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Claros or Klaros was an important oracle site of the god Apollo in ancient times. Although it was much closer to the town of Notion, it belonged to the town of Kolophon, about 13 km away.
The oldest references to Claros date back to the 7th century BC, but the oracle is probably much older than the Greek colonization. A holy cave indicates that before Apollo the small Asian goddess Kybele was worshipped here. Until Roman times Klaros enjoyed a reputation comparable to that of Delphi and Didyma. Alexander the Great went to the oracle of Klaros to interpret a dream in which he founded a city on Mount Pagos. The oracle explained the dream as an invitation to rebuild the city of Smyrna.
Claros was rediscovered at the end of the 19th century by the archaeologist Carl Schuchhardt. The systematic archaeological development began at the beginning of the 20th century by Theodor Makridi and Charles Picard. From 1951 to 1960 and from 1988 to 1997, excavations were carried out under French direction. Worth seeing in Claros is the centre of the oracle temple, most of which still exists in its original state. The wedge stone arches are still clearly visible. Also of interest are the extensive fragments of the larger-than-life Hellenistic cult statues, which - unlike most archaeological excavation sites - have been restored to their original places. |
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