The main components of the religious complex in Aphrodisias was a long corridor flanked by triple storye proticoed buildings, leading up to a temple dedicated to the imperial-cult. The spaces between the second and third storeys of these buildins were filled with lifesized relief sculptures.

During the excavations in the late 1970s more than 70 or 80 of the original 200 panels were discovered lying around the collapsed buildings. The Sebasteion was also called the Augusteum, a site of imperial cult in ancient Roman religion, named after the imperial title of Augustus.

The Sebasteion was situated a bit off the regular and planned city grid, in an older quarter, east of the city center. It was dedicated to Aphrodite and the emperors (Sebasteion, literally meaning the temple of the emperors). Construction Stretched from 20-60 CE, from the reign of Tiberius to that of Nero. The work was paidfor by two notable Aphrodisian families.

The cult-complex consisted of an entrance gate at the west, a long processional avenue (approx. 90x14 meters) flanked by at least 12 meters high buildings, and a raised temple at the eastern end. The long avenue functioned both as a sanctuary space and as an urban thoroughfare.

The northern and southern buildings that defined the avenue were three-story high (Doric, Ionic and Corinthia) and were decorated with marble reliefs in their upper storyes for the entire length. The reliefs were framed by the columnar architecture so that the two facades looked like closed picture walls.

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Depiction of Myths and Heroes on the Southern Building
The reliefs on the second and third storys represent heroes and gos from the Greek, Roman and local mythology, In the group of three, the narrower reliefs have meander decorations below.

The subjects of the decorations are wide and varied including; Achilles, Anchises, Aineas, Antaios, Atalante, Bellerophon, Deianira, Dionysos, Galatea, Herakles, Leda, Meleager, Nessos, Orestes, Penthesilea, Polyphemos, Prometheus, and Triptolemos.

Mythological images were both decorative and meaningful. They evoked a shared religion and culture. The stories were chosen carefuly, and cluster around several relevant themes: Aphrodite, Troy, and heroicbenefaction.

Love stories celebrate the power of Aphrodite, and heroes working for the good of mankind were like the emperors. Triptolemos gave man grain, Prometheus gave fire, and Herakles and Dionysos (these two appear five times) archived Olympian status through their deeds. Superhuman achievements had also made the emperors in to gods.

Prominent at the east end, are parts of the Trojan storay of Aineas, son of Aphrodite, ancestor of Julius Caesar and of Augustus' family. These stories were the mythological enactment of the special relationship between Aphrodisias and Rome.

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Temple of the Emperors
The grand avenue of Sebasteion led up to a a highpodium, where an imperial temple was built. Extensive remains of its marble architecture were found during the excavations of 1980s, fallen in front of the temple. Its facade had six Corinthian columns, an inscribed dedication, and elaborate ornaments on the corners of the roof (acroteria).

The temple was dedicated to the ROman emperor Tiberius (ruled 14-37 CE) and his mother Livia, here called "Julia Augusta New Demeter". Their cult statues would have stood inside thetemple'smain chamber (cella), together with those of other emperors and of Aphrodite Prometor ("Foremother of the Emperors").

The cult-statues and most of the temple were removed in the early Christian period, probably in the fifth century CE. The temple facade however was left standing as a city monument, and a fountain basin was built against the front of the podium where the entrance stairway was once located.

Today six columns and part of the architrave have been rebuilt using the parts of the temple during excavations.