"The Persian Army entered the plain of Xanthos under the command of Harpagos, and did battle with the Xanthians. The Xanthians fought with small numbers against the superior Persians forces, with legendary bravery. They resisted the endless Persian forces with great courage, but were finally beaten, their womenfolk, children, slaves and treasures into the fortress. This was then set on fire from, below and around the walls , until destroyed by conflagration. Then the warriors of Xanthos made their final attack on the Persians, their voices raised in calls of war, until every last man from Xanthos was killed."

Herodotus of Halicarnassos (6th century B.C.)

The town was re-established by those Xanthians that were not in the city at that time. The historical sources say that the Lycians took part in the Trojan wars, commanded by Sarpedon of Xanthi. This source also tell us that Xanthos was already there in the 12th century B.C.. However, archaeological excavations had revealed that the town was destroyed by fire some time in the middle of the 5th century B.C..

Alexander the Great took Xanthos in 333 B.C. and after his death, the Ptolomians came to power in 309 B.C.. Later the Syrians reigned in Xanthos making the town flourish again.

During the 2nd century B.C. Xanthos was the capital of the Lycian Federacy, the richest and most powerful of the cities. During the Roman period, in 42 B.C., the city fell into the hands of the Roman Brutus. He destroyed the town and its inhabitants. One year later, Marcus Antonius tried to make peace with them and had the city rebuilt.

The emperor Vespasian treated the town with respect and built some monuments for it (69-79 A.D.) During the Byzantine period, the city became the seat of an arch bishopric and was deserted during the first attack of the Arabs.

After a long oversight, the town was discovered on 1838 by C. Fellows and most of the archaeological pieces were transported to the British Museum in London. The archaeological excavations were undertaken again in 1950 by a French team. This time all the archaeological artifacts remained in Turkey.

 

The coast between KUSADASI and BODRUM: St. JOHN'S HERITAGE
The coast between BODRUM and MARMARIS: the “TURQUOISE COAST”
The coast between MARMARIS and FETHIYE: the ROUTE OF ST. PAUL
The coast between FETHIYE and KAS: the LYCIAN COAST
The coast between KAS and ANTALYA: the “COAST OF LIGHT”