1. Location – Name

Syagela or Souagela was a city in Caria, to the east of Halicarnassus. There is wide disagreement among contemporary researchers regarding the identification of the city. According to one view, Syagela is identified with a settlement of the Late Geometric period, located in modern-day Alazeytin, approximately 5 km northeast of modern-day Etrim. According to another view, Syagela is identified with the ruins of a Late Archaic settlement discovered at the location of modern-day Kaplan Dag, approximately 5 or 6 miles from Etrim and Alazeytin. The name of the city is Carian. According to Stephanus Byzantius, it derives etymologically from the words souan (= tomb) and gelan (= king), meaning the tomb of the king.¹

2. Syagela – Theangela

It was originally put forth that Syagela and Theangela were two different cities.² Another view, according to which Syagela and Theangela were the same city, was later put forth and met with wide acceptance. As regards the latter view, there are two different versions. According to one version, Syagela was moved to the location of modern-day Etrim and renamed to Theangela by Mausolus, in the context of the Hellenization policy the satrap adopted in Caria.³ According to another version, the citizens of Syagela, persecuted in the middle of the 6^th cent. BC by the Persians, moved their city eastwards, to the neighbouring mountainous location of modern-day Etrim. Syagela remained in its new location until the beginning of the 4^th cent. BC, when Mausolus changed its name to the Greek name Theangela and went on to expand and rebuild the city.⁴

Contemporary researchers have put forth another view, which is based on archaeological findings from ancient Theangela. The contemporary view questions the identification of these two ancient cities of Caria. More specifically, it has been supported that Theangela was a Lelegian or Carian settlement of the Late Protogeometric period, similarly to its neighbouring Syagela, and that Mausolus expanded and rebuilt the city of Theangela by transferring populations from Syagela and smaller neighbouring settlements.⁵

3. History

Although our knowledge about the history of Syagela is limited, it is believed that it was an important city. Syagela was a member of the First Athenian League from 469 BC onwards. During the period 454/453-427 BC, Syagela is mentioned in the Athenian tax catalogues as paying the regular contribution of one talent. During the same period, the city came under satrap Pigres’ (or Pikres) rule. Pikres paid the allied tax twice, using his own name (Pikres Syageleus).⁶ Following their defeat in Sicily, the Athenians lost their supremacy at sea and the coastal cities of Caria, including Syagela, came under Persian rule again.

Our knowledge about the history of the city during the Hecatomnid rule is extremely limited. According to Strabo, Mausolus united 6 out of the 8 Lelegian cities of the satrapy of Caria and founded its new capital, Halicarnassus, sparing only 2 Lelegian cities, Syagela and Myndos. It has also been proposed that Syagela, along with Theangela, came under the dynast Eupolemus’ rule at the end of the 4^th cent. BC.⁷

4. Economy

Silver and copper coins found in the area of Theangela, near modern-day Ciftlik, were recognized as coinage issues of the city of Syagela, since they bore the inscription ΣΥ. The finding of these coins in the aforementioned location is another argument in favour of the identification of the two cities. It is believed that they were minted in new Syagela, which was moved to the location of modern-day Etrim and renamed to Theangela.⁸ They bear the head of Zeus or Dionysus on the obverse, and a scarab or a spearhead on an olive wreath on the reverse. The silver coins of the city were originally dated to 390 BC. However, it was later believed that they dated back to the period 413-391 BC, that is to say prior to the beginning of the Hecatomnid rule in Caria.⁹ There are also different datings for the copper coins of the city. They were originally dated to the period 300-275 BC. However, it was later believed that they dated back to the period 350-320 BC.¹⁰ Their finding is proof that the city of Syagela issued coinage bearing Greek symbols during the 4^th cent. BC, evidence of the Hellenization of the city. It is also remarkable that nothing similar has been observed in any other Lelegian site of the 4^th cent. BC.¹¹

5. Topography – Buildings

As mentioned before, two locations have been proposed for Syagela. These are: modern-day Alazeytin Kalesi and modern-day Kaplan Dag.

5.1 The location of modern-day Alazeytin Kalesi

The archaeological remains prove that there was a Lelegian settlement on the exact same location between the 7^th and the 4^th cent. BC. Among the ruins of the ancient settlement, archaeologists have traced the wall of the city, of irregular masonry and fortified with towers. They have also traced houses, unidentified sanctuaries, the agora of the city and the seats of a theatre. To the south of the settlement, they also discovered the ruins of circular buildings, the interiors of which were divided into vaulted chambers. This type of masonry is characteristic of Lelegian masonry and reminds us of the so-called dragon houses of Greece. These constructions were originally recognized as tombs. However, it was later believed that they were used as sheep pens and were dated back to the 5^th and 4^th cent. BC.¹²

5.2 The location of modern-day Kaplan Dag

According to another view, the ruins in modern-day Kaplan Dag are the ruins of ancient Syagela. The archaeologists discovered the remains of a fortified Archaic settlement, a necropolis and an Archaic temple.¹³