Claros

Claros

Κλάρος (in Ancient Greek) Clarus (in Latin)
The Temple of Apollo at Claros
Shown within Turkey
Location	Ahmetbeyli, Izmir Province, Turkey
Region	Ionia
Coordinates	38°00′18″N 27°11′34″E / 38.00500°N 27.19278°E / 38.00500; 27.19278
Type	Sanctuary
Satellite of	Colophon
Site notes
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes

Claros (/ˈklɛərəs/;^[1] Greek: Κλάρος, Klaros; Latin: Clarus) was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia. It contained a temple and oracle of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius. It was located in the territory of Colophon, which lay twelve kilometers to the north, one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The coastal city Notion lay two kilometers to the south. The ruins of the sanctuary are now found north of the modern town Ahmetbeyli in the Menderes district of Izmir Province, Turkey.

The Temple of Apollo at Claros was a very important center of prophecy, as in Delphi and Didyma. The oldest literary information about this sacred site goes back to the sixth and seventh centuries BC, through the Homeric Hymns, though Proto-Geometric pottery at the site betokens 9th century occupation. A sacred cave near the Temple of Apollo, which was an important place both in the Hellenistic and Roman eras, points to the existence of a Cybele cult in early periods here. Games called the Claria were held at Claros every fifth year in honor of Apollo.^{[citation needed]}