1. Location

Rhodiapolis is in southeast Lycia, about 6.5 km north by northwest of Kumluca, in an area surrounded by deep canyons, near the Limyrus River. Spratt and Forbes, based on the inscriptions that were found in the area and bore the city’s name, identified this location at 1842.¹

2. History

2.1. Classical and Hellenistic Times

There is not enough evidence regarding the early history of Rhodiapolis. Its name, as well as the fact that the neighboring cities, Phaselis and Gagai, were Rhodian colonies, point to the possibility that is was founded by Rhodes.²

According to Theopompos, the city took its name from Rhode, daughter of the oracle Mopsus.³ This is a Greek myth created to connect the city’s founding with some figure of the Greek mythology – a common practice, judging from the founding myths of other cities in Lycia east of Limyra, such as Korydalla, Gagai, Phaselis and Olympus.⁴

Two tombs carved in the rock, bearing inscriptions in the Lycian language, date back to the 4^th century B.C.⁵ The fact that these inscriptions are one of the few Lycian ones found so far, on the east of Alagir Cayi, which is identified with ancient Limyra, shows that Rhodiapolis, during the classical times, must have been on the border of Lycia.

In the Hellenistic times, the city was part of the Koinon of the Lycians, as demonstrated by the silver drachmae issued during 167-84 B.C. bearing the types of Koinon, having the head of Apollo on the front and the inscription ΛΥΚΙΩΝ and ΡΟ – the city’s initials- on the back, inside a roughly shaped square.⁶

2.2. Roman Times

There is more information for Rhodiapolis during the Roman Empire. In 140/141, it was hit by an earthquake that affected all of Lycia. Opramoas, a wealthy lycian citizen, that was particularly active in charity in Lycia during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161)⁷, helped significantly in restituting the damages.

During the reign of Gordianus III (238-244), Rhodiapolis, as many other cities in Lycia, issued bronze coins.⁸ On the front, they bear a bust of the emperor or his wife Tranquilla (241-244), while on the back, they bear the inscription ΡΟΔΙΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ and depict Artemis, Apollo or Athena. Other gods worshipped in the city were Asklepios, Nemesis, Eleuthera, Isis, Sarapis and Tyche.⁹

Life in the city continued during the early christian period, as shown by the mention of Lycia in the Episcopal catalogues, where the city’s bishop ranked 26^th, under the metropolitan of Myra,¹⁰ as well as the architectural ruins.

3. Buildings

In the city center, there is the theatre, which is relatively small (39 m wide). The concave, somewhat larger than a semi-circle, faces south. A polygonal system of wall construction was used, while the isodomic system was used for the upper part. Remaining today are 16 seats, divided in 6 rows. Also remaining from the stage building are some of the courses that limited the side in the back and the entrance that led to the front stage.¹¹

At the south of the theatre, near the west end of the stage, are the ruins of the Opramoas’ funerary monument. The monument is especially known for the inscriptions covering all three sides. In total, they consitute the greatest inscription saved in Lycia and probably, in all Asia Minor. They comprise of 12 emperor letters, 19 letters by the eparch and 33 votes of the Koinon of the Lycians, which refer to the honours given to Opramoas as well as his donations – money as well as public buildings- to most of the cities in Lycia.¹²

Further to the south, there are remains of a rectangular construction made by small rough stones and lime mortar. Inside this construction, there is a pedestal, 1.5 m wide, where the statues dedicated by Opramoas, depicting his parents, Apollonios and Aristokilis, where mounted.¹³

In the area southeast of the theatre and the Opramoas monument, are the remains of constructions of various sizes. The way these wals were constructed, either by using small stones and mortar plaster either with rough stone wall, date them back to the Later Emperial Years. Some of them have been identified as two-storey private houses.

According to the inscriptions dating to the 1^st-2^nd century B.C., in the city were a temple of Asklepios and Hygeia and possibly a gymnasium.¹⁴ Two other temples, one dedicated to Tyche and the other one to Nemesis, were built following a donation by Opramoas.¹⁵ However, none of the above temples has been identified with any of the existing architectural remains.

In the area northeast of the theatre, on the north end of the flat, near the slopes of the acropolis, remains the compound of the baths, while on the south end there propably was the palaestra.¹⁶ The baths, dating back to the 2^nd-3^rd century, have been built using small, wide stones and lime mortar. There must have been at least 6 rooms. The three west rooms were interconnected and comprised the caldarium, while the two east rooms were the frigidarium.¹⁷ The compound also included four rectangular water tanks. The autonomy of the baths, as regards the supply of water, indicates that the supply from the aqueduct was sometimes doubtful or short.¹⁸ The position did not have any fresh water and, thus, several tanks of various sizes have been found for gathering pluvial waters, while towards the northwest of the city are the remains of an aqueduct.

In a building near the acropolis, there is a large signed base for two statues of Hadrian and Sabina, which dates back to 130 A.C.¹⁹ Other inscriptions testify that the Boule and the Demos as of Rhodiapolis Citizens have awarded the making of a statue of Antoninus Pius.²⁰

On the top of the hill, northeast of the theatre, are the remains of a squared tower of the Hellenistic times – one of its walls is still standing.²¹ At the northwest of the theatre are the remains of a great three-aisled Christian basilica, of which the arch is preserved.

Cemeteries have been identified in various positions at the north, east and south of the city. On the hill slopes, there are some tombs carved in the rocks. Some of the better ones bear inscriptions, two of which are in the Lycian language.²² At the northeast of the city there is a necropolis with sarcophagi, most of which date to the Roman times.