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,
One of the best – if not THE best – preserved Roman stadiums in the world. The Agora (marketplace) is fascinating, and the Roman baths should not be missed. Highly recommended!
After seeing Ephesus, I thought it was so cool. But Perge was not bad in comparison – at least not packed like Ephesus.
Good site for those who like their history. Just make sure your guide speaks the correct language as our guide seemed to be able to say 'marble' and that was about it.
We went to Perge on a Tuesday at the end of January and because it was the off-season it was only the two of us by the ruins. It was an amazing experience to walk around the site only by ourselves, looking around the beautiful, ancient city. We also drove to the village nearby which was small and sympathetic.
We…
Great to see and hear things to do with Their History. Lots of Photographic Opportunities.Would love to go again,but when its a little bit cooler.
This is nice, but there are so many others that are outstanding that it doesn't compare well. Worth seeing – but others are better.
An extremeley impressive well preserved site and certainly worth a trip to see.
It is quite easy to imagine how life was lived in this city. The collanaded street with centre water feature and the Agora with its surrounding shops were interesting. Sites were well explained.
We went on a day trip to Perge, Side, Aspendos and Manavat water fall. Had a great time.
Perge is amazing the guide really took his time to explain to us the history of the area.
Worth visiting if you like archaeological remains, plenty to see.