Araxa is located near the village of Ören in the Seydikemer district of Muğla. Although it was a relatively small city, it occupied a strategic position at the northern entrance to the Xanthos Valley, which contains the largest urban centers of western Lycia. As a member of the Lycian League, Araxa minted coins in its own name. In the modern period, the site was first identified and described by Spratt and Forbes. The Lycian name of the city is Araththi. Apart from surface surveys, no systematic excavations have been conducted.
An inscription discovered at Araxa in 1948 by George Bean, dated to the early 2nd century BCE, has provided important information for both the history of Araxa and Lycia in general. This honorary inscription records the services of Orthagoras, a prominent citizen of Araxa. It indicates that Orthagoras represented the city in the Lycian League and provides details about the wars in which he participated, as well as his diplomatic relations with other cities in his capacity as a representative. This inscription has served as an important reference for determining the date of the establishment of the Lycian League.
Very few remains of the city of Araxa have survived. On the left side of the road leading into the village, there are several rock-cut tombs of varying types and sizes. Some of these are house-type tombs, imitating wooden architecture in the classical Lycian style of the dynastic period. The most striking example, with its temple façade, belongs to a later period. Remains of late Roman fortification walls are also visible at the entrance to the village, and various stones from ancient structures can be observed reused in the walls of modern buildings within the settlement. The Roman bath, whose walls remain largely intact and which was in use for its original function until relatively recently, now serves as a barn.
References:
Bean, G. E. 1948. “Notes and Inscriptions from Lycia,” çev. H. Kökten, JHS 68, 40-58.
Bean, G. E. 1997. Eskiçağda Likya Bölgesi, çev. H. Kökten, İstanbul.
Bayburtluoğlu, C. 2004. Lykia, Suna-İnan Kıraç Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Araştırma Enstitüsü, İstanbul.
Images:
Bora Bilgin, 2022
Reha Özer, 2022
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2024
Tayfun Bilgin, 2022, 2024