Xanthos
Türkiye · Antalya
In brief
The city near Kınık was one of Lycia's important political centers. Its funerary architecture and inscriptions are fundamental sources for understanding Lycian culture; the city shares a UNESCO listing with Letoon.
What was found?
- 1Lycian inscriptions
These are texts carved into stone monuments. They are fundamental documents for understanding the language and history of the Lycians.
- 2Harpy Monument
This is one of the pillar-shaped tomb monuments of Ksanthos. It represents the city's distinctive funerary architecture.
- 3Nereid Monument
This is a funerary monument combining architecture and sculpture. UNESCO particularly emphasizes its influence on the Mausoleum of Halikarnas.
- 4Roman theatre and agora
These are an adjoining performance building and city square. They reveal Roman-period public life within the city plan.
- 5East Basilica
These are the remains of a Byzantine-period cathedral. They document the use of the ancient city during its Christian period.
What does it point to?
The funerary monuments show the combination of Lycian traditions and Greek art within the same city. The inscriptions, theatre and churches allow us to trace the changing language, public life and beliefs of Ksanthos across different periods.
What did it teach us?
- Documents different forms of Lycian funerary architecture, such as rock-cut tombs, pillar tombs and sarcophagi on high bases.
- Lycian texts allow research into a language that is no longer spoken.
- The Nereid Monument shows that Lycian art influenced the monumental architecture of neighboring regions.
Images




Record
- Culture
- Lycian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine
- Coordinates
- 36.3562°, 29.3186°
Sources
- whc.unesco.org
- whc.unesco.org
- persee.fr
- toplumsalarastirmalarmerkezi.org
- dergi.ayk.gov.tr
- Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü — Xanthos
Nearby excavations
- Letoon Sanctuary 4 km
- Patara 10 km
- Uluburun Shipwreck 42 km
- Myra 61 km
- Limyra 76 km
- Kaunos 81 km
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- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- Rare Messapic inscriptions found in a 2,300-year-old tomb in Italy
Two Messapic inscriptions were found on the cover slabs of a rock-cut tomb in Manduria. According to researchers, the texts may indicate that the woman associated with the tomb held a religious role; a connection to priesthood and the cult of Demeter has not yet been confirmed.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Main sewer line and inscriptions describing Roman rituals found at Aquinum
Investigations at Aquinum uncovered the main sewer line, a group of 120 coins and religious inscriptions. The finds help researchers understand water management in the Roman city and practices such as consecrating places struck by lightning.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Analysis of Inca mummies detects traces of coca, alcohol and harmine
Hair and nail analyses of eight Inca mummies from Peru and Argentina identified evidence of coca consumption, alcohol in four individuals and traces of harmine in the Ampato mummy. According to researchers, the use of different substances shows that sacrificial ceremonies varied according to local traditions.
Arkeofili ↗ - Object from a 5,300-year-old grave in Russia identified as a kidney stone
Analyses of an object measuring approximately 2.1 centimeters, found in a Bronze Age grave in the Stavropol Upland, revealed a mineral composition consistent with a kidney stone. According to researchers, the find indicates that the man buried in the grave had a chronic infection, providing direct evidence of diseases of the period.
Arkeofili ↗ - 3,000-year-old bronze objects found during battlefield survey in Hungary
A survey of the Mezőkeresztes battlefield uncovered a large bronze vessel and two decorated spiral arm ornaments. The objects, dated to the 13th–11th centuries BC, were recovered with their original positions preserved, allowing researchers to study Bronze Age practices of burying valuable objects.
Heritage Daily ↗ - 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
All excavation sites (395)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük