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Kaunos (Καύνος) was an ancient city near modern-day Dalyan, Turkey. The archaeological site sits across the Dalyan River from the town.
History of Kaunos
Kaunos was an independent city with origins dating back to the 10th century BC. It was an important port city that became part of Caria and later Lycia. Its indigenous Carian name was Kbid.
The city came under Persian rule in 546 BC, who withdrew after their defeat in the Second Persian Invasion of Greece in 480/479 BC. In the 5th century, the locals began to refer to the city as Kaunos due to Greek colonization. The Persians ruled again from 387 BC until they were defeated by Alexander the Great in 334 BC.
The Romans annexed Kaunos in 189 BC and the city was Christianized in the 5th century. It suffered from raids by the Arabs and pirates starting in 625. Turkish tribes invaded in the 13th century and conquered Kaunos in the 15th century. The Kaunians abandoned the city shortly after due to the Turkish invasion and a devastating malaria epidemic.
The city was forgotten until 1840, when Richard Hoskyn (1811-1873) a surveyor for the Royal Navy, found a tablet referring to the Council of Kaunos. Professor Baki Öğün (1922-2001) started excavations in 1966. They continue today.
Visiting Kaunos
The Kaunos archaeological site is open daily. Admission for foreigners is €3 (as of April 2024) or free for holders of the Museum Pass Türkiye. There’s an upper and lower entrance to the site. I entered and exited through the lower entrance. Keep in mind the rock-cut tombs visible from Dalyan are not accessible. Visit the official website for more info.
Getting to Kaunos
If you’re staying in Dalyan, you have to cross the river to get to Kaunos. There’s an official ferry that drops you at the road to the upper entrance but I didn’t take it. Instead, I hitched a ride on a boat across the Dalyan River. I ended up at the DALKO fishery where a worker told me to pass through a gate, turn right, and follow the road. It was a pleasant 10-minute walk and the scenery along the way was great.
When I reached the lower entrance, nobody was there. I passed through the gates and walked up to the upper entrance to explore that section of the archaeological site. There’s a post indicating the direction to different features of the site.
About a half hour later and an hour after the official opening time, the ticket taker finally showed up. She told me to come back later to scan my Museum Pass Türkiye. Apparently, it’s not a popular place to visit because I had the ruins to myself the entire time I was there.
Palaestra Terrace
The Palaestra Terrace is at the upper entrance to Kaunos. It measures roughly 73 x 85 meters and was built over a place of worship. It was modified into a terrace in the 1st century, and contains a street paved in the 2nd century BC.
Roman Bath
The Roman Bath sits on the northwest corner of the Palaestra Terrace. It’s one of the best preserved structures from the Roman Imperial period at Kaunos. The Roman Bath consisted of a bathhouse and palaestra. Only the foundations of the palaestra remain, measuring 56.8 x 31.4 meters. It’s the open space in front of the bath and was surrounded by a colonnade on three sides.
The bath building measures 58.2 x 28.2 meters. There were two warm rooms (tepidarium) and two exercise rooms (ambulacrum) on either side of a cold room (frigidarium) and sweating room (laconicum). The hot room (caldarium) was in the back. Each room was paved with marble slabs.
The baths were meant to impress the Kaunians by their size and to remind them of the power of the Roman Empire. During the Byzantine period, the baths were partially demolished and the cold room was used as a church.
Domed Church
The Domed Church is at the center of the Palaestra Terrace. It was built in the 5th or 6th century and is one of the best preserved examples of its kind in Anatolia.
The Domed Church is on a square plan approximately 14 x 14.5 meters. It was built atop the foundation of a 4th century building that was also likely used for worship. Building materials came from other structures at Kaunos.
There are three entrance doors to the west. The central nave was covered by a dome while the two aisles were covered by vaults. It was probably decorated with frescoes. Entrances were later added to the north and south sides providing access to chapels attached the aisles.
In the apse, it’s possible to see marble slabs decorated with crosses. A platform allows visitors to view the mosaic floor that was in the chapel at the end of the right aisle.
Observation Platform
Wooden stairs lead up to the top of the Observation Platform, which is the most peculiar structure at Kaunos. This circular platform was built in the 2nd century BC and consists of three steps with a base of 15.8 meters in diameter. The top level is a circle 13.75 meters in diameter. It’s divided into 16 equal sections of 22.5 degrees.
According to Roman architect Vitruvius (c. 80-70 BC – c. 15 BC), this type of platform functioned as a wind measuring device used for city planning, although it’s not quite clear how it worked. Other theories point to its use for astronomical observation or scientific measurements.
Theatre of Kaunos
The Theatre of Kaunos is just beyond the Observation Platform. It faces the southwest and was built partially into the slope of the Acropolis. Where there’s no slope, the outer wall rises up to 15 meters. The entrance is via two barrel-vaulted passages from the north and northeast.
The Theatre has a diameter of 75 meters and was built at an incline of 27°. It has a seating capacity of 5,000. There are 9 sections with 33 rows each, with 8 stairways between them. Each step is 19 centimeters high. The seating area is divided horizontally by a walkway.
The orchestra is 22.80 meters in diameter. Behind is the stage building, which has open entrances on two sides. It was probably two stories high. In front was the proskenion, which stood 2.4 meters high and was rebuilt five times between the 4th century BC and 3rd century AD. There was also a turning stage system in front of the proskenion. It was added in the 3rd century BC.
During my visit, the Theatre of Kaunos, which is sometimes used for modern performances, was in the process of being reconstructed. Outside the theatre are the remains of a fountain as well as seats.
Acropolis of Kaunos
The theatre is built into the slope of the Acropolis. It was called Imbros and sat on a rock 152 meters high. The Acropolis was fortified during the Byzantine period.
Temple Terrace
A gate on the west side of the Palaestra Terrace leads down a path to the Temple Terrace. The terrace is artificial and overlooks the Harbor and Agora.
The courtyard, measuring 30.5 x 35 meters, was enclosed by a colonnaded gallery measuring. It was used as a sacred area as early as the 5th century BC.
The temple itself was built during the second half of 1st century BC. It measures of 9.6 x 6.78 meters. According to an inscription on a column drum, it was dedicated to Zeus Soteros. A three-aisled church was built into the terrace in the late 6th century.
The round structure in the center of the terrace featured a colonnaded gallery, an exedra, and a round altar on a cylindrical base. It was probably a sanctuary dedicated to the founder of the city. A sacred stone, the Baitylos, was discovered 6.5 meters below the altar, standing 3.5 meters high. The Baitylos was the symbol of the city and was minted on the coins of Kaunos until the middle of the Classical period.
Agora
The Agora sits long the Harbor. It was established in the 4th century BC during the Hellenistic period and was an important meeting place through the end of the Roman period.
The Agora was dotted with several different monuments and statues and surrounded by official buildings. The pedestals seen today likely supported bronze statues made during the Roman period, but none have ever been found. They were probably melted down during the Byzantine period.
Only 25% of the Agora has been excavated. While walking through the site, you’ll likely notice some of the unexcavated buildings on the east side of the Agora.
Stoa
The Stoa runs along the north side of Agora. It’s 96.82 meters long and 8.20 meters wide and was built in the early 3rd century BC. There were no shops in the back and it was strictly used for shelter from the sun and rain. The Stoa contained 44 columns along the façade.
Sacred Precinct of Apollo
North of the Stoa is the Sacred Precinct of Apollo. The entrance was via a stairway with a monumental entrance behind the east end of the Stoa. It was originally used to worship Basileus Kaunios and was rededicated to Apollo during the Hellenistic period. Activities were frequently held there and votives were deposited there as well.
Nymphaeum
The Nymphaeum is a fountain on the northeast corner of the Agora. It measures 5.36 x 8.02 meters and was built in the middle of the 3rd century BC. An inscription dating to the reign of Hadrian details the reformation of customs regulations to increase trade. At that time, the silting of the Dalyan River was affecting the ability of ships to enter the Harbor, in turn hurting the economy of the city.
Monuments of Quintus Vedius Capito and Glykinna
At the west end of the Stoa are the Monuments of Quintus Vedius Capito and Glykinna. The Monument of Quintus Vedius Capito, which was discovered in the early 1970s, is 2 meters high and 13.2 meters wide. It was commissioned by Quintus Vedius Capito, the son of Quintus Vedius, to honor his ancestors and family. Quintus Vedius Capito was a priest of Basileus Kaunios, the secretary of Kaunos, and a benefactor of the Gymnasium. He hosted emperors and governors on official visits to Kaunos. There were at least five statues on the monument and it was erected sometime during the reign of Hadrian.
The Monument of Glykinna, the daughter of Dortymenes, sits to the left of the Monument of Vedius Capito. It measures 2.96 x 2.32 meters and was erected during the Hellenistic period.
Basilica
The Basilica sits on the west side of the Agora adjacent to the Harbor. It measures 98 x 22 meters and had a nave divided into three aisles. There was a three-arched propylon on the west end and an apse at the east end. It was built in the 2nd century and the eastern half was converted to a church during the Byzantine period.
Harbor of Kaunos
The Harbor of Kaunos was one of the most important trade centers in the Mediterranean. It began to silt up in the 2nd century BC, and the city is now 8 kilometers from the sea. The Harbor now makes up Sülüklü Lake. The marshland around the lake attracts migratory birds.
Sanctuary of Demeter
Finally, a small hill called Küçük Kale on the south side of the Harbor contains the Sanctuary of Demeter. It was one of seven sanctuaries of its kind in the Caria region. Several votives were unearthed there dating from the Archaic period to the Early Hellenistic period. The most common finds were from the Late Classical period in the 4th century BC.
A church was built on the sanctuary during the Early Christian period but it was never completed. The city walls also run along the hill. There’s a path to the site but I didn’t walk up to it.
