Photos of Amazing Historic Ancient Lycian Sites & Art Antiquities from Lycia Turkey. Including Lycian Antiquities from the great museum of Turkey and Lycian Rock Tombs. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams
Photos of Classical Period Ancient Lycian Archaeology Museum Art & Antiquity
Themed Ancient Lycian Museum Antiquity Photo Galleries
Photos of Ancient Lycian Historic Archaeology Sites
Individual Museum Lycian Art & Antiquity Collections
Photos of Amazing Historic Ancient Lycian Sites & Art Antiquities
Photos of the Fascinating Ancient Lycian Sites & Art Antiquities.
Foundation of Lycia
By 1300 B.C, Lycia had emerged as a confederation of fiercely independent city states along the high mountains of Agean coast between Fethiye and Antalya.
Homer mentions Lycia as being an ally of Troy, its northern neighbour, and Heroditus says that Lycia is named after Lycus, son of Pandion II of Athens and the Lycians came from Crete to fight in the Trojan Wars.
Lycian Ancient Greek Influences
From the 5th or 4th centuries BCE, Lycia came under increasing Greek social and political influences. The Lycian language became extinct and was replaced by Ancient Greek, some time around 200 BC
Lycian Rock Tombs
Lycian Family Rock Tombs were cut high into cliffs faces sculpted architraves, doors and pitched roofs. At Myra a tomb exterior has a sculpture of a gladiator in full Roman armour above the tomb entrance.
Lycians also built sarcophagus tombs ontop of sculpted pillars, These were often had characteristic pointed curved roof or were in the shape of small Greek Temples. The largest known Lycian pillar tomb is the Neireid Monument of Xanthos, now in the British Museum.
Lycia Annexed by the Romans
In 43 AD Lycia was annexed by emperor Claudius as a province into the Roman Empire. The two adopted sons and heirs to Emperor Augustus, Lucius & Gaius Caesar died in Lycia in AD 2 & AD 4 respectively forcing Augustus to adopt Tiberius as his heir.
The Lycian Way
Linking the Lycian towns through the high mountains of Lycia is the Lycian Way. This traverses spectacular coastal mountains along the Aegean Sea. The ancient road is today a popular 500km long walkers footpath stretching from Olu Deniz near Fethiye to Antalya. The route has been listed as one of the world top ten walks and at its highest point is 1811 meters above the sea.