Tradizione e sperimentazione nell’architettura sacra a Hierapolis di Frigia. I capitelli ionici con collarino decorato del Santuario di Apollo

This paper focuses on some architectural elements from the polyadic Sanctuary of Apollo at Hierapolis in Phrygia, as a part of the research activities carried out by MAIER – the Italian Archaeological Mission at Hierapolis. A group of six Ionic capitals is distinguished by the unusual composition, which combines the decorated hypotrachelion with a fluted baluster and the presence of a bead-andreel motif along the edge of the volutes. A series of comparisons shows that these original solutions depend on retrospective trends, as the reference to the most famous monuments of Classical Greece (the Erechtheion) and to the traditional forms of Microasiatic architecture (Artemisia of Ephesos and Sardis). Furthermore, the specific features of the hypotrachelion reveal a creative interaction between the architectural models of Rome and the local traditions of province of Asia. These Ionic capitals appear as the result of a complex artistic experimentation, realized at Hierapolis during the Hadrianic period; the chronology is also confirmed by the analysis of the decorative patterns.