Labraunda

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Central temple of the main Carian god Zeus Labraundos (2003)

Labraunda or Labranda ( ancient Greek Λάβραυνδα, Λάβρανδα ) is an ancient sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos in Caria . It is located in today's southwestern Turkey in the Muğla Province , about 14 kilometers north of the city of Milas , the ancient Mylasa, in the mountains of the Beşparmak Dağları , the ancient Latmos Mountains. The remains of the cyclopean masonry of the sanctuary stand around 700 meters above sea level on a platform halfway away from the valley and tower in front of a rock face that was split by a prehistoric lightning strike . Formerly a developed processional street led from Mylasa to the complex, which is still visible from the city today.

The local nickname of Zeus Labraundos goes back to the pre-Greek word labrys , the cultic double ax that was his attribute in Labraunda, but was used by the Minoans on the island of Crete and the Hittites in Asia Minor before the Carians . In the Carian language , the “au” in Labraunda was spoken separately, with an accented “a” and an almost silent “u”. As early as 425 BC The Greek historian Herodotus from neighboring Halicarnassus mentioned the sanctuary as "Labraunda".

Location

Rock graves at the sanctuary (2003)

The mighty surrounding walls of the sanctuary are still preserved, as are the remains of the central temple of the god Zeus , the monumental staircase, the Doric entrance building, the oracle of the spring's water basin and the portico on staggered terraces . There was no settlement here, only dwellings for the priests of the sanctuary and their workers, slaves and peasants. In addition to the foundations of numerous buildings, there are some rock graves in the towering rock face.

history

The heyday of Labraunda as a sanctuary of the Carian god Zeus Labraundos was from 377 to 344 BC. In the time of the Hecatomnid king Maussolus and his brother Idrieus . It was connected to the then capital Mylasa (now Milas) by a 14 km long cult road.

The oldest parts of Labraunda go back to the 7th century BC. BC back. Most of the buildings still visible today were built under Maussolos and Idrieus. Ten years after Idrieu's death, Caria became a state in 334 BC. Conquered by Alexander the Great after his death, it had changing rulers in the wars of the Diadochian empires , which led to the decline of the local cult ; in the course of time it was forgotten.

Temple of Zeus Labraundos

Male sphinx from the Temple of Zeus (355 BC, 1 meter high roof decoration in Persian style ; Archaeological Museum in Bodrum )

Coordinates: 37 ° 25 ′ 9.2 ″ N, 27 ° 49 ′ 9.9 ″ E

On the site of a small temple from the beginning of the 5th century BC, King Maussolos ordered 377 BC. In Labraunda the construction of a larger temple made of marble , which after a further reconstruction in 344 BC. Was completed. It was a so-called ring hall temple ( Peripteros ) of Asian Minor Ionic building regulations with six columns on the narrow sides and eight columns on the long sides. According to an inscription found, Maussolos' brother and successor Idrieus dedicated the temple to Zeus Labraundos , who was also venerated under the name Zeus Stratios . The temple was excavated and explored by Swedish archaeologists from 1948 to 1960 along with the surrounding facilities.

Staircase, 12 meters wide (2003)
Landscape at the Sanctuary (2003)

In order to transport the marble blocks weighing up to 3 tons up the mountain (700 m high), Maussolos first had the 14 km long path to the then capital Mylasa (today Milas ) paved. The coarse vorbehauenen blocks were drawn on the carriage and trailer combinations brought in from a quarry on the other side of Mylasa and further processed in place of the sanctuary. The largest block of marble measures 52 × 63 × 480 cm and should weigh 5.5 tons. 134 Greek inscriptions have been found throughout the sanctuary , some with exact dates.

The Greek writer Plutarch reported in his collection of writings Moralia around 100 AD of a double ax that the Greek hero Heracles took from the Amazon queen Hippolyte and which was finally reproduced in the time of the legendary Lydian king Gyges (probably around 650 BC) Caria had been brought. Here Arselis, a follower of Gyges, had a statue of Zeus made, which would have held the ax of the amazon in one hand. After the alleged Lydian name Labrys for a double ax, he gave the Carian Zeus the nickname Labraundos (other spellings: Labrandeus, Labrayndus ). According to Strabo , the statue was made of wood, i.e. a Xoanon , and the name of Zeus was Stratios . Finally, Aelian says that the image of Zeus held a sword. Zeus Labraundos is always depicted with a double ax on coins .

The Carians worshiped their main god as Zeus Karios ("God of Carians") or Zeus Stratios ("God of War"); the ancient Roman teacher Aelian writes around 200 AD that they were the first to turn the war into a business and work as paid soldiers ( mercenaries ).

Fish oracle

Labraunda, famous for its medicinal spring water, was also the site of a fish oracle : the fortune telling “media” swam in a square water basin and could answer questions with “yes” or “no”, depending on whether they accepted or refused the food offered (see also the fish oracle of Apollo in the Lycian Sura ). According to Älian, the fish are said to have worn gold collars and rings.

See also

literature

Volume 1, Part 1: Kristian Jeppesen : The propylaea. 1955;
Volume 1, Part 2: Alfred Westholm: The architecture of the hieron. 1963;
Volume 1, part 3: Pontus Hellström, Thomas Thieme: The temple of Zeus. 1982;
Volume 2, part 1: Pontus Hellström: Pottery of classical and later date terracotta lamps and glass. 1965;
Volume 2, part 2: Marie-Louise Säflund: The stamped amphora handles. 1980;
Volume 2, Part 3: Jean J. Jully: Archeic pottery. 1981;
Volume 2, part 4: Michael Meier-Brügger : The Carian inscriptions. 1983;
Volume 2, part 5: Ann C. Gunter: Marble sculpture. 1995;
Volume 3, part 1: Jonas Crampa: The greek inscriptions 1–12: Period of Olympichus. 1969;
Volume 3, part 2: Jonas Crampa: The greek inscriptions 13-133. 1972.
  • Pontus Hellström: Labraunda. A Guide to the Karian Sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos. Istanbul 2007, ISBN 978-975-8071-70-8 .
  • Figen Kuzucu, Murat Ural: Mylasa Labraunda - Archeology and Rural Architecture in Southern Aegean Region / Milas Çomakdağ. Güney Ege Bölgesi´nde Arkeoloji ve Kırsal Mimari. Istanbul 2010, ISBN 978-975-7235-99-6 .

Web links

Commons : Labraunda  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christina Williamson: Mylasa and the Sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos. (No longer available online.) University of Groningen, August 31, 2011, archived from the original on January 14, 2014 ; accessed on April 5, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / home.tiscali.nl
  2. ↑ Herodotus 5, 119 ( English translation ).
  3. ^ Object database: Temple of Zeus - Labraunda (Labranda), Ortaköy. In: Arachne . Archaeological Institute of the University of Cologne, 2014, accessed on April 5, 2014 .
  4. ^ Excavation homepage: Labraunda: Introduction. IFEA, Istanbul, 2014, accessed April 5, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Plutarch , quaestiones Graecae 45 (= Moralia 301F-302A; English translation ).
  6. ↑ Robert Fleischer : Zeus Labraundos. In: Same: Artemis of Ephesus and related cult statues from Anatolia and Syria. Brill, Leiden 1973, ISBN 90-04-03677-6 , pp. 310-324, here p. 315 ( side view in the Google book search).
  7. ↑ Strabon 14, 659.
  8. ↑ a b c Claudius Aelianus, de natura animalium 12, 30 ( English translation ).
  9. ^ Excavation homepage: Labraunda: Foreword. IFEA, Istanbul, 2014, accessed April 5, 2014 .

Coordinates: 37 ° 25 ′ 8 ″  N , 27 ° 49 ′ 13 ″  E