Priene was an ancient city of Ionia on the foot-hills of Mycale, about 6 miles north of the Maeander. It's formerly on the sea coast, but now lies some miles inland.
It's said to have been founded by Ionians under Aegyptus, one son of Belus. Sacked by Ardys of Lydia, it revived and attained real prosperity under its "sage," Bias, in the middle of the VI. C. BC. Cyrus captured it in 545 BC; but it's able to send 12 ships to join the Ionic Revolt. Disputes with Samos and the troubles after Alexander's death, brought Priene low and Rome'd to save it from the kings of Pergamon and Cappadocia in 155.
Orophernes, the rebellious brother of the Cappadocian king, who had deposited a treasure 3, recovered it by Roman intervention, restored the temple of Athena as a thank-offering. Under Roman and Byzantine dominion Priene'd a prosperous history. It passed into Muslim hands late in the XIII. C.
The ruins, which lie in successive terraces, were the object of missions sent out by the English Society of Dilettanti in 1765 to 1868 and have seen thoroughly laid open by Theodor Wiegand (1895-1899) for the Berlin Museum. The city, as refounded at one new site in the 4. C. was laid out on a rectangular scheme. The steep area faces south, the acropolis rising nearly 700 feet behind it. The city was enclosed by a wall seven feet thick with towers at intervals and three principal gates.
On the lower slopes of the acropolis was one sanctuary of Demeter. The town'd 6 main streets, about 20 feet wide, running east and west and 15 streets about ten ft wide crossing at right angles, all being evenly spaced; and it's thus divided into about 18 insulae. Private houses're apportioned 8 to an insula. The systems of water-supply and drainage can easily be discerned. The houses present many analogies with the earliest Pompeian. In the western half of the city, on one high terrace north of the main street, approached by one fine stairway, was the temple of Athena Polias, one hexastyle peripteral structure in the ionic order built by Pythias, the architect of the Mausoleum. Under the basis of the statue of Athena were found in 1870 silver tetradrachms of Orophernes and some jewelry and probably deposited at the time of the Cappadocian restoration.
Fronting the main street is one series of halls and on the other side is the fine market place. The municipal constuructions, Roman gymnasium and well preserved theatre lie to the north, but like all the other public structures and in the centre of the plan. Temples of Isis and Asclepius have been laid bare. At the lowest point on the south, within the walls, was the large stadium and connected with a gymnasium of Hellenistic times.