Xanthos

Xanthos
Ksantos
Map
LocationKınık, Antalya Province, Turkey
RegionLycia
Coordinates36°21′22″N 29°19′7″E / 36.35611°N 29.31861°E / 36.35611; 29.31861
TypeSettlement
Area126 ha (310 acres)
Site notes
Websiteturkishmuseums.com
Official nameXanthos-Letoon
Designated1988 (12th session)
Reference no.484
Europe and North America

Xanthos or Xanthus, also referred to by scholars as Arna, its Lycian name,[1] (Turkish: Ksantos, Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 Arñna, Greek: Ξάνθος, Latin: Xanthus) was an ancient city near the present-day village of Kınık, in Antalya Province, Turkey. The ruins are located on a hill on the left bank of the River Xanthos. The number and quality of the surviving tombs at Xanthos are a notable feature of the site, which, together with nearby Letoon, was declared to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

The city of Xanthos was a centre of culture and commerce for the Lycians, and later for the Persians, Greeks and Romans who in turn conquered the region. Xanthos influenced its neighbours architecturally; the Nereid Monument directly inspired the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in the region of Caria.

  1. ^ Fried 2004, p. 145.