Pygela is located on Kepez Hill, near the village of Güzören, approximately 12 km from Kumluca. Until the discovery of the Patara Road Monument, the identity of the ruins remained unknown. The routes listed on the monument corresponded to this location and identified it as the city of Pygela. This identification was later confirmed by the discovery of the name Pygela on a tomb inscription at the site by Mustafa Adak and Nihal Tüner.
Remains of Hellenistic-period fortification walls can be observed among the dense vegetation on the hill. Most of the architectural remains are situated to the south of these walls. No excavations have been conducted to date, and the functions of these structures have not yet been determined. However, since the site shows no evidence of occupation during the Byzantine period, all extant remains are likely to date to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
All of the sarcophagi in the necropolis area to the southwest belong to the Roman period. Although many of these sarcophagi bear inscriptions, the majority are heavily weathered and largely illegible. A rock-cut tomb imitating a classical wooden structure has also been identified near the settlement, in the Yukarı Savrun neighborhood.
Given its small size, Pygela was likely not an independent polis but may instead have formed a sympoliteia with nearby cities.
References:
Adak, M. & N. Tüner. 2004. “Pygela. Doğu Likya Dağlarında Yeni Keşfedilen Küçük Bir Kent,” Arkeoloji ve Sanat, Kasım-Aralık 118, 43–50.
Çevik, N. 2021. Lykia Kitabı: Arkeolojisi, Tarihi ve Kültürüyle Batı Antalya, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara.
Tüner, N. 2002. “Likya’nın Yerleşim Coğrafyasında Yeni Lokalizasyonlar,” Likya İncelemeleri 1, 63–78.
Images:
Wikiloc, 2021