Page 81 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya

The Fire of Xanthos
The legendary hero Sarpedon was sent off on his eternity
journey and the Lycians brought their immortal heroes back to
Lycia, accompanied by the eternal light of Apollo. Undoubtedly,
the Lycian lineage must have organized a great funeral ceremo-
ny for him and greatly lamented. Just like the rulers after him,
they built a large temple tomb for their ancestors. This temple,
which they named Sarpedonion, almost deified their great com-
mander with the rituals they performed in his name around the
tomb. As it is known from the inscriptions recovered from Xan-
thos, they commemorated him until the Roman Period, they did
not forget him. He had been so conservative and protective that
the Xanthians; not only protected their hero Sarpedon, but also
the whole history of their city. For many years, these people did
not have stones placed on the graves of their ancestors. Even
though the writing was erased in the Roman Period, leaving nei-
ther the word nor the trace of the great Lycian of Xanthos and
has disappeared from the stage of history. These lands contin-
ued to raise great rulers after Sarpedon. They also existed on
the stage of history with their real personalities, not mythological
ones. But they have never attributed their fame to a single per-
son. Their names were always mentioned collectively. Together
they called them Xanthians. The city got its name from the Xan-
thos river right next to it. The water of the river has fed its plain
and its people have fed its history for centuries.
546 BC. was a turning point for the Xanthians. The Persian
army began to invade all of Anatolia.
The commander Harpagos came to invade the Lycian cities
on behalf of the Persian king Cyrus the Great. However, when
they came to Xanthos, the Persians realized that it would not be
that easy. Because Xanthians also have such a sense of be-
longing that none of them took a step back for their city. Al-
most all of them were thrown against the Achaean wall as their
ancestor Sarpedon was thrown, and they threw themselves on
the Persians like lions. The great war started as soon as the
Persians approached. The capital of Lycia stood up to such an

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