Thursday, December 3, 2015


Xanthos-Letoon


This site, which was the capital of Lycia, illustrates the blending of Lycian traditions and Hellenic influence, especially in its funerary art. The epigraphic inscriptions are crucial for our understanding of the history of the Lycian people and their Indo-European language.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/484




Xanthos-Letoon is an archeological site consisting of two separate locations that represent the Lycian civilization. Their art work is well known, e.g. the monumental tombs that were taken to the British Museum, the most famous being the Nereid Monument, the Harpy Monument and the Payava Sarcophagus.

Xanthos was the name of a city in ancient Lycia. It was a center of culture and commerce for the Lycians. The archeological excavations at Xanthos have yielded many texts in Lycian and Greek, including several bilingual texts that are useful in the decipherment of Lycian.

The sanctuary of Leto called the Letoon near Xanthos, was one of the most important religious centers of the Lycian region. The foundations of the Hellenistic temple dedicated to Leto, and her children, Artemis and Apollo, have been excavated. Archaeologists have excavated much of the ruins; discoveries include the Letoon trilingual, bearing inscriptions in Greek, Lycian and Aramaic, which has provided crucial keys in the deciphering of the Lycian language. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/xanthosletoon.html

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