Gephyra (May 2020)
The Ancient Routes and New Lycian Inscriptions around Fethiye
Abstract
The first part of this contribution contains the results of the field surveys made in recent years for the ancient road network around Fethiye, including the routes between Pinara, Telmessos, Kalynda, Kadyanda, Araxa and Tlos. According to these results, there are two options for the road between Pinara and Telmessos, one through Kabaağaç and Gökben, one over Babadağ. In the article, the second option is suggested for the road recorded in Monumentum Patarense (MP). While the road between Tlos and Telmessos is preliminary expected to have passed through today’s Seydikemer, the field surveys concluded a better option which suggests a course through Çaltıözü, Bozyer ve Esenköy crossing over an ancient bridge, only a footing-base of which survived, in today’s Allıkavak. It is understood that the ancient route between Telmessos and Kalynda mostly follows the modern road between Fethiye and Dalaman, and the localizations of İnlice/Daidala and Şerefler/Kalynda are rediscussed. It is observed that the road between Kadyanda and Telmessos lead through Eldirek as a better option, and that the road between Kadyanda and Araxa passed over the ancient bridge in Atlıdere. The route from Kadyanda to Tlos also passed over the same bridge and reached Tlos following a course leading by Kıncılar, Girmeler and Güneşli. Similarly, the road between Araxa and Tlos followed the same route to the south of Atlıdere Bridge. In the second part of the contribution two new Lycian inscriptions are published. One is found in Asarcık (ancient Aloanda) located ca. 7,5 km to the north of Pinara, and the other one is on the road between Kadyanda and Araxa. The inscription from Aloanda reflects a religious and funerary content. It cannot entirely be understood what kind of monument this was, due to the missing half of the inscribed stone. The inscription made contributions concerning vocabulary and morphology to the study of Lycian language. It is opened up for a discussion that the finding place of the inscription might have been a religious location, because there is no funerary remains from the Lycian period in the spot. Therefore, it is difficult to suggest that inscription is associated with a funerary character, if there was no a rock cut tomb or a sarchophagus from earlier period in the finding spot, though there are several funerary monuments such as a sarcophagus and rock cut tombs of later period nearby. The second inscription examined in the article has a usual content of rock cut tombs, the examples of which are quite prevalent in Lycia. Unfortunately, it cannot be understood whom the tomb belonged to, due to the natural erosion of the inscription surface. Conjecturally it is suggested that name of the owner might be Armazapimi. It is possible to read that the owner built the tomb for himself, his wife, his household and for those who were descendants of his mother. Besides the regulations for burials, the inscription ends with a closure stating that anyone, who violate the burial regulations, shall be considered criminal against several institutions of Lycia and the gods.
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