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TURKEY - AEGEAN & EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Introduction Did you know that? Bodrum The Gulf of Gokova Knidos The Hisaronu Gulf Marmaris Ancient Caunus and Dalyan River Gocek and Fethiye Bay Kalkan Kas Kekova Demre - Finike Gulf of Antalya Turkey- Suggested Itineraries Gocek - Knidos, The Dorian Cruise Gocek - Kekova, The Lycian Cruise Bodrum - Gokova, The Carian Cruise Marmaris - Bodrum, The Cleopatra Cruise Lycia History Turkey-Weather Turkey-Maps

TURKEY - AEGEAN & EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

Introduction Turkey , with a label like "cradle of civilisations", has held a special fascination for travellers throughout history. The turquoise coast, stretching from Kusadasi to Antalya, adorned by nature with numerous bays and inlets, is ideal for yachting vacations. These wonderful bays, where mythological legends had taken place, offer ancient tombs carved high into cliffs, sunken remnants of ancient Greek and Roman civilisations, and deserted coves awaiting your discovery. The sailing paradise of Turkey is home to the Blue Voyage. This idyllic cruise means sailing with the winds, into coves and over the seas and becoming one with nature. It is also an experience of the history of man from the perspective of the sea rather than from the land, a journey which carries you to the private beach of Cleopatra, the eternal fires of Mt. Olympos and the myriad archaeological remains of ancient civilisations.

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• Is known as the Cradle of Civilisation - in fact, many civilisations have been here since before 9000 BC.
• Is central to Europe, to Asia, to Russia, and to the Middle East.
• Is a long-time member of NATO (since 1952).
• Borders 3 major seas - the Black Sea, the Aegean, the Mediterranean.
• Was known as Asia Minor; the Asian side of Turkey is known as Anatolia.
• Witnessed the first known Human Rights Declaration, in 1463, 485 years before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Is where Alexander the Great cut the intricate Gordian knot - literally a phrase used for shortcut to "solving difficult problems".
• Is the birthplace of King Midas, who turned everything into gold.
• Is where state insurance was first provided for tradesmen who suffered losses before the 13th century.
• Has 70% of its population under 35.
• Is the original destination of the most celebrated and romantic train, the Orient Express.
• Was the center of two of the major empires in history, the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
• Provides 70% of the world's hazelnuts: probably the nut in your chocolate bar was grown in Turkey.
• Has a 650-year old covered shopping mall of 64 streets, 3,500 shops, 22 entrances, and 25,000 workers, - the famous Grand Bazaar.
• Is the birthplace and home of St. Nicholas - popularly known as Santa Claus.
• Is the origin of the names of Paris, Philadelphia and Europe.
• Was founded as a modern republic in 1923 by one of the greatest leaders in history, Ataturk.
• Is where Noah's Ark landed - at Mount Agri (Ararat) Eastern Turkey.
• Witnessed the first recorded international treaty-in 1284 BC.
• Is the originator of the fabulous Iznik ceramic tiles, which were created at Lake Iznik, northwestern Turkey, from the 15th century, Many of the designs were inspired by the wall paintings from the Roman period.
• Was inhabited from the 11th century AD by Turks from Central Asia, whose origins date back to 4000 BC.
• Is the location for two of the Seven Wonders of the World-the Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.
• Has 3,500 periodical publications, 1,056 radio stations, and 280 TV channels.
• Has historical relics pertaining to three of the world's major religions- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• Has the most valuable silk carpet in the world, in the Mevlana Museum, Konya with 144 knots per sq. cm. In the 13th century, Marco Polo wrote "The best and handsomest of rugs are woven here, and also silks of crimson and other rich colors".
• Is said to have provided the water for the Garden of Eden from its 2 greatrivers - the Euphrates and Tigris.
• Is the birthplace of St. Paul: for centuries, the sick have drunk from the well of St. Paul in Tarsus.
• Used its navy to rescue the Jewish people from persecution in Spain in 1492
• Is uniquely in two continents - Europe and Asia.
• Gave the English language many words, including turquoise, parchment, yogurt, meander, angora.
• Is the location of the city of Troy in the west of the country, where the Trojan War was fought for ten years.
• Had the world's first female Supreme Court Judge, and gave women the right to vote in 1934.
• Is the location of the first known beauty contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena as leading participants.
• Became a member of the UN as early as 1945.
• Has a city, Mardin, which is one of the few places where you can hear the native language of Jesus Christ - Aramaic. The final home of the Virgin Mary, to which she traveled with St. John, is located nearby.
• Was producing wine as early as 4000BC.
• Has the first church ever built (St Peter's) in Antioch, southern Turkey. It is also the site of the oldest temple at Urfa, dated between 8500 and 9000BC.
• Receives children from around the world each year on 23rd April to "honour and cherish the freedom and independence of all people".
• Was where the cherry was first found, by the Romans who planted it throughout the world, at Giresun (also known as Kerasos), in the stunning Black Sea region.
• First introduced tulips to Holland, and today still supplies tulips to the world
• Has the earliest landscape painting, dating from 6200BC.
• Reputedly has one of the world's 3 greatest cuisines.
• Has the beautiful Bosphorus waterway dividing Europe and Asia with two great bridges and masses of ferries, permitting access to Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia.
• Has 9,000 species of flowers. It is also 80% mountainous; has an abundance of rivers and lakes; and has clear, turquoise blue waters on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.
• Is modern and sophisticated, yet has more ancient sites than any other country.
• Was the first to produce and use coins 2,700 years ago.
• Is the location of the Seven Churches of Asia.
• Is one of the safest countries in the world, according to comparative statistics.
• Is technologically well advanced with almost 100% of its transmissions digitised.

Taken from "The Best Kept Secret" by Christopher Lawrence,
John Melby of the Strategic Review Group.

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Bodrum

Away from the genteel tranquillity of the tiny hamlets dotted along the coastline, Bodrum has captured a microcosm of Western life-and is enjoying every minute of it! Bars and bazaars buzz with activity. For Bodrum has evolved from its early days of boat building and fishing to a vibrant centre in tune with the twentieth century. Overlooked by the magnificent 15th century crusader Castle of St Peter, which now houses a fascinating museum of underwater archaeology, the Bodrum of today thrive son a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere. Regarded by many as the St Tropez of Turkey, it offers a wealth of shopping facilities and kaleidoscopic nightlife. Beautiful yacht marina and harbour side square. In all, a spectacle and an experience not to be missed.

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The Gulf of Gokova

As you head into the Gulf of Gokova, you will discover an almost deserted coastline, which agreeably manifests itself into beautiful anchorages and sleepy fishing villages. Remote and largely unblemished, you will seldom fail to find a deserted bay. The hamlets around the Gulf are virtually isolated, unlike ancient times when this Gulf boasted numerous great cities near the water. Among the specific points of interest within the Gulf are places like Kara Adasi, a large island south east of Bodrum. Here you can anchor and make your way ashore to investigate the hot mineral springs, said to be beneficial for those ailing with rheumatism and arthritis. Along the coast to the east, call into the tiny hamlet of Cokertme. A small cluster of houses, a couple of restaurants and a cottage industry of traditional carpet making provide yet another idyllic setting. As is often the case with these villages, the locals are incredibly friendly and you are likely to be treated as a guest rather than a tourist. Cruise eastwards to Snake and Castle Islands. Here you will find the ruins of an old amphitheatre complete with a friendly guide to show you round. On the far side of Castle Island is the beautiful Cleopatra's beach. Legend has it that Cleopatra imported the sand from Egypt to make a beach on which she and Anthony could sunbathe. Fascinatingly, no similar sand is found in the area and recent analysis indicates that is does in fact come from Egypt. Towards the head of the Gulf lies Karacasogut, a land locked tree-lined bay, providing a stunning setting for yachts. Should you go west, you will be drawn in to the enchantment of the Yedi Adalar, (Seven Islands), where the numerous anchorages virtually guarantee you your own private bay for the night.

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Knidos

At the western tip of the Dorian Promontory, where the Aegean and Mediterranean seas converge, lies an intriguing slice of ancient history. Today, Knidos is a small hamlet with a picturesque harbour. Back in the 4th century BC it was the site of a great centre of the arts and a city of some 70,000 inhabitants. It was also the home of Sostratos, the architect who built the Pharos lighthouse at Alexandria-one of the Seven Wonders of the World. There's also the fascinating legend of Aphrodite to discover here. Food for thought, perhaps, whilst enjoying a meal in one of the restaurants set amidst the old city ruins.

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The Hisaronu Gulf

Cruising the Hisaronu Gulf is an experience to behold. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Scented pine covered mountains and an inky blue sea invigorate the senses and the glaring white cliffs rising out of the shoreline lend a majestic appearance to the whole area. There are literally hundreds of little inlets and anchorages along the way: some just large enough for one or two boats to snuggle into. Small and large settlements are dotted along the coastline where the locals eke out a living from the gifts of nature. The villages of Palamut, with its fine beach and crystal clear waters, and Datca with its warm and friendly inhabitants are well worth calling in to. Further south you can enjoy some great sailing around the Greek islands of Simi. At the eastern end of the Gulf there is a large bay, (Turkish:'buku'), which holds all manner of secrets. Keci buku is a favourite retreat with many yacht charterers. For fine examples of local traditions, cruise into Bozburun. The local boat builders are normally hard at work making their traditional craft and it is an opportune moment to restock with fresh supplies. Between Bozburun and Marmaris there are a number of bays and inlets to explore.

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Marmaris

Marmaris Fjord offers over 20 square miles of sheltered water and the town itself is a truly international sailing centre. At the quayside and anchored off in the bay you will see large ocean-going yachts from all over the world. A bustling resort, Marmaris is a cheerful blend of ancient and modern. The Ottoman castle built by Sultan Suleyman I in 1522 overlooks panoramic views of the vibrant and colourful activity below of many worlds at leisure. In the town and along the quayside you will find numerous restaurants and cafes where you can sample every taste of Turkish cuisine and watch the East go by.

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Ancient Caunus and Dalyan River

A trip up to the Dalyan River to Ancient Caunus is a must if you have not had the opportunity on a previous cruise. Leaving your own yacht at anchor at the tiny village of Ekincik, you travel up the Dalyan River on a local shallow draft boat. The river meanders for several miles through ten-foot high reed beds and you can easily lose your sense of direction as your boat twists and turns between the banks. Suddenly, the river gives way to high cliffs. Set in the steep cliff face are several Lycian rock tombs dating back to the 4th century BC. They are believed to have been carved by stonemasons suspended on ropes from the cliff top. Ashore you can explore the ruins of the ancient city of Caunus. It was once a port, but inexorably the sea receded together with its inhabitants. Today, you can see that remains of the old city walls, the roman baths and a Greco-Roman theatre capable at one time of seating 20,000 people. For the more adventurous, there's an opportunity to take a dip in the nearby sulphur mud baths, believed to cure a long list of ailments, followed by a refreshing swim off the boat in the fresh water lake before returning back down river to your yacht.

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Gocek and Fethiye Bay Gocek's pretty waterfront, with its incredible backdrop of high mountains and pine forests, is a popular base of yachts cruising the Gulf. There are a number of good restaurants ashore and the local shops are well stocked to provide you with fresh provisions. Gocek is only 20 km away from Dalaman International Airport. Fethiye Bay is a yachtsman's paradise with numerous islands and inlets to explore. In the bay itself you can quietly explore places with names like Four Fathom Bay, Tomb Bay, Twenty Two Fathom Cove, Ruin Bay and Wall Bay which make for cruising as fascinating as their names suggest. The whole area is literally littered with ruins, above and below the water. It is perfect place to get your snorkelling gear out and explore the relics of the Byzantine and Lycian era. Cruising in this area would not be complete without mooring off Gemiler Island and absorbing the splendour of Olu Deniz. It is the very picture of a holiday in Turkey. The white sandy beaches, which embrace a deep blue lagoon, continue to attract sun worshippers. Cruising on from Olu Deniz you enter the Eastern Lycian area.

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Kalkan

Nettling at the head of a large bay, the village of Kalkan, boasts a well-sheltered harbour with a number of quite sophisticated bars and restaurants along the shore. Climb the steps behind the village and you will find even more restaurants shaded by Eucalyptus trees. Kalkan is the nearest safe harbour from which to visit the fascinating archaeological site of ancient Patara and Xanthos. At the holy Lycian centre of Letoon, three temples dedicated to Leto, Apollo and Artemis, familiar gods of mythology, await the intrepid tourist. Mythology records that Apollo was born at Patara, a principal harbour of ancient Lycia, south of Letoon and Xanthos. The ruins are of course numerous and fascinating. Its 22 kilometres of pure white sand stretch as far as the eye can see, making it a natural choice for all types of beach sports.

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Kas

The area is steeped in history. Further along the coast and sheltered by the Greek island of Kastellorizon, the very pleasant town of Kas lies at the foot of the steep hillsides. It might not appear much from a distance, but boasts several waterside restaurants, an open-air market with all types of fresh vegetables and two bakers' shops nearby. Behind the town square, shaded by tall pine trees, are a multitude of shops selling carpets and Turkish clothes. Kas, once ancient Antiphellus, still exhibits a few remains of the old settlement. An ancient theatre on Kas's long peninsula is within walking distance of the town.

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Kekova For some of the best cruising waters in the whole of Turkey you need look no further than Kekova Roads. You arrive at Kekova not as a tourist but as a traveller, for you will be absorbed into the remains of an ancient Lycian civilization. Much of the city sank beneath the sea in an earthquake and you can still see the stone sarcophagi just above the water and steps leading down to buildings beneath the waterline. Kalekoy Castle (ancient Simena) offers a bird's-eye view of the bays, inlets, islands and colourful yachts sailing peacefully on the glassy water. The colours in a Van Gogh painting, blue skies, orange sunsets, starry, starry nights, peace and tranquility, playful dolphins, mythological mysteries, and the sparkling sea - Kekova provides all this and more.

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Demre - Finike

At Demre (Kale), the ancient Myra, (25 km west of Finike), many splendidly carved rock tombs overlook the magnificent Roman theatre. St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) was the bishop of this Mediterranean city during the fourth century and died here in 342. An official entry-port, Finike is surrounded by citrus trees and gardens. Thirty-two kilometres from the Finike Marina lie the remains of the beautiful and ancient Lycian city of Arikanda. This excursion inland, a mountain trek, rewards you with superb views, fabulous ruins and fresh mountain air.

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Gulf of Antalya

Slipping around the Kirlangic Peninsula brings you into the Gulf of Antalya. The first sight you come to is the ancient city of Olympos, on the southern side of Mt. Tahtali (Mt. Olympos). Oleander and laurel bushes shade the Olympos Valley, which you can approach by land as well as by sea. Nearby at Yanarta (at a height of 300 meters), according to mythology, the Lycian hero Bellerophon, mounted on his winged horse Pegasus slew the fire-breathing monster, Chimaera. Gas which seeps from the earth burns brightly at night. The Byzantines also considered this place a religious area. Alexander the Great's favourite winter resort was at Phaselis, the famous ancient commercial harbour north of Olympos. South of the harbour, look up at Mt. Tahtali for a spectacular view. Sail on to Kemer, a resort town carefully designed to blend in with the surrounding scenery, that offers an ideal environment for a wonderful holiday. The fully equipped Kemer Turban Marina has facilities for all activities so that yachtsmen can enjoy the unspoilt bays and beaches south of the town. Sailing around this coast towards Antalya will give you a glimpse of some of Turkeys most modern and luxurious holiday villages. Antalya, Turkey's principal holiday resort city on the Mediterranean, embodies the contrast between the majestic coastline of beaches and rocky coves, and the towering Taurus Mountains. The ancient Attaleia, named after King Attalus II of Pergamon, Antalya was founded in the 2nd century B.C. Today palm-lined boulevards, beautiful parks, historical buildings, monuments, museums and the picturesque old quarter Kalei?, (with the Kalei? Turban Marina) blend together to create an ideal holiday atmosphere. The Antalya Marina and Leisure Centre, which has won several awards, is considered one of the most beautiful marinas in Turkey; Setur Marina, the other marina in Antalya, is, on the other hand, quiet and peaceful; but both welcome you after your unforgettable voyage in the turquoise paradise of Turkey's waters.

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Turkey- Suggested Itineraries

Gocek - Knidos, The Dorian Cruise

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Gocek - Kekova, The Lycian Cruise

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Bodrum - Gokova, The Carian Cruise

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Marmaris - Bodrum, The Cleopatra Cruise

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Lycia History

George E. Bean, who has compiled various documents on the establishment and history of the Lycian region, furnishes the following details:

'Lycia may be roughly defined as the country lying south of a line drawn from Koycegiz to Antalya. Its boundary in the west is Akdag, the ancient Massieytus and in the east Bey Dag, the ancient Solyma, both over 10.000 feet high. To the west of Akdag is the valley of Xanthus, with beyond it the minor range of Cragus and Anticragus; to the east of Bey Dagi, is the valley of the Alakir (ancient name uncertain), with beyond it the minor range of Tahtali Dagi. These rivers are the largest in the country; the even longer Dalaman Cayi to the northwest is not genuinely in Lycia. The northern part of the country consists of a comparatively level plateau consistently over 3.000 feet above the sea.

'So mountainous a land was bound to be thinly and unevenly inhabited; the total population in antiquity has been estimated at a mere 200.000. All the chief cities are on the coast or in the Xanthus valley; this latter was the true heart of Lycia. In summer the day temperature is regularly over 90 degrees F; the modern inhabitants, unless they have business to detain them, leave their villages when the crops are in June and make their way to the high ground to the north, and there is reason to believe that the ancients did the same.

'Among the various races of Anatolia, the Lycians always held a distinctive place. Locked away in their mountainous country, they had a fierce love of freedom and independence, and resisted strongly all attempts at outside domination; they were the last in Asia Minor to be incorporated as a province in the Roman Empire. They had a language of their own which is still imperfectly understood, written in characters many of which are peculiar to it. They had an instinct for union and federation, and formed a Lycian nation when elsewhere the Greek world was made up of individual city- states perpetually at enmity with one another. They had customs on their own and a style of funerary architecture, which is quite unique.

'Where did come from, and when? The Greek tradition is recorded by Herodotus, who says they came originally from Crete; when Minos and his brother Sarpedon quarrelled for the power, Minos was victorious and Sarpedon with his followers crossed to Asia settled in Lycia, which was then called Milyas, driving out the Solymi who were in occupation. For a time they kept their name of Termilae (which is still used by their neighbours), but when Lycus, son of Pandion king of Athens, expelled by his brother Aegeus, came to join Sarpedon, they took from him their name of Lycians. The traditional date for Pandion as recorded by the Parian Marble is the early thirteenth century, whereas Minos and Sarpedon are placed in the latter half of the fifteenth century. These dates are of course guite unreliable, and the chronology is further confused by a later Minos in the time of Lycus Aegeus and a later Sarpedon in the time of the Trojan war (late thirteenth century) .

'Chronologically much surer ground is afforded by the Hittite records, which refer a number of times to a nation of the Lukka, who can be no other than the Lycians. We learn that the Lukka land were conquered by the Hittites in the reign of Suppiluliumas in the midfourteenth century, tough they were not securely held but were often in rebellion. Further evidence comes from the tablets found at Tel-el-Amarna in Egypt, where certain Lukka are mentioned among a group of sea - raiders about the same time. For the location of the Lukka lands the indication are mostly vague; they seem to have been close neighbours of the Arzawa somewhere to the west or south- west of the Hittite capital Hattesas. This, combined whit the description of them as sea raiders, would naturally place them in Caria and / or Lycia. There is, however, one more precise piece of evidence. The records mention a city of Dalawa in the Lukka Lands; if, as seem virtually certain, this is the same as the Lycian Tlawa, that is Tlos, in the Xanthos Valley, the location of the Lukka in Lycia in the fourteenth century is established. Furthermore, Dalawa is associated in the records with the city of Hinduwa, which is likely to be identical with the classical Candyba.

'There seems accordingly nothing to prevent us from accepting the settlement of Lycia, perhaps towards 1400 B.C., by Cretans under Sarpedon. According to the historian Ephorus they came first to Caria, where they founded the city of Miletus, calling it after the Cretan city of the same name. Another tradition asserted that the Carian city of Idrias, later Stratoniceia, was the first city founded by the Lycians; if this has any historical basis, it will mark the passage of the Lycians southward from Miletus to their eventual home. Herodotus story of the name Lycian being taken from the Athenian Lycus, improbable in itself, is obviously to be rejected.

'Not so his assertion that the Lycians were originally called Termilae. Not only is repeated by other ancient writers, but it is strikingly confirmed by the inscriptions in the native language, which refer to them always as TRMMILI, never as Lycians The Greek inscriptions, on the contrary, never use the name Termilae; even the Xanthian Obelisk, about 400 B.C., in its Greek portion speaks of Lycians. The Lycian inscription dates to the late fifth and fourth centuries, or barely later than Herodotus' time. Not merely the neighbours, therefore, but the Lycians themselves continued to use the name Termilae. It is not, of course, rare for a people to call themselves by a name different from that used by others; the modern Greek and Germans are obvious examples; nevertheless, it is possible that the Termilae are to be distinguished, as later incomers, from the Lukka or Lycians. If so, the language of the inscriptions should more properly be called Termilie.

'The earliest appearance of the Lycians in Greek literature is in Homer's Iliad, where they flight as allies of the Trojans, coming 'from distant Lycia and eddying Xanthus'; their Commanders Sarpedon and Glaucus play a not undistinguished part among minor heroes. Homer is now generally agreed to have composed towards 700 B.C.; by the sixth century the Lydian king had conquered the whole of Asia Minor west of the river Halys with the exception of the Lycians and the Cilicians.

The last king of Lydia, Croesus, fell to the Persians in 546 B.C.,and his kingdom passed to them. The Persians were not willing to leave the Lycians in freedom, and sent an army under their general Harpagus to subdue them; after a desperate resistance the Lycians submitted to superior force. Persian rule was mild, requiring little more than the payment of tribute, and the country was left to be governed by its own dynasts; by the end of the century these were striking silver coins in their own names.

In 480 B.C., when Xerxes assembled his huge force for the conquest of Greece, the Lycians contributed fifty ships to his fleet; the men, says Herodotus, wore breast plates and greaves, with bows of cornel wood, unwinged arrows of reed, javelins, goat-skins over their shoulders, and feathered hats on their heads, also daggers and scimitars. Of their exploits in the war we hear nothing.

When the Peloponnesian War ended in 404 with the complete defeat of Athens by Sparta, the Delian Confederacy ceased to exist. Sparta took over , but had not the qualities for managing an overseas empire, and Lycia fell back under Persian domination. During all this time the Lycian dynasts continued to issue their silver coinage, In the early fourth century the Persian satrap of Caria was Mausolus, an energetic and ambitious man who took advantage of the slack Persian rule to make himself in effect an independent despot; in addition to the whole of Caria he extended his claims to Lycia also. The Lycians resisted under their dynast Pericles; only Phaselis, still not a true Lycian city, accepter Mausolus, and even concluded a treaty with him. Pericles, treating Phaselis as an enemy, submitted her to a blockade.

Any pretensions of Mausolus' successors to control of Lycia ended with the arrival of Alexander in 333. After the reduction of Halicarnassus, Alexander proceeded to Lycia, where he made a treaty with Telmessus, then, crossing the Xanthus, received the surrender of Pinara, Xanthus, and some thirty minor cities. Phaselis showed herself especially friendly; she offered him her submission together with a golden crown, and Alexander stayed some time in the city, incidentally lending her his troops to subdue some troublesome neighbours. He then moved on into Pamphylia.

After Alexander's death Lycia came into the power of his general Ptolemy, who had established himself as king of Egypt. Ptolemaic control continued for about a hundred years, and it was during this period that the Lycian Language died out and was replaced by Greek; the rule of the dynasts had come to an end with Pericles and the cities adopted Greek constitutions.

In 197 B.C. the country was taken from the Ptolemies by Antiochus 111. , king of Syria; Phaselis, Limyra, Andriace, Patara, and Xanthus are specially mentioned as having been captured by him. He was shortly afterwards defeated by the Romans at the battle of Magnesia; in the settlement which followed in 189 Lycia, with the exception of Telmessus, was given to the Rhodians, who had supported Rome. The Lycians, intolerant as ever of foreign domination, resisted bitterly, claiming that they had been given to Rhodes not as subjects but as allies; the Rhodians claimed complete suzerainty, and for ten years there was fierce fighting. In 177 the Lycians, no longer able to hold pout, sent an embassy to Rome to complain of the harshness of Rhodian rule. Roman relations with Rhodes had by this time cooled, and the Senate gave the Lycians a favourable reply, to the effect that they were supposed to be merely friends and allies of the Rhodians. Encouraged by this the Lycians took up arms again, and hostilities continued for another six years, but by 171 the Lycians were again exhausted. In 167, however, the Senate decided to put an end to Rhodian control of Caria and Lycia and declared these countries free. Only one result of the Rhodian rule in Lycia was of any permanence: Phaselis, a Rhodian colony by origin, was at last included in Lycia with her western neighbours.

Some time in second century, perhaps near the beginning, two men, Lysanias and Eudemus, seized control of the city of Xanthus, carried out executions, and attempted to set up a tyranny. A campaign of the League forces was needed to suppress them and restore the situation. Shortly afterwards Eudemus made a second attempt at Tlos, and again the League forces had to be called in. It is evident that at the time of these events the Lycian League was in full vigour and ready to act in the defence of liberty.

In the long period of freedom after 167 B.C. the Lycian League came into prominence. I was not a new phenomenon; the Lycians had always an instinct for union and collaboration; and even under the dynasts of the fourth century the Lycian inscriptions refer repeatedly to the payment of fines to the 'Federal Treasurer of The Termilae'.

After the grant of freedom in 167 B.C. we hear little affairs until the first Mithridatic war; the formation of the Roman province of Asia in 129 left Lycia untouched. In 88 the Pontic king Mithridates VI attacked and overran western Asia Minor; Roman administration had been so unsatisfactory that most places welcomed him as a liberator, but Lycia was among the few that resisted. Mithridates sent his officers to subdue it, and the Lycians had much to endure; the king himself made only one brief appearance at Patara, and Lycia was not effectively occupied. The war ended in 84 with the king's defeat by Sulla, and in the subsequent settlement the Romans showed their appreciation of the Lycian's loyalty by confirming their freedom and enlarging their territory by the addition of the three cities of Bubon, Balbura, and Oenoanda.

During the Roman civil wars of the first century B.C. the Lycians had again to suffer from the depredations of Brutus and Cassius, the 'tyrannicides' responsible for the murder of Julius Caesar in 44. The Lycian reluctance to contribute to Brutus resources resulted in the capture and destruction of Xanthos. Upon their defeat at Philippi in 42 by Anthony and Octavian, Anthony received the East as his share of the Roman world, and he too confirmed the freedom of Lycia, which thus remained as the only part of Asia Minor not incorporated in the Roman sphere of power. This state of affairs came at last to an end in A.D. 43, when Claudius joined Lycia with Pamphylia as Roman province. This was not, however, quite the last of Lycian freedom, which was given back for a short while by Nero (A.D. 69-79) until Vespasian finally restored the composite province on a lasting basis.

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Turkey-Weather

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Turkey-Maps

Please click on the link for related maps

• Turkey Map
• Southwestern Turkey
• Bodrum - Gokova region
• Marmaris - Hisaronu region
• Fethiye - Gocek region
• Kekova region
• Antalya region

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