Heracleia Salbace was situated on the slopes of Mount Salbacos (Babadağ) at the northwestern edge of the Tavas Plateau (modern Vakıf, Denizli). Geographically positioned at the border of Caria and Phrygia, the city was separated from its western neighbor, Aphrodisias, by the Timeles River (Yenidere), a natural boundary revered by both cities. The epithet “Salbace” … Read more
Sinuri was a local Carian sanctuary located approximately 15 km southeast of the ancient city of Mylasa (modern Milas) on a hill known as Asar Tepe. Unlike other major regional sites, Sinuri remained a distinctly indigenous cult center that was never syncretized with a Greek deity. Unlike Zeus Labraundos, Sinuri retained his indigenous name throughout … Read more
The ancient city of Thera is situated on the rocky Okkataş hill (Taşyenice) in Ula-Muğla. While early researchers tentatively identified the site as Oula or Kyllandos, extensive surveys conducted between 2011 and 2014 have firmly identified the site as Thera. The city’s territory encompassed the plains of Yerkesik, Yenice, and Ula, secured by a planned … Read more
Stratonikeia (modern Eskihisar) was a prominent city in the interior of the ancient Carian region. Known as the “city of white marble,” it is distinguished by its continuous habitation since the Bronze Age. Stratonikeia is located in the west of Yatağan Plain on the northern slope of the Kadıkulesi Hill. The city is on major … Read more
Labraunda was the principal extra-urban sanctuary of the Carian city of Mylasa (modern Milas), situated at an altitude of approximately 750 meters in the Latmos mountains. While functionally a religious center dedicated to Zeus Labraundos, it served simultaneously as a political assembly point for the Carian region, reaching its architectural apogee under the Hecatomnid dynasty … Read more
Knidos (Cnidus) was a prominent ancient city located at the tip of the Datça (Reşadiye) Peninsula, positioned where the Aegean and Mediterranean seas meet. The city, which prospered through trade, became the religious center of the Dorian Hexapolis and gained renown for its advanced urban planning and the legendary Statue of Aphrodite. Archaeological findings suggests … Read more
The city Mylasa is located on the western edge of the Milas plain, at the center of the modern city of Milas. The area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. As in the present day, in antiquity it lay at a junction point that connected the coastal harbor settlements with the inland cities. In historical … Read more
The settlements of Latmos and Heracleia represent a unique dual-site archaeological landscape, illustrating the transition from an indigenous Carian “withdrawal settlement” to a Hellenistic polis. Both cities are situated on the southern slopes of Latmos Mountains (modern Beşparmak Mountains) bordering the former Latmian Gulf (modern Lake Bafa), a marine inlet that extended inland from the … Read more
Alinda is situated on the steep slopes of a ridge overlooking the Karpuzlu plain in the modern Karpuzlu district (formerly Demircidere) of Aydın. Historically, scholars have identified Alinda with the city of Iyalanda mentioned in Hittite texts based on phonetic similarities, though recent research suggests Iyalanda may have been located further east in the Meander … Read more
Amos is situated on the Asarcık Hill (also known as Hisarburnu), a headland approximately 20 km southwest of Marmaris (ancient Physcus) and 2 km south of the modern town of Turunç. The city occupies a strategic peninsula rising 102 meters above sea level, flanked by two natural harbors: the Amos/Asarcık Bay to the north and … Read more
