Ksantos | |
    | |
 | |
| Location | Kınık,Antalya Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Lycia |
| Coordinates | 36°21′22″N29°19′7″E / 36.35611°N 29.31861°E /36.35611; 29.31861 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 126 ha (310 acres) |
| Site notes | |
| Website | turkishmuseums.com |
| Official name | Xanthos-Letoon |
| Designated | 1988 (12thsession) |
| Reference no. | 484 |
| Europe and North America | |
Xanthos orXanthus, also referred to by scholars asArna, itsLycian name,[1] (Turkish:Ksantos,Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀Arñna,Greek:Ξάνθος,Latin:Xanthus) was an ancient city near the present-day village ofKınık, inAntalya Province, Turkey. The ruins are located on a hill on the left bank of the River Xanthos. The number and quality of the survivingtombs at Xanthos are a notable feature of the site, which, together with nearbyLetoon, was declared to be aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1988.
The city of Xanthos was a centre of culture and commerce for theLycians, and later for thePersians,Greeks andRomans who in turn conquered the region. Xanthos influenced its neighbours architecturally; theNereid Monument directly inspired theMausoleum at Halicarnassus in the region ofCaria.
The acropolis of Xanthos dates from the 8th century BCE.[2] The city was mentioned byancient Greek andRoman writers. The Greek historianStrabo noted that Xanthos was the largest city inLycia.[3] The important religious sanctuary ofLeto atLetoon, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Xanthos, dates from the late 6th century BC,[4] and was closely associated with the city and linked by a sacred road.[5]
The Greek historiansHerodotus andAppian both described the conquest of the city by theMedian generalHarpagus on behalf of thePersian Empire. According to Herodotus, thePersians defeated a small Lycian army in the flatlands to the north of the city inc. 540 BC.[6] The Lycians retreated into the city, which Harpagus then besieged. The Lycians destroyed theiracropolis, and killed their wives, children and slaves, before engaging the enemy in a suicidal attack.[7]
During the Persian occupation, a local leadership was installed and by 520 BC it wasminting coins.[8] By 516 BC Xanthos had been included in the firstNomos ofDarius I in the tribute list.[9]
FromTelmessos the army ofAlexander the Great marched over the mountains to Xanthos. There representatives from each of the cities of the Lycian League, including the port ofPhaselis, personally offered the Lycians' submission, which was accepted. Alexander was encouraged when he found a sacred spring close to the River Xanthus, and obtained from there an inscribed bronze tablet that predicted that the Greeks would destroy the Persian Empire.[10]
Reports differ on Xanthos's surrender to Alexander:Arrian describes a peaceful submission, butAppian claims that the city was sacked.[7] After Alexander's death, Xanthos was captured byPtolemy I Soter fromAntigonus I Monophthalmus.[11]
Xanthus was in theRoman province ofLycia.[12] In 42 BC, during theLiberators' civil war,Brutus came to Lycia to obtain funds before theBattle of Philippi. He besieged Xanthos after the Lycian League refused to contribute. The city was once again destroyed, and only 150 Xanthian men survived the carnage. Plutarch claims that the population of Xanthos deliberately set fire to their city in an act of mass suicide, comparable to their behavior during the Persian conquest generations earlier. Brutus and his Romans attempted rescue operations, and, in Plutarch's words, 150 men "did not escape having their lives saved".[13] The city was rebuilt underMark Antony.[14]
Most of the buildings visible today were built during the later Empire. The town took on a grid plan. A large piazza with porticoes was built in the west, probably where the classical agora was. There was also a triple-naved building which may have started as a pagan basilica and then become a church. There was probably a large porticoed avenue terminated with a gateway.[15]
Xanthos, like the rest of Lycia, prospered in the later Roman period. Luxury houses were built on the Lycian acropolis. Several churches were also built, including a large basilica (74m x 29m), a small chapel, and another large basilica on the acropolis. In the sixth century, earthquakes damaged many buildings, and they were repaired. The city wall was also reinforced because of the Arab threat. The city was subsequently destroyed and deserted.[15]
Xanthus was asuffragan of the Metropolitan Archbishopric ofMyra.[14]
In theEastern Orthodox Church, Xanthoupolis was a titular diocese under theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, whose bishop assisted the Metropolitan Province of Smyrna, part of the larger Province of Asia Minor. Its last known bishop was Father Ignatios, later Metropolitan of Libya under thePatriarchate of Alexandria, who presided over this diocese from 1863 to 1884.[citation needed]
In the Catholic Church, the diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as theTitular bishopric ofXanthus.[16]
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Excavations at Xanthos have shown that wooden structures were destroyed inc. 470 BC, probably by theAthenianKimon. Xanthos was later rebuilt in stone.[17]
TheNereid Monument, theTomb of Payava, and the original sculptures of theHarpy Tomb are exhibited in theBritish Museum.[18][19][20] The Harpy Tomb itself is located in its original location at Xanthos, now with replica reliefs.[21]
Thearcheological excavations and surface investigations at Xanthos have yielded inscriptions in both theLycian language and Greek, including bilingual texts that are useful in the understanding of Lycian.[22] TheXanthian Obelisk, otherwise known as the Inscribed Pillar, is a trilingualstele which was found in the city; it records an older Anatolian language conventionally known as theMilyan.[23]
Xanthos is located near to the modern village ofKınık.[14]
Xanthos was added as aUNESCO World Heritage Site, along with nearbyLetoon, in 1988.[24]
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