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The religion center of Lycia: Letoon Ancient City

Letoon Ancient City in the Seydikemer district of Muğla, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, contributes to the enlightenment of Lycian history with its 3 temples and inscriptions.

Haber Giriş Tarihi: 28.07.2023 13:33
Haber Güncellenme Tarihi: 28.07.2023 13:33
Kaynak: Haber Merkezi
The religion center of Lycia: Letoon Ancient City

The city, located in the Kumluova District and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988, is known as the "religion center of the Lycian civilization".

Excavation and restoration work continues in the city, which contributes to the unearthing of Lycian history with the temples, inscriptions and statue bases built in the name of Leto, Apollon and Artemis.

Selçuk University Archeology Department Faculty Member and Head of Letoon Ancient City Excavation Prof Dr Erdoğan Aslan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that one of the city's greatest features is the common area of Lycia.

Aslan stated that there are temples in the city with the names of Leto, his twin children Artemis and his son Apollo; "Around the temples, there is a fountain from Hadrian's period, a church from the Early Byzantine Period, and Lycia's third largest theater with a capacity of 8,000 people, dating to the Hellenistic Period. Apart from these, there are priest houses and necropolis areas with various types of tombs on the slopes."

Aslan stated that the most important reason why the city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 was the large number of Lycian inscriptions in the city.

"The city houses many inscriptions and statues that are the memory of Lycia"

Stating that the trilingual inscription exhibited in the Fethiye Museum is also in the city, Aslan said, "Letoon has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List due to the trilingual inscription in the ancient city for its contribution to the deciphering of the Lycian language. In addition to the inscriptions, there are also many statue bases in the city. We know who they belong to from the inscriptions on the pedestals. The city houses many inscriptions and sculptures that are the memory of Lycia."

Aslan stated that in most of the Lycian cities, three temples could not be seen as in the Letoon Ancient City.

Emphasizing that some inscriptions in the area were an example of the decisions taken in the Lycian League, Aslan said:

"In this sense, the city has a rich content related to the history of Lycia. Some inscriptions contain statements about the rules of the sanctuary. There are inscriptions on the management of the area, as it is not allowed to enter the sanctuary with metal objects and weapons, and to stay overnight in the area. There are not many examples of this in other ancient cities. It is very important in terms of having a common memory of Lycia. We think that the Hellenistic Period theater with a capacity of approximately 8 thousand people was used for religious ceremonies and assembly meetings rather than plays. The theater was also used in the Roman Period. Therefore, there is a continuity from the Hellenistic Period to the Roman Period."

Stating that they have been carrying out excavation and restoration works in the city as a team for the last 4 years, Aslan explained that they acted with the planning to open the theater for use after the excavation and restoration.

Stating that the restoration works regarding the preservation and repair of the mosaics in the early Byzantine church are continuing, Aslan said, "The restoration projects of the Temple of Leto are being prepared. The restoration project of the mausoleum, which we opened last year and which is dated to the Roman Period, is about to be completed. 80 percent of the blocks of Leto Shrine are in the area. Projects are being prepared to restore this place in the coming years. Epigraphy studies by epigraphists are also continuing in the field."

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