Limyra
Λίμυρα | |
Persian | |
| Site notes | |
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| Condition | In ruins |
Limyra (
History
Already flourishing in the second millennium BCE, the city was one of the oldest and most prosperous in Lycia; it gradually became one of the most flourishing trade centres in the Greek world.[citation needed]
In the 4th century BCE
The Persians eventually regained rule through Mausolus, the Carian satrap at Halicarnassus.
After
Limyra is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors.
Augustus had adopted his grandson Gaius Caesar in 17 BCE (aged 3) as his heir. In 1 BC (aged 19) Gaius Caesar was sent to Syria and in 2 AD he went to Armenia, which the Parthians had recently invaded. Gaius successfully placed a pro-Roman king on the Armenian throne but was seriously wounded after being tricked. In 4 AD, during his return to Rome, Gaius died from his wounds at Limyra.[8]
The Site
The lower city is at the base of the acropolis hill and includes two separate walled areas.
The five necropolises dating from the 4th c. BCE and before demonstrate the city's importance. The mausoleum of Pericles is particularly notable for its fine reliefs and exquisite sculptures such as Perseus slaying Medusa and one of her sisters.[7]
A gate in the western city leads down through a marshy area towards the cenotaph of Gaius Caesar, grandson and heir apparent of Augustus, a massive structure standing on a stone podium and dating from around 4 CE.
The Romans cut a theatre into the hill which held 8000 spectators. It was commissioned in the second century CE by an important Lycian benefactor named Opramoas of Rhodiapolis. Also from this period are a bathhouse with a complex heating system and the colonnaded streets.
The Roman Bridge at Limyra, east of the city, is one of the oldest segmental arch bridges in the world.[9]
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia.[10]
Gallery
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Limyra Theatre from uphill -
Limyra Theatre -
Limyra Theatre corridors -
Limyra Cenotaph of Gaius Caesar -
Limyra Cenotaph Gaius Caesar in Antalya Museum -
Limyra Ptolemaion -
Limyra Ptolemaion relief in Antalya Museum -
Limyra Bee keeping -
Limyra tomb of Tebursseli -
Limyra tomb of Tebursseli decoration -
Limyra Temple-type tomb -
Limyra Sarcophagus of Xñtabura -
Limyra Rock graves -
Limyra Heroon Pericles in Antalya Museum -
Limyra Roman Bridge
References
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §L417.15
- ^ dictionary-z[permanent dead link]
- ^ Strabo, Geography, 14.3.7
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, L417.15
- ^ Houwink ten Cate, Philo Hendrik Jan (1961). The Luwian Population Groups of Lycia and Cilicia Aspera During the Hellenistic Period. Brill Archive. pp. 12–13.
- ISBN 9781575061207.
- ^ ISBN 9781134159079.
- ^ Velleius Paterculus, II, 102
- ^ a b Sopheone Pétridès, "Limyra" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1910)
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 917
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