τὰ Πίναρα(in Greek) | |
 Thetheatre of Pinara. | |
  Pinara Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Minare,Muğla Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Lycia |
| Coordinates | 36°29′19″N29°15′07″E / 36.48861°N 29.25194°E /36.48861; 29.25194 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Website | turkishmuseums.com |
Pinara (Lycian: 𐊓𐊆𐊍𐊍𐊁𐊑𐊏𐊆Pilleñni, presumably from the adjective "round";Greek:τὰ Πίναρα, formerlyArtymnesus orArtymnesos according to one account) was a large city ofancient Lycia at the foot ofMount Cragus (nowMount Babadağ), and not far from the western bank of theRiver Xanthos, homonymous with the ancient city ofXanthos (nowEşen River).
The remains of several ancient temples can be seen in Pinara, as well as rock tombs including one "royal tomb", an upper and a loweracropolis, atheatre, anodeon, anagora and a church. The name Pinara has somewhat been assimilated to the name of the present-day village ofMinare, half an hour below the ruins and dependingFethiye district ofMuğla Province,Turkey.
There was a cult ofPandarus, the Lycian hero of theTrojan War, in Pinara, which led some sources to conclude that he was a native of the city.[1]
According to the Lycian history ofMenecrates, quoted byStephanus of Byzantium[2][3] the city was a colony ofXanthos, its original name would beArtymnesos (Ancient Greek:Ἀρτύμνησος). This name would have preceded theLycian language name Pinara, derived from the form "Pilleñni" or "Pinale" meaning a "round hill" or simply "round",[2] based on a hypothesis of interchange ofliquid consonants.[citation needed] The town is indeed situated on such a great round mass of rock and a more or less circular crag towers over the ruins. Another source,Panyassis, also mentions an eponymous founder by namePinarus, son ofTremiles or Termilus, and this account is viewed by some sources as unsubstantial as the rest relating to the precedence of names.[citation needed]
The city, though not often mentioned by ancient writers, appears from its vast and beautiful ruins to have been, asStrabo asserts, one of Lycia's largest, its chief port city until the harbor silted up to form the reed-filled wetlands of today.[2]
Yet another rare mention of the city in ancient sources is in connection with the help it provided, along with several other Lycian cities, toPixodarus of Caria.
Pinara was a member of theLycian League, in which it held three votes. The city surrendered toAlexander the Great in 334 BCE. After Alexander's death, the city fell to the kingdom ofPergamum. Pinara became a Roman city when Pergamum was willed by its last kingAttalus III to theRoman Republic in 133 BCE. The city enjoyed prosperity during Roman rule, but was badly damaged byearthquakes in 141 and 240 CE. In the first occurrence, the city is recorded to have received a contribution fromOpramoas for the repair of public buildings.[4]
Pinara wasChristianized early. Five bishops are known: Eustathius, who signed the formula of Acacius of Cæsarea at theCouncil of Seleucia in 359; Heliodorus, who signed the letter from the bishops of Lycia to the emperorLeo I the Thracian (458); Zenas, present at theTrullan Council (692); Theodore, at theSecond Council of Nicaea (787); Athanasius, at the synod that reinstatedPatriarch Photius I of Constantinople (the Photian Council) in 879. Pinara was the birthplace ofNicolas of Myra. Under repeated pressure from invading forces, the city lost its inhabitants in the ninth century.[5]
Pinara's ruins were identified bySir Charles Fellows.[2] From amidst the ancient city, he says,[6] rises a singular round rocky cliff (thepinara of the Lycians), literally speckled all over with tombs. Beneath this cliff lie the ruins of the extensive and splendid city. The theater is in a very perfect state; all the seats are remaining, with the slanting sides towards the proscenium, as well as several of its doorways. The walls and several of the buildings are of theCyclopean masonry, with massive gateways formed of three immense stones. The tombs are innumerable, and the inscriptions are in the Lycian characters, but Greek also occurs often on the same tombs. Some of these rock-tombs are adorned with fine and rich sculptures.
The Christian bishopric of Pinara, no longer a residential see, is included in theCatholic Church' list oftitular sees.[7]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854)."Pinara".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. p. 11.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Pétridès, Sophron (1911). "Pinara". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.