Dedication to Hadrian Olympios found in Turkey

A marble block with a dedication to the emperor Hadrian has been discovered at the ancient city of Blaundos in western Turkey. The inscription translates to “Savior and founding emperor Hadrianoi Olympios” and likely dates to latter years of Hadrian’s reign (132-138 A.D.).

Blaundos was founded around 280 B.C. as a military colony for Macedonian soldiers in the army of the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Macedonian Hellenistic state formed by Alexander the Great’s general and successors, Seleucus. The rulers of the Seleucid dynasty made a point of seeding their territories with military colonies, spreading Greek culture and ensuring quick access to seasoned soldiers throughout the empire, which at its peak stretched from the Aegean Sea to what is now Pakistan.

The city was built over a pre-existing fortress at the summit of a high hill surrounded by the Great Uşak-Ulubey Canyon with only a single entrance, making it almost impossible to attack by surprise and easy to defend. It was incorporated into the Roman Empire’s Asia province in 133 B.C. Blaundos reached its greatest prosperity in the 1st century A.D., bouncing back stronger than ever from an earthquake that struck in 60 A.D. Many of the buildings discovered at the archaeological site dates to this period, although new construction continued well into the 4th century. After centuries of neglect and dwindling population, Blaundos was abandoned in the 12th century.

The site was rediscovered in the 1830s, but professional excavations only began in 1995. Since 2018, the Blaundos Archaeological Excavation Project has been excavating the ancient city year-round, uncovering the remains of a Hellenistic city gate, temples, a public bath, a stadium and other structures. This year’s excavation explored the Temple of Demeter, an Ionic temple built around 50 A.D. on the southern side of the city.

The inscribed marble block was unearthed from a colonnaded street running east-west in front of the temple. It is 31.5 inches high and 13.8 inches wide and could be an altar or a statue base. It was found next to a line of four column bases on the side of the street.

Hadrian Olympios was an epithet used in Greek cities after Hadrian completed the Temple of Olympian Zeus (aka the Olympieion) in Athens in 132 A.D. Hadrian was a huge devotee of Greek culture and instituted an official program of Panhellenism (advocating for a united Greece) starting in 125 A.D. He encouraged the creation of the Panhellenion, a regional leagues of Greek cities, and instituted/revived games and sacrifices. The program culminated with the opening of the Olympieion 638 years after construction had begun under the last tyrant of Athens, Hippias.

After Hadrian dedicated the new/old temple, he adopted “Panhellenios” as one of his titles and Athens raised numerous statues of him, including one colossus behind the Olympieion. The remains of more than 90 altars dedicated to Hadrian have been found in Athens alone, and Greek cities everywhere erected their own statues and altars to the philhellenic emperor. The epithet “Olympios” was far more popular than “Panhellenios,” associating the emperor with the king of the gods and mirroring the imperial cult with the traditional Olympian pantheon. In fact, Hadrian Olympios became the most frequently used name for the emperor in the entire Greek world.

* This article was originally published here