Sardes was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and from the seventh to the mid-sixty century B.C. was the worlds richest city. A good part of its wealth was in gold washed down from the mountain by the river Pactolus, which the Lydians collected in sheep skins spread in the shallows, perhaps a source of the legent of the Golden Fleece. The most famous monument remaining from the ancient Sardes is the Temple of Artemis. Equally impressive are the Roman Gymnasium and bath from the second century A.D., also shops and a synagogue complete the complex with the marble court in the centre.