Another Lycian tomb unearthed in Myra

Finding Lycian tombs is nothing new, but every excavation deserves to be mentioned. There always is the slim chance to find a grave that has not been plundered, either in antiquity or in more recent years.

[Picture from the Archaeological News Network]

No such luck, however, for this tomb that was unearthed near the ancient city of Myra. As always, it was a chance discovery made by the landowner driving his bulldozer.

Myra (modern Demre) is very rich in Lycian tombs and the visitor simply cannot miss the many hollow eyes staring at him when he heads for the well-preserved theater that is so often visited by the tourists (see: Ancient Myra from Finike).

This tomb counts three doors and exposes one chamber of 5 x 4 meters. It may have counted a second floor but that is not certain.

Since the officials are on the spot, they will continue exploring the area hoping to find more of these elegant Lycian tombs.

Andriake’s Museum has opened

The opening of this museum in Andriake, inside the walls of Hadrian’s Granary (131 AD), was announced a while ago (see: Time to revisit Andriake, the harbor of Myra) and is now a fact.

It has been baptized as The Lycian Civilizations Museum as it not only contains local finds from Myra and Andriake but from the entire region of Lycia, roughly situated at the southern coast of Turkey between Fethiye and Finike. Except for the coastal cities, Lycia has been very little explored but offers a great number of sites that flourished when they joined hands in the Lycian League founded in the early days of the 2nd century BC. The League had a Parliament of its own, the first ever in history, that was located at Patara. This kind of government may well have inspired modern democracy.

More than one thousand artifacts excavated in cities like Myra, Andriake, Patara, Xanthos, Tlos, Arykanda, Pinara, Antiphellos, and Olympos have found a home in one of the seven rooms of this former Granary. Among the exhibits are statues, vessels, other kitchenware, glassware, and jewelry.

The site of Andriake itself has been cleared further and has become part of the open-air museum with its harbor, the agora with an underground water cistern, a Roman bath, and a boat, as well as the remains of several churches and even a Jewish temple.

More information about the Lycian League can be found in my earlier blog: A short history of Lycia.

Xanthus, Travels of Discovery in Turkey by Enid Slatter

Xanthus, Travels of Discovery in Turkey by Enid Slatter (ISBN 0-948695-30-7) is an absolute must for every lover of Greek antiquity and more particularly for those, who like me, fell in love with Lycia in southeastern Turkey.

The title Xanthus, although the main city and once capital of ancient Lycia, may be misleading as the book covers in fact, all of Lycia. The author mainly has reproduced the journals kept by Charles Fellows, who in 1838 and 1840 crisscrossed this unchartered territory looking for architecture worth of filling the newly founded British Museum in London. Occasionally Enid Slatter has added updated information about the whereabouts of certain artifacts.

The journal not only mentions the (generally phonetically spelled) Turkish names of the towns but also the corresponding names from antiquity. The book is further richly illustrated by a huge amount of drawings, some made by Fellows himself, but most of them drawn by young George Scharf, who accompanied him, especially for this purpose.

It gives a great insight into the policy applied by the then-ruling Ottoman government as well as that of the British occupying nearby Rhodes and Malta. The general landscapes with rivers, gorges, scant bridges and fording places are very detailed, but also the overall color pallet of blossoming trees, field flowers, and dresses of the local people. On top of all that, it is quite interesting to learn how Charles Fellows and his entourage traveled from England to Turkey and back, using ferries, carriages, an occasional new train track, steamers, ferries, to continue on horseback or on foot through the pristine Lycian countryside. They suffered from seasickness on many occasions and were thoroughly shaken during the bumpy rides in the stage coaches. In Turkey, they were dependent on the weather and often hit by fierce thunderstorms. The Lycian coast was still infested by swarms of mosquitoes, especially in summer when even the locals moved out en-masse to the inland mountains.

Xanthus was and is, of course, the focal point, but Fellows also put sites like Letoon, Tlos, Pinara, Myra, Limyra, Arykanda, Olympos and Finike on the map, which today are only one flight away for the many tourists.

While during his first trip Charles Fellows aimed to discover as much of Lycia as he could, his second expedition of 1840 was the one that enabled him to crate and ship the magnificent pieces of what is now called the Nereid Monument (or Ionic Monument), the friezes of the Harpy Monument, the entire Payava Tomb (or Horse Tomb), and several other pillar or box tombs now at the British Museum. He also made plaster casts of pertinent reliefs that could not otherwise be moved, which have sadly disappeared since.

The reading is never dull and Fellows’ love for this unique Lycian culture is one of a kind. His journal is truly filled with many exciting details, very much worth discovering.

Alexander’s Path by Freya Stark

Alexander’s Path (ISBN 0879513403) has been on my bookshelves for many years now. The first time I read it was in preparation for my wonderful trip with Peter Sommer, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, the full 21-day journey (now split up into two parts). Since then, I grabbed it repeatedly when exploring Pamphylia and Lycia on my own to get those little extra details that make a journey so much more worthwhile. In a surge of melancholy and enriched by my own experiences, I decided to read it once again, cover to cover, making it a most enjoyable mental travel experience. 

What threw me off, at first, is the fact that Freya Stark goes in the opposite direction of Alexander, starting with Alexandrette (Iskenderun) and the Battle of Issus, moving through Cilicia to the great cities of Pamphylia to finally reach Lycia. She travels in the early 1950s when the landscape is not spoiled yet by the crowds of coastal hotels and modern roads, still looking very much like Alexander’s days. Her means of transportation are random, simply adapted to the circumstances: car, jeep, horse, mule, donkey, and on foot. Hotels where she could enjoy a room of her own are rare, and she often simply accepted Turkish hospitality in whatever form and with whatever comfort that may or may not offer.

It is not a dreary recitation of facts or references from ancient authors about Alexander’s march through these lands. On the contrary, she knows how to enhance her story with simple daily realities of life as it evolves: her observation of life in the village, the sound of goats and herders in the hills, her own thoughts as the day passes and the road unwinds. She observes the land with an analytical eye, constantly wondering how an army could cross it and what Alexander’s goal was at that moment in time. 

In the end, she extensively crisscrosses the rugged lands of Lycia in search of Alexander’s path, which has not reached us from ancient literature. Even Arrian, otherwise rather detailed in his descriptions, simply mentioned that Alexander moved from Xanthos through Lycia to Phaselis. Freya Stark has spent several trips exploring every single road, pass, river, and trail of Lycia looking for the most plausible route. She concluded that the Macedonian King either took the coastal road (corresponding mostly to the modern motor road) or the higher ridge via Candyba and Kassaba to Myra and hence to Limyra with another possible deviation via Arykanda to Limyra, to end at Phoenice (modern Finike). Taking advantage of the old well-travelled stony paths and donkey trails, she manages to find the best-fitted passage for Alexander to take his army across the mountain backbone. It passes under Rhodiapolis, through Corydalla (now Kumluca), and over the Yazir Pass to descend on the eastern side to Phaselis. 

It may be hard to find, but Alexander’s Path not only is a fascinating and captivating book but also a faithful and precious travel companion.

Perge welcomed Alexander with open arms

When Alexander the Great arrived in Perge in 333 BC, he was received with open arms, basically because the city wanted to be in his favor and counted on his support in settling their differences with Aspendos and Side. I'm not sure whether the plan was successful, but the fact remains that Alexander used Perge as his base from where he organized his campaigns to the neighboring cities. Then, as now, daily life must have been easygoing.

What we see today appears nearly exclusively Roman, i.e., from the 2nd century AD. Perge lies only two kilometers from the coastal main road connecting Antalya to Alanya. Immediately at the turn-off, one is confronted with the back wall of the large theater, while on the right-hand side, one sees the many vaults belonging to the 235-meter-long Stadium. An impressive welcome, to say the least. The road runs around this Stadium to the parking lot, which is free of charge. I feel at home right away.

This Stadium is known as being the best preserved in Asia Minor and is definitely worth a visit. It is built in the typical U-shape and, like the opposite theater, can seat as many as 15,000 spectators. In the underground vaults that supported the rows of seats, the shops offered everything the theater and Stadium aficionados needed or wanted. A picture that looks very modern, I would say.

I deeply regret that the Theater is not open to visitors as the construction is very unstable. I climb as far as I can through the thickets along the high fence, hoping to find a spot offering a worthwhile view of the inside. But my efforts are not rewarded, and I soon am being closely watched by a guard, afraid that I might force an entry through the fence. He is right, of course, for the temptation is there. The theater is clearly Greek and at a later date, the outer face of the stage building was converted into a Nymphaeum, 40 feet high. This façade counted five large water basins serving as public fountains. Meanwhile, the many statues from this incredible theater have been moved to the Archaeological Museum of Antalya, but it would be wonderful to mentally put them back into their original spots, wouldn't it?  

In Alexander’s days, the city was not walled, and it was his successors who built the first city wall in the 3rd century BC. Later on, with the expansion of Perge, the Romans tore down part of this wall and added a wider one of their own. That is the reason why today we enter antique Perge through two consecutive city gates, first the dull square Roman gate and right behind it the two round Hellenistic towers. These towers are very special simply because they look exactly like Macedonian siege towers, inside of which spiral-shaped stairs run to the top. They were being restored at the time of my visit, but according to the latest news, the work has now ended (I hope the visitor will be allowed inside also?). I find this corner of Perge extremely exciting as I discover the horseshoe-shaped space behind these towers once showing off the statues of the founders of the city, including that of Plancia Magna who held the highest civic office of demiurges and was also priestess of Artemis and of the Mother of Gods (now in the Antalya Museum); only the base with the founders' names remain in situ.

This space leads automatically to the more than one-kilometre-long main street. As far as I’m concerned, this is the only one that has a water channel running in the middle, very much like what we still may encounter in Turkey today (Antalya, Finike, or Burdur, for instance). The water comes from a lovely Nymphaeum situated at the far end of the street and beyond that channeled down from a cistern higher up the hill. The water spout is a mere slit at the feet of a reclining goddess and the water flows through the center of the city, over low intermediate walls that control the water flow and re-oxygenate it. The so-created mini waterfalls constitute a refreshing element on hot summer days. In some places, small pedestrian bridges run across the channel, sometimes decorated with a little sanctuary. 

Behind the Nymphaeum, a trail runs to the top of the hill where the Acropolis was located. From here, the view is like that of a bird, and the full layout of the city can be discerned.

Standing here, I realize how little has been excavated while walking through Perge’s streets, suggesting the opposite. I see the main road and the city gates, the Roman Baths near the entrance, and the Agora with surrounding buildings, and that  about sums it up. The Stadium lies outside the walls, with the famous theater across. The city wall, on the other hand, clearly cuts through the lush green trees and shrubs where remains of other sturdy buildings appear, like the Gymnasium, the Palaestra, and the Byzantine Basilica - all pending excavation.

I retrace my steps to the wonderful city gates and turn right to the remains of the Roman Baths from the 2nd century AD, which is one of the best-preserved buildings of Perge. Lovely to recognize the hypocaust with its floor heating avant la lettre. If you pay attention, you’ll notice parts of the original flooring with bits of marble (opus sectile), a marble plinth, a threshold, or a gutter. The Solarium is another of those striking elements. It proves once again how skilled Roman builders were!

To the left of the city gates lies the Large Agora, trimmed with slender Ionic columns, while the columns of the Stoa are crowned with Corinthian capitals. In the center are the remains of a round building, the purpose or use of which is unknown. As always, I try very hard to imagine the whole picture, but it is not easy, even with the help of a relief indicating that this shop was the butcher’s – a hint to many other shops in the area.

I venture further behind the Agora, in search of the vaults I had seen from my viewpoint near the Acropolis. I wonder if this could be part of an aqueduct or otherwise a Basilica? I reach a local dirt road and lose my bearings. What I do find is a wide underground sewage system, Roman of course, with at regular distances apart big square pits covered with a lid where the maintenance workers could access the underground. My road ends at a high wall and battlements, the remains of the eastern city walls.

Time is always timeless when I stroll through an antique city, and it is no surprise that I spent more than four hours browsing around. Even if I have not found much of Alexander here, there are these well-preserved round gate towers that have helped me in recognizing similar constructions elsewhere, like, for instance, in Side (Turkey) and in Apamea (Syria) – true legacies of Alexander, of course!

[Click here to see all the pictures of Perge]

Is Myra still hidden underneath modern Demre?

Archaeology is such a captivating activity that may lead to many surprises, some good and some not so good, but in the case of Myra, it sounds very promising, as a huge mudslide may have preserved the city secretly over the past 700 years.

Until now, only the Roman theater framed by the rock-cut tombs in the hills behind it and the church of Saint Nicholas are visible (read further: Myra, the city of Saint Nicolas and Ancient Myra from Finike).

Using new radar technology, archaeologists have now traced walls and buildings under today’s Demre, and since 2009, they have been excavating a small chapel dating from the 13th century. In the eastern wall, a cross has been carved, allowing the sunlight to filter inside as if it came back to life. A highly unusual fresco has also been discovered. It seems to be built with recycled stones from older buildings and tombs.

This discovery sounds very promising because if this chapel is so well preserved, hopes are high to find more intact buildings, maybe even a city comparable to Pompeii. This chapel leads the researchers to believe that Myra was quickly entombed by the mud because, except for some damage to the dome, the entire construction is very well preserved.

Time for me to go back and have a fresh look!

Exploring Olympos, next to Chimera

From the main road, I follow the signpost down to Olympos through the splendid Lycian landscape of pine trees amidst park-like grassland full of spring flowers.

Olympos has been well-investigated by the archaeologists of Antalya, but in the heavy overgrowth of spring, it looks as if everything remains to be discovered. Luckily, plenty of signs guide me through the remains hidden in the thick bushes, brushes, and swamped reeds behind the dirt road leading to the pebble beach.

I start along the north side of the river with crystal clear water (that has not changed course since antiquity), noticing the remains of a bridge that once crossed it and seems to date from Roman times. Behind the dirt road, only vague footpaths run among the tombs. They are mainly vaulted family graves bearing Greek inscriptions about the deceased on the marble lintels above the entrance gate. It is fun in a way, for it seems like detective work to locate them hidden in the clusters of low trees, half buried in eons of soil and marshy deposits.

Back on the dirt road, I am directed towards a temple through lush greenery. In a clearing, the five-meter-high temple doorway suddenly faces me. It has a beautifully decorated lintel with consoles of big acanthus leaves at each corner and unfinished pearl motifs around the sides of the door jambs. This portal belongs to a Roman Temple built in Ionic style, apparently between 161 and 180 AD, according to an inscription stating that it once held a statue in honor of Marcus Aurelius. I peep around the corner, but except for the entrance, there are hardly any walls to speak of, and the floor is a rubble of broken blocks that may be sorted out one day. Somebody took the measurements of this temple, however, and came up with 10.5 by 12.5 meters.

I jump over a few narrow streams, but I stop in my tracks at the sight of an aqueduct (a walled canal system according to the Turkish translation) running parallel with one of the rivulets. My path follows the bottom of the canal, one meter wide by one meter high, I guess. How exciting! It runs straight, makes a sudden turn, joins up with a side canal, and runs on further into the thickets. I keep marveling at this centuries-old work of art that still carries traces of paint, and I reflect on how easy it would be to lead the spring water back through the bedding of this aqueduct.

I stop at the remains of an imposing Mausoleum on my left, built for three tombs and called the Lyciarch Grave, dating from the second half of the 3rd century AD. Originally, it was roofed with a vault that had collapsed. The rough outer walls now shelter only two sarcophagi, as the central and most beautiful one has been taken to the Museum in Antalya. Measuring 2.4 x 1.15 m and one meter high, the crystallized white marble is decorated with columns and band motifs in relief. The well-preserved lid shows a couple, a man, and a woman, lying down. I must have seen it in Antalya earlier this year, but I probably didn't pay too much attention. One of the billboards gives a translation of the inscription that was found on the tomb: "I, Lyciarch Marcus Aurelius Archepolis from Olympos, also known as Hoplon, son of Rhesimachos also called Diotimos (constructed) this grave for my dear father Rhesimachos, also called Diotimos and my dear brother Marcus Aurelius Menodoros, also called Rhesimachos, and for myself and for the persons that I determined in my will. There will be no permission for any other person to be buried in it. Otherwise, the burying person will pay 2,000 silver coins to the Sacred Treasury of the Empire". Five generations in all have been buried here together.

On the right-hand side of the U-shaped podium stands the so-called Hoplon Sarcophagus (one of the foremost families of Olympos), made of white marble with gray veins imported from Marmara Island, that has approximately the same measurements as the previous one. The longer side is decorated with three stylish garlands, and the inscription on the podium reads: "Hoplon from Olympos built this grave for his relatives, father and mother, himself, nephew Gagatis and his wife Melitine." Any other person will be fined and thrown out. No kidding! The sarcophagus on the left is of the chest type and not as well preserved. I'm amazed to learn that it is made of crystallized white marble when staring at this grayish-dark tomb, whose long side has been pieced together again. Its measurements are again comparable to the two other tombs in this Mausoleum.

My canal road takes me further into the bushes, and after a sharp left turn, the soil is rather swampy and muddy. I move cautiously between the reeds and yellow irises, following the sign "Mosaics." And here they are, pieces of a two-story building that may have been a Basilica or the Bishop's Residence built at the end of the 5th century AD. The rough walls show decorative brickwork, and I find plenty of mosaics representing birds and other animals on the floor of the asymmetrical rooms.

Returning along the channel to the main road, I glimpse slender arched windows resting on a polygonal wall of what once were the Harbor Walls on the other side of the river. It is hard to imagine that both banks of this now shallow stream, half hidden in the reeds and sweet laurel, were a sheltered mooring place for the ships sailing the Aegean! But it definitely is a unique photo opportunity.

I now reach the place where the Acropolis rises high above the city, but I find it far too risky to climb, even if the view over the beach must be worth it! In the shady thickets at the bottom of this hill, I come across a lonely sarcophagus dedicated to Antimachos. It is a typical Lycian saddle-back model from the end of the 2nd century AD. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but finding it so unexpectedly in the middle of nowhere is exciting! The pseudo-door on the short end represents the entrance to Hades, the underworld, while the family tree motive on the corner plaster stands for eternity – a tradition that started around 3000 years BC, so it says.

Right next to the beach and protected by an unkept, rough wooden fence, I see two splendid examples of vaulted sarcophagi – thoroughly cleaned and restored. The one facing me carries a relief of a galley – a rarity, I am told. The Greek inscription in the frame above states that the tomb belonged to Captain Eudemos, who sailed to the Marmara and the Black Sea and had a good reputation. He had honorary citizenship of Chalcedon (today, part of Istanbul). The boat resembles a sponge fishing boat with a relief of Aphrodite on the keel, who is supposed to protect the sailors. There is another inscription next to the framed one saying:

"The ship has entered and anchored in the last port, for not to go out any more

For there is no more benefit from the wind nor from the daylight

After leaving the morning twilight captain Eudemos

Buried there his short-lived ship like a broken wave.

The second sarcophagus is less photogenic but carries a lengthy Greek text without explanation or translation. Such a pity, for it may have revealed interesting details or the reason why it was put in this protected place.

The beach view exceeds my expectations as the entire setting, with the river and the rock formations, is so different from what I have seen in Lycia before. On my left, to the North, I see modern houses and hotels leading to Kemer. Higher up the opposite southern hill lies the ancient Olympos city, quite an idyllic place with an arched rock enhancing the view. I take a break to enjoy the scenery before I trace my steps back on the dirt road.

I remember seeing a signpost pointing across the river towards the Theater, and I walked back to that point. The riverbank is steep and slippery, but I find the path running over boulders carefully laid for a daring visitor like me. On the opposite bank, I dive into the thickets again, hoping to find the Theater - and I do! This Theater from the first half of the 2nd century AD is definitely Roman and resembles the one in Phaselis, but is in much poorer condition, probably due to the earthquake of 141 AD and more so after the quake of 240 AD. Unfortunately, during the Middle Ages, much of the material was removed for other constructions. I enter through a promising vaulted paradox but find very scattered tiers of seats. Amazingly, the archaeologists could identify twenty rows of seats after all, but it helped that the Theater was carved in the bedrock.

I walk on in the general direction of the Harbor when, suddenly, I see a good-sized limestone sarcophagus above me. The billboard reveals this is the Tomb of Alcestis or Aurelius Artemias and family from the 2nd century AD. The reliefs are worn down, but I recognize a figure of Nike on each of the four corners. The garlands and figures of Eros that stand for the four seasons are better preserved. On the long side, I find Artemis and her husband saying their goodbyes when leaving this world. The short sides are in better condition. One side shows a standing man and a veiled woman, and the other a veiled woman with a mace-bearing figure of Heracles, hence the deduction that the female figure may represent Omphale, but more likely Alcestis.

Reading up on its history, I learned that Olympos was founded in Hellenistic times, and by 100 BC, it was a major city with three votes in the Lycian League. During the 1st century BC, it was home to many pirates who threatened the interests of the Roman Empire, culminating in the conquest by Cilician pirates. Their leader was Zeniketes, who introduced the cult of Mithras exclusively for men, demanding the ritual sacrifice of bulls for the soul to gain redemption and immortality. In 78 BC, the Roman proconsul P. Servilius Vata chased and captured Zeniketes, razing the city to the ground. After the final defeat of the pirates in a significant sea battle by Pompey, the city became Roman, and the land was sold to new settlers. Roman soldiers continued the cult of Mithras, which spread across the entire Empire. In many garrison cities, Mitraea ceremonies developed in which the bull-killing god was worshiped.

In 130 AD, Hadrian visited Olympos and the Granary on the river's south bank, probably dating from this time. In the aftermath of the earthquake of 141 AD, it was again Opramoas of Rhodiapolis who donated 12,000 denarii "for festivities in honor of Hephaistos and the Emperor." The peak of development was reached during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, for after that, the lower city was sacked by pirates, and the population entirely abandoned Olympos in the 6th century AD. A true story of conquests and conquerors!

[Click here to view all the pictures of Olympos]

Chimera's eternal flames

Driving east from Finike, I'm heading for Chimera and Olympos. I find the car park at the foot of the hillside, next to a small café selling refreshments as mentioned in the Sunflower Guide “Turkish Coast, from Antalya to Demre”, as well as the clean toilets and the booth to buy my entrance ticket.

Chimera, once ornated with a Temple of Hephaistos, the Roman Vulcan, and god of fire, is now known by its Turkish name Yanartaş, meaning “burning mountain”. This is where the famous Bellerophon defeated the Chimera, a mythical fire-breathing being, partly lion, partly goat, partly snake, with the aid of his winged horse Pegasus. The Chimera may have been an important religious place of pilgrimage, dedicated to the blacksmith god – the legend going back to 1200 BC at least. The Chimera is the place where gasses from the entrails of the earth escape through cracks and holes in the rock and spontaneously start burning when in contact with the outside air. It is said that in antiquity the flames were higher and brighter, an ideal beacon for the seafarers. Alexander definitely must have seen this "fire mountain" in the shade of Mount Climax where the waves bowed to him.

Once again, I am the first visitor of the day. Originally, I planned to visit Olympos first and walk up to the Chimera from there, but I think it is wiser to do the climbing before the heat of the day picks up. According to my Sunflower Guide, the trip should take me between 20 and 30 minutes, at first ascending over a track and then over a stepped, well-maintained footpath through pine forests, following the red and white flashes of the Lycian Way. This information is entirely correct. The Lycian Way runs over a distance of more than 500 kilometers all across Lycia. It is comforting to know that this is not an isolated trail and I am glad I took my walking stick to help me up the high steps.

It is a rather strenuous climb and in between my huffing and puffing, I take the time to admire the spectacular Lycian landscape while sipping my water. I try to catch the moment with my camera but the outcome is poor. Everything is green, the grass and the weeds, the trees on the hillsides, and the pine trees with shiny needles in the foreground. The sharp rock formations are dull gray and the overall view is hazy because of the moisture in the air left by the rain of these past days and which the sun is trying to burn off. Somehow I am reminded of the sugar rocks around Rio de Janeiro, just as steep but not as green as here, I would say. There are however plenty of flowers, white and yellow ones mainly but also big wild lilac anemones. When I catch my breath again I can even hear the many birds singing in chorus. How wonderful!

A big rock along the trail carries a red-painted message “400 m” and I wonder what it means. Have I climbed to a height of 400 meters, have I walked 400 meters of the trail, or it is still 400 meters to the first flames? It surely has something to do with the Lycian Way running over this path, but that does not solve this enigma. Well, whatever. I scramble and groan my way further upwards and quite suddenly I reach an open rock space where I see the first flames. I don’t remember what I had in mind but the flames are definitively brighter and bigger than I expected. Strange things in the landscape, that’s for sure!

Shooting my pictures, I am amazed to see how clearly the flames are burning with a soft hissing sound and I even notice a faint smell of gas. At times there are clusters of two or three holes next to each other with flames licking the blackened rock around them. Turning around and to my left now below the flames, I see the ruins of a Byzantine church that must be standing on top of the ancient temple dedicated to Hephaistos. In fact, all I can see are the walls and cupolas still carrying clear traces of paint, but the building is mostly buried in the debris and I cannot find any indication of Roman or Greek architecture. Around the lowest fire, there are some loose carved blocks lying around that may refer to the altar that once stood in front of the Temple of Hephaistos. Who knows?

By now more visitors are reaching the flames. Time for me to turn around! Going down is much easier although I have to move with care as the steps are higher than you would think. Back at the parking space, I wonder if I could have some tea. This is Turkey after all, isn’t it? Yes, I can if I can wait that is because they just started the fire. I look at a kind of wood-burning stove with a high stovepipe and three (tea?) pots hanging from the hooks around it. A strange contraption that I don’t try to figure out. I settle for ice cream instead.

[click here for all the pictures of Chimera]

Ancient Myra from Finike

Today I decided to drive to nearby Myra. This is where Santa Claus was buried, not the legend but the real man, Saint Nicolas, of course. His grave is still here although his remains were stolen by Italian merchants in 1087 and taken to Bari, Italy. 

After Finike, the coastal road follows the contours of the landscape with every curve around the capes and inside the bays, offering rewarding views at each and every turn. It feels strange to be driving on this well-maintained road that I seem to know so well, looking at it from the gulet when I sailed these waters last year. It appeared as a horizontal scar in the landscape, now a winding ribbon of asphalt that is not free of danger from falling rocks. But I enjoy every mile of it. Soon enough, I enter the modern town of Demre that fills the entire bay, and I am happy to see that there are plenty of road signs directing me to ancient Myra.

Most of the ancient city lies underneath today’s Demre and is hidden under five meters of alluvial silts from the Demre River. This large plain is now almost entirely covered with greenhouses stuffed with tomatoes – very efficient but not exactly a sight for sore eyes.

Myra was first mentioned in the 1st century BC when it was one of the six leading cities of the Lycian League (with Xanthos, Tlos, Pinara, Patara, and Olympos), but its origins are believed to go back to the 5th century BC. The name was spelled MYRRH, and the Lycian coins bear the abbreviation ΛΥΚΙΩΝ ΜΥ. Myra once had a great Temple of Artemis Eleuthera (a distinctive form of Cybele), said to be Lycia's largest and most splendid building. However, St. Nicolas had the temple completely destroyed. How dared he?!

The ancient city was hit by a terrible earthquake in 141 AD, and our friend Opramoas of Rhodiapolis donated no less than 200,000 denarii for its reconstruction, together with two other benefactors, Licinius Langus of Oenoanda and Jason of Kyaenai. Under Emperor Theodosius II, it became the capital of the Byzantine Eparchy of Lycia. Myra lost one-third of its population to the plague in 542-543 AD, and after subsequent Muslim raids, flooding, and earthquakes, it was mostly abandoned by the 11th century. 

Plainly visible upon arrival is the Graeco-Roman Theater of Myra, chiseled into the rock and said to be the largest in Lycia and the third largest in Turkey. This is where I start. It is indeed quite impressive, and I manage to arrive before the busloads of tourists. I walk between interesting debris of carved stones from the Theater showing theatrical masks and beautiful reliefs of birds, mythological scenes, and, of course, the ever-present Muses. Then I climb all the way to the top, 38 rows above the skene, for a complete overview of the modern town of Demre and to get a feeling of what the theater-goers in early times must have seen looking towards the sea. Several rows lower, I walk the well-preserved diazoma whose face is rich with inscriptions, niches, and reliefs. The holes in the terraces once held wooden posts to which sunshades could be fastened, just like I have seen before in Limyra and Arykanda. A real touch of luxury, and why not? It seems that in the 3rd century AD, the theater was even used as a circus and for water sports!

Left of the Theater, I can’t miss seeing the many Lycian tombs cut out in the face of the rocks, but they are not accessible to visitors; only the ones of the eastern necropolis are. So I set off to that side, but then I didn’t find any path in spite of my repeated attempts through the orange groves and medlar orchards. I see a signpost indicating that the Lycian Way passed here, but I wish the backpacker good luck in finding out where he is going, for I can’t, and honestly, after yesterday’s experience hunting for Rhodiapolis, I lack the energy to investigate much further. An old woman kindly tries to put me back on track, handing me a couple of sweet apples, but in vain! OK, that was that.

[read further in Myra, the city of Saint Nicolas]
[Click here to see all the pictures of Myra]

Lycian Tomb found in Rhodiapolis, Turkey

The World Bulletin recently announced that a Lycian tomb complex was uncovered at the site of ancient Rhodiapolis, near Kumluca, situated roughly between Finike and Antalya.

I like to keep up-to-date about sites that I visit, and Rhodiapolis has a very special place in my heart simply because of Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, who was a well-known benefactor when the area was hit by a severe earthquake in 141 AD. All the details can be found in my previous article, Finding Rhodiapolis from Finike.

[picture from the World Bulletin]

It is believed that archaeologists have found a Lycian cemetery complex dating to around 300 BC that surrounded a larger necropolis in ancient times, and will serve as an example of the elaborate style in Lycian Anatolia. Since members of the same family were buried on top of one another, the tombs needed to be expanded, which meant in turn that extra levels had to be added. This explains the large two- or three-story structures often made of brick and covered with arched roofs, which seem to be inspired by the Pisidians who lived north of Lycia.

Of course, this discovery is still in a very early stage, and more excavations will be needed in the coming years, but sections of this site might be open to the public starting next year. Time to go back and have another look!

[Click here to see all the pictures of Rhodiapolis]

Arykanda

My plan today is to visit Arykanda, renowned as being the Delphi of Turkey, and it turns out that this title is not exaggerated. I read that Arykanda overlooks a magnificent valley and that the view makes it one of the most spectacular sites in close competition with Ephesus and Pergamon. It goes without saying that it is one of my top priorities.

The smell of spiced herbs mingles with the sweet, penetrating perfume of orange blossoms when I leave my hotel in the early morning. Traffic in Finike is busy with the Saturday market and the road works as I drive between houses and shops till the sign “Uçumlar, Güle, güle” waves me out. This turns out to be a last greeting from civilization as settlements suddenly become sparse. The road winds between steep green mountains richly covered with thick pine trees. I am all eyes for this is Alexander-country (at least for me!), a majestic and commanding landscape with high peaks crowned with snow. It is a little hazy, not exactly ideal for taking pictures, but my memory will record all the details. The road is twisting and climbing ever higher. Here and there, I catch a glimpse of houses and rows of trees, squeezed between plastic greenhouses that grow smaller at each turn. What a land! The road is well-maintained. This is not as obvious as it sounds, for although this is a centuries-old connection between Finike and Elmali, it has been improved only in the recent decades – lucky me!

After the village of Arif, I see the brown signpost to Arykanda. Yet it is pointing to a high cliff in front of which the locals are setting up their orange stalls. What is this? According to the Sunflower guide “From Antalya to Demre”, I have to make a right turn to reach the Agora of the ancient site, about one kilometer from here. I inspect the rocky wall in front of me, but find no entrance road. I take another look at my detailed map and finally realize that the road is to my right, half behind me, looking over my shoulder – a kind of hairpin turn. It is nothing more than a dirt path indeed, and I pray that I won't meet a car or tractor coming from the opposite direction, but all goes well, and I find a space to park. I am the only car and the only visitor, and like the day before, there is nobody to buy my ticket from. Well, my presence will be known soon enough, knowing the Turks …

I’m deeply impressed by what I see. Such a big city! It is so wonderfully well-preserved and excavated - a real gem with many streets and staircases still intact, two Agoras, remains of temples and private Roman houses with mosaics, Basilicas, and cisterns. I feel like a kid in a toy store, I want to see it all at once! Where shall I start? I decide to climb uphill to the two Agoras and adjacent buildings, as at this time of day, it is still cool. To my surprise, there is a billboard with a map of Arykanda and another one with a list of the buildings pointing me in the right direction. These buildings are numbered and referenced on the map, and they match the copy of the map I took with me from Cevdet Bayburtluoğlu’s book on Lycia – well, no wonder, for he is the archaeologist responsible for these excavations!

The Lycian city of Ary-ka-wanda, “the place near the high rocks”, is known to be one of the oldest sites, where even coins from the 5th century BC have been found. My friend Alexander the Great has stopped here on his way from Milas to Phaselis, but if there is any hard proof to this story, I don’t know, for I haven’t found one. After his death, the city was ruled by the Seleucids and afterwards by the Ptolemaic dynasty. It is said that the tension between Limyra and Arykanda, for whatever reason, prevented the influence of Ptolemy from spreading further inland through the valley of Arykandos. In the 2nd century BC, Arykanda joined the Lycian League, and from 43 AD, the city belonged to the Roman province of Lycia and Pamphylia. It even survived Byzantine times, until the 9th century, when the settlement moved to a new site south of the modern road. Luckily for us, the marble and limestone remains have been spared the lime kilns, as no large town was built in the neighborhood. Besides, much of the site has been covered by landslides, meaning that Arykanda's buildings were well hidden. This is why the excavated remains look so clean and almost new. Built upon five large terraces on a mountain slope, the city is quite unique. It was known for having the most pleasure-loving and entertainment-loving (and debt-ridden) citizens. So when in 197 BC they supported Antiochus III in his fight against Ptolemy, it was not so much a political move, but mainly to get their creditors off their backs. Nothing’s new under the sun!

Time to start exploring the site! I’m curious what the plastic roofs next to the parking are sheltering, and I see that there are mosaic floors underneath that seem to belong to a Basilica. Yet I leave this side of the city for later and set off to higher grounds.

[read further in Arykanda 2 - Visiting the Site]