<

Trysa Ancient City

HistoricalPlace Category

City

Antalya

District

Manavgat

Description

Trysa Ancient City is located in the east of the plateau near Gölbaşı neighborhood of Davazlar village on the Kas-Kale road. Its name is not found in any of the ancient sources. Trysa seems to have been one of the member cities of the Lycian Union founded in the 2nd century BC. It is known by the abbreviation "TP", where the first two letters of the city are written, and by coins belonging to the Lycian Union period. Trysa, whose name and especially Heroonu is mentioned in the archaeological literature since the end of the XIX century, has the appearance of a well-protected fortress inhabited by a small lord or king like Phellos, Istlada and Sura.

The ruins of the ancient city of Trysa, which looks like an elongated acropolis in the east-west direction at a height of 30 meters above the present village of Gölbaşı on the top of a very steep rock in the northeast and south directions, covers an area 550 meters long and 150 meters wide. Some parts of this area are terraced. It is surrounded by an irregular stone wall dating back to the 5th century B.C., which is still standing on the north and west sides. Apart from the city wall, the remains of Trysa today include the walls of the Heroon, small remains of a temple and many sarcophagi. Most of the sarcophagi are simple or have tops in the form of busts or animal heads.

The only structure of the city that can be identified is the badly damaged temple at the southwestern foot of the Acropolis. According to the architectural elements, nothing remains of the two columns between the ante-walls of the front facade. Fragments of an inscription honoring a citizen who served as a priest to Zeus and Helios were found here. According to the inscription, the temple belonged to one or both of these gods. The largest monument of Trysa is the Heroon, dated to the second quarter of the 4th century BC, located at the northeastern end of the city and standing in an enclosed area of eighteen square meters. It is surrounded on four sides by a wall built with rectangular blocks. On its exterior, on the south side, there is a frieze with mythological scenes in two horizontal bands. These scenes include episodes from the Iliad and the Odyssey, the exploits of Theseus, fragments of the Seven against Thebes, the battles of the Greeks and Amazons, the Kentauros and the Lapites, and many other unidentified figures. The sarcophagus was carved from the local rock and was intended for a family. The double row of frieze and decorated architrave blocks on the walls, which are one meter wide and three meters high, were taken to Vienna, and today only a block of ion cymation near the eastern corner remains of this frieze.

In addition, the sarcophagus with a Gothic pediment, the so-called Dereimis and Aiskhylos sarcophagus, which stands in the southeastern corner outside the Heroon, with a quadriga (four-horse chariot) relief on both sides of the lid and reliefs depicting the funeral feast on both sides of the ribbon-like piece placed on top, was taken to Vienna by the Austrians in 1882-1983, together with the friezes of the Heroon, and is exhibited in the Art History Museum. Trysa is an important center as some of its monuments are the earliest examples in all of Lycia.


Short Description

Trysa Ancient City is located in the east of the plateau near Gölbaşı neighborhood of Davazlar village on the Kas-Kale road. Its name is not found in any of the ancient sources. Trysa seems to have been one of the member cities of the Lycian Union founded in the 2nd century BC. It is known by the abbreviation "TP", where the first two letters of the city are written, and by coins belonging to the Lycian Union period. Trysa, whose name and especially Heroonu is mentioned in the archaeological literature since the end of the XIX century, has the appearance of a well-protected fortress inhabited by a small lord or king like Phellos, Istlada and Sura.


In order to provide you with a better service, we use cookies on our site and collect and process your personal data in accordance with the legislation. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies and other personal data. You can find more detailed information about cookies and the processing of your personal data in the Privacy & Personal Data Policy.