Kaunos
Καῦνος (in Greek) | |
Zeno | |
Site notes | |
---|---|
Condition | Ruined |
Ownership | Public |
Public access | Yes |
Website | Kaunos Archaeological Site |
The Calbys river (now known as the Dalyan river) was the border between Caria and Lycia. Initially Kaunos was a separate state; then it became a part of Caria and later still of Lycia.
Kaunos was an important sea port, the history of which is supposed to date back to the 10th century BC. Because of the formation of İztuzu Beach and the silting of the former Bay of Dalyan (from approx. 200 BC onwards), Kaunos is now located about 8 km from the coast.[2] The city had two ports, the southern port at the southeast of Küçük Kale and the inner port at its northwest (the present Sülüklü Göl, Lake of the Leeches). The southern port was used from the foundation of the city till roughly the end of the Hellenistic era, after which it became inaccessible due to its drying out. The inner or trade port could be closed by chains. The latter was used till the late days of Kaunos,[3] but due to the silting of the delta and the ports, Kaunos had by then long lost its important function as a trade port. After the capture of Caria by Turkish tribes, and the serious malaria epidemic of the 15th century AD, Kaunos was completely abandoned.
In 1966, Prof. Baki Öğün started the excavations of ancient Kaunos. These have been continued up to the present day, and are now supervised by Prof. Cengiz Işık.
The archeological research is not limited to Kaunos itself, but is also carried out in locations nearby e.g. near the Sultaniye Spa where there used to be a sanctuary devoted to the goddess Leto.[4]
Name
The city was commonly known by its Greek name, Kaunos (Καῦνος). The Romans called Kaunos by its name in Latin, Caunus.[5][6][7]
Kaunos'
Kaunos' indigenous name was first discovered from its use in Lycian language inscriptions. In the Letoon trilingual, found close to Xanthos in Lycia, Kaunos was called Xbide (𐊜𐊂𐊆𐊅𐊁 in the Lycian alphabet), and Kaunians were called Xbidẽñni (𐊜𐊂𐊆𐊅𐊚𐊑𐊏𐊆).[11][12]
Mythology
According to mythology Kaunos was founded by King
History
The oldest find at the Kaunos archeological site is the neck of a
First Persian rule
Kaunos is first referred to by Herodotus in his book Histories. He narrates that the Persian general Harpagus marches against the Lycians, Carians and Kaunians during the Persian invasion of 546 BCE.[16] Herodotus writes that the Kaunians fiercely countered Harpagus' attacks but were ultimately defeated.[17] Despite the fact that the Kaunians themselves said they originated from Crete,.[18] He thought it was far more likely that the Kaunians were the original inhabitants of the area because of the similarity between his own Carian language and that of the Kaunians. He added that there were, however, great differences between the lifestyles of the Kaunians and those of their neighbours, the Carians and Lycians. One of the most conspicuous differences being their social drinking behaviour. It was common practice that the villagers -men, women and children alike- had get-togethers over a good glass of wine.[18]
Herodotus mentions that Kaunos participated in the Ionian Revolt (499–494 BCE).[19]
Some important inscriptions in
Greek influences
After
Second Persian rule
After the
Hellenistic period and Roman rule
After
Because of differences between the Hellenistic kingdoms, the
In 167 BC this led to a revolt by Kaunos and a number of other cities in western Anatolia against Rhodes. As a result, Rome discharged Rhodes from its task. In 129 BC the Romans established the Province of Asia, which covered a large part of western Anatolia. Kaunos was near the edge of this province and was assigned to Lycia.
In 88 BC
Byzantine era
Decline of Kaunos
From 625 AD onwards Kaunos was faced with attacks by Muslim Arabs and pirates. The 13th century brought invasions by Turkish tribes. Consequently, the old castle on the acropolis was fortified with walls, giving it a typical medieval appearance. In the 14th century the Turkish tribes had conquered part of Caria, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in sea trade.
The resulting economic slump caused many Kaunians to move elsewhere. In the 15th century the Turks captured the entire area north of Caria and Kaunos was hit by a malaria epidemic. This caused the city to be abandoned. The ancient city was badly devastated in an earthquake and gradually got covered with sand and a dense vegetation. The city was forgotten until Richard Hoskyn, a Royal Navy surveyor found a law tablet, referring to the Council of Kaunos and the inhabitants of this city. Hoskyn visited the ruins in 1840 and published his account in 1842,[22] making knowledge of the ancient city once more available.[2]
Ecclesiastical history
Residential
- Basil, who attended the Council of Seleucia in 359;
- Antipater, who attended the Council of Chalcedon in 451;
- Nicolaus, who subscribed the letter to Emperor Leo in 458; and
- Stephanus, who attended the Council of Nicaea in 787.
The Synecdemus of Hierocles and most Notitiae Episcopatuum, as late as the 12th or 13th century, place it in Lycia, as a suffragan of Myra.[24]
Titular see
The see is included, under the Latinized form of its name, Caunus, among the Latin
It vacant since 1972,[27] having had the following incumbents, both of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :[26]
- Juvencio Juan Hospital de la Puebla, Northern Hunan 湖南北境 (China) (1911.09.18 – 1917.03) and on emeritate
- Angelo Barbisotti, Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (F.S.C.J.) (born Italy) (14 November 1957 – death 17 September 1972) as Apostolic Vicar of Esmeraldas (Ecuador) (1957.11.14 – 1972.09.17).
Main archeological sites
Kaunos is a site that is interesting for both its archeological and ecological importance. Situated in the
- The Acropolis (Persikon), situated on a 152 m high rock, fortified with Byzantine walls. The city's acropoliswas called Imbros and it lay at the foot of Mount Tarbelos (present-day "Mount Ölemez").
- Adjacent to the acropolis is a smaller fortification, called Heraklion. Until the 5th century BC this 50 m high cape reached into sea and there were two ports south and north of it. From the Acropolis there are views of the ancient city, Dalyan, the Dalyan river, the estuary and İztuzu Beach. The small fortification looks down on a traditional dalyan (fishing weir) situated quite near the former southern port.
- The theater on the slope of the acropolis featuring both Hellenistic and Roman characteristics
- The theater has a diameter of 75 m and was built at a 27-degree angle. It had a capacity for 5000 spectators and is in a fairly good state. It is still occasionally used for performances.
- The palaestra with its Roman baths, a wind measuring platform and a domed Byzantine basilica
- Archaeological research has shown that the palaestra was built over part of the old city that most probably had been a place of worship.
- The Roman baths served as a social meeting place and were meant to impress the Kaunians — by their sheer dimensions — of the power of the Roman Empire. In the Byzantine era the baths were dismantled and the frescoes. The domed basilica is the only remaining Byzantine edifice in Kaunos that still stands. Next to the basilica mosaicshave been uncovered.
- The port agora is located at the flat area in front of Sülüklü Lake. It dates back to the 4th century BC and kept its function as an economic, political and social meeting place until the end of the Roman era. The remains of pedestals indicate that there must have been many (bronze) statues of influential Romans, but these have not been found. Most likely these were melted down in the Byzantine era, for the archeologists found a smelting furnace of that period near to the pedestal of a bronze equestrial statue of the Roman governor of Asia, Emperor Hadrianreveal that the toll for merchants and boat owners was relaxed to compensate for the gradually silting port.
- The temples
- Six temples have been excavated, two of Hellenistic and four of Roman origin. Probably the terrace temple of the 3rd century BC facing a circle of columns has the greatest appeal. Inside the circle an obelisk has been found, which is also depicted on old Kaunian coins. The obelisk was the symbol of king Kaunos, who according to mythology established the ancient city bearing his name.
Outside the official Kaunos archeological site, there are:
- Six rock tombs on the Dalyan river (4th – 2nd century BC), which are Dalyan's prime sight
- The façades of the rock tombs resemble the fronts of Hellenistic temples with two Ionian pillars, a triangular pediment, an architrave with toothed friezes, and acroterions shaped like palm leaves.
- The Kaunos city walls
- The spectacular Kaunos city walls were erected during the reign of Mausolos in the 4th century BC. They are extraproportional in relation to the size of Kaunos and its population, presumably because the satrap had high expectations of the city's future as a marine and commercial port. The city walls start west of the inner port and run along the hills N and NW of the city, to the top of the steep cliff opposite Dalyan centre. There is a walking track along the wall, starting at the Çandır water station. The regularly-shaped rectangular blocks and the way the blocks have been positioned give a fine impression of Hellenistic building techniques. Parts of the wall are well-kept, other parts have been taken down and rebuilt.
- The niche tombs at the port of Çandır
- Kaunos is surrounded by ancient necropoli, because the ancient Greeks and Romans always buried their deceased at considerable distance from their homes. The niche tombs were the most common ones. The ashes of the deceased were put in urns and then placed in a niche. At the port of Çandır, some km beyond the archeological site of Kaunos, there are tens of niche tombs hewn from the rock of Kızıltepe.
Notable people
- Protogenes, Greek painter, 4th century BC
- Zeno of Kaunos, secretary in Ptolemaic service, 3rd century BC
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-83307-3.. Translator Chris Markham.
- ^ ISBN 978-978-978-605-3
- ISBN 975-270-471-9
- ^ History surfaces from Köyceğiz Lake, Land of Lights, October 28th, 2010
- ISSN 0075-4269.
- ISSN 0075-4269.
- ^ OCLC 77548206.
- ISSN 0022-7498.
- ISSN 0022-7498.
- ISSN 0022-7498.
- ^ Fraser, Peter Marshall; Bean, George Ewart (1954). The Rhodian Peraea and Islands. London: Oxford University Press.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ISSN 0022-7498.
- ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses, 446 – 665
- ^ Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses, 30
- ^ Parthenius, Love Romances, 11
- ^ Herodotus I.171
- ^ Herodotus I.176
- ^ a b Herodotus I.172
- ^ Herodotus V.103
- ISBN 9004152814p3
- ^ Ancient Caria: In the garden of the sun, CANAN KÜÇÜKEREN, Hürriyet Daily News, 28 March 2011
- JSTOR 1797993.
- ^ Le Quien,(I, 981)
- ^ a b Sophrone Pétridès, "Caunus" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1908
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 911
- ^ a b "Titular See of Caunas, Turkey".
- ^ Caunus (Titular See)
Sources
- Bean, George E. (2002). Turkey beyond the Maeander. London: Frederick A. Praeger. ISBN 0-87471-038-3.
External links
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Caunus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- GCatholic – (titular) bishopric
- Official website
- Herodotus Project: Extensive B+W photo essay of Caunus
- History surfaces from Köyceğiz Lake, Land of Lights, 28 October 2010
- Ancient Caria: In the garden of the sun, CANAN KÜÇÜKEREN, Hürriyet Daily News, 28 March 2011
- New dig at ancient site of Kaunos reveals fountain, Today's Zaman, 11 September 2008
- Over 250 photos