Priene Ancient City, although estimated to have had no more than 3.000 residents around 300 BC was nevertheless important as a site for Ionian congresses and festivals. The Meander River wound through the plain below, eventually depositing enough silt to close up the harbor. Because of this the Romans refrained from building here when they conquered the area, so what remains are unusually Hellenistic ruins.
The streets of Priene're laid out in a deliberate grid, a precursor to modern city design. Priene's ruins are among the most attractive on Turkey's west coast. Conspicuous by their absence is the immense Roman structures so familiar at other sites. Priene's buildings are small and intimate, a feeling, which pervades the entire setting.
The ruins include the once exquisite Temple of Athena, destroyed by an earthquake in the middle ages. Only the foundation and five reconstructed columns remain of these textbook example of temple design. The Temple was in fact the model for a book on design by its architect Pytheos. His book was still a classic in Roman times. Attractive smaller buildings at the site include the council house, complete with altar used for sacrifices before each city council meeting and the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Earth Mother, and her daughter, Core, where sacrifices were made to the gods of the underworld.