“The city was established on terraces that slope down to the sea both on the mainland peninsula where they faced southwards and on Cape Krio (also known as the Camel's Hump), formerly an island but now also a peninsula, where they face north. The two parts of the city are linked by a bridge, which also serves to divide the two harbours from each other. The smaller, military harbour lies to the west, while the larger to the east is regarded as the main commercial harbour.

“The city is surrounded by a circuit of walls, interspersed with round and square towers. From their appearance and style of construction it would seem best to date them to the 4th century BC and more specifically, to the time of King Mausols of Halicarnassos. Beyond the walls stretches an extensive necropolis; it continues for some 7km beyond the city.

“In the 6th century BC Knidos became a rich city and for this reason it built for itself a marble Treasury at Delphi. In the 540s BC, when the Persians were expanding their empire westwards towards the Aegean, Knidos controlled the whole of the Datça Peninsula.

“In the 4th century BC Knidos had become a major metropolis with a cosmopolitan appearance. It was during this time that the famous sculptors Skopas and Bryxias worked on the temples at Knidos, while the city also gained the prestigious and well known statue of Aphrodite by Praxiteles.

“The city enjoyed an active economic, commercial, cultural and artistic life, while it also encouraged academic studies by sponsoring intellectuals. So, for example, a medical school was founded, which soon came to rival that at Kos itself. Sostratus, the architect of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was from Knidos. He also built a terraced portico, known as the 'ambulatio pensilis', for his native city. The famous mathematician Ludoxus also studied astronomy at Knidos and had his observatory there (its location has, however, not yet been identified).

“In short, Knidos enjoyed its most brilliant time in the Hellenistic period (330 - 31 BC). Stamped amphora handles from Knidos have been found in large numbers at Athens, Delos and Alexandria (in Egypt) as well as in the north Black Sea area. They bear witness to the major role the city played in the trade and export of wine and olive oil. From the 2nd century BC onwards Knidos also became an important centre for the production of pottery.

“In the Roman period Knidos had the status of a 'free city'; that is, it was exempt from paying taxes to Rome. At that time the family of C Julius Theopompus was one of the most wealthy business families in the city.

“In the 7th century AD Knidos, as in the case of other coastal cities in Anatolia, fell prey to Arab raids from the sea. Evidence for this can be found in the Arabic inscriptions carved into the floor of one of the churches. Later Knidos also suffered a number of devastating earthquakes, and the abandonment of the city may plausibly be attributed to these natural causes.

“Excavation at the site was started by Sir Charles Newton in 1857-58, who worked on behalf of the British Museum. More than a century later, between 1967 and 1977, systematic excavations and survey work were carried out under the direction of Iris C Love. Since 1988 a team from the Seljuk University in Konya, led by Prof Dr Ramazan Özgan, has been conducting excavations at Knidos on behalf of the Turkish Ministry of Culture.”

Home. Flat fine, cat fine. Holiday over. Oh, it was a good one! Thank you, Peter, for giving us two weeks of R & R, and letting us share your enviable new life for a little while.

© Hamish Walker 2006