Archaeologists Dream - Xantos & Letoon

Archaeologists Dream - Xantos & Letoon

Enjoy a tour to the ancient cities of Xantos and Letoon, the most magnificent sites of the Lycian Federation. Our tour will be accompanied by a qualified archaeologist.

Xanthos was the capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of Lycian history. It was revealed to the Western world in the 19th century by the British explorer Charles Fellows who removed many finds to the British Museum. It is a very old city - finds date back to the 8th century BC, but it is possible that the site may have existed during the Bronze Age or during the first centuries of the Iron Age. The city is perched on a bluff above a twist in the river with commanding views of the whole valley. The history of Xanthos is quite violent - the Xanthosians twice demonstrated the fierce independence of the Lycian people when they chose to commit mass suicide rather than submit to invading forces. Brutus laid siege to the city in 42BC and was so shocked by the suicides that he offered his soldiers a reward for each Xanthosian saved. Only 150 citizens were rescued.

Xanthos and Letoon are often seen as a "double-site", since the two were closely linked and Letoon was administered by Xanthos. Letoon was the sacred cult center of Lycia, located less than 10 km to the south of Xanthos. Xanthos-Letoon is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Turkey. For this reason, it has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. The intrepid Charles Fellows failed to find Letoon and it was not excavated until the 1950s by French archaeologists.

Notes: A minimum participation is required to operate all Yachting Land Adventures and some have limited capacity. All adventures and prices in the SeaDream Yachting Land Adventures program are subject to change. Final tour details will be announced onboard.

Port: Fethiye, Turquoise Coast

Duration: 3 hours

Current Price: 139 USD