This city, situate on the Mæander, about fifteen miles S. E. of Ephesus,
was founded by a colony from Magnesia in Thrace, united with the
Cretans. It was one of the cities given to Themistocles by the king of
Persia. The Turks call it "Guzel-Hisar," or the beautiful castle.
A great battle was fought here between the Romans and Antiochus, king of
Syria. The forces of the former consisted of thirty thousand men; those
of Antiochus to seventy thousand foot and twelve thousand horse. The
Syrians lost fifty thousand foot and four thousand horse; and the Romans
only three hundred foot and twenty-five horse. This disproportion of
loss, however, is incredible.
Magnesia is rendered remarkable by the circumstance of its having been,
as we have before stated, the place assigned by Artaxerxes for the
residence of Themistocles. The whole revenues of the city, as well as
those of Lampsacus and Myunte, were settled upon him[342]. One of the
cities was to furnish him with bread, another with wine, and a third
with other provisions[343].
The temple of Diana at Magnesia was constructed under the direction of
Hermogenes, of whom Vitruvius speaks with great veneration.
"The situation of Magnesia," says Pococke, "is delightful; for it
commands a view of the fine plain of the Mæander, which is broad towards
the west. The view extends to the sea, and from the height I saw the
Agathonisa islands, which are near Patmos. Mount Thorax to the north is
covered with snow. What adds to the prospect, is a most beautiful
inclosed country to the south and west, and the fields are planted with
the fig and almond trees. The modern city, also, adds to the beauty of
the view; which being large, and there being courts and gardens to the
houses, improved by cypress and orange trees, and some of the streets
planted with trees, it makes it appear like a city in a wood."
Chandler visited this place in 1774. According to him, Magnesia
surrendered to the Romans immediately after the decisive battle between
Scipio and Antiochus. It was a free city in the time of Tiberius. It was
selected as a place of security, in 1303, by the Emperor Michael, who at
length was compelled to escape from it in the night. In 1313 it ranked
among the acquisitions of Sarkhan, afterwards sultan of Ionia. In 1443,
Amurath II. selected it as a place of retreat, when he resigned his
empire to his son Mahomet II.
There are signs of many great buildings all over the city; but they are
ruined in such a manner, that, except two or three, it is difficult to
judge of what nature they were. Pococke speaks, however, of there having
been in his time very great ruins to the east, which appeared to be
remains of some "magnificent large palace." On the north, too, he
observed the ruins of a very grand temple, which he thinks must have
belonged to that of Diana Leucophryne, the largest in Asia after the
temples of Ephesus and Didymi; and though it yielded to that of Ephesus
in its riches, yet it exceeded it in its proportions, and in the
exquisiteness of its architecture.
In the Ionic temple[344] at Magnesia, designed by that Hermogenes whose
merits are highly extolled by Vitruvius, the general dimensions are the
same as the dipteros; but having, in order to obtain free space under
the flank porticoes, omitted the inner range of columns, he thereby
established the pseudo-dipteros; but unless he continued the wooden
beams of the roof over the increased space, this mode was impracticable,
unless when the quarries afforded marble of very large dimensions.
A Persian writer says of this place:--"It is situated at the skirt of a
mountain; and its running streams afford water of the utmost purity; and
its air, even in winter, is more delightful than the breath of
spring[345]."