The healing waters of Myra

Who would have expected to find healing waters in Myra?
 
As mentioned earlier, the excavations in Myra are hampered by modern Demre, which is built on top of the ancient city (see: Recent excavations in Myra and Andriake). As a result, expropriations are never easy, but this time, luck is on the side of archaeologists as a disaffected industrial zone has become available. The terrain is located about halfway between Demre and the ancient port of Andriake.

[Picture from tuerkei-antik]

The site made headlines with the discovery of a Nymphaeum from the 2^nd century AD, built over a natural spring which is rich in magnesium, iron, sulfur, and phosphorus. This, by itself, is rare enough to make it stand out among the usual water monuments. It is believed to belong to a ‘healing water complex” comparable to a modern wellness center. The water source, constantly bubbling from underground, lies directly beneath this Nymphaeum and is connected to the nearby Baths, aqueducts, and water cisterns.
 
The monumental construction from the days of Emperor Hadrian shows three separate arched entrance gates, both on the east and west sides. It combines architectural elements carved into the bedrock and walls of cut stone.
 
The Nymphaeum functioned until the 7^th century AD, i.e., when the harbor of Andriake silted up and fell into disuse.
 
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has an ambitious vision to create a major attraction park where visitors will be able to swim in the healing waters while exploring the ruins. It reminds me of the pool at the bottom of Hierapolis, where we can swim among the crumbled remains of the Nymphaeum and its marble portico, possibly belonging to the Temple of Apollo. The plan should be completed by the end of 2026.

Recent excavations in Myra and Andriake

Any excavation is a long process, and none is ever entirely completed. Future generations deserve their part of the research, and modern technology will allow different approaches and views. This is also the case in Myra (see: Ancient Myra from Finike) and its harbor Andriake (see: Andriake, port of Myra ). 

Last year (2021), work at Myra was concentrated on the orchestra of the theater. It is quite exciting to hear that the excavators have reached the Hellenistic level. We will remember that initially, the theater was Greek and that the Romans adapted it to their taste. Archaeologists dug to a depth of 4 meters, where they unearthed Lycian structures. These obviously antedate Hellenistic times. 

Further excavations in Myra are hampered by the fact that modern Demre is built right on top of the ancient city, and expropriations are a sore subject – here as well as elsewhere. 

In Andriake, on the other side of the main road, archaeologists will pursue their digs in front of the Granary of Hadrian, which has been turned into a museum (see: Andriake’s granary to be turned into a museum and Andriake’s Museum has opened). It has been named The Lycian Civilizations Museum. Besides finds from Myra  and Andriake, it also contains finds from the entire region of Lycia.

The excavations of the main buildings in Andriake are said to be completed. Work will now be concentrated on the north and west of the city.

Oenoanda in the heartland of Lycia

Oenoanda or Oinoanda lies only some 60 kilometers from Fethiye, right next to the modern village of İncealiler. It is one of those untouched sites, clearly off the beaten path of which there are many in Turkey. Such places are always very rewarding to be discovered and to be explored. It is so remote that even a seasoned archaeologist like Cevdet Bayburtluoglu strongly recommends not to venture there by yourself but to take a caretaker or a villager with you to be safe from sheepdogs. These dogs are fiercely defending and protecting the flock of sheep and goats they are supposed to guard and they readily attack any intruder. No kidding!

The climb up from İncealiler to Oenoanda takes about an hour over rough terrain. It seems that, apart from a few days in 1997, the Turkish authorities never allowed the city to be excavated. Yet, that does not make the site less exciting because one can discover it as we walk on.

[Picture: Ansgar Bovet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

The most striking feature in the landscape is, as always, the theater that sits higher up the hill overlooking the valley below and offers a dramatic view of the Taurus Mountains. It has been cut out of the rock and its plan closely resembles that of Myra or Phaselis, for instance.

Inside the city walls, of which many stretches are easily spotted, we find the remains of the ancient city. Unfortunately, these have not been properly documented and only the most striking features catch the eye.

A well-recognizable avenue leads from the theater to the Agora. It has been compared to Harbor Street at Phaselis as it is bordered by two steps on either side. The Agora, which is entirely paved with marble, is another prominent feature. The surrounding buildings have not been identified although we may presume based on the broken columns and stones that there was at least one temple erected alongside as is customary. A series of three distinct arches has been identified as belonging to a Library.

Otherwise, bits of columns, capitals, architraves, cornices, pedestals and stones of all sizes with or without inscriptions are scattered around in great numbers. Another recognizable element in the rubble is the broken pipes and remains of an aqueduct that must have run all the way to the Baths in the northeastern corner of Oenoanda.

The origins of Oenoanda are rather obscure but based on its name which contains the letters “-nd” the foundation could go back as far as the 2^nd millennium BC. In any case, it has been documented that Oenoanda was part of a tetrapolis annexed to Lycia. Together with Kibyra, Oenoanda became part of the Lycian League which was formed in the early 2^nd century BC and they acquired two votes each. The six main cities: Xanthos, Pinara, Tlos, Patara, Myra, and Olympos were the administrative, judicial, military, financial, and religious centers and each received three votes in the meetings of the League.

Pending serious excavations, no evidence has been found about the pre-Hellenistic Era of Oenoanda.

The city gained importance it seems, after the severe earthquake of 144 AD, when they received 10,000 denarii from Opramoas of Rhodiapolis (see: Opramoas of Rhodiapolis) to construct a Bath. It may sound strange because its own citizen, Licinius Langus of Oenoanda donated 10,000 denarii to Myra in order to rebuild their theater and its portico. He could have invested in the reconstruction of his home tome in the first place, no?

Another famous citizen of Oenoanda was the wealthy philosopher Diogenes, who spent his entire fortune on an Epicurean inscription. He had found peace of mind in the teachings of Epicurus and in order to show the people in Oenoanda the road to happiness, he commissioned an inscription 80 meters long and more than 3 meters high which set out Epicurean doctrines in about 25,000 words.  The huge inscription was placed in the agora and its large inscribed letters were painted - nobody could miss seeing them. At that time, in 120 AD, it would have been the largest ancient inscription ever found. The text included a number of instructions, letters, and epitomes defining the basic principles of Epicuraeism. In other words, a guide to happiness.

Unfortunately, the wall disappeared. It may have been deliberately destroyed or hit by an earthquake, but the scattered blocks were mostly reused as building material elsewhere. The wall with whatever remained of Oenoanda fell into oblivion, probably during the 9^th century AD.

During the 19^th and 20^th centuries, many fragments of this precious inscription were found, analyzed and partially put back together like a giant puzzle. That is a gigantic task that is still ongoing.

Oenoanda is surrounded by necropolises on all sides. Rock graves typically appear on both the east and west sides of the city and from the road between İncealiler and Oenoanda many sarcophagi, mostly of the Lycian type, are easily spotted in the landscape.

Results of latest excavations in ancient Myra

This year’s excavations (2020) were concentrated around the Roman Theater. Archaeologists hoped to find remnants from earlier constructions that would complete the picture of Myra (see: Ancient Myra from Finike) we have until now.

Their search was rewarded when they unearthed a small Hellenistic theater underneath the Roman construction. Also, sections of walls were retrieved as well as a number of bronze, lead, and silver artifacts and various ceramics.

[Picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

The most impressive find, however, was the collection of some 50 terracotta figurines. They represented male and female figures, gods and goddesses, some children and women with children, and cavalry figurines. Inscriptions from the 2^nd-1^st century BC were disclosed as well. Many of the artifacts still have traces of red, blue, and pink paint, making them particularly interesting.

As always, such scenes from daily life help to complete the information we have so far about the culture and beliefs of that time, in that area.

Once these figures are restored and cleaned, they will be exhibited at the Museum of Lycian Civilizations, which has been created inside the walls of Hadrian’s Granary in Andriake, the harbor of Myra (see: Andriake’s Museum has opened). 

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.

Time to Honor Emperor Hadrian

Emperor Hadrian was a world traveler in the modern sense of the word. He understood Public Relations like no other and made sure all his subjects knew him, whether in the Far East or in remote Britain, where he left his “Hadrian Wall.” He was very much appreciated also since so many cities built arches in his honor and dedicated temples and baths to him. A rare exception on my traveling through Albania, where I found no trace of him. Strange, to say the least!

Hadrian was born in 76 AD and died in 138 AD after having reigned over the Roman Empire for twenty-one years. He belongs to the category of the five “good emperors,” joining ranks with Nerva, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, and Antoninus Pius. More importantly, he ruled at the height of Roman power in the middle of the Pax Romana, which started under Augustus in 27 BC and ended in 180 AD. This Pax Romana, a two hundred years-long peace period, was mainly due to Alexander the Great – a generally overlooked detail. Through his two years of fierce guerilla wars in Sogdiana and Bactria from 229 to 227 BC, Alexander had scared the hell out of the Scythian tribes on the northern frontiers of Central Asia to such an extent that they did not dare interfere with the Roman occupation in the following centuries.

Hadrian comes to me as a good-natured and friendly person who likes his contact with people. He is known to be generous to the soldiers under his command, making sure they were properly garrisoned; additionally, he implemented many military reforms and built appropriate forts. The emperor was on good terms with the civilians of the cities he visited and is said to have defended the weaker population against the empowered ones, which may be why he was so popular. He loved everything that was Greek, and that included his beautiful lover Antinous. He sought to make Athens the cultural capital of his empire, and he ordered the construction of many buildings all over the city for this purpose. Best known is probably his arch in the center of Athens carrying two typical inscriptions reading on one side. Here starts the city of Hadrian and on the other, Here ends the city of Hadrian. Athens, in turn, honored the emperor with a bronze statue at the Theatre of Dionysus. According to Pausanias, Hadrian also built a gymnasium with columns of Libyan marble, a Temple of Hera, an extensive Library, and a Pantheon dedicated to all the gods. We still can admire his life-size statue at the very heart of the Greek Agora. Another noteworthy feature of Hadrian’s legacy is the vaulted Eridanos River exposed during the metro construction works at the Monastiraki station.

This emperor is also remembered for his generosity and fairness, for changing the law to make sentences more humane and honest. In Rome, he restored many buildings, including the Pantheon, and allowed himself the luxurious Villa Hadriana at Tivoli, which he furnished with the most beautiful Greek statues he could find; if not the originals, then the best copies would do. During his travels, he often implemented public works projects and granted Latin rights to many communities.

Nothing much has transpired from his personal life except his affair with the gorgeous Antinous (when you see the very recognizable Antinous in a museum, you can be sure that Hadrian is not far off). Whatever his relationship with his wife Sabina was, she is often represented at his side. One such case that springs to my mind is Andriake, the harbor of Myra, where a bust of the couple enhances the entrance to the granary.

According to the latest news, the city of Antalya is renewing its appreciation for Hadrian by cleaning up the area around the gate built in his honor in 130 AD, known locally as the “Three Doors.” They are planning rather fancy landscaping with lighting in the shape of the sun. The project is not too clear, but it is nice to hear that this impressive city gate will gain prestige after many centuries of abandonment.

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.

The role of benefactors in antiquity

Before any of our modern-day governments set up a help and assistance plan in case of emergency or catastrophe, the only help any citizen could get was from his neighbor. For more serious matters like fire, flooding, or earthquake where more substantial help was needed, the role of a benefactor was of the highest importance.

Even today, we still have millionaires and billionaires who donate all or part of their fortune to a good cause, and in some cases, it may be the only help the recipients are getting. The role of the benefactor has not really changed throughout history, but we seldom connect it to antiquity. This thought hit me while traveling through Lycia in southwestern Turkey where time and again I came across the same names, more particularly in connection with the devastating earthquake that hit the region in 141 AD.

The main benefactor or maybe the best known is Opramoas of Rhodiapolis who contributed approximately 2 billion denarii for widespread activities, an enormous amount considering that the wage of a shepherd or manual worker was about 10 denarii. This man deserved a post of his own. (See: Opramoas of Rhodiapolis).

But there are several others, who definitely merit be mentioned as well:

Licinius Langus of Oenoanda

A wealthy man from Lycia who donated large amounts to the city of Myra. Following the earthquake of 141 AD, Licinius Langus donated 10,000 denarii for the rebuilding of the theater and its portico. 
 

Jason of Cyaneae

Another Lycian philanthropist and a contemporary of Opramoas and Licinius Lanfus is said to have contributed to the development of many cities; 16 Lycian cities issued honorific decrees for him. He is said to have given handsome monetary gifts to the city of Myra. He was an important man and became the Lyciarch (the head of the Lycian League).

Junia Theodora

Theodora was a lobbyist for Lycian interests at Corinth in the mid-1st century AD and a Roman citizen.  The Lycian Federation issued two decrees in her honor and presented her with a crown of gold and her portrait was painted on a gold background and five minas of saffron. Myra, Patara, and Telmessus also honored her with decrees of gratitude for her assistance. According to the decrees, she did excellent work in gaining favor with the authorities for Lycian interests. She also provided hospitality for ambassadors and private citizens from the Lycian Assembly and from Lycian cities at her home. Upon her death, her will favored the Lycian people. Sextus Julius, her agent, and heir assisted her in her work.

Diogenes of Oenoanda

Diogenes of Oenoanda was a philosopher and prominent citizen who lived in the 2nd century AD and is famous for making one of the most extraordinary inscriptions of ancient times. He had found peace of mind in the teachings of Epicurus and to show the people in Oenoanda the road to happiness, he commissioned an inscription 80 meters long and more than 3 meters high which set out Epicurean doctrines* in about 25,000 words.  The huge inscription was placed in the agora and its large inscribed letters were painted - nobody could miss seeing them. This inscription is one of the most important sources for the philosophical school of Epicurus. Today it is broken but its fragments are being studied. Many of its blocks were used for building houses, paving streets, etc. – most probably during the early Christian era. They have been discovered one by one since the late 19th century.

This list is about Lycia alone and only covers the first and second centuries. It makes you wonder how many more benefactors, known and unknown, must have contributed to the well-being and even the survival of so many people at any time BC or AD. All those great men and women deserve a commemoration and a commendation like the one just granted to Opramoas of Rhodiapolis who became an honorary member of the Antalya Industrials and Businessmen Association (ANSIAD) nearly two thousand years after his death (see: Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, posthumously businessman of the year?). Paul Getty and Bill Gates did not come up with a new idea; they only put it in a new context.

* Epicurism assured people that there was nothing to fear from death, for the reason that there is no afterlife: death is the end of us because the only reality is physical reality.  It conveyed the ultimate conviction that individuals can live in serene happiness, fortified by the continual experience of modest pleasures.

Time to revisit Andriake, the harbor of Myra

Andriake is one of my favorite places to stroll around and the good news it that it is time to go back! Archaeologists have worked very hard over the past four years to clear Andriake’s business area, its harbor structures, baths, churches, and synagogues.

[Picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

As announced in my article “Andriake’s granary to be turned into a museum”, this building of 56 meters long and 32 meters wide, has by now been converted into the Museum of Lycian Civilization, where artifacts from all the cities belonging to the Lycian League have found a home. It is evident that the granary needed some restoration and adaptation for this purpose, but it sounds very promising.

At the same time, the Agora and the huge water cistern (24x12 meters and 6 meters deep) have been restored. When I visited the place last in the spring of 2010 (see: Andriake, port of Myra), I witnessed the gaping openings of that cistern located underneath the Agora, where I watched my steps with some apprehension.

Today, a nice walking route has been laid out, at least through the eastern part of the city. Meanwhile, the western side is being cleared of trees and low bushes, and a first archaeological assessment has been made, revealing arched structures and the city walls from Roman and Byzantine times. 

In order to make the site more appealing, a replica of a Roman ship (16 meters long) has been moored in the harbor in front of the museum, together with a crane to load and unload the goods. The picture from the Hurriyet Daily News looks indeed very inviting.

Opramoas of Rhodiapolis

Opramoas was a very wealthy Lycian citizen who lived in the first half of the second century AD in the small town of Rhodiapolis in eastern Lycia near present-day Kumluca (Eskihisar).  He is well-known for his philanthropy and lived during a period when the Roman Empire provided peace in Anatolia and public works in cities were highly developed.  It is not known exactly how Opramoas became so wealthy, but it is known that the rents he received from his lands and the interests he received from commercial ventures and banking operations made up a portion of his wealth.

Not much is left of Rhodiapolis besides a theatre, but the remains of Opramoas’ mausoleum were found there and among the rubble long inscriptions were discovered which once decorated the walls of his tomb.  These long inscriptions describe the good deeds Opramoas performed during his lifetime, letters from the emperor, and records of the assembly.  They are the longest-known inscriptions in Anatolia in the Greek language where information is provided regarding administrative, social, and economic activities and relations.  Other inscriptions found in other Lycian cities give other details about this esteemed man.

Based on inscriptions it is known that Opramoas:

-  Was promoted to prominent posts from 110-155 AD and acted as an administrative, military, and religious leader in the Assembly of the Lycian Federation and in important cities of the region.  He was honored many times in the Assembly of the Federation, many of which were approved by the Roman emperors.

-  Donated much money for rebuilding more than 30 Lycian cities following the catastrophic earthquake in 141 AD in which they were demolished.  At Myra he donated 200,000 denarii to repair the theatre, the Artemis Eleuthera temple, and the gymnasium, assuming the marble decoration of the gymnasium and adjacent peristyle. 

-  Donated money for civic buildings, such as baths and certain oracular shrines.  Many cities received money such as Choma, which received 7,000 denarii towards a stoa and a temple for Augustus. He is also known to have funded the construction of the theaters of Xanthos, Tlos, and Limyra.  At Tlos, he donated 60,000 denarii for the "exedra in the baths" and towards the amphitheater.

-  Distributed wheat to needy citizens and donated money for the education and nourishment of needy children.

-  Provided dowries for some government employees and young girls, and funeral expenses for some elderly.

-  Assisted in funding festivals and ceremonies organized in honor of the gods and emperors and held festivals in his name every four years to help pay for these expenditures.

-  Owned lands in many Lycian cities, some of which he donated directly for charitable purposes and others from which he donated the income. 

Researchers have determined that during his lifetime Opramoas contributed approximately 2 billion denarii for these activities - an enormous amount, considering that the wage of a shepherd or manual worker was about 10 denarii.

A man to my heart, one who deserves a statue on a high pedestal!

[Click here to view all my pictures of Rhodiapolis]

The world’s first Parliament building - Patara

Only a few people will have heard about the opening of the first-ever Parliament building in the ancient city of Patara, Turkey.

First discovered in 1991, restoration works started in 2010, and it took two full years to complete the project, re-erecting and repairing inside and outside walls, gateways, and the entire seating area. When I visited Patara in 2007, the building was fenced off, but it now shines in full splendor. It may feel somewhat overdone, too well reconstructed, but, on the other hand, this is the closest one can get to tasting what it is like to sit inside a Council House – and this one is regarded as being the world’s first democratic Parliament (to use modern words).

[Picture from The Hurriyet Daily News]

The Lycian League, for which this Council House was built, has always fascinated me. The very idea matured in the early 2nd century BC after Lycia came under the control of Rhodes, with the influence of Rome. Yet Rhodes did not give the Lycians fair treatment, and after many complaints, Rome judged it only fair to grant them their freedom. Finally, the Lycian cities all agreed it was time to unite, and the Lycian League, as dreamed of by King  Pericles several centuries earlier, now became a reality. The six main cities: Xanthos, Pınara, Tlos, Patara, Myra, and Olympos were the administrative, judicial, military, financial, and religious centers, and each received three votes in the meetings of the League. Most of the other cities had one single vote each, while some very small cities shared one vote (for instance, Istlada, Apollonia, and Aperlai). Besides, some cities and small federal states were allowed to mint their own coins, provided they bore the inscription ΛΥΚΙΩΝ ΚΟΙΝΩΝ. This must have been an enormous boost to the Lycians’ pride and eventually to their prosperity.

The building we see here in Patara was, however, built in the first century AD and served for five hundred years. It could seat 400 representatives coming from all the member cities of the Lycian League, squeezing inside the walls of this 43-meter-long and 30-meter-wide Council House. When the Lycian League was at last dissolved, the building was still used as a theater.

Like Patara’s theater, the Council House had been swallowed and hidden under the moving sand dunes for centuries, which, in a way, helped to preserve the stones, making them look like new.

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.