy a dolmus, the buses to Aksu leave from the stop directly opposite the PTT (post office) on the south side of Aspendos Bulvari, just to the east of the big roundabout known as Meydan. If you pick up one…
we visited Perge on a trip with our tour operator Thomson. The trip included Perge and the Roman Ampitheatre at Aspendos – currently costing £25 GBP with Thomsons in 2010. It is a half day trip picking up at 9 and ending at around 13.30.
We arrived at Perge and were walked around the main sights by our guide -…
Those great towers as your enter the site are the just the beginning of the surprises you have visiting this place.
the size of the baths, the central alley….
Just amazing
This visit was part of an organised tour covering the history of Turkey and well worth going on even if you are not that keen on history.
We just visited Perge, about 2km beyond Antalya's airport by car. It is a site that should not be missed while in Antalya. A great experience of seeing how this important city of Pamphylia was built and then restored by the Romans. You can easily spend 2hrs here. There are adequate signs that explain what you are looking at.
Great but visit the museum after you see these ruins. There you will see the statues that were there
Having seen Ephesus, we weren't sure there would be anything new another ruins site could offer, but Perge pleasantly surprised us. So much to see — breathtaking vistas — and there are plenty of signs in competently translated English to make it easy to absorb what one is seeing. Be sure to visit the Antalya Archeological Museum to see the…
An amazing insight to life so many years ago. Our guide was very knowledgable and made the visit very interesting.