Olympos

Olympos, a unique site amongst the myriad of Lycian cities in the region, was once one of the six major cities of the Lycian League, according to the famous writer and scholar Strabo.

Steeped in myth and mystery, it’s not surprising to understand why Olympos has such a mystique attached to it. Not far away is Mount Olympos – not the famous Mount Olympos, which is located in Greece, but a prominent and ominous peak nonetheless. Also close by is the famous spring of methane gas which has been alight for thousands of years. The flame that emanates from the ground suddenly unleashes a plume of fierce fire at regular intervals in such a way that they can be timed to perfection. Like a mini volcano, it is caused by a build up of gas beneath the surface. With both the mountain and the methane flame, it’s not too difficult to imagine the myths that arose from this magical place.

Homer, in the Iliad, writes:
“Hippondes, son of the Lycian commander Glaucos, kills his brother Belleros accidentally during a hunting party. From that day on he is called Bellerophontes, meaning ‘eater of Belleros’. Heart-sick and penitent, the young man takes refuge with Proetus, king of Argos. Queen Anteia falls in love with this handsome warrior and opens her heart to him. However, Bellerophontes shies away from offending the king. The queen, full of wrath, tells the king that Bellerophontes tried to take liberties with her. King Proetus is most upset but also fears the wrath of gods in case he fails in hospitality, (so he) abstains from killing the young man. Instead he asks Lobates, the king of Lycia, who is related to him, to take care of Bellerophontes. The Lycian king takes pity on this young and handsome warrior and finds another way of getting rid of him. He asks Bellerophontes to fight with a monster called Chimera, which is lion-headed with (the) body of a goat and (the) tail of a snake, (and which is also) breathing fire. Bellerophontes, with the aid of his winged horse, Pegasus, fights with the monster and kills him.” **

It is thought this fire-breathing monster Chimera is the burning flame near Olympos, although that seems a rather loose assumption in my eyes. I’m not sure why but the passage above reminds me of the killer flying rabbit scene from the Monty Python film, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’!

It’s not too surprising that the cult of Olympos was that of Hephaistos – Vulcan – the god of fire, and again we can easily see this cult was most likely originating with the eternal flame. But the history and origins of Olympos are as obscure as any place in ancient Turkey. In fact there is little evidence at all for its founding, or when it sprang into existence. Little is also known of the city from any historical perspective, and certainly for the purposes of this travelogue there is very little to go on, although Olympos’ origins are thought to stretch a long way into antiquity.

Olympos itself is set within a steep valley that would have been one hell of a trek to reach from what is now the main road that runs to and from Antalya. Steep, impenetrable rocky outcrops coupled with tall trees that straddle the mountainsides give Olympos an almost fairy tale appearance.

Olympos today is fundamentally a beach with a wide river that runs through the ancient city from the mountains above. Olympos flourished in the second century BC, and coins minted in the area have been found to date from 178-168 BC. In the first century BC it was a haven for pirates but the Romans put a stop to the activities in 78 BC. The Romans took complete control of Olympos in 77 BC, but further pirate raids in the third century destroyed much of the city.

In the Middle Ages  fortresses were built along the coastline by Venetians, Genoese, and Rhodians. Olympos was finally abandoned in the 15th Century when the Ottoman Empire took control of Asia Minor.

The most notable feature from an archaeological perspective is the huge gateway, sixteen feet high, that was erected and dedicated to Marcus Aurelius in 172 AD. There is very little, if any, archaeology dating to the Hellenistic period. Nearly all of the ruins that can be seen today date from the Byzantine era.

Despite much research I can find little more to note on the history of Olympos, Hopefully in the future archaeologists and historians will discover much that is missing from the history of this incredible place. On the other hand the lack of historical data adds to the mystique, so maybe it’s better this way…

My visit to Olympos was in the afternoon of 18 March 2015. The weather was pleasant and the air cool and crisp, much the same as Phaselis, which was visited earlier the same day.

 

** This passage is taken from the book listed in the references and is likely to be a bad translation from a Turkish language version of the Iliad. Therefore the words in brackets I have added in for grammatical correctness.

References:

Tor, Kemel Hakki. Lycia: Shiny territory in Anatolia. 2012, Ten Books, Antalya, Turkey

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/med/olimpos/

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/olympos.htm

http://www.historvius.com/olympos-1763/