All pre-
Greek people of Anatolia built beautiful monumental tombs associated with some form of ancestor worship.
The
Lycians developed this form of art to perfection, no doubt facilitated by the soft limestone of the region.
The quality of stonemasonry of the
Lycian people is noteworthy and is especially significant in the construction of tombs.
Today the entire landscape of
Lycia is still dotted with their fascinating funerary monuments.
The most recent count has revealed one thousand and eighty-five examples still intact, rock-cut tombs being the most common form.
Lycia is famous for the sheer number of tombs and their quality.
One thing that sets
Lycian tombs apart from Hellenistic tradition is that whereas in Hellenistic culture the dead were placed outside of liveable areas (often flanking main roads into the cities),
Lycian tombs are integrated often integrated right into cities, displaying
Lycia's ties with eastern traditions.
This is very noticeable, for instance, at
Patara, where monumental tombs are proudly placed right alongside the
Harbor.
A monumental temple-tomb is even located beside the huge imperial granary and the main trade center. The
Lycians, in effect, were always living with their departed ones.
The
Lycians seem to have held a belief that the souls of their dead would be transported from the tombs to the afterworld by a sort of winged siren-like creature, and so often placed their tombs along the coast or at the top of cliffs when they were not integrated into the liveable areas of the cities.
The originality of
Lycian art is special among that of
ancient Anatolia, expressed especially in its funeral architecture, reliefs and sculpture.
Though is was impacted by a variety of foreign influences, it retained a typically
Lycian character.
Bas reliefs and engraved drawing have been found on 36
Lycian rock tombs; mythological scenes, funerary feasts, battles and animal and figural motifs are some of the themes of the reliefs which are found on tombs dated to the first quarter of the 4th century BC.
They have
Greek and Persian elements as well as those of
Lycian styles (
Lycia had contact with the
Greek world and was under Persain control for many years during the BC centuries).
This is usually expressed (and is especially seen in the dynastic tombs of
Xanthos) as a mixture of Persian iconography and
Greek style overlaying the
Lycian architectural core.
For example, scenes depicting funerary feasts, banquet scenes, the inclusion of an audience and hunt and battle scenes are a direct Persian influence and were widespread in the funerary art of Achaemenid Anatolia.
(The Harpy Tomb and Nereid Monument of
Xanthos are two such examples) Persian influence can also be seen in the smallest details, such as the manner in which a horse is conducted.
The clothing and headgear of warriors is often another Persian influence.
Greek influence is apparent in mythological scenes and style.
Lions, a favorite
Lycian royal symbol, are often seen in their funerary art, especially at Cibyra, which had a "resting lion" motif as its symbol.
Round shaped altars decorated with inscriptions or ornamentation were sometimes placed near tombs, such as a necropolis at
Patara, and these were used to make sacrificial offerings for the dead.
Buried offerings for the dead were varied. Tombs have been found with tear collection bottles, terra-cotta statuettes and people were buried with their jewellery.
Coins were placed in the mouths of the dead for payment to Charon. It is sometimes possible to determine the social standing of the person within a tomb, a writer might be buried with a plume and inkbottle.
Unfortunately, most tombs have been looted by robbers. This must have been a problem even in the
ancient times, since so many tomb insriptions are curses against desecrators.
Other interesting sites in
Turkey are:
Antalya,
Kemer,
Phaselis,
Olympos,
Demre,
Kekova,
Simena,
Aperlai,
Kas,
Kalkan,
Patara,
Xanthos,
Letoon,
Tlos,
Pinara,
Oludeniz,
Fethiye,
Gocek,
Knidos,
Caunos,
Ekincik,
Gokova,
Marmaris and
Bodrum.
