Xanthus

Xanthus
/zan"theuhs/, n.
an ancient city of Lycia, in SW Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Xanthus River: site of archaeological remains.

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Ancient city of Lycia, Anatolia.

Situated near the mouth of the Xanthus River in southeastern Turkey, its ruins include a theatre, temples, and tombs. A number of pieces were taken for the British Museum. The ancient city was twice besieged and destroyed: in 540 BC by the Persians of the Achaemenian dynasty and in 42 BC by the Romans.

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Turkey
also spelled  Xanthos,  modern  Kınıklı,  or  Kınık 
 principal city of ancient Lycia. The ruined city, situated on a cliff above the mouth of the Koca (Xanthus) River in what is now southwestern Turkey, was designated (along with the nearby Letoon religious centre) a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

      The early history of Xanthus is unclear: although it is mentioned in early Lycian inscriptions, no Bronze Age remains have been found within the city. According to the Iliad, the Lycians, led by the hero Sarpedon, were the most prominent allies of Troy in the Trojan War. Xanthus reappears in the historical records of the 6th century BC as the principal city of Lycia. About 540 BC it was besieged by Harpagus, general of the Persian king Cyrus. The Lycians, forced within their walls, collected their wives and children and burned them, together with their slaves and treasure, under their acropolis; then, attacking the Persians, they died fighting to the last man.

  Soon rebuilt and repopulated, the city flourished from the 5th century BC to 42 BC, when, besieged by the Romans under the command of Brutus, it repeated its heroic defense. The site has well-preserved ruins of a theatre, temples, and other structures. The most remarkable ruins of the city are huge rock-cut pillar tombs; in the 19th century the British archaeologist Sir Charles Fellows sent reliefs and sections of the tombs to the British Museum, where they are exhibited today. Upon one of the remaining pillar tombs is the longest and most important of inscriptions in the Lycian language. Pop. (2000) 13,136.
 

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  • Xanthus — (Greek: [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2371462 Ξάνθος] Xanthos yellow,blond) may refer to:In Greek mythology: *Xanthus is a son of Phaenops who was killed by Diomedes. *Xanthus is the name …   Wikipedia

  • Xanthus — Xanthus, s. Lycien …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Xanthus — [zan′thəs] ancient city in Lycia, SW Asia Minor …   English World dictionary

  • Xanthus — Der Name Xanthos (griech. Ξάνθος, lat. Xanthus) stammt ursprünglich aus dem antiken Griechenland. So wurde er als Eigenname, als Flussname und als Name einer Stadt verwendet. Der Name leitet sich von griechisch ξανθός ab und bedeutet gelb,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • XANTHUS — I. XANTHUS Candaulis Lydi fil. Historicus Sardianus, qui eôdem tempore fuit, quô Sardes (non quidem a Cyro, sed ab Iombus et Atheniensibus, regnante Dariô, Herodot. l. 5. c. 100.) captae sunt; suidâ teste. Scripsit Lydiacorum libros 4. in quibus… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Xanthus — Antigua ciudad de Licia en Anatolia. Estaba situada cerca de la desembocadura del río Xanthus, en el sudeste de Turquía; entre sus ruinas hay un teatro, templos y tumbas. Varias piezas se conservan en el Museo Británico. La antigua ciudad fue… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Xanthus — /ˈzænθəs/ (say zanthuhs) noun an ancient city of Lycia, in south western Asia Minor, now Turkey, near the mouth of the river Xanthus; valuable archaeological remains have been found in the ruins. –Xanthian, adjective …  

  • Xanthus — /zan theuhs/, n. an ancient city of Lycia, in SW Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Xanthus River: site of archaeological remains …   Useful english dictionary

  • Xanthus (Titularbistum) — Xanthus (ital.: Xanto) ist ein Titularbistum der römisch katholischen Kirche. Es geht zurück auf ein früheres Bistum der antiken Stadt Xanthos in der kleinasiatischen Landschaft Lykien im Südwesten der heutigen Türkei, das der Kirchenprovinz Myra …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Xanthus (historian) — Xanthus of Lydia (also spelled Xanthos) was a native Lydian historian and logographer who, during the mid fifth century BC, wrote works on the history of Lydia known as Lydiaka . It is assumed that his seat was at Sardis, the capital. A… …   Wikipedia

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