Lydian Riches

Latrines of Sardis

Stores and Restaurants of Sardis 

Gymnasium

Synagogue of Sardis

Temple of Artemis

Sardis- capital of Lydian kingdom from 7th c bc to ad, late roman Byzantine era, theatre not yet excavated, gymnasium school is renovated, latrines, road going east and west, Jewish synagogue considered largest of ancient time besides Israel, word comes from gymnas meaning naked, because of their lack of clothes during physical exercise, frigidarium to refresh themselves with fresh water that goes to bath, covered in marble cut thin, niches were reserved for important people and statues, not deep, don't know how to swim, calladarium for heat, inscriptions painted inside friezes, 2x neocoris by 2nd cent AD, one of best reconstructions, less than 50% original material, anistosas when mostly original, next to Roman baths, water reused to flow to river, for men to socialize, women went to bushes, take sponge (reused) clean yourself from cleaner water, shops located next to each other, from imperial to roman roads, for military reasons, deciminus Maximus, how do Jews come to live in Sardis? After Babylonian captivity, through period of kingdoms, division of jeroboam and other boam go north and south, age of prophets, growing decadence and fragility, Assyrians northern conquest deports Jews north, Babylonians southern deport Jews go to east at gates of Ishtar, diaspora,  other migrations all over with easier travel, no longer do they have temple in Jerusalem so they make synagogues (coming together translated), preserve faith this way with rabbis to remind of law and history, pray, then after Jesus, Paul goes from anatolia through here stops at synagogues to find hospitality, Sumerians (intermarried with Canaanites) had holy places untraditionally before destruction of temple, three waves of Jewish communities to this land- Antiochus the 2 brought Jews to laodecia as workers, ottoman era, wwii, this is first wave, occasionally Christian presence like in laodecia, revelation 3 mentions Sardis but it was probably a house church, reputation for dying faith and dirty clothes, decorated with mosaics, wooden roof, temple at other location, only saw two columns, now they have full base, see Crassus on pillars and coins, king gyges ring from republic, glaucus says justice is not innate to humans, invisibility power, fabulous wealth of this Lydia, found layers from Hellenistic to roman to Byzantine era, temple of Artemis, each column has different artist, would've been the 4th largest structure of ancient world, their size illustrates religious devotion, became church