Research Article

The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia

Volume: 19 May 15, 2020
TR EN

The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia

Abstract

A mount called Masa is mentioned in an inscription from the Letoon (Rousset 2010) and in the foedus (treaty) between Caesar and Lycia (Mitchell 2005), as northern border of Hellenistic Lycia. The inscription from the Letoon, which dates from sometime 160-150 B.C., reads that this mount has been the subject matter of a border conflict between Termessans at Oinoanda and Lycians. This conflict was resolved in a case tried in Kos and parties accepted that Mount Masa should belong to Tloans, but Termessans at Oinoanda could use its wood and grass being prohibited to saw, to harvest or to build on its lands. In the sequel, Lycians had to pay 25 talents of new Rhodian silver plinthophors to Termessans at Oinoanda. Within the frame of this agreement, Mount Masa was demarcated all around and all the details of demarcation fulfilled by a commission was given in the inscription. In addition to 18 boundary marks carved on bedrock, through several geographic descriptions such as roads, ravines, streams, defiles, plateaus and stony places, a comprehensive picture around the mount was presented. However, the location of the mount was nofound, in spite of all the details given in the text. As a result of our 2019 campaign, the ravines are determined on the field and it is understood that Golbanounda, one of two streams mentioned in the inscription, was today’s Hacıosman Deresi, and the second, Endyrenos, was today’s Sarı Dere. Therefore, it has now been understood that Mount Masa was Hacıosman Dağı of today. This contribution contains the details of this discovery.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit; Koç University - Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Center for Mediterranean Civilizations

Project Number

SBA-2019-4823 (Akdeniz University); KU AKMED 2018/P.1016 (Koç University - Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Center for Mediterranean Civilizations)

Thanks

This contribution results from the field surveys on the ancient roads of Lycia directed by Fatih Onur, with permission from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. These field surveys have been supported by the Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit within the projects (nos. SBA-2016-1675 and SBA-2019-4823) and by Koç University - Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Center for Mediterranean Civilizations from 2015 onwards (especially within the project no. KU AKMED 2018/P.1016). I am deeply grateful to Niyazi Altı, our local friend, who lives in Makmara Yaylası and who escorted and guided us in this difficult area, and to M. E. Yıldız, F. Avcu, Y. Doğan, B. Karabulut, Y. E. K. Yılmaz and S. Özkadif for their effort in the difficult walks on this steep territory, I also thank T. M. P. Duggan, B. Ceylan Duggan and N. E. Akyürek Şahin for their valuable remarks on the discussions in this contribution. This paper also forms a part of my project entitled “The spatial conceptualization of power in the Roman empire: Lycia and Rome in the 1st c. A.D.”, the funding of which has been provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

References

  1. N. E. Akyürek Şahin – F. Onur – M. Alkan – M. E. Yıldız, Surveys on the Transportation Systems in Lycia/Pamphylia 2016 - Likya/ Pamfilya Ulaşım Sistemleri Yüzey Araştırması 2016, ANMED 15, 2017, 203-212.
  2. N. E. Akyürek Şahin – F. Onur – M. Alkan – M. E. Yıldız, Likya/Pamfilya Ulaşım Sistemlerinin Epigrafik ve Tarihi Coğrafik Açılardan Araştırılması 2015 ve 2016 Yılları Sonuçları, AST 35/1, 2017, 387-410.
  3. B. Alsancak Sırlı – M. Peşkircioğlu – H. Torunlar – K. A. Özaydın – A. Mermer – S. Kader – M. Tuğaç – O. Aydoğmuş – Y. Emekliler – Y. Yıldırım – S. Kodal, Türkiye’de Üzüm (Vitis spp.) Yetiştirmeye Uygun Potansiyel Alanların Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri (CBS) Teknikleri Kullanılarak İklim ve Topoğrafya Faktörlerine Göre Belirlenmesi, Tarla Bitkileri Merkez Araştırma Enstitüsü Dergisi, 24/1, 2015, 56-64.
  4. J. des Courtils – D. Laroche, Xanthos et le Létôon. Rapport sur la campagne de 2002, Anatolia Antiqua 11, 2003, 423-456.
  5. N. Çevik, Lykia Kitabı, İstanbul 2015.
  6. T. M. Duggan, 19th Century Ottoman Lycia, British Travellers’ Record of The Cingans-Zincani, The Yurook-Yourooks and Turcomen Nomads: on Leeches Erroneous Titles and Dates, Cedrus, 5, 2017, 463-530.
  7. İ. Güner – M. Ertürk, Fethiye’de Yaylalar ve Yaylacılık, Doğu Coğrafya Dergisi, 10/14, 2005, 141-178.
  8. T. Korkut, Tlos Antik Kenti ve Çevresi Yüzey Araştırmaları, AST 32/1, 2014, 505-524.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

May 15, 2020

Submission Date

February 18, 2020

Acceptance Date

March 22, 2020

Published in Issue

Year 2020 Volume: 19

APA
Onur, F. (2020). The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia. Gephyra, 19, 135-164. https://doi.org/10.37095/gephyra.690872
AMA
1.Onur F. The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia. GEPHYRA. 2020;19:135-164. doi:10.37095/gephyra.690872
Chicago
Onur, Fatih. 2020. “The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia”. Gephyra 19 (May): 135-64. https://doi.org/10.37095/gephyra.690872.
EndNote
Onur F (May 1, 2020) The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia. Gephyra 19 135–164.
IEEE
[1]F. Onur, “The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia”, GEPHYRA, vol. 19, pp. 135–164, May 2020, doi: 10.37095/gephyra.690872.
ISNAD
Onur, Fatih. “The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia”. Gephyra 19 (May 1, 2020): 135-164. https://doi.org/10.37095/gephyra.690872.
JAMA
1.Onur F. The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia. GEPHYRA. 2020;19:135–164.
MLA
Onur, Fatih. “The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia”. Gephyra, vol. 19, May 2020, pp. 135-64, doi:10.37095/gephyra.690872.
Vancouver
1.Fatih Onur. The Location of Mount Masa on the Northern Border of Hellenistic Lycia. GEPHYRA. 2020 May 1;19:135-64. doi:10.37095/gephyra.690872

Cited By