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Xanthos (Ξάνθος) is an archaeological site in Turkey and a UNESCO World Heritage site along with Letoon. It’s located near the city of Fethiye.
History of Xanthos
Xanthos was founded by the Lycians as Arna in the 8th century BC. According to ancient Greek historian Strabo, it was the largest city in Lycia. Around 540 BC, it was conquered by Median general Harpagus on behalf of the Persians and absorbed into the Persian Empire. During the battle, the Xanthian men destroyed the Lycian Acropolis and killed their women, children, and slaves before committing suicidal attacks against the Medians. The city later joined the Delian League in 468 BC and became Hellenized, and fell to Alexander the Great in 334 BC.
Xanthos was the largest cities of the six members of the Lycian League, which was granted autonomy as a protectorate of Rome in 168 BC. It was destroyed by Brutus in 42 BC after refusing to contribute funds to his campaign, and only 150 Xanthian men survived. The city was rebuilt under Marc Antony.
In 43 AD, Lycia became a Roman province under Emperor Claudius. Xanthos prospered in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. It was destroyed by earthquakes in the 6th century and abandoned by the late 7th century after a succession of Arab raids. The city was rediscovered by British archaeologist Charles Fellows (1799-1860) in 1838, and many treasures were taken to England. Modern excavations began in the 1950s and continue today.
Xanthos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 along with the sanctuary of Leto at Letoon, which was connected to Xanthos via a sacred road. The city is important for its blending of Lycian and Hellenistic culture. The funerary art is extraordinary, and the wealth of inscriptions have helped historians understand the language and history of the Lycian people.
Visiting Xanthos
The archaeological site at Xanthos is open daily and admission for foreigners is €3 (as of May 2024). It’s not a particularly large site but there is a lot to see if you’re willing to do more exploring than the casual visitor.
Unfortunately, there’s very little information posted at the site. It was also quite neglected during my last visit in June 2023. Paths and ruins were overgrown and many features weren’t signposted. I spent about 90 minutes there and would have spent more time had conditions been better. It was very disappointing to see this level of neglect at a UNESCO World Heritage site. I can only hope the Turkish government increases funding and improves the situation in the future.
Western Section of Xanthos
There are two sections at the site separated by a modern road. The most visited section is on the west side of the street across from the ticket booth and parking lot.
Roman Agora
Immediately across the street west of the ticket booth is the so-called Roman Agora. It was built at the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century, probably atop an older Hellenistic agora. The agora was surrounded on all four sides by colonnaded porticoes and measures about 50 meters on each side. A small church was built on the southwest corner during the Byzantine period. A team of French archaeologists began the modern scientific excavations of the archaeological site there in the 1950s.
Inscribed Pillar
On the northeast corner of the Roman Agora you’ll find the Inscribed Pillar. It was part of a monumental tomb standing 11 meters high. The tomb held a Lycian prince named Kherei and dates to between 425 and 400 BC.
The burial chamber, which is on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, stood atop the pillar and was decorated on all four sides with reliefs. What’s remarkable about the pillar is that it contains the longest known Lycian inscription ever found. It contains over 250 lines of text.
Harpy Monument
The Harpy Monument stands just southwest of the Roman Agora. It’s a large rectangular pillar standing on a pedestal and topped by a burial chamber. It’s believed to belong to Kybernis, who died in the Battle of Salamis in 479 BC.
The monument stands 8.87 meters high and is the best preserved example of traditional Lycian pillar tombs. The burial chamber is decorated on all four sides with marble reliefs. The originals are now in the British Museum. Crosses were painted on the back of the reliefs, so a Christian hermit may have used the burial chamber as a shelter.
On the north and south sides are reliefs of a mythological creature called a siren. They’re winged females who carried the souls of the dead to the underworld. The figures were misidentified as harpies by Charles Fellows (1799-1860), who named the monument.
On the west side is a burial opening. It’s believed that the ashes of the deceased were placed in urns and placed in the burial chamber with gifts through the opening.
Lycian Pillar Tomb
A Lycian pillar tomb stands next to the Harpy Monument. It dates to the 4th century BC and consists of a pillar made of stone blocks supporting a sarcophagus. It stands 3.6 meters high. The sarcophagus is the Lycian type with a pointed arch.
Theatre of Xanthos
South of the Roman Agora is the Theatre of Xanthos. It was originally built during the Hellenistic period in the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC.
During the Roman period, the Theatre was damaged by an earthquake in 141. Instead of making repairs, it was rebuilt in the 2nd half of the 2nd century.
At the end of the 3rd century, the first six rows of seats were removed and replaced with a protective wall. This allowed the Romans to use the orchestra as an arena for gladiatorial competitions. The uppermost rows of seats were removed in the 7th century and a fortification wall was built along the highest part of the Theatre. This protected inhabitants from Arab raids.
The Theatre had a capacity of 2,000. The seating area had about 22 rows of seats resting on vaulted substructures. It’s divided into sections by narrow stairways.
The vaulted corridor on the east side was used as an entrance. Another entrance on the west side has been blocked.
The stage building is on the north side of the Theatre. It was two stories high and had five entrances to the orchestra. The side facing the audience was decorated with columns and reliefs. Only part of the stage building remains today.
Lycian Acropolis
South of the Theatre was the original Lycian Acropolis. It’s the oldest part of Xanthos dating back to the 8th century BC. On the south side are sweeping views of the countryside.
Early Byzantine Villa
The north half of the Lycian Acropolis contains the remains of an Early Byzantine villa. It was situated around a grand central courtyard and featured several reception halls and smaller courtyards.
The entrance was via a street leading south from the Roman Agora along the west side of the Theatre. The villa was decorated with fountains, marble panels, and mosaic floors.
Lycian Buildings
The south side of the Lycian Acropolis contains the foundations of buildings destroyed during the Persian invasion in 540 BC.
Eastern Section of Xanthos
The eastern section of Xanthos is less thoroughly explored by visitors.
Roman Roads
The eastern section starts with a walk along the Decumanus, which was the main east-west road in Xanthos. It was paved during the Late Roman period and lined with shops on both sides.
At the east end of the Decumanus is the Cardo, which was the main north-south street in Xanthos. There are a few points of interest to explore.
Civic Basilica
Lining the west side of the Cardo is the Civic Basilica. Construction started in the late 1st century and it was completed in the 2nd century. It consists of a three-aisled portico with a length of 70 meters. On the north end, at the intersection of the Decumanus and the Cardo, is a courtyard paved with a mosaic floor. Excavations began in 2000. There’s no information about the structure posted at the archaeological site.
Church
Across the street to the east is a large church. It was built during the Early Byzantine period and measures 74 × 29 meters. The church had marble, opus sectile, and mosaic floors. It was closed during my visit but I was able to view it from the atrium on the west end.
Nereid Monument
The Nereid Monument, one of the most beautiful of the Classical period, stood a short walk south of the Civic Basilica. It was a temple-shaped tomb standing 5.15 meters high. The tomb belonged to King Arbinas and was built around 380 BC. He was the ruler of Xanthos at the beginning of the 4th century BC.
The Nereid Monument was discovered by Charles Fellows in 1840 and smuggled to London in 1842. It contains friezes of hunting scenes, city leaders, and Greeks battling barbarians as well as statues of Nereids, or sea nymphs, between the columns. It’s now on display in the British Museum, and only the base can be seen at the archaeological site.
Necropolis of Xanthos
Back at the intersection of the Decumanus and Cardo is a path leading east to the Necropolis of Xanthos. It takes you past a few ruined buildings and eventually past a stretch of the city walls. The path was pretty much overgrown in some parts, but I was able to navigate thanks to some strategically placed red arrows.
The tombs are spread out over a large area. They consists of a mixture of rock-cut tombs and sarcophagi. There’s no information posted at the site, so I’ll run you through what I saw on my way up to the Acropolis and back.
Dancing Maidens Sarcophagus
The first highlight is the Dancing Maidens Sarcophagus followed by a rock-cut tomb. The sarcophagus dates to the 4th century BC.
Sarcophagus with Lions Devouring a Bull
Further along the path is the Sarcophagus with Lions Devouring a Bull. A few steps behind it heading back uphill is a nice collection of more house-style rock-cut tombs.
House-Type Tomb
Down the hill I spotted a house-type tomb that seems to have been moved from its original location. Looking closely, I could see Lycian inscriptions on the sides.
Pillar Tomb
The next tombs I saw were the most spectacular. Walking back from the Acropolis, I came across a Lycian pillar tomb on the hill above the intersection of the Decumanus and Cardo.
The pillar was built atop a rock with house-type tombs carved all around the base at the bottom. Like all of the other tombs, they had been broken into and were empty.
The tomb on the left side of the south side of the base is the most spectacular. It features a panel on the right side with a Lycian inscription. The burial chamber contains six beds carved into the rock.
Nearby is what seems to be the base of another pillar tomb, with three steps leading up to the actual blocks. There’s also a Lycian-type sarcophagus.
Sarcophagus with Lycian Inscription
Finally, a few steps away I found a sarcophagus with a Lycian inscription. It sits on a base that’s actually another tomb.
Acropolis of Xanthos
The Acropolis towers over the rest of Xanthos. It sits atop a relatively flat hill and has not yet been excavated. It’s also the most undeveloped part of the archaeological site I visited.
There are no real paths once you reach the top, and there’s a lot of brush to walk through. Other than a few cell phone towers, there’s very little to see besides the city walls and a ruined basilica.
Byzantine Basilica
As with much of the rest of the archaeological site, there’s no information posted about the basilica. It dates to the Byzantine period. Since it hasn’t been cleaned up, it’s hard to make heads or tails out of it other than the atrium and the nave.
