TRAVEL STUDY Focus on Asia Minor, Modern Turkey TRAVELIsrael • Jordan • Egypt • Turkey •STUDY Greece • Cyprus • Italy FOCUS ON prepared by Educational, Biblical and Classical Tours Photo by Mark Fairchild, Ph.D. Assos NEW discoveries are taking place in TURKEY! Turkey is now opening the land to exploration and archaeological excavations. In previous years, there was a limited number of excavations and the treasures of Turkey were not well publicized. Things are now changing. There are more excavations in Turkey than BLACK SEA ever before and people are now discovering the other Holy Land (aside from Israel). There are 309 excavations going on in modern Turkey today; 7 of them are directed by U.S. institutions: GORDION A E S SARDIS - Gordion Prof. G. Kenneth SAMS N A KIZILBURUN - Antiocheia Ad Cragum Prof. Michael HOFF E SHIPWRECK APHRODISIAS ZINCIRLI G E HOYUK - Aphrodisias Prof. R. Roland SMITH A ANTIOCHEIA - Zincirli Höyük Assoc. Prof. Dr. David SCHLOEN AD CRAGUM KINET HOYUK - Sardis Prof. Nicholas D. CAHILL EA MEDITERRANEAN S - Kızılburun Shipwreck Prof. Donny HAMILTON - Kinet Höyük Assoc. Prof. Marie HENRIETTE-GATES BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW • MARCH / APRIL 2012 • TUTKU TOURS ADVERTORIAL TRAVEL STUDY Focus on Asia Minor, Modern Turkey Israel • Jordan • Egypt • Turkey • Greece • Cyprus • Italy K SE TRAVEL STUDY BLAC A Focus on Asia Minor, ISTANBUL Modern Turkey SAILING WITH PAUL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN A E S $4,990 Mark Wilson, D.Litt. et Phil., Director, N TURKEY Land & Air A Asia Minor Research Center, Antalya, E G Turkey, and Visiting Professor of Early E BODRUM PERGA A DATCA ANTALYA MARMARIS ASPENDOS Christianity, Regent University CNIDOS XANTHOS LORYMA PATARA KALKAN www.sevenchurches.org RHODES ANDRIAKE SEA MEDITERRANEAN GIRNE SALAMIS PAPHOS eople of faith usually do not think of Turkey as a Bible P Jun 1 Fri Depart New York land. Yet after Israel, Turkey has more biblical sites than any Jun 2 Sat Arrive Bodrum. Meet and transfer to the Sailing Boat. other country in the eastern Mediterranean. Jun 3 Sun Sailing Boat – Knidos Jun 4 Mon Sailing Boat – Datca Jun 5 Tue Sailing Boat – Loryma Scholars have suggested that the Garden of Eden mentioned in Jun 6 Wed Sailing Boat – Dalyan – Caunos Genesis’s creation account was located in Turkey because the Jun 7 Thu Sailing Boat – Marmaris Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers flow through its eastern region. Jun 8 Fri Leave Sailing Boat – Xanthos – Patara – Kalkan Jun 9 Sat Andriake – Antalya The book of Genesis also states that Abraham lived in Haran in Jun 10 Sun Perga – Aspendos – Antalya southeastern Turkey. After the victory of Alexander the Great Jun 11 Mon Fly Cyprus – Salamis – Girne and the establishment of the Seleucid Empire, many Jews came Jun 12 Tue Paphos – Girne Jun 13 Wed Fly Istanbul to live in Asia Minor. During this period Paul’s family settled Jun 14 Thu Istanbul; St Sophia, Cistern, Archaeology Museum in Tarsus, and the apostle was later born in this Cilician city. Jun 15 Fri Fly back to New York – End Although the archaeological remains for Jewish communities are meager, the remains of three synagogues have been found in Turkey—at Sardis, Priene, and Andriake. Christianity soon TURKEY – THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF PAUL spread north to Antioch, modern Antakya, where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Acts 11:26. BLACK SEA During the first century Asia Minor became the nexus of the $4,590 expanding Christian movement. All of Paul’s journeys either ISTANBUL passed through or along the coast of Asia Minor. He wrote Land & Air TROY letters to the churches in Galatia, Ephesus, and Colossae. Besides ASSOS PERGAMUM TURKEY Paul, both Peter and John also wrote to churches in Asia Minor. A E Amazingly, two-thirds of the twenty-seven books in the New S SARDIS IZMIR HIERAPOLIS LAODICEA Testament were either written to or from Asia Minor. N EPHESUS COLOSSAE A E PRIENE APHRODISIAS MILETUS G E DIDYMA Early church history is also rooted in Turkey. Polycarp of Smyrna PERGA A ANTALYA ASPENDUS and Ignatius of Antioch were famous bishops who succeeded the XANTHOS MYRA apostles. The seven ecumenical councils were all held in Turkey PATARA starting with the first council of Nicea held in A.D. 325. N SEA Sept 18 Tue MDepartEDIT ENewRR AYorkNE –A Fly Istanbul The following articles, written by scholars who have traveled Sept 19 Wed Arrive Istanbul Sept 20 Thu Byzantium – Constantinople – Fly Antalya extensively in Turkey, all provide additional insights into this rich Sept 21 Fri Attalia – Perga – Aspendus – Antalya history. They also share some of their discoveries along with Sept 22 Sat Myra – Andriake – Patara – Kalkan their experiences at some unique sites. Sept 23 Sun Xanthos – Aphrodisias – Pamukkale Sept 24 Mon Hierapolis – Laodicea – Colossae – Pamukkale Sept 25 Tue Miletus – Didyma – Priene – Kusadasi This special “Focus on Asia Minor/Modern Turkey” is sponsored Sept 26 Wed Ephesus – Kusadasi by Tutku Tours, a travel agency noted for its biblical and classical Sept 27 Thu Sardis – Smyrna – Izmir Sept 28 Fri Pergamum – Assos tours. Tutku Tours has partnered with the Biblical Archaeology Sept 29 Sat Assos – Troy – Istanbul Society to offer several tours in Asia Minor. So as you read and Sept 30 Sun Istanbul Airport – Fly back to New York learn more about this special Bible land, the next step is to sign up andBIBLICAL come visit ARCHAEOLOGY in person the place REVIEW where • biblicalMARCH history / APRIL was 2012 made. • TUTKU TOURS ADVERTORIALFor Registration please contact: Anne 202-364-3300 ext 208 Email: [email protected] TRAVEL STUDY Focus on Asia Minor, Modern Turkey Israel • Jordan • Egypt • Turkey • Greece • Cyprus • Italy MILETUS Acts 20:15–38; 2 Timothy 4:20 Mark R. Fairchild, Ph.D. Professor & Chair, Department of Bible & Religion, Huntington University Miletus Theater Miletus was the oldest city among the settlements of the Located on a peninsula jutting into the Aegean Sea, Miletus had Ionian League and, along with Ephesus, it was one of the most three harbors in its west side and another one on the east. powerful members of the league. Archaeological investigations A large theater sat along the west coast of Miletus overlooking have shown that Miletus was first settled in the sixteenth century the central western harbor. The theater was originally built B.C. by Minoan colonists from Crete. The city became very at the beginning of the fourth century B.C. and was modified prosperous and powerful. By the eighth century B.C., Miletus during the Hellenistic period and again in the Roman period. had established a number of its own colonies, particularly in The theater’s capacity was 15,000 people and is still in excellent the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea and Egypt. Pliny stated that shape. Down the slope on the other side of the hill, there are Miletus had established about ninety colonies throughout the two Hellenistic period Lion statues mired in the mud that once Mediterranean. guarded the entrance to the northwest harbor. Deeper into the harbor to the southeast, there was a Roman synagogue. In 546 B.C. the Persians gained control of Anatolia’s west coast, and Miletus was under their dominion. However, Miletus Paul came to Miletus at the end of his third mission, as he was took a leading role in the Panionian revolt against the Persians heading to Jerusalem (Acts 20:15-16). There, Paul summoned in 499 B.C.. After the Persians wiped out the Ionian fleet off the elders of the Ephesian church and upon their arrival at the coast of Lade (near the harbor of Miletus), Miletus was Miletus, he delivered his farewell address (Acts 20:17-38). destroyed and its citizens were enslaved. Afterwards Miletus Clear evidence of a sizeable Jewish community has been found was rebuilt. By the middle of the fifth century B.C. the city was at Miletus. A synagogue was located near the northwest harbor. once again a prosperous port. Nevertheless, Miletus never Also, one of the rows in the theater contains an inscription regained its former glory. It was eventually eclipsed by Ephesus translated ‘Place of the Jews and the God-fearers’. This rare as the preeminent city of the region. When the Pergamene inscription gives evidence not only to a Jewish community in Kingdom folded, the Romans assumed control of the region and Miletus, but also to a group of Gentiles who associated with the created the Roman province of Asia Minor. Miletus continued synagogues. Paul almost always preached at synagogues in new to prosper under the Romans, and the city’s population during cities and found converts not only from among the Jews but also that time grew to about 75,000 people. among the God-fearing Gentiles (Acts 17:4, 17). TUTKU TOURS N K W E BLAC SEA organizers of GEORGIA TBILISI G R E E C E S SINOPE AMASTRIS (SINOP) ALEXANDROUPOLIS BYZANTIUM-CONSTANTINOPLE BATUMI AZERBAIJAN (ISTANBUL) NICOMEDIA AMASIA AMISOS THE MARMARA SEA PAPHLAGONIA(AMASYA) (SAMSUN) CHRISTIAN MEETINGS (IZMIT) CANAKKALE NICAEA CLAUDIOPOLIS TRABZON Lake TROY BITHYNIA ANCYRA KARS ANI Sevan TROAS MYSIA BURSA (ANKARA) HATTUSHA DORYLAEUM PONTUS ARMENIA & CONFERENCES ASSOS ADRAMYTTIUM (ESKISEHIR) GORDION A LESBOS EREVAN PERGAMON GERMA E AIZANOI MOUNT THYATIRA PESSINUS CADIR TUMULUS S ARARAT MAGNESIA PHRYGIA IN ASIA MINOR, TURKEY PHOCAEA ASIA SYNNADA N CHIOS SMYRNA SARDIS LYDIA GALATIA CAPPADOCIA TEOS Salt CAESAREA MAZAC (KAYSERI) (IZMIR) PHILADEPHIA PISIDIAN Lake Lake Urmia A KIZILBURUN HIERAPOLIS ANTIOCH LYCAONIA NYSSA E IONIA HYPAEPA NAZIANUS SHIPWRECK COLOSSAE ICONIUM SAMOS EPHESUS NYSA ASLANTEPE Lake Van [email protected]