Lycians in the context of "Xanthos"

Myra (/ˈmaɪrə/; Ancient Greek: Μύρα, Mýra) was a city in Lycia. The city was probably founded by Lycians, and was located on the river Myros (Ancient Greek: Μύρος; Turkish: Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between, the Massikytos range (Ancient Greek: Μασσικυτός; Turkish: Alaca Dağ) and the Aegean Sea. By the 3rd century BC the city was Hellenized. Following the wars of the diadochi the area came under the loose control of the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, and finally the Romans.

The region remained under Roman control until it was conquered by the Seljucks and later the Ottomans. During the Ottoman rule the small Turkish town of Kale was established in the area of Myra in the present-day Antalya Province of Turkey. Kale was renamed to Demre in 2005.

The Lycian language (𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊍𐊆 Trm̃mili) was the language of the ancient Lycians who occupied the Anatolian region known during the Iron Age as Lycia. Most texts date back to the fifth and fourth century BC. Two languages are known as Lycian: regular Lycian or Lycian A, and Lycian B or Milyan.Lycian became extinct around the beginning of the first century BC, replaced by the Ancient Greek language during the Hellenization of Anatolia. Lycian had its own alphabet, which was closely related to the Greek alphabet but included at least one character borrowed from Carian as well as characters proper to the language. The words were often separated by two points.

In Greek mythology, Deidamia (/ˌdeɪdəˈmaɪə/; Greek: Δηϊδάμεια, Deidameia) was the name referring to the following women:

• Deidamia, a Messenian princess as the daughter of King Perieres and the mother of Iphiclus, Althaea and Leda by King Thestius of Pleuron.
• Deidamia (daughter of Lycomedes), a princess and daughter of King Lycomedes. She was the lover of Achilles and by him the mother of Neoptolemus.
• Deidamia, a Lycian princess as the daughter of the hero Bellerophon and Philonoe, daughter of the Lycian king, Iobates. She married King Evander of Lycia, son of the elder Sarpedon (son of Zeus and Europa), and had by him a son, the younger Sarpedon. Under the name of Hippodamia or Laodamia she also is said to have coupled with either Zeus or Xanthus to bear Sarpedon.
• Deidamia, other name of Hippodamia, the bride of Pirithous who was abducted by the Centaurs.

In Greek mythology, Alcimedusa or Alkimedousa (Ancient Greek: Αλκιμέδουσαν) was the Lycian princess who became the wife of the hero Bellerophon and the mother of his children. She was commonly called Philonoe or else named Anticlea, Cassandra or Pasandra.

In Greek mythology, Anticlea, Anticlia or Anticleia (/ˌæntɪˈkliːə/; Ancient Greek: Ἀντίκλεια, literally "without fame") may refer to the following women:

• Anticlea, another name for Philonoe, the Lycian bride of Bellerophon and mother of his children. In other accounts, she was called Alkimedousa or Cassandra or Pasandra.
• Anticlia, mother by Hephaestus of Periphetes, the lame malefactor of Epidaurus who was killed by the hero Theseus in one of his exploits.
• Anticlea, daughter of Autolycus and mother of Odysseus by Läertes.
• Anticlia, daughter of Diocles, king of Pherae, according to Pausanias. She married Asclepius' son Machaon and had by him two sons, Nicomachus and Gorgasus.

The Xanthian Obelisk, also known as the Xanthos or Xanthus Stele, the Xanthos or Xanthus Bilingual, the Inscribed Pillar of Xanthos or Xanthus, the Harpagus Stele, the Pillar of Kherei and the Columna Xanthiaca, is a stele bearing an inscription currently believed to be trilingual, found on the acropolis of the ancient Lycian city of Xanthos, or Xanthus, near the modern town of Kınık in southern Turkey. It was created when Lycia was part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, and dates in all likelihood to c. 400 BC. The pillar is seemingly a funerary marker of a dynastic satrap of Achaemenid Lycia. The dynast in question is mentioned on the stele, but his name had been mostly defaced in the several places where he is mentioned: he could be Kherei (Xerei) or more probably his predecessor Kheriga (Xeriga, Gergis in Greek).

The obelisk or pillar was originally topped by a tomb, most certainly belonging to Kheriga, in a way similar to the Harpy Tomb. The top most likely fell down during an earthquake in ancient times. The tomb was decorated with reliefs of his exploits, and with a statue of the dynast standing on top.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Evander (Ancient Greek: Εὔανδρος Euandros means "abounding in good men and true") may refer to three distinct characters:

• Evander, a Lycian king who succeeded his father Sarpedon, son of Zeus and Europa, in the kingship of Lycia. He married Deidamia, daughter of Bellerophon, and had by her a son Sarpedon.
• Evander, a Trojan prince as the bastard son of King Priam of Troy by an unknown concubine.
• Evander of Pallantium, the wisest among the Arcadians, emigrated to Italy where he founded a city Pallantium. He was the son of Hermes and Carmentis, a nymph skilled in the art of divination.

In Greek mythology, Thoön (Ancient Greek: Θόων Thóōn) is a name that refers to:

• Thoon, one of the Gigantes (also called Thoas), who, together with Agrios, was clubbed to death by the Moirai during the Gigantomachy.
• Thoon, one of the Trojans, son of Phaenops and twin brother of Xanthus. He and his brother were killed by Diomedes.
• Thoon, another Trojan, who was killed by Antilochus during the attack on the Achaean wall.
• Thoon, a Lycian ally of the Trojans who followed their leader, Sarpedon, to fight in the Trojan War. He was slain by the Greek hero Odysseus during the siege of Troy.
• Thoon, one of the Phaeacians, a participant in the games in honor of Odysseus.
• Thoon, one of the warriors in Dionysus' army during his Indian campaign. He died at the hands of Corymbasus (Κορύμβασος).
• Thoon, son of Icarius of Sparta and Asterodia, daughter of Eurypylus. He was the brother of Amasichus, Phalereus, Pheremmelias, Perilaos and Laodice or Laodamia.