Patara

Patara was an ancient and flourishing maritime and commercial city that was for a period the capital of Lycia [1]. The site is located on the Turkish coast near to the village of Gelemiş [1]. The city was said to have been founded by Patarus, a son of Apollo [1]. It was noted during antiquity for the temple and oracle of Apollo, second only in importance to that of Delphi [1]. In 1993 the Stadiasmus Patarensis was unearthed, a monumental Roman pillar on which is inscribed in Greek a dedication to Claudius and an official announcement of roads being built by the governor, Quintus Veranius Nepos, in the province of Lycia et Pamphylia, giving place names and distances [1]. The site is a plain surrounded by hills and included in ancient times a large natural harbour, since silted up [1]. Northeast of the harbour is Tepecik Hill upon which there is a Bronze Age site and which was the acropolis on which the city was founded [1]. The city later spread to the south and west of the hill [1].