The archaeological site of Perga encompasses a vast area, with excavations revealing a city that flourished from the Early Bronze Age through to the Byzantine period. The city's layout reflects a blend of indigenous Anatolian traditions and influences from successive civilizations, including the Hittites, Greeks, and Romans. Notable features of the site include a well-preserved theater, a stadium, Roman baths, and monumental gates. The city's architectural heritage is characterized by its colonnaded streets, grand public buildings, and sophisticated water management systems, highlighting the advanced engineering and urban planning of its inhabitants.

circa 3500 BCE- 1500 CE

Early Settlements and Bronze Age Origins
The origins of Perga trace back to the Early Bronze Age, with evidence of settlement on the acropolis dating to approximately 4000–3000 BCE (Chalcolithic). Archaeological findings, such as pottery linked to Western Anatolian traditions, suggest the presence of indigenous communities before the city's establishment as a prominent urban center. The Hittite king Tudhaliya IV mentioned a city named "Parha" in diplomatic texts, indicating the region's significance during the Late Bronze Age. The Cestrus River, identified as the "Kastaraya" in these texts, further underscores the strategic importance of the location.

Classical and Hellenistic Periods
During the Classical period, Perga became a Greek colony, likely established by settlers from the Argolid and Sparta in the 7th century BCE. The city's urban development during this era included the construction of a grid-iron street plan and defensive walls, reflecting the influence of Greek architectural principles. In 334 BCE, Alexander the Great's conquest of the region brought Perga under Macedonian control, leading to the spread of Hellenistic culture. The subsequent Seleucid rule introduced further architectural and cultural developments, including the construction of monumental structures and the establishment of a mint that produced coins bearing the image of Artemis, the city's patron goddess.

Roman Rule and Architectural Flourishing
In 188 BCE, following the defeat of the Seleucids, Perga came under Roman control during the Republic period. The city reached its zenith during the Roman Empire period, particularly in the second century CE, when it became a hub of commerce, culture, and religion. Emperor Hadrian's reign marked a significant era of construction, with the addition of a triumphal arch and the enhancement of public buildings. The city's infrastructure included an extensive aqueduct system, with the Kursunlu aqueduct supplying water to the baths and nymphaeum, and a later aqueduct sourced from the Duden River. These engineering feats attest to the advanced hydraulic knowledge of the Romans.

Religious Significance and Early Christianity
Perga's religious landscape was dominated by the worship of Artemis, with a grand temple dedicated to her located outside the city. Annual festivals celebrated her cult, and the city's mint continued to produce coins bearing her image. The arrival of Christianity in the 1st century CE, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, introduced a new religious dimension to Perga. The city became an early center of Christian activity, with the construction of basilicas and the establishment of a bishopric. Christian symbols began to appear in household decorations, and baptisteries were constructed near former Roman baths, indicating the transformation of the city's religious identity.

Decline and Transformation
The decline of Perga began in the third century CE, attributed to factors such as the silting of the Cestrus River, which disrupted maritime trade routes, and the broader economic downturn of the Roman Empire. Despite these challenges, the city maintained its religious significance, with Christian communities continuing to thrive. The archaeological record reveals a shift in the city's character during this period, with new Christian structures emerging alongside the remnants of pagan temples. The transformation of Perga reflects the broader cultural and religious changes sweeping across the Mediterranean world during Late Antiquity.

circa 120 CE

Theater
The theater of Perga, constructed in the second century CE during the height of Roman influence, is one of the most imposing and best-preserved structures in the city. Built against a natural slope on the southern edge of the site, it could accommodate approximately 12,000-15,000 spectators and served as a central venue for dramatic performances, public assemblies, and religious festivals. The semicircular cavea was divided into two tiers by a broad diazoma, with entrances and vaulted passages facilitating movement of large crowds. The stage building (scaenae frons) was richly decorated with Corinthian columns, niches, and sculptural reliefs depicting mythological scenes, reflecting both the artistic sophistication and civic pride of Roman Perga. In later centuries, portions of the theater were adapted for use in gladiatorial games, showing its continued social significance well into the Byzantine period before its eventual decline following earthquakes and regional instability.

circa

Stadium
The Stadium of Perga, constructed during the second century CE, is one of the most remarkably intact ancient stadiums from the ancient Roman World, rivaled only by the one at Aphrodisias. Unlike many stadiums built into natural hillsides, Perga's was erected on a flat plain, necessitating an elaborate sub-structure of 50 vaulted arches to support its seating for an estimated 12,000 spectators. The arena itself was a massive 234 meters long and 34 meters wide, hosting a variety of public spectacles, from athletic competitions like wrestling and boxing to more Roman tastes for gladiator fights and wild animal hunts. Inscriptions discovered within some of the barrel vaults reveal they were utilized as shops (tabernae), adding to the spectacle for the city's residents and visitors. Its horseshoe-shaped plan, with a closed end at its north and open end at the south, provided a grand venue for events that shaped the civic and cultural life of the flourishing Roman city.

circa 150

Agora / Macellum
The Agora of Perge within one of the most well-designed and planned cities of Roman Anatolian provides an example of this type through its plan and structural characteristics. The Agora positioned to the east of the Hellenistic Period Gate is surrounded by a wide stoa and there is a paved area surrounded by columned galleries. There are shops behind the galleries paved with ornate floor mosaics. Unlike the contemporary examples in Anatolia, the doors to the Perge Agora or macellum stores were arranged to open towards inside or outside alternatively. The entrances are in the centre of each of the four porticos. The open area on the western side these structures was employed as a main entrance hall. Given the natural slope of the area, it is possible to say that the south side of the Agora was of two storeys.

The place termed the Agora was subsequently called as the Macellum during the Roman period, as meat and fish as well as luxury goods such as perfume were sold here.

It was the second largest Agora in Turkey in terms of its size, consisting of three nested squares. The inner area measuring 51.00 x 51.00 meters is of compacted soil. The tholos of circular plan situated in the middle of this area could have been a temple, as at Side. However in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) Period, water pipes were placed in the walls around the tholos podium and consequently this structure is thought to have then been employed as an agiasma.

circa 150

Colonnaded Streets
In ancient Perge, there were two colonnaded streets that divided the city into four quadrents and intersected each other in the north. As the main arteries of the city in the north-south (cardo) and east-west (decumanus) directions the columned main streets extended for more than half a kilometers, from Arch of Hadrian in the south to the Kesros Nymphaeum in the north.