| Fethiye - Telmessos : History |  |
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The town, which gets its name from Telmessos, the son of the god Apollo, was captured by the Persian king, Harpagos and was annexed to the Carian Satrap in the year 540 BC The tribune-lists of the Delian Confederacy, which were written up in 477-478 BC, list Telmessos and Lycia separately; and in the 4th century we find the Lycians under their dynast Pericles fighting against, the Telmessians, d'enseignes them and reducing them to terms.
The result of this may have been that Telmessos was then brought into Lycia, since the geographer who passes under the name of Scylax, writing in the same century, reckons the city as Lycian. When Alexander arrived in the winter of 334 BC, he made a peace agreement with the Telmessians, who readily joined him. Not long afterwards, however, Nearchus the Cretan, one of his trusted Companions whom he had appointed satrap of the region, was obliged to recapture the city from a certain Antipatrides, who had gained control of it. The two men were old friends, and Nearchus asked permission to leave in the city a number of captive women singers and boys that he had with him. When this was granted, he gave the women''s musical instruments to the boys to carry, with daggers concealed in the flute-cases; when the party was inside the acropolis, the prisoners escort took out the weapons and so seized the acropolis. This is described by the historian as a stratagem; others might call it sharp practice. In 240 BC, Telmessos was presented by Ptolemy III to another Ptolemy, son of Lysimachos; and at the settlement in 189 BC after the Battle of Magnesia; it was given by the Romans to Eumenes of Pergamon, but, the lands which had belonged to Ptolemy were allowed to remain in his hands.
So far as we know, Telmessos continued in the Pergamon Kingdom until that came to an end in 133 BC; it, would then naturally be included in the Roman province of Asia. In 88 BC, we hear that the Rhodians received help the Telmessians and from the Lycians', implying that the city was not then incorporated into Lycia. Later, certainly under the Empire and perhaps earlier, Telmessos was a normal member of the Lycian League.. After the Mithridates Wars, Telmessos was given to Rhodes. Like the other Lycian cities during this period, Telmessos also chafed under harsh Rhodian rule, and subsequently Rome retook Lycia back from Rhodes. The significance of the city, which continued its existence into the Byzantine era, waned with the Arabian raids which occurred after the 7th century. The city's name was changed to Anastasiupolis during the 8th century in honor of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasiupolis II, whereby the following century this too gave way to the Makri, which meant far city.Later on, the city was called Megri. In 1934, the city was renamed 'Fethiye' in honor of Fethi Bey, one of the first pilots of the Ottoman Air Force, killed on an early mission.
C. Texier, who saw Telmessos in the 1850s. indicated that, the Apollo Temple and theater could be seen at that time. Not long after C.Texiers visit, a major earthquake struck in 1856, which knocked down these structures, and when Fethiye was hit with a second devastating quake just over 100 years later, in 1957, these ruins were completely destroyed. Todays Fethiye is what was built up after this second temblor more than forty years ago. Today, the theater, which was found near the pier of new Fethiye, has been uncovered. This theater, which had the capacity to hold 5,000 people, was built in the Early Roman Period and renovated later in the 2nd century AD A medieval castle situated on the acropolis hill, where the city was first established, is surrounded by a wall. Today, one can see the bottom portion of this wall, which was erected by the Romans as well as the upper part, which was constructed during the Middle Ages, when the Rhodian Knights used this castle as well as Şovalye Island, located in the harbor, to hold the city under their control. The Tomb of Amyntas, which is the most splendid and best known of all the tombs, is located on the E face of the citys acropolis and has become the symbol of Fethiye. Seen from the plain below, it gives a great impression of size from up close. It is of the temple- type, in the Ionian order.
The area around Fethiye is filled with many ancient cities. For instance, to the NW of Eşen Stream, about 45 kilometers outside Fethiye, lie the Pinara ruins in the village of Minare, which have some interesting lycian rock tombs. Here ancient structures, such as the theater, odeum and temple are pratically all intact. Again, in the ruins of Sidyma. which are found in the village of Yaka about 40 km. outside Felhiye. Tlos, which was one of the six major Lycian cities, offers a striking view with its theater, baths, agora and stadium. |
