Knidos

 Yesterday we drove a couple of hours from our base near Marmaris to the ancient city of Knidos situated at Cape Tekir, on the Datça Peninsula. As you can see from this Google terrain map, it was a slow journey through hilly terrain. Knidos is at the far end of the peninsular.

Diodorus claimed that Knidos (Cnidus) was founded by Greek colonists, both Lacedaemonians and Argives, and they moved to this site in the 4th-century, possibly earlier. The city's position was favourable for commerce, and the Knidians acquired considerable wealth. There was a medical school, and the city was famous for its wine and culture. They later submitted to Cyrus and Athens. The Romans took it over without a fight, and during the Byzantine period, there was still a considerable population. The ruins contain several buildings belonging to the Byzantine style, and Christian churches.

It was hot!

Strabon described Knidos as a "double city" in appearance, comprising the mainland and the island part called "Kap Krio". The city is terraced due to the mountainous structure of the land. Subsequently, the sea between the island and the mainland was filled to obtain two separate ports. The smaller port to the north was used for military purposes, while the southern port on the other side is allocated for merchant ships.

The military trireme harbour.

The Battle of Cnidus (394BC) was fought just off the coast. It appears that the Spartan fleet encountered advanced elements of the Achaemenid fleet under Conon (former Athenian admiral fighting for the Persians) and engaged them with some success. Then the main body of the Persian fleet arrived and put the Spartans to flight, forcing them to beach many of their ships. This battle ended Spartan attempts to become a naval power, losing over 50 triremes.

Finally, every decent-sized Greek city had an amphitheatre.

I didn't expect such a large and extensive excavations. There is still a lot of work to do, but the Turkish Government has made a good start. Well worth the journey. The Cnidus Lion sculpted to mark the battle isn't here. It was looted by British archeologists in the 19th-century and now rests in the British Museum. You can't miss it in the central court.