A Goat looking for Olives in the Old Theatre of Kaunos where now three Olive Trees grow
Yesterday was our last day on Lycian territory. We visited the town of Kaunos which was founded in the 10thcentury BC and only abandoned in the 15th century AD. With its two harbors it was an important sea port and active trading hubs for ships coming from east and west. Kaunos is one of the few ancient ports with a large hinterland where pine raisin, black mastic (tar to seal boats), figs and salted fish were produced. Kaunos is also one of the few places where ancient salt pans were found. The town did not depend on delivery of salt from the Anatolian plateau. The Dalyan river delta was rich in fish and crabs (turtles also)
View from the Agora on the now silted Commercial Harbor. It was secured by a large Chain
Kaunos fought in the Persian wars on Xerxes’ side against Athens and its allies. After the defeat of the Persian King of Kings, Kaunos gained considerable independents, joined the Delian League and prospered for centuries. It quickly surrendered to Alexander the Great – its focus was trading and manufacturing not fighting. The Macedonian and his successor brought many Hellenistic elements to Kaunos. The town was enlarged, the harbor facilities upgraded, bath houses and theaters were built. When the Romans arrived, they continued the investments – Kaunos was also an important town for the Romans.
Kaunos' Theatre had 5'000 Seats - in the Background the Acropolis with the Byzantine Fort
Due to the Arab-Byzantine wars from the 7th to the 9th century, Kaunos’ traditional trading business floundered. It was replaced by supplying the Byzantine Empire with materials to build fleets. Nevertheless, Kaunos shrank considerably. Byzantium built a medieval fort on top of the old Acropolis which is visible from far and gives Kaunos a crusader like look. Like many other towns on Anatolia’s south coast, Byzantium could not Kaunos in the long run. The crusades had destroyed the Empire's finances. Any expenses not absolutely necessary were cancelled. Byzantium pulled back into the Aegean.
Silting of the Dalyan River - The Salt Pans were at the south end of the Dalyan Beach
It was not only geopolitics which “killed” Kaunos. The silting caused by the Dalyan river was an equally important factor. First the southern harbor had to be closed. By the 13th century, the commercial port followed. The fine silt deposited sealed the access. Silting continues to this day. Visited Kaunos the first time in 2010 when its main access was from the south. Now the main access is by road from the east. Also, the estuary and the delta changes almost every day. The local Turkish captains have to navigate carefully to avoid the moving sandbanks. A single thunderstorm is enough to change the course of the river. Kaunos had finally to be abandoned in the 15th century when Malaria Mosquito arrived in the delta. For almost 600 years, Kaunos became a barren place.
The Loryma Fortress with its very well carved Dorian Stone Walls protects the Bay
From Kaunos we sailed 40 miles west to the ancient bay of Loryma. Opposite Rhodes, the fortress was built by the Rhodesians to deny any invading force a safe harbor. Loryma and Rhodes are only 10 nautical miles apart. Just a two hour hop for any invading fleet. What is remarkable about Loryma is how little is known about it. The town itself was the seat of a bishop thus must have been important. The last active bishop is mentioned from the 9th century. There is almost nothing left of Loryma town itself. Two wall sections built with large blocks in Dorian style is all that is left. Plus a lot of shards on the groune.
The Stones of the Loryma are carefully arranged to resist Shocks from Earth Quakes - the photo is from our 2017 trip
Many layers of the fortress have been neatly dismantled though. The walls are about a third as high as one expects for ancient fortress walls. There are no shattered stones on the ground. What was taken was shipped away. Have a suspicion that the Knights of Saint John were here and used the site as a quarry. The Maltese Knights were skilled fortress builders – the walls they built around Rhodes were so impregnable that even Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent with his 80’000 soldiers could not breach them. He had to agree to a cease fire and let the Knights depart with all their arms and ships in 1522. They settled a few years later in Malta, built and fortified La Valetta and were besieged by the Ottoman again in 1565. The result was the same. Their walls could not be breached.
Migration of the Dorians from Macedonia to the Pelopponnese and Asia Minor
With our arrival opposite Rhodes we are now firmly in Dorian territory. This part of the Greek Language family arrived in this neighborhood in the 7th century BC. During Greeks dark ages, they had moved from the Macedonian mountains into the Peloponnese. Some of them became sailors and maritime traders, other – like the Spartans – became the dominant land power. All of them were bust city builders and colonizers. Many of the colonies in Magna Graecia (southern Italy) were Dorian settlements. Dorians stayed mostly on the coast here whilst the Lycians continued to live further inland.
The Lycians were part of the Anatolian Language Family, the Dorians of the Indo-Iranian
Dorian became almost a synonym with Greek. It is thus quite difficult to say what was their specific contribution to Greek culture. They were the Greek culture. There are many books available on the Dorian invasion of Greece – far fewer on their contribution to society. I guess invasions and catastrophes are more chilling and sey to research and write about.
We will stay for the night in Loryma – as 2’500 years ago, the bay provides perfect shelter from wind and swell.
The Dorians transformed geometric pottery decorations into
figurative motives like this horses from 6th century in Argos
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