Gephyra (May 2020)
The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia
Abstract
A mount called Masa is mentioned in an inscription from the Letoon (Rousset 2010) and in the foedus (treaty) between Caesar and Lycia (Mitchell 2005), as northern border of Hellenistic Lycia. The inscription from the Letoon, which dates from sometime 160-150 B.C., reads that this mount has been the subject matter of a border conflict between Termessans at Oinoanda and Lycians. This conflict was resolved in a case tried in Kos and parties accepted that Mount Masa should belong to Tloans, but Termessans at Oinoanda could use its wood and grass being prohibited to saw, to harvest or to build on its lands. In the sequel, Lycians had to pay 25 talents of new Rhodian silver plinthophors to Termessans at Oinoanda. Within the frame of this agreement, Mount Masa was demarcated all around and all the details of demarcation fulfilled by a commission was given in the inscription. In addition to 18 boundary marks carved on bedrock, through several geographic descriptions such as roads, ravines, streams, defiles, plateaus and stony places, a comprehensive picture around the mount was presented. However, the location of the mount was nofound, in spite of all the details given in the text. As a result of our 2019 campaign, the ravines are determined on the field and it is understood that Golbanounda, one of two streams mentioned in the inscription, was today’s Hacıosman Deresi, and the second, Endyrenos, was today’s Sarı Dere. Herewith, it has now been understood that Mount Masa was Hacıosman Dağı of today. This contribution contains the details of this discovery.
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