A few weeks ago, we drove about an hour outside of Fethiye to an open air museum at the ancient settlement of Letoon. Although the site is relatively small, archaeologists have determined that Letoon was one of the most important political and religious sites in the Lycian League. Except for the attendant at the entrance, we were the only people on site. A friendly kangal-type dog acted as our tour guide, accompanying us around all of the ruins – which took about an hour.
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Ancient Letoon
Letoon was a place where the ruling powers shared major political and religious decisions to the Lycian citizens, rather than a regular city where people lived. Important announcements were carved into rocks and tablets and displayed for all to see. A trilingual (Lycian, Aramaic, and ancient Greek) monument dating to 337 BC explaining the basic rules within the region has given researchers insight into the Lycian language. The monument is now located in the archaeology museum in Fethiye.
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The cities of nearby Xanthos (which we'll write about soon) and Letoon were closely linked, and Xanthos is probably where people went about their daily lives. The two sites were connected by a road (referred to as the Sacred Way) and, combined, were included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 1988.
Letoon was abandoned in the 7th century. It was left to ruin until it was "re-discovered" in 1840 by British archaeologist Charles Fellowes - who fortunately, didn't plunder the site and steal the best artifacts as he did in so many other historic places in Turkey. Many of the Letoon finds are now housed in the Fethiye Archaeology Museum to protect them from the elements and looters.
The Letoon site is surrounded by citrus orchards and green houses, indicative of the exceptionally fertile alluvial soil deposited over time by the nearby Eşen River. It is still an active archaeological site, but excavation is often hampered by the high water table in the area. Flooding is not uncommon.
The Letoon Ruins
Features on site include:
- Theatre (2nd century BC) – the theatre has been partially excavated and the seating area is remarkably well preserved. The centre section was carved into the bedrock, and the wings (with vaulted passageways) were built in the traditional manner using the resulting stone. Nothing remains of the stage building.
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- Temples – Three temples honouring Greek goddess Leto (built in 5th century BC), and her children Artemis, and Apollo (built in 4th century BC). Although they look like they are made from marble, the temples at Letoon were built with fine limestone – the colouring of which creates the illusion of marble. There is evidence that they were built on the foundations of even earlier wood temples constructed during the Classical period.
- The largest of the three temples was dedicated to the Greek goddess Leto. Letoon is named in her honour.
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- The temple of Apollo features a triptych mosaic (4th century BC) showing the sun, a bow and arrow, and a lyre. The original mosaic has been relocated to the Fethiye Archaeological Museum for safeguarding and protection from the elements, but a replica has been laid in its place.
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- Stoa with Portico
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- Fountain / Nymphaeum
Greek mythology tells the story of Leto, who pregnant with twins by Zeus, running from Hera (Zeus' other wife). She stopped at a spring in Lycia to take a drink, but the locals tried to drive her away. In her rage, she turned them all into frogs.
Apparently, the spring at Letoon is the place in the myth. And, take it from us, frogs abound!
As a result of the legend, a monumental fountain was built around the spring, and, throughout history, it has been used for religious immersion ceremonies.
- Early Christian church
The 3-nave church was built in the 6th century with stones from the temples of Apollo and Artemis. The temple of Leto was incorporated as the church annex.
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One of the unusual things we noticed while visiting Letoon was the scarcity of tombs. (Most historic sites we visit are filled with them!) We spotted a few, including one featuring lions' heads carved on the top of the sarcophagus, but Xanthos is home to significantly more.
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Visiting Letoon
Entrance Fees
Entrance to the site is 15tl (2021 prices) or, because Letoon is part of the Turkish government's network of museums, presentation of a Muze Kart.
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Getting to Letoon
Letoon is easily accessible as a day trip from Fethiye, Kalkan, or Kaş. There is plenty of free, on-site parking.
Accessibility
A cobble-stoned walk runs from one end of the site to the other, making it fairly easy to navigate by all.
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But the best viewing is possible by veering off the walkway onto narrow gravelled paths - which is allowed, because there are openings in the gates and signage amongst the ruined buildings throughout the site. (The only place that was marked as "off-limits" during our visit was the sacred fountain area, which was flooded due to recent rain.)
The Site of Ancient Letoon: Some Photos of Our Visit
Updated January 30, 2021
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Sources Accessed for this Article
- Türkiye Kültür Portalı - Xanthos and Letoon
- UNESCO - Xanthos-Letoon
- Wikipedia – Letoon