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The Temple of Athena at Priene
Priene is one of the antique Ionian Cities in Turkey. It's located 15 km away from Soke - Aydin.

What we see of Priene today was constructed around 350 BCE. It is one of the earliest cities to be built in accordance with the grid system developed by architect/town planner, Hippodamus of Miletus. The town was designed to face southward. This enabled the buildings to be protected from the sun in the summer, but to receive more sun in the winter.

The Athena Temple in Priene was the largest, most important and most magnificent in the city. The construction began around the time of the founding of the city. It was built by the architect Pythius, who also constructed the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The building is regarded as a classic example of the Ionian style. Pythius, however, combined this style with Doric architectural elements, thus creating a highly original design that would influence later temple construction. Alexander the Great lived in Priene in 334BCE and made large donations for the completion of the eastern half of the temple. The temple was later completely destroyed by fire and earthquakes, resulting in these scattered remains.

Columns are not created from a single block of stone. Rather they are constructed with “drums” stacked upon each other and secured with an metal, rectangular rod.