Xanthos (river)
The ancient Xanthos River is one of the main rivers in southern Asia Minor . It corresponds to today's river Eşen Çayı .
Its source is in the Taurus Mountains on the Kizilca Dağ, from where it flows into the Lycian plain and flows as a navigable river north of Gelemiş ( Patara ) into the Mediterranean Sea. With a length of about 40 kilometers, it is the longest river in Lycia. Today the river valley is mainly agricultural.
etymology
The name goes back to xanthos (ξανθός), the Greek word for “yellow”, and has its origin in the yellow-colored alluvial sands that the river transports and that color the water. Already Strabo mentions the river and passed down the ancient name Sibros or Sirbis what the Phoenician and Arabic means "reddish yellow".
Historical meaning
In the fertile Xanthos Valley there are important archaeological sites such as Gökkaya , as well as the ancient cities of Xanthos (Kinik), Patara, Pinara and Tlos . In Roman times, near the village of Kemer, a bridge spanned the 500 meter wide valley. At Oinoanda an Ottoman bridge crosses the river.
mythology
According to Greek mythology , the goddess Leto , fleeing from Hera , washed her children Artemis and Apollon in the holy waters of the river. The Letoon temple is located at this point .
gallery
A Yörük man (center) and woman (left) in front of a black tent in the Xanthos valley
Remains of the Roman bridge near Kemer
Other rivers
Xanthos is also the name of the river Skamandros with the gods in Homer's Iliad , as well as the name of a river in Epirus .
literature
- Rudolf Fellmann : Xanthos . In: Lexicon of the Old World , p. 3287.
- Eckart Olshausen : Xanthos 1. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 5, Stuttgart 1975, column 1402.
- William Smith: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geograph. Volume 2, London 1857, p. 1333.
