Lycian Rock Graves above Fethiye, ancient Telmessos, are only 200 Steps above Town
Change of sailors today in Göcek. It is sad to see good friends leaving but the English-Canadian-American-South African crew for next week looks promising. The end of some-thing beautiful is always the beginning of something even more wonderful. The trip from Göcek to Bodrum over the next seven days will take us to the heartland of ancient Lycia and the center of Dorian Greek immigration to Asia Minor.
Several Lycian Sarcophagi are just nect to the 12th Century Crusader Castle in Simena
Tried for several years to find out why Lycians’ buried their dead – let’s say their nobles -in rock carved tombs and sarcophagi above ground. According to UNESCO, there are over 1’085 carved rock tombs in Lycia – probably more once all Lycian towns are excavated. We already saw these tombs in Myra (Demre) and Fethiye and many stone sarcophagi in Simena just east of the crusader castle. There will be more in Kaunas which we will visit on Monday.
Lycian Rock Graves next to the Roman Theatre in Myra
There are two features of these tombs which I find puzzling. First, these graves are not separated in a necropolis as it is usually the case. Second, they are above ground. One may find these facts trivial but I believe this is not by accident. Our burial culture has its roots in traditions going back to the agricultural revolution 12’000 years ago. At that time people worshiped Mother Earth who gave life but also took it.
An early Clay Figurine of Mother Earth from Anatolia
Our ancestors saw her hand in the four seasons. In spring life emerged, in summer it blossomed, in fall it aged, in winter it died. Only to start the cycle again the following spring. It was perpetual. By burying their dead underground, people wanted them to return to Mother Earth and become part of this eternal cycle.
Indo-European Migration from the Asian Steps into Europe, Anatolia, Persia and India
The nomadic Indo-Europeans who migrated by 7’000 BC from the Asian steps to Europe, the Middle East and India had a different believe system. They believed in Sky Father, whose assistant Helios pulled the sun on a chariot with four horses through the sky. For them, the sun was the life giver. Not Mother Earth. As nomads of the Asian steps, they experienced blistering winters with short days when nothing grew and everything froze. For them, in spring, longer days with longer sunshine were the harbinger of better times to come. Their Gods lived in the sky.
Helios with his Quadriga - Horse Races were held in his Honour and the Sun Rays around his Head may have provided the Blueprint for Royal Crowns
The two concepts of Sky Father and Mother Earth later merged – as the Indo-European nomads merged with the farmers who had brought the agricultural revolution to Europe. They became Father Zeus and his wife Hera. In most Indo-European cultures the Gods lived in the sky but the dead were buried in the lap of Mother Earth.
Two Lycian "Angels" carrying the Soul of a dead Lycian from his Grave to the Sky
There is an another interesting feature to talk about. It is said that the souls of the Lycian dead are collected by winged fairies which carry them away to the sky. Burial sites had thus to be easily accessible for these angel-like creatures. Carving rock tombs high up the cliffs or putting sarcophagi in the open gave them easy access to the waiting souls. For the Lycians, the concept of underground seems not to have existed. Did they preserve an element of the Indo-European culture which the other “families branches” gave up when they adopted burials in the ground? Could well be.
Ancestor Worship in Vietnam is a thousand years tradition
This still leave the question open as to why the Lycians did not put their dead into a necropolis but put nearby where they both could see each other – the dead the living and the living the dead. Feels a bit like the Chinese or Mongol religion where everyone stays in contact with the ancestors. You get married in front of altar with pictures and figurines of ancestors. You get buried the same way. May this feature also have been part of the Indo-European culture that the Lycians preserved?
The Lycian Culture was part of the broader Luwian Culture which also gave us Troy
I wish there was more literature on this subject. Or maybe I just have not found it yet. If anybody knows more, please drop me a line. In any case, we are going to enjoy visiting these rock graves with their spectacular beauty.
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