Tlos
Hittite Name
Dalawa/Tlawa (attested in Bronze Age texts)
Famous Tomb
Tomb of Bellerophon with Pegasus relief
Lycian League
One of six principal cities (3 votes)
Occupation Span
~4,000 years (Bronze Age to Ottoman)
“Tlos demonstrates continuous human occupation from the Bronze Age through the Ottoman period — roughly four thousand years of layered habitation on a single dramatic hilltop.”
Tlos is an ancient Lycian city in southwestern Turkey, one of the oldest and most important settlements in Lycia, known for its rock tombs and dramatic acropolis.
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Tlos is one of the six principal cities of the Lycian League and among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Lycia. Its rocky acropolis rises dramatically above the Xanthos Valley, offering commanding views of the surrounding mountains and fertile plain. The site bears witness to nearly four millennia of occupation, from Bronze Age beginnings through Ottoman times. The acropolis cliff face is carved with elaborate Lycian rock tombs, including the celebrated Tomb of Bellerophon — decorated with a relief depicting the mythological hero riding Pegasus. Below the acropolis, a well-preserved Roman theatre with seating for 3,400 spectators faces the valley. Nearby stand the remains of Roman baths, an agora, and a colonnaded street. Tlos appears in Hittite records as "Dalawa" or "Tlawa," confirming its antiquity. It was among the cities that formed the Lycian League, and inscriptions attest to its status as one of Lycia's most honored members with three votes in the federal assembly. An Ottoman fortress crowns the summit of the acropolis, built over earlier fortifications. The warlord Kanli Ali Aga made Tlos his stronghold in the 19th century, adding to the already layered archaeological landscape. The site's setting — surrounded by forested mountains with the Saklikent Gorge nearby — is among the most scenic in Lycia.
why_it_matters
evidence
evidence_desc
confirmed
3- Tlos appears as "Dalawa" in Hittite texts from the Late Bronze Age, confirming settlement before the Iron Age Lycian period.
- The Tomb of Bellerophon features a carved relief of the mythological hero on Pegasus, one of the finest Lycian funerary reliefs extant.
- Inscriptions confirm Tlos held three votes in the Lycian League assembly, designating it among the league's six most important cities.
inferred
1- The strategic position of the acropolis, commanding views of the Xanthos Valley, suggests the site was chosen primarily for defensive purposes in its earliest phase.
debated
1- Whether the "Bellerophon" relief actually depicts Bellerophon or a local Lycian dynast represented as a heroic horseman remains a point of scholarly discussion.
excavation
First European survey
led_by Charles Fellows
Charles Fellows visited and recorded the Lycian rock tombs during his survey of Lycia.
Turkish excavations
led_by Havva Iskan
Havva Iskan of Akdeniz University led systematic excavations of the stadium, baths, and agora.
Continuing research
led_by Taner Korkut
Taner Korkut continued excavation and conservation work, focusing on the Roman-period structures.
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artifacts
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location
related_sites
sources
- The Lycians: A Study of Lycian History and Civilisation to the Conquest of Alexander the Great — Trevor Bryce (1986)
- Tlos: A Lycian City in the Light of New Research — Havva Iskan (2005)
- Wikipedia — Tloslink