Isinda (Lycia)
 Ruins at Isinda | |
 | |
| Location | Belenli, Antalya Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Lycia |
| Type | settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Public access | Yes |
Isinda (Turkish: İsinda, Ancient Greek: Ἴσινδα) was a town of ancient Lycia. Isinda was part of a sympoliteia (a treaty for political organization used in Ancient Greece) with Aperlae, Apollonia and Simena.
The city's ruins are located on a hill above the modern Turkish village of Belenli. At the site, the remains of a city wall and other buildings are preserved, as well as some Lycian pillars and rock tombs.
History[edit]
The ancient Lycian city of Isinda was inhabited before the first half of the 4th century BC.[1] From inscriptions it is known that Isinda was a minor member of a sympoliteia (a type of treaty for political organization) that was dominated by the city of Aperlae, but which also included Apollonia and Simena.[2][3] Isinda is not mentioned by early historians.[4]
The citizens of Isinda migrated to the nearby city of Antiphellos during the Pax-Romana, and the settlement became abandoned.[1]
Description[edit]
Isinda is an archaeological site in Lycia, located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the modern Turkish town of Kaş,[2] and situated on a hilltop 90 metres (300 ft) above the modern village of Belenli.[5][6]
The ruined defensive wall is made of poor quality rectangular limestone blocks, and show signs of continual repair.[7][1] Within the walls at Isinda are wells and cisterns for collecting rain water. The most important remaining feature of the site is a house-tomb with an inscription wriiten in the ancient Lycian on the pediment.[1]
At the top of the hill are buildings, including steps that lead to a stoa (covered walkway) and projecting wingsleading off the main building.[2]
The tombs include three rock tombs with inscriptions written in Lycian and a pillar tomb carved with reliefs.[2] On the slope towards the village are inscribed Gothic sarcophagi.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d T.C. Antalya Valiliği 2010, p. 199.
- ^ a b c d Bean 2017, p. 417.
- ^ Robert 1983, p. 500.
- ^ Bayburtluoğlu 2004, p. 239.
- ^ Talbert 2000, p. 65 and directory notes accompanying.
- ^ "About: Isinda, Belenli, Antalya". Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire. Lund University. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ a b Akşit 2006, p. 104.
Sources[edit]
- Akşit, İlhan (2006). Kline, Stuart (ed.). Lycia: The Land of Light. Istanbul: Aksit Kultur Turizm Sanat Ajans Lt. ISBN 975-7039-11-X.
- Bayburtluoğlu, Cevdet (2004). Lycia. Antalya: Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Institute on Mediterranean Civilizations. ISBN 978-97570-7-820-3.
- Bean, George Ewart (2017). "Isinda (Belenli) Turkey". In Stillwell, Richard; Macdonald, William L. (eds.). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-14008-8-658-6.
- Robert, Louis (1983). "Documents d'Asie Mineure". Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (in French). 107 (107–1): 497–599. doi:10.3406/bch.1983.1898.
- Talbert, Richard J.A., ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas Map-by-Map Directory. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-06910-4-945-8.
- T.C. Antalya Valiliği (2010). Dünden Bugüne Antalya [Antalya From Past to Present] (in Turkish). Vol. 2. T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı.
Further reading[edit]
- French, David H. (1994). "Isinda and Lagbe". In French, D.H. (ed.). Studies in the History and Topography of Lycia and Pisidia. Oxford: British Institute. pp. 53–92. ISBN 978-19120-9-067-9.
External links[edit]
- Adalia (1914 map by Richard Kiepert, DII, 2nd edition) from the Library of Congress website, which shows the approximate location of Isinda
- Information about walking to the site from Komoot