Λίμυρα | |
 Limyra Theatre | |
  Limyra Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Antalya Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Lycia |
| Coordinates | 36°20′38″N30°10′17″E / 36.343873°N 30.171289°E /36.343873; 30.171289 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Cultures | Hellenic/Persian |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Limyra (Ancient Greek:Λίμυρα[1]Lycian:𐊈𐊚𐊎𐊒𐊕𐊁[2]) was a small city inancient Lycia on the southern coast ofAsia Minor, on theLimyrus River (Ancient Greek:Λιμύρος).[3][4]
Already flourishing in the second millennium BCE, the city was one of the oldest and most prosperous in Lycia; it gradually became one of the most flourishing trade centres in the Greek world.[citation needed]
In the 4th century BCEPericles, Dynast of Lycia supported a rebellion of satraps in Asia Minor against the ruling Persians and adopted Limyra as the capital of theLycian League; subsequently it came under control of thePersian Empire.[5][6][7]
The Persians eventually regained rule throughMausolus, the Carian satrap at Halicarnassus.
AfterAlexander the Great ended Persian rule, most of Lycia was ruled byPtolemy I Soter; his sonPtolemy II Philadelphos supported the Limyrans against the invadingGalatians and the inhabitants dedicated a monument, the Ptolemaion, to him in thanks.[citation needed]
Limyra is mentioned byStrabo (XIV, 666),Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors.
Augustus had adopted his grandsonGaius Caesar in 17 BCE (aged 3) as his heir. In 1 BC (aged 19) Gaius Caesar was sent to Syria and in 2 AD he went to Armenia, which the Parthians had recently invaded. Gaius successfully placed a pro-Roman king on the Armenian throne but was seriously wounded after being tricked. In 4 AD, during his return to Rome, Gaius died from his wounds at Limyra.[8]
The lower city is at the base of the acropolis hill and includes two separate walled areas.
The five necropolises dating from the 4th c. BCE and before demonstrate the city's importance. The mausoleum of Pericles is particularly notable for its fine reliefs and exquisite sculptures such as Perseus slaying Medusa and one of her sisters.[7]
A gate in the western city leads down through a marshy area towards the cenotaph of Gaius Caesar, grandson and heir apparent of Augustus, a massive structure standing on a stone podium and dating from around 4 CE.
The Romans cut a theatre into the hill which held 8000 spectators. It was commissioned in the second century CE by an important Lycian benefactor namedOpramoas ofRhodiapolis. Also from this period are a bathhouse with a complex heating system and thecolonnaded streets.
The RomanBridge at Limyra, east of the city, is one of the oldestsegmental arch bridges in the world.[9]
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric inNotitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as asuffragan of the metropolitan ofMyra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned bySt. Basil (ep. CCXVIII); Lupicinus, present at theFirst Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at theCouncil of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at theSecond Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at theSecond Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at theCouncil of Constantinople (879-880).[9]
In theAnnuario Pontificio it is listed as atitular see of theRoman province ofLycia.[10]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
36°20′34.19″N30°10′13.87″E / 36.3428306°N 30.1705194°E /36.3428306; 30.1705194
