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XANTHOS |
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This is the oldest and the largest city of the mountain
province of Lycia, settled in the valley of the Xanthos
river. Until the Persian invasion it was an independent
state. When the people of Xanthos, who had bravely tried to
defend their city, realized that they could not repulse the
invaders, they killed their women and committed mass suicide
by throwing themselves into the flames. About 80 surviving
families and people who immigrated there rebuilt the city,
but a fire which broke out about 100 years later razed it to
the ground. In spite of this, the city was again rebuilt
and, as a result of establishing good relations with the
west, was considered as an important center.
However, Xanthos again met with an unfortunate end. As a
result of resisting the taxes the Athenians wanted to impose
on them in 429 B.C., the city was largely destroyed and the
inhabitants were drawn into a war. And thus Xanthos became
"a city of disasters". The city itself consists of the
Lycian acropolis and the parts remaining outside it, as well
as the Roman acropolis. The most interesting building is the
Roman theatre and the edifices of the theatre's western
shoreline. Of these the most famous is the Harpy Monument,
which is a family sarcophagus situated on a rock. The
original of this relief-decorated sarcophagus is in the
British Museum, and a very good copy of this is in its
place. Close by can be seen very interesting Lycian
sarcophagi from the 6th and 1st centuries B.C. |
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