Sagalassos is high up in the mountains, some 100 kilometres to the north of the seaside resort of Antalya. The ancient city had an eventful history. Alexander the Great captured it in 333 BC, and in 25 BC Emperor Augustus made Sagalassos part of the Roman Empire. The city flourished and magnificent monuments, temples, fountains and bath houses were built. Sagalassos became a City of Dreams.

The dream didn’t last. In the sixth and seventh centuries AD, an epidemic of plague followed by two powerful earthquakes heralded its decline. By the 13th century, Sagalassos had become a ghost town. Fortunately, its remote location deterred plunderers, while thick layers of debris hid the buildings from view.

Sagalassos fell into oblivion and remained that way until the beginning of the 18th century, when a French doctor described its remains. Other explorers and scientists followed in the 19th century, but it was a Fleming who started the excavation work proper in the early 1990s. Under the leadership of Professor Waelkens, an interdisciplinary team of scientists descended on the site and have spent the last two decades systematically uncovering the ancient city in one of the largest excavations in the world.

The many items brought to the surface testify to the city’s complex and fascinating history. These include monumental architectural fragments and life-size statues of Roman gods and emperors. Other intriguing objects include prehistoric tools, red-painted pottery dishes, bronze sculptures, oil lamps bearing Christian motifs and slabs depicting dancing nymphs.

Sagalassos: City of Dreams is promoted not as a classic archaeological exhibition but a total experience. Flemish opera director Guy Joosten has come up with a bold design that presents the exhibition as a dramatic event. He has lit certain exhibits from different sides, including the monumental marble portrait of the Roman emperor Hadrian and images of ancient gods and goddesses.

To evoke the atmosphere of the archaeological site, film shots are shown on a 270-degree panoramic screen that floats in the middle of the room above a scale model of Sagalassos in its heyday. He also powerfully evokes the fatal earthquakes with modern-day debris surrounding Hadrian’s huge marble head.

The highly original set, the clever use of media, the stimulating atmosphere and the collection of 238 chefs-d’oeuvre combine to make Sagalassos: City of Dreams a great day out for the whole family.

Pamper yourself, Roman-style

Take advantage of your stay in Tongeren, the oldest city in Flanders, to feast on Roman-style food and relax Roman-style in the public baths. During the Sagalassos exhibition, five venues in Tongeren are serving typical Roman dishes – everything from suckling pig with heirloom vegetables to a three-course menu with pulum numidium (chicken in a cumin, coriander, almond and date syrup sauce). And several saunas in Tongeren and the surrounding areas have given their premises a Roman touch.

Until 17 June 2024

Gallo-Roman Museum
Kielenstraat 15, Tongeren
www.galloromeinsmuseum.be