- "Sidyma" redirects here. For the moth genus named thus, see
Sidyma .
Lycia (pronounced ; Lycian: Trm̃mis; ) was a region in
Anatolia
in what
are now the provinces of
Antalya
and
Muğla
on the southern coast of
Turkey
. It
was a federation of ancient cities in the region and later a
province of the
Roman Empire. The Lycian League was the first
federation in the world with democratic principles which later
influenced the
United States
Constitution.
Geography
Map of Lycia showing significant
ancient cities and some major mountains and rivers.
Red dots are mountain peaks, white dots are ancient
cities.
The borders of Lycia varied over time but at its center was the
Teke peninsula in south-western Turkey. It was bounded by
Caria to the west and north west,
Pamphylia to the east, and
Pisidia to the north east. The region is mountainous
and densely forested region with few large valleys.
The mountains are the
westernmost part of the Taurus
mountains
in
particular the Akağları and Beydağları mountains whose peaks can
exceed 3000 meters. Inland is the Elmalı basin. The major
rivers are the
Eşen Çay (ancient
Xanthos river), Demre Çay (ancient Myros river), Arykandos, and
Alakir Çay. The area is known for steep gorges and underground
rivers.
Modern
In modern Turkey the region is split between Antalya (on the east)
and Muğla (on the west) provinces.
The major city is Fethiye
built on
ancient Telmessos. Well known towns include Kalkan
, Kaş
, and
Demre (ancient Myra). Inland Elmalı
is
fairly important.
Turkey's first
waymarked long-distance
footpath, the
Lycian Way, follows part of
the coast of the region.
Ancient
Ancient
names are sometimes be difficult to match the Cragus and Anticragus
mountains
on the
west side of the Xanthos river seem to include modern Babadağ
.
The
principal cities of ancient Lycia were Xanthos
, Patara
, Myra
, Pinara
, Tlos
and Olympos
(each
entitled to three votes in the Lycian League) and Phaselis
.
Cities
such as Telmessos
and Krya were sometimes listed by Classical authors as
Carian and sometimes as Lycian.
Features and sights of interest
Though the second-century AD dialogue
Erotes found the cities of Lycia "interesting
more for their history than for their monuments, since they have
retained none of their former splendor", many relics of the Lycians
remain visible today, especially their distinctive rock-cut tombs
in the sides of cliffs in the region.
The British Museum
in London
has one of
the best collections of Lycian artifacts. Lycia was an
important center of worship for the goddess
Leto and later, her twin children,
Apollo and
Artemis.
Ancient language
The eponymous inhabitants of Lycia, the
Lycians, spoke an
Indo-European language, belonging to
its
Anatolian branch. The
closest language to the Lycian language is the
Luwian language, which was spoken in Anatolia during
the 2nd and early 1st millennium BC; it may even be its direct
ancestor.
History
Bronze age
Ancient Egyptian records describe
the Lycians as allies of the
Hittites.
Lycia may have been a member state of the
Assuwa league of ca. 1250 BC, appearing as '
Lukka or Luqqa. After the collapse of the Hittite
Empire, Lycia emerged as an independent "
Neo-Hittite" kingdom.
According to Herodotus, Lycia was named after Lycus, the son of Pandion II
of Athens
. The
region was never unified into a single territory in antiquity, but
remained a tightly-knit confederation of fiercely independent
city-states.
Lycia was
frequently mentioned by Homer as an ally of
Troy
. In
Homer's
Iliad, the Lycian contingent was said
to have been led by two esteemed warriors:
Sarpedon (son of
Zeus and
Laodamia) and
Glaucus (son of
Hippolochus).
Elsewhere in Greek mythology, the Lycian kingdom was said
to have been ruled by another Sarpedon, a
Cretan
exile and
brother of the king Minos; Sarpedon's
followers were called Termilae, and they founded a dynasty after
their conquest of a people called the Milyans. As with the founding
of Miletus
, this
mythical story implies a Cretan connection to the settlement of
Asia Minor. Lycia appears elsewhere in Greek myth, such as
in the story of
Bellerophon, who
eventually succeeded to the throne of the Lycian king
Iobates (or Amphianax).
Classical period
Lycia
came under the control of the Persian
Empire in 546 BC when Harpagus of Media, a general in the service of Cyrus conquered Asia Minor.
Harpagus's descendants ruled Lycia until
468 BC when Athens wrested control away. Following the ousting of
the Persians, as Athens and Sparta fought the Peloponnesian wars,
the majority of Lycian cities defaulted from the Delian League,
with the exception of Telmessos and Phaselis.
In 429 BC, Athens sent an expedition against Lycia to try to force
it to rejoin the league. This failed when Lycia's leader Gergis of
Xanthos defeated General Melasander. The Lycians once again fell
under Persian domination and by 412 BC, Lycia is documented as
fighting on the winning side of Persia. The Persian
satraps were re-installed, but (as the coinage of
the time attests) they allowed local dynasts the freedom to rule.
Persia held Lycia until it was conquered by
Alexander III of
Macedon during 334-333 BC.
Hellenistic period
After the death of
Alexander the
Great in 324 BC,
his generals fought
amongst themselves over the succession. Lycia fell into the hands
of the general
Antigonus by 304 BC. In 301
BC Antigonus was killed by an alliance of the other successors of
Alexander, and Lycia became a part of the kingdom of
Lysimachus, who ruled until he was killed in
battle in 281 BC. By 240 BC Lycia was part of the
Ptolemaic Kingdom, centred on Egypt, and
remained in their control through 200 BC.
It had apparently
come under Seleucid control by 190 BC, when
the Seleucids' defeat in the Battle
of Magnesia resulted in Lycia being awarded to Rhodes
in the
Peace of Apamea in 188 BC.
It was
then granted independence by Rome
in 168 BC
(see Lycian League below) and remained so until becoming a Roman
province in 43 AD.
Lycian tombs at Simena, Üçağız
(Turkey).
Lycian League
The Lycian League was established in 168 BC with democratic
principles. It comprised some 23 known
city-states as members.
Lycia, which had been
under Rhodian control
since the Peace of Apamea in 188 BC,
was granted independence by the Roman
Empire at the conclusion of the Third Macedonian War. These city
states joined together in a federal-style government that shared
political resources against larger nations. A “Lyciarch” was
elected by a senate that convened every autumn at a different city,
where each member sent one, two or three representatives, depending
on the city's size, to the senate, or
Bouleuterion, as it was called.
The major cities of
the League included Xanthos, Patara, Pinara, Olympos, Myra, and
Tlos, with Patara
as the capital. Phaselis joined the
League at a later time. The league continued to function
after Lycia became a Roman province in 46 AD. Lycia ceased being a
federation in the fourth century AD, when it was taken over by the
Byzantine Empire.
Roman period
In 43, the emperor
Claudius annexed it to
the
Roman Empire and united it with
Pamphylia as a Roman province. The heir of
Augustus,
Gaius
Caesar, was killed there in 4 AD.
Byzantine era
It subsequently was a part of the
Byzantine Empire.
Turkish era
It was
incorporated into the Ottoman Empire
and eventually became part of Turkey.
There had been a
population
exchange between Greece and Turkey following the
Greco-Turkish War in the early
20th century. The region is now one of the key centres of domestic
and foreign tourism in Turkey.
References
- "Lycia", retrieved from dictionary.reference.com.
- Patty and Kemal Safyurek. Lycia and the American Constitution, retrieved
from www.lycianturkey.com. 2007 Mavi Real Estate and Property
Services.
-
http://people.usd.edu/~clehmann/erp/Lycia/lycplace.html#geol
- Asia Minor Coins - Lycian Dynasts
- Haywood, John, et al. Historical Atlas of the Classical
World: 500 BC - AD 600. Barnes & Noble Books: New York,
New York, 2002, Plate 2.09.
- Haywood, John, et al. Historical Atlas of the Classical
World: 500 BC - AD 600. Barnes & Noble Books: New York,
2002. Plate 2.09.
- Barraclough, Geoffrey, ed. Collins Atlas of World
History. Borders Press: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2003, p. 77.
- Black, Jeremy, ed. World History Atlas. Dorling
Kindersley: London, 2000, p. 179.
- Barraclough, Geoffrey, ed. Collins Atlas of World
History. Borders Press: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2003, pp. 77,
89.
Sources
Primary sources
- “Poem on the Battle of Kadesh” 305-313, Ramesses II
- “Great Karnak Inscription” 572-592, Merneptah
- :Breasted, J. H. 1906. Ancient Records of Egypt.
Vol. III. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
- “Plague Prayers of Mursilis” A1-11, b, Mursilis
- :Pritchard, J. B. 1969. Ancient Near Eastern Texts.
Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Secondary sources
- :
Refers to many different sea peoples and
their contact with Egypt
and Anatolia. Also
tells about the Philistines during the
reign of Ramesses III.
- :
Discusses Lukka's relations to other regions (like Miletus) and where
they inhabited.
- : Covers the Lycians and where they lived, their history,
language, culture, cults, and their language.
- :A description of the Egyptian evidence on the Sea
Peoples.
See also
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