Temple of Augustus
Ankara is an ancient town; it has been inhabited by someone since about 3000 BC. The first to arrive, the Phrygians had a small settlement. The capital of Phrygia was Gordion about 45 kilometers to the west.
It didn’t become a major city until the Celts conquered it in 278 BC. The Galatians (a Celtic tribe) were very influential with the Phrygians and the language of the Celts (a sort of Welsh or Gaelic) hung around for centuries after the Celts had left the city. The only monument that I know of that still exists from this time period is a tomb which, although found while constructing one of the buildings not far from our apartment, was moved to the outdoor museum of the Roman Baths. The Galatians were the first to build a fortress where the Citadel stands today, but what we see was built during the Seljuk period with left over pieces from previous times.
After the Celts came the Romans, and they really made Ankara into a thriving city. The Romans were around from 25 BC until 2 AD. Population estimates for that period are all over the place, but conservative academics think that there were at least 100,000 people at the time. Hidden away in the musty corners of Ankara, aournd the Ulus area, there is still quite a bit of Roman evidence to be found.
Columns located in the Roman Bath complex.
Overall the Roman sites in Ankara are not as impressive as other places in Turkey, but they are here. We’ve visited the Roman Baths, the Roman Theatre, and the, very short, section of the Roman Road which used to lead up to the Temple of Julian.
All of the sites are not far from the shopping in Ulus, so it is easy to spend a day in and around the area, and that’s without even visiting the wonderful museums there.