List of Lycian place names explained

This article contains a list of Lycian place names that have survived from ancient Lycia in Anatolia. Names of settlements and geomorphic features are known from ancient literary sources. Ptolemy's Geography lists places in Asia Minor^[1] and specifically Lycia.^[2] Strabo's Geography has a section on Lycia as well,^[3] as does Pliny's Natural History.^[4] Stephanus of Byzantium includes a large number of Lycian places in Ethnica.^[5] Hierocles in Synecdemus lists the cities in the eparchy of Lycia.^[6] William Martin Leake's Journal of his own trips through Anatolia, as well as of those of many other travellers, with analyses of sources, mainly Ptolemy, is still a valuable source of information on the locations and appearances of the Lycian sites.^[7] In addition, numerous inscriptions in the Lycian language state some place names in their Lycian forms.^[8] The topographical information comes from the Aydın thesis, and was developed from Turkish military maps.

This article does not address the task of defining Lycia. Over a thousand or more years, the borders of the historical territory, called Lycia in English, are not likely to have remained invariant. This list includes places named by some source at some time as "Lycian", and also any settlement with a Lycian language name, even though located in some other city-state. "Lycia" therefore represents a maximum territory, to which any historical Lycia was never exactly identical.

Aydın studied 44 out of 78 known ancient settlements. Many more archaeological sites are not identifiable with ancient settlements. Aydın also collected information on 870 Turkish settlements over the same region.^[9] The moderns, certainly, populate the region much more densely than the ancients.

Some of the modern place names are given in Turkish. For the most part, the equivalent English, French or German pronunciations are good approximations, but Turkish has some letters not present in those languages. Ğ or ğ is not pronounced, but lengthens the preceding vowel. For example, dağ, "mountain", is pronounced daa. Substitution of an English G or g is false. Ç or ç is a ch as in child, Ş or ş is an sh as in shore. What appear to be an English C or c is a J as in John, while the J or j is pronounced as the z in azure. The vowels have a short rather than a long pronunciation. As Turkish is an agglutinative language, the endings do not have the same meanings; e.g., daği is not the plural of dağ, which is daĝlar (daalar).

Top 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
		Greek Akalessos	Stephanus, Hierocles, who has Akalisos.
		Greek Akarassos	Stephanus
Aedesa River		Turkish Ak Çay.	Pliny the Elder
Agathe Island		Greek Agathe.	Stephanus
Alimala		Greek Alimala	Stephanus
Alina Island		Greek Alina.	Stephanus, an island belonging to Crya.
			Pliny the Elder
		36.2296°N 29.9585°W, Greek Andriake, 2.543km (01.58miles) from Tugluc, elevation 0.	Ptolemy, Pliny.
		Greek Antikragos, Turkish Buba Dağ.	Strabo.
		Greek Antiphellos, Turkish Kaş^[10]	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny, who says it was formerly Habessus, Stephanus, Hierocles.
	Apr and prl	36.1621°N 29.7889°W, elevation 56m (184feet). Greek Aperlai, a former port of Lycia, Turkish Siçak Iskelesi, the docks on Aperlai Bay, 4.11km (02.55miles) from Kiliçli.	Lycian name from coins. Listed in Ptolemy as Aperroe, in Pliny as Aperræ. Hierocles has Aperlai.
Apollonia Island		Greek Apollonia, Turkish Sıçak.	Stephanus
		Greek Aptera	Stephanus
Araxa	Araththi	Greek Araksa, located at Turkish Ören on the Xanthus River.	Ptolemy, Stephanus, Hierocles. The Lycian name is from coins.
Argais Island		Greek Argais	Stephanus
Arna			See Xanthus
		Greek Arneiai.	Stephanus, who calls it a "small city" and says that Homer called it Orneiai.
		Greek Arsinoe	Stephanus
Artymnesus		Greek Artumnesos	Stephanus
	Arykawanda	Greek Arukanda, located at Aykiriçay in Antalya Province.	Stephanus, Hierocles.
Arycandus River		Greek Arukandos, Turkish Karasu Çay.	Pliny, who says it is a tributary of the Xanthus.
			Pliny the Elder Pliny
Aspalathis Island		Greek Aspalathis	Stephanus
Aspis Island		Greek Aspis	Stephanus
Aulae		Greek Aulai	Stephanus

B

English classical name	Description	Sources
	Greek Balboura, Turkish Çölkayaği^[11] or Çölkayiği^[12]	Ptolemy, Pliny, Stephanus
Balura	Greek Baloura.	Hierocles
	Greek Boubon, Turkish Ibecik.	Ptolemy, Pliny, Stephanus, who says it is Homer's Boudeion, Hierocles.

C

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
Cabalia		A region	Ptolemy, Strabo, who calls it Cabalis, and says it contains Oenianda, Balbura, Bubon. The Solymi lived there and the Lydians of Cibyra settled there. Part was in Milyas, part in Pisidia, and part in Rhodian territory, as well as in Lycia.
Cabessus		Greek Kabessos	Stephanus
	Khadawãti	Greek Kaduanda, near Üzümlü.
Cadrema			Stephanus
Calbius Spring		Greek Kalbios Krene.	Stephanus says that some say it is Kalainon.
Callatebus		Greek Kallatebos	Stephanus
		Greek Kalunda, Turkish Kozpınar.^[13]	Listed in Ptolemy in coastal Lycia
Canas			Pliny the Elder
	Khãkba	Greek Kanduba, close to Gendive.	Ptolemy, Pliny. Possibly the same as Hittite Hinduwa. Named for the son of Deucalion, according to Stephanus. Hierocles.
Cannus			Listed by Ptolemy as a coastal town
Carbana		Greek Karbana	Stephanus
		adjacent to Kaya^[14]	Strabo says it is a settlement on a ravine of Anticragus Mountain.
Carya			Listed by Ptolemy as a coastal town
Carysis Island		Greek Karusis.	Stephanus, island belonging to Crya.
	Khbide	Greek Kaunos, a major city and seaport near Dalyan	Ptolemy lists the city as part of Doris, meaning Dorian Anatolia, near the Lycian border. Hierocles.
		Greek Chelidoniai, Turkish Beş Adalar.	Strabo says there are three off the promontory, one with a landing for vessels.
		Greek Hiera Akra, "Sacred promontory," Turkish Gelidonya Burnu.	Ptolemy, who calls it cliffs, and Strabo, who says the continuous chain of the Taurus Mountains start here.
Cherrhonesus Promontory		Greek Cherrhonesos Akra	Stephanus
Chimaera Ravine		Avlan valley.	Strabo says it is a ravine "extending up from the shore."
		Turkish Yanartaş.	Pliny speaks of an eternal flame, which turns out to be a steady stream of inflammable gas.
Chlyda			Listed by Ptolemy as a coastal town
		Near Sarılar.	Ptolemy, Pliny, who says it is on the Aedesa, Hierocles.
Chrysaor		Greek Chrysaoris.	Stephanus says this is a Carian city with substantial Lycian residents.
Cibyra		Greek Kibura, abandoned site north of Gölhisar.	Strabo. An independent city, ruler of the Tetrapolis, never politically part of Lycia, but housing a population element speaking the language of the Solymi. The state was called the Cibyratis.
Cisthene island and town			Strabo
Climax Mountain		Greek Klimaks	Strabo
Cochliousa Island		Greek Kochliousa	Stephanus
		Greek Kombe	Ptolemy, Hierocles has Kombe.
Comistaraus		Greek Komistaraos.	Hierocles
Corycus		Greek Korukos	Described by Strabo as a stretch of coast.
		36.3683°N 30.3013°W, Greek Korudalla, 424m (1,391feet) from Kumluca. Elevation 30m (100feet), not a mountain village.	Ptolemy, a mountain village of Pliny.
Cragus (KP)		Greek Kragos, a monetary district of Lycia	It had its own coinage. Implied by Ptolemy's "near the Cragus mountains."
		Greek Kragos, Turkish Avdancık or Sandak Dağ.	Pliny, Ptolemy, Strabo, who says it has eight promontories.
Cragus		Greek Kragos.	Strabo mentions a city of the same name as the mountain.
Crambusa			Strabo
		Greek Krua	Stephanus
		36.2529°N 29.8294°W, elevation 653m (2,142feet), Greek Kuaneai, 350m (1,150feet) from Turkish Yavı.	Pliny the Elder
Cydna			Ptolemy

D

English classical name	Description	Sources
	Greek Daidala. A known archaeological site at Inlice Asari on an uninhabited hill in the countryside about 2.5 mi. to the northeast of Göcek.^[15]	A coastal town in Ptolemy, under Rhodes in Strabo and Stephanus, who says it was named after Dedalus.
Daedala Mountain	Kizildağ^[16]	A mountain within Lycia on the western border, in Strabo, Stephanus.
Daphne		Stephanus
Dias		Stephanus
	Greek Dolchiste, Turkish Kekova.	Ptolemy, Stephanus.
Doliche Island	Greek Doliche.	Stephanus, who relates that Alexandros says it is the same as Dolchiste Island, but Callimachus does not.
Drepana		Stephanus

E

English classical name	Description	Sources
	Greek Edebessos	Stephanus
Elaiou Teichos		Stephanus
Elebesus	Greek Elebesos.	Hierocles
Eleutherai		Stephanus
Ereuates		Stephanus
	Greek Eudokia	Hierocles

G

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
		36.299°N 30.3548°W, elevation 34m (112feet). Greek Gagai, located at Yali, within Mavikent, within Kumluca. This is not, however, a mountain community. Opinions vary.	A mountain village in Pliny, an old fort in Stephanus. Hierocles has Gaga.
Glaukou demos			Stephanus says it was named after the hero, Glaucus.

H

English classical name	Description	Sources-
Henoanda	Greek Henoanda.	Hierocles
Hiera		See Chelidonia Promontory
Hephæstium		City located by Pliny below Chimaera Mountain
Hippou Kome	Turkish İtasar.	Stephanus
Hoauapus	Greek Hoauapos.	Hierocles
Hylami	Greek Hulamoi.	Stephanus
Hytenna	Greek Hutenna	Stephanus

I

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
Ilaris			Stephanus
Isinda	Isñta	Located at Belenli, or, at another period, Alaettin Mahalle, Korkuteli.	Strabo

L

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
Lamyra		Greek Lamura	Stephanus
Lamyrus River		Greek Lamuros	Stephanus
	Zẽmuri	Greek Limura, a coastal city	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny, Stephanus, Hierocles.
Limyrus river		The Alakır Çay.	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny.
	Trm̃mis	Greek Lukia, the ancient region now in Turkey.	Listed in Ptolemy and numerous classical texts and inscriptions, as well as being the Lukka lands of Late Bronze Age Hittite and Egyptian inscriptions.
Lycian Promontory			Pliny. See Chelidonia Promontory.

M

English classical name	Description	Sources
Macra Island	Greek Makra, Turkish Meğri Ada.	Stephanus
Masicytus	A political unit of Lycia	It had its own coinage. Implied by Ptolemy's "near the Masicytus mountains."
Masicytus mountains	Greek Masikytos, Turkish Alaca Dağ.	Ptolemy lists without coordinates, Pliny has Masycites.
Megale Island	Greek Megale.	Stephanus
	Ancient Greek Megiste, modern Greek Kastellorizon.	Strabo, Stephanus, who place it on the island, same name.
	Ancient Greek Megiste, Modern Greek Megiste, belongs to Greece.	Ptolemy, Strabo, Stephanus.
Melaenae	Greek Melainai	Stephanus
Melanippion	Greek Melanippion, on Turkish Karaöz Limanı.	Stephanus
		Stephanus
Meroe		Stephanus
	Greek Miluas, Anglicised to Milyas. A district located on an alpine plain near Bay Dağ, identified by the Greek name on an inscription.	Ptolemy, Strabo.
Misai	Misae	Hierocles
Molydeia	Moludeia	Stephanus
	36.2631°N 29.9769°W, elevation 239m (784feet), Greek Mura, 295m (968feet) from Sumeli in Demre.	Strabo, Pliny, Stephanus. Hierocles has Myra Metropolis.

N

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
			Ptolemy
			Pliny the Elder

O

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
Octapolis			Listed in Ptolemy
	Hieroglyphic Luwian Wiyanawanda	Turkish İncealiler.	Ptolemy, Stephanus, Pliny as Oenianda
		Turkish Deliktaş.^[17] Also called Hadrianopolis.	Listed by Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny.
Olympus, Mountain		Tahtalı Dağ.	Strabo, who says it is also called Phoenicus.

P

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
	Lycian Pttara, Hieroglyphic Luwian Patara, Hittite Patar.	36.2661°N 29.3151°W, elevation 2m (07feet), Greek Patara, a port city, capital of the Lycian League, at Turkish Gelemiş.^[18] Also named Arsinoe.	Ptolemy, Strabo, Stephanus, Hierocles.
Perdicia		Greek Perdikia	Village and harbor in Stephanus
		36.5264°N 30.5481°W, elevation 9m (30feet). 3190m (10,470feet) from Egelkoyu in Tekirova.	Ptolemy, Strabo, who says it is a city with three harbors and a lake.
Phasydis		Greek Phasudis.	Hierocles
	Wehñta	Greek Phellos, at Turkish Çukurbağ.	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny, Stephanus, Hierocles.
Phoinkous Island			Stephanus, "an island against Lycia."
Phrixus		Greek Phriksos	Stephanus
Physcia		Greek Phuskia	Stephanus, a mountain city
	Lycian Pilleñni, Hieroglyphic Luwian Pinali	Near the village of Minara in the Xanthus Valley.	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny, Stephanus, who says it is a large city under Cragus. Hierocles.
Plateis Island		Greek Plateis.	Stephanus
		Greek Podalia, Turkish Söğle.	Ptolemy, Pliny, Stephanus, Hierocles.
Pyrra			Pliny the Elder

R

English classical name	Description	Sources
Rhengcylias	Greek Rhegkulias	Hierocles
Rhax Island	Greek Rhaks	Stephanus
Rhoge Island	Greek Rhoge, Turkish Kara Ada.	Stephanus
	36.3772°N 30.2755°W, elevation 44m (144feet), not a mountain village. Greek Rhodia, near Kumluca.	Stephanus, Ptolemy, Pliny, who calls it Rhodiopolis, and a mountaian village.

S

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
Sacred Promontory			See Chelidonia Promontory
		Greek Sagalassos	Ptolemy, Strabo.
Sebeda		Greek Sebeda, Turkish Bayındır Liman.	Stephanus, town and harbor.
Sidake		Greek Sidake.	Stephanus
Sidarous		Greek Sidarous, Turkish Ceneviz Limanı.	Stephanus, town and harbor
Sidene		Greek Sidene	Stephanus
		36.4103°N 29.1917°W, elevation 545m (1,788feet). Greek Siduma, Turkish Dodurga.	Ptolemy, Strabo, who says it was on a mountain. Stephanus, Hierocles.
		36.1948°N 29.8638°W, elevation 13m (43feet), 1.513km (00.94miles) from Kaleüçağız.	Stephanus, Pliny.
Sindia		Greek Sindia	Stephanus, possibly the same as Strabo's Sinda near or in Cabalis.
Scari		Greek Skaroi	Stephanus
Sirbis River			See Xanthus River.
Solyma Mountain		Turkish Güllük Dağ.	Strabo. Elsewhere he calls it Solymus and says it is above Termessus.
Sura Oracle	Surezi	Greek Soura, Turkish Sura.	Stephanus
Syessa Sanctuary to Leto		Greek Suessa	Stephanus
Symbra			Ptolemy

T

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
		Greek Tauros, Turkish Toros Dağları	Strabo, who says they start at Cape Chelidonia.
Telandrus		Turkish Tersane.	Pliny the Elder
Telephian Community		Greek Telephios Demos	Stephanus, a community at the spring.
Telephus Spring		Greek Telephou Krene.	Stephanus
Telmessis Promontory		Greek Telmessis akra, Turkish Çamlı Burun.	Strabo says it is a promontory with a harbor. Stephanus.
	Telebehi	36.6226°N 29.1115°W, Greek Telmessos, at Turkish Fethiye, elevation 6m (20feet).	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny. Stephanus says it is a city of Caria, although expressing also the Lycian view. Hierocles has Telmisos.
Tenedos			Stephanus
Termera			Stephanus
Termessus	Trm̃mis	Greek Termēs(s)os	Described by Strabo as a city of Pisidia in the pass to Milyas. Same name as Lycia. Strabo says the Termessians are called the Solymi. Cibyra is just below and near Termessus.
Thryanda		Greek Thruanda	Stephanus
	Lycian Tlãñna, Hieroglyphic Luwian Talawa	36.5644°N 29.4208°W, elevation 370m (1,210feet). Greek Tlos, near Turkish Düğer.^[19]	Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny, Stephanus. Hierocles has Tlo.
Trauala		Greek Trauala.	Stephanus
Tymena		Greek Tumena	Stephanus says it is a village of Lycia.
Tymnessus	Tuminehi < Tumine, Tumini, or *Tumina	Greek Tumnessos.	Stephanus says it is a city of Caria but the citizens were Lycian at first.

X

English classical name	Inscriptional name	Description	Sources
	Lycian Arñna, Hieroglyphic Luwian Awarna, and possibly Arinna	Greek Ksanthos, the largest city of Lycia, the site of present-day Kınık, Antalya Province, Turkey.	Listed in Ptolemy, Hierocles, Strabo, who says it was later called Arsinoe, and Pliny. Stephanus says it was called Arna before Xanthus.
	Hittite Siyanti	Turkish Esen Çay.	Listed by Ptolemy, Strabo, who says it was formerly the Sirbis, and Pliny.

References

Book: Bryce, Trevor . The Lycians . 1, The Lycians in literary and epigraphic sources . Trevor R. Bryce . Copenhagen . Museum Tusculanum Press . 1986 . 87-7289-023-1.
Book: Leake, William Martin . Journal of a tour in Asia Minor, with comparative remarks on the ancient and modern geography of that country . London . Murray . 1824.
Book: Freely, John . The western shores of Turkey: discovering the Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts . London . Tauris Parke . 2004 . Tauris Parke paperbacks.
- Examining the Lycian sites by using GIS . Ervin Kenan . Aydın . Ankara . Master of Science in Archaeometry . January 2006 . Middle East Technical University .

External links

Encyclopedia: Lycia . Encyclopedia of the Roman Provinces (ERP) . Pedar W . Foss . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226204856/http://people.usd.edu/~clehmann/erp/Lycia/lycia.html . 2012-02-26 .

Notes and References

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/_Texts/Ptolemy/5/2*.html Book 5, Chapter 2.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/_Texts/Ptolemy/5/3*.html#Corydalla Book 5, Chapter 3.
Book: Strabo . Strabo . Geography . Book XIV, Chapter 3 . Also Book: Strabo . Strabo . Geography . Book XIII, Chapter 4, Sections 15-17 . https://archive.org/stream/geographyofstrab06strauoft#page/188/mode/2up.
Book: Pliny the Elder . Pliny the Elder . Natural History . Book V, Chapter 28 .
Book: Stephanus of Byzantium . Ethnica . Index . 1849 . https://archive.org/stream/stephanibyzanti00meingoog#page/n798/mode/2up.
Book: Hierocles . Synecdemus . Eparchia Lukias . Augustus Burckhardt . Lipsiae . Teubner . 1893. 26–28 . Lykia. .
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This article relies heavily for its Lycian names on . Bryce in turn was influenced by Book: Houwink ten Cate, Ph. H. J. . The Luwian Population Groups of Lycia and Cilicia Aspera During the Hellenistic Period . 1961 . Leiden, Netherlands . Brill . Chapter Four, The Transliteration of Proper Names, 3. The Greek transliteration of Lycian place names . 106–108. Houwink ten Cate lists all the inscriptions bearing on the names. Most present variants. Only one appears in column 2 above, typically that favored by Bryce. There are slight differences in the transliteration to English as well.
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Web site: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites. December 9, 2014. Stillwell, Richard. MacDonald, William L. McAlister, Marian Holland. Princeton University Press. 1976.
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Book: Richard Talbert. Richard Talbert. 1000. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. 8 October 2000. Princeton University Press . December 18, 2014. 0-691-03169-X.
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