Tlos is located on the eastern side of the Xanthos Valley, at the foot of the Kragos Mountains (Akdağlar), approximately 25 km north of Xanthos. The site was first identified by Charles Fellows in 1838. The city’s Lycian name was Tlawa, and it appears in Hittite sources as Dalawa. Archaeological research in Tlos and its surrounding area suggests that the region has been inhabited since the 10th millennium BCE.
Tlos was one of the most powerful cities of Lycia. According to Strabo, by around 100 BCE, Tlos was one of six major cities with three votes in the Lycian League. The Patara Road Monument shows Tlos at the intersection of seven road routes, emphasizing its strategic importance.
Regular excavations have been ongoing since 2005. The dynastic-period settlement was concentrated on the acropolis hill, where the most prominent surviving structures are the rock-cut tombs surrounding the acropolis. During the Hellenistic period, the city expanded eastward from the acropolis, and in the Roman period, the urban center developed across the plain at the acropolis’s base.
A notable Roman-period structure is the 148-meter-long stadium, parts of which—including nine rows of seats leaning against the acropolis hill—are still visible today. To the east of the Roman-period city lies a large Roman theater with 37 rows of seats, adjacent to a complex of agora, gymnasium, palaestra, baths, and temples. The theater was originally built during the Hellenistic period and later expanded in Roman times.
A unique feature of the theater is the Doric theater temple located in the middle of the upper cavea, a rarity in Anatolia. A comparable structure is found only in the theater of Patara. It is believed that this temple was added during the Augustan period and served as a prophecy center for a significant period.
Another notable structure is a Corinthian-order temple located west of the agora. It is unique in Lycia as the only known temple dedicated to Kronos, the ancient Titan god.
Izraza Monument
Although the Izraza Monument survives only in fragments and is heavily weathered, it remains a remarkable example of Lycian relief art due to the richness of its decorative scenes. Charles Fellows took plaster casts of the reliefs during his visit in 1842, but it was Spratt and Forbes who first documented the monument in their 1847 travel notes.
Before being transferred to the Fethiye Museum in 1974, the monument suffered additional damage and fragmentation. It was eventually reconstructed from six surviving pieces. Its current form consists of two rectangular prisms, stacked in a pyramidal shape, with all surfaces adorned with reliefs.
The monument’s function remains a topic of scholarly debate. The reliefs depict war and victory scenes, which are common motifs in Lycian funerary art, leading many researchers to interpret it as a tomb monument. However, its architectural form does not resemble any known Lycian tomb type, adding to the uncertainty about its original purpose.
The name “Izraza” is inscribed in Lycian letters next to one of the warrior figures on two different faces of the monument (TL 24). The same name appears in another Lycian inscription (TL-26), which was later used as spolia in the construction of the theater.
Based on stylistic analysis, the monument is dated to between 350 and 330 BCE.
Bellerophon Tomb
Surrounding the acropolis of Tlos are numerous classical Lycian-style rock tombs, many of which feature façades that imitate wooden structures. Among these, a few stand out with temple-style façades, and one in particular—known as the Bellerophon Tomb—distinguishes itself by its monumental size and rich decorative elements.
The tomb features an Ionic temple-style façade with four columns, an architrave, and a triangular pediment. Behind this façade is an anteroom, which provides access—through two doorways—to two separate burial chambers. Between these doorways, the rock surface is carved in the form of a two-winged pseudo-door in Ionic style. The upper and lower parts of the doorways are adorned with animal depictions.
On the upper part of the left wall of the anteroom is a relief that gives the tomb its name: it depicts the Lycian mythological hero Bellerophon riding his winged horse Pegasus, engaged in battle with the Chimaera, a fire-breathing creature from Greek mythology.
While the overall structure of the tomb is elaborate, the column details on the Ionic façade appear unfinished, suggesting that the tomb may not have been completed. However, later reuse of the tomb is evident from archaeological examination.
Within the triangular pediment, another heavily worn relief is present. It shows a long-haired male bust at the center, holding a double-edged axe in one hand and a possible lightning bolt in the other. On either side of the figure lie two reclining lions. This depiction does not align well with typical Lycian tomb iconography and instead resembles imagery of the Anatolian Storm God—either Tarhunna of the Hittites or Tarhunza of the Luwians. It is believed to represent the Lycian counterpart to these deities, Trggas.
A Lycian inscription (TL 22) on the left side of the façade identifies the tomb’s owners as Hrixttibili and his wife. Dated to the first half of the 5th century BCE, this is considered the oldest known tomb structure in Tlos.
References:
Benndorf, O. & G. Niemann. 1884. Reisen in Lykien und Karien (Reisen im südwestlichen Kleinasien I), Wien.
Borchhardt, J., G. Neumann & K. Schulz. 1976. ‘Das Izraza-Monument von Tlos’, RA1, 76-90.
Fellows, C. 1839. A Journal Written During an Excursion in Asia Minor, London.
Fellows, C. 1847. Lycia, Caria, Lydia, illustrated Mr. George Scharf with descriptive letter-press by Sir Charles Fellows, London.
Işık, F. 2016. ‘The Powerful City of the “Land of Lukka”: Tlos’, in From Lukka to Lycia: The Land of Sarpedon and St. Nicholas, eds. H. İşkan & E. Dündar, 206-223, İstanbul.
Korkut, T. 2015a. Arkeoloji, Epigrafi, Jeoloji, Doğal ve Kültürel Peyzaj Yapısıyla Tlos Antik Kenti ve Teritoryumu, Seydikemer Kaymakamlığı Yayınları 1, Ankara.
Korkut, T. 2015b. Akdağlar’ın Yamacında Bir Likya Kenti, Tlos, İstanbul.
Korkut, T. 2015c. ‘Tlos Antik Kenti Bellerophon Kaya Mezarı’, in Studies in Honour of Ömer Özyiğit, eds. E. Okan & C. Atila, 287-299, İstanbul.
Korkut, T., G. Işın, Ç. Uygun & B. Özdemir. 2018. ‘Excavations at the Ancient City of Tlos (2005-2017)’, ANMED 16:132-141.
Wurster, W. W. 1976. ‘Antike Siedlungen in Lykien. Vorbericht über ein Survey-Unternehmen im. Sommer 1974’, AA48, 23–49.
Yücel, T. 2012. Tlos Izraza Anıtı, Yayınlanmamış Yüksek lisans Tezi, Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Antalya.
Image sources:
British Museum
C. Fellows, 1839, 1847
O. Benndorf & G. Niemann, 1884
W. W. Wurster, 1976
T. Korkut, 2015c
Tayfun Bilgin, 2022
Bora Bilgin, 2022, 2023, 2024
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2024