Ancient history from the monuments: Greek cities & islands of Asia MinorVaux, W. S. W. (William Sandys Wright)
History
Ancient history from the monuments: Greek cities & islands of Asia Minor
Vaux, W. S. W. (William Sandys Wright)
Greeks -- Turkey; Turkey -- History
In the subsequent war, the Xanthians supported Antigonus; hence the
assault and capture of the town by Ptolemy; and, during the war between
Brutus and the Triumvirs, the former entered Lycia, and a bloody attack
on, and siege of, Xanthus were the natural results. We are told, that on
this occasion, the people of the town did as they had done before when
assaulted by Harpagus, destroying themselves, their wives, and their
children, in a similar holocaust. Subsequently, we hear little of
Xanthus, except that it suffered severely from the two great earthquakes
in the days of Tiberius and Antoninus Pius. The town of Xanthus was
situated on the left bank of the Sirbes[58] or Sirbus, called Xanthus or
the Yellow by the Greeks; at a distance of between 6 and 7 miles from
the sea. On the highest point was the Acropolis, a Roman work, built
chiefly out of the ruins of the older town. On the brow of the hill
stood what has been called the Harpy tomb.
Footnote 58:
Dionysius Periegetes testifies to both names:
Σίβρῳ ἐπ’ ἀργυρέῳ ποταμῷ ...
and
Ξάνθου ἐπί προχοῇσιν ... κ. τ. λ. (v. 847.)
[Illustration:
PERSIAN SATRAP SEATED.
]
The monuments found at Xanthus may be arranged under the head of (1) the
so-called Ionic trophy monument,[59] (2) Miscellaneous reliefs, (3)
Tombs. The first stands on the east side of the city, and was
constructed of white marble on a basement of grey Lycian stone. Two or
more friezes had once surrounded it, representing contests between
warriors fully armed after the Greek fashion, or more lightly clad in
tunics or naked, and wearing helmets. Sir C. Fellows imagines he can
recognize, in some cases, the loose-robed bearded Lycians, with their
peculiar arms and _curtained_ shields,[60] the battle being that in the
plains recorded by Herodotus.[61] Asiatics are certainly represented on
some of the slabs with the pointed cap or cydaris, while, on other slabs
is an attack on the main gate of a strongly-fortified town. On another
relief is a Persian satrap seated, with the umbrella, or symbol of
sovereignty, over his head, and on other slabs, are indications of a
sortie from the city and of its repulse. The city may or may not be
Xanthus itself, but, within the walls, are well-known monuments of that
town, upright square pillars or _stelæ_, four of which are
represented.[62] The “Trophy monument,” which has been cleverly restored
by Sir Charles Fellows, as a peripteral tetrastyle temple, may be seen
in the Lycian room in the British Museum. We regret, however, we cannot
accept his view, that the subject of these sculptures is the capture of
Xanthus by Harpagus, as this event took place in B.C. 545; while none of
these reliefs can be as early as B.C. 400.[63]
Footnote 59:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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