Φασηλίς(in Greek) | |
 Main road | |
  Phaselis Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Tekirova,Antalya Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Lycia |
| Coordinates | 36°31′25″N30°33′08″E / 36.52361°N 30.55222°E /36.52361; 30.55222 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Rhodian colonists |
| Founded | 700 BC |
| Periods | Archaic toHigh Medieval |
| Associated with | Theodectes |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Phaselis Archaeological Site |
Phaselis (Ancient Greek:Φασηλίς) orFaselis (Turkish:Faselis) was aGreek andRoman city on the coast ofancient Lycia. Its ruins are located north of the modern townTekirova in theKemer district ofAntalya Province inTurkey. It lies between the Bey Mountains and the forests ofOlympos National Park, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of the tourist town ofKemer and on the 57th kilometre of the Antalya–Kumluca highway. Phaselis and other ancient towns around the shore can also be accessed from the sea by daily yacht tours.
The town was set up by theRhodians in 690 BC.[1][2][3] Because of its location on an isthmus separating two harbours, it became the most important harbour city of easternLycia and an important centre of commerce betweenGreece,Asia,Egypt, andPhoenicia, although it did not belong to the Lycian League. The city was captured by thePersians after they conquered Asia Minor.Cimon, in 468 BC, attacked the city and it was enrolled in theDelian Confederacy.[4] Later it was captured byAlexander the Great.
After the death of Alexander, the city remained in Greek hands from 209 BC to 197 BC, under thedynasty of Ptolemaios, and with the conclusion of the Apamea treaty, was handed over to theRhodian Peraia, together with the other cities of Lycia. From 190 BC to 160 BC it remained under Rhodeian hegemony, but after 160 BC it was absorbed into the Lycian confederacy under Roman rule. Phaselis, likeOlympos, was under constant threat from pirates in the 1st century BC, and the city was even taken over by the pirate Zekenites for a period until his defeat in 77 or 76 BC by the Romans underPublius Servilius Vatia Isauricus. In 42 BCBrutus had the city linked to Rome. In the 3rd century AD, the harbor fell under the threat of pirates once again. So it began to lose importance, suffering further losses at the hands ofArab ships, until totally impoverished in the 11th century. When theSeljuqs began to concentrate on Alanya and Antalya as ports, Phaselis ceased to be a port of any note.
There was a temple ofAthene at Phaselis, where the lance ofAchilles was exhibited. It was the birthplace of the poet and oratorTheodectes. It was also renowned for its roses, from which the essence was extracted.[5]
Phaselis became aChristianbishopric, asuffragan of themetropolitan see ofMira, the capital of theRoman province of Lycia. Its bishop Fronto took part in theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451. His successor, Aristodemus, was one of the signatories of the letter that in 458 the bishops of Lycia sent toByzantine EmperorLeo I the Thracian concerning the murder ofProterius of Alexandria. The bishop of the time of theSecond Council of Nicaea (787) did not attend, and the acts were signed in his name by a deacon called Ioannes.[6][7]
No longer a residential bishopric, Phaselis is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[8]
Phaselis has three harbours: the 'Northern Harbour', the 'Battle Harbour' and the 'Protected (Sun) Harbour', of which the last is the most important today. A 24-metre-wide ancient street runs through the middle of the city. The 'Hadrian Waterway Gate' is on the southern part of the street. There are ruins of shops and stores on the sides of the street and near these are ruins of public places such asRoman baths,agoras and theatres. These structures are dated to the 2nd century BC. There are water canals between the town centre and the 70 m plateau. There are also numeroussarcophagi.
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