Claros Ancient City

From the past until the present day, people have wanted to know about the future and they have been trying meaning in their dreams.

Claros Ancient City

                 From the past until the present day, people have wanted to know about the future and they have been trying meaning in their dreams. Even nowadays, people resort to various ways to know their future, like coffee fortune telling, tarot, and hand fortune. In the past, what was named prophecy, today is named fortune. For some gods or goddesses were built temples, and when people got sick, they were going to the center of prophecy before making a war decision or for matters they doubted. Actually, when people were desperate and couldn't find a way out, they were going to the divination centers and consulted the soothsayers. One of these prophecy centers, Claros, was built for the god Apollo. Claros, one of the most visited points of historical and touristic sightseeing areas, is located in Izmir-Menderes.

                Claros was not established as a city. Instead, Claros consistently developed as part of the Colophon. From square propylaea, probably built in the 2nd century AD, a road leads to the temple of Apollo, decorated on both sides with columns and statues. In Propylaea were found the inscriptions of those who consulted the oracle. The statue of Apollo on the top of the Cella is 7.5 meters high. In front of the temple there is a monumental altar. North of the temple of Apollo, a new Ionic style temple was excavated. This temple could belong to Artemis. The artifacts found during the excavations are exhibited in the Archeological Museum of İzmir. Macready found many inscription blocks originating from the sacred area in the acropolis of Notion and its immediate surroundings. When he discovered these inscriptions in the village, Th. Macridy thought that the sanctuary could not be far from this region and the basilica, and as a result of his research in 1907, he found the upper part of the column, which was mostly worn and is now in the Propylon; and after realizing that it was the sanctuary of Apollo Klarios, he carried out excavation and proved the correctness of his reasoning. The first scientific excavation at Klaros was carried out by Macready and Ch Picard in 1913. However, when the First World War began, the excavations were stopped. The second period of excavations in Klaros was resumed by Louis Robert with the participation of Jeanne Robert. The third phase of excavations, which began in 1988, continues under the direction of Juliette de La Geniere.