Tombs at Xanthos

Xanthos, also called Xanthus, was a chief city state of the Lycians, an indigenous people of southwestern Anatolia (present-day Turkey).

[2] Not only do the tombs serve as a form of monumentalization to preserve the memory of the rulers, but they also reveal the adoption of Greek style of decoration.

[1] When these tombs were made, predominant Late Classical Greek ideas of art pervaded Lycian imagery.

[5] The details of the friezes indicate that the craftsmen were Greek, as revealed by the depictions of the human form on the West side of the chest.

The carving technique used in this relief is similar to the one used on the south side of the frieze, with the details and outline of the form delineated by use of line.

On the left part of the east side of the monument, militaristic scenes in low relief depict soldiers with a shield, a Corinthian helmet, and a weapon.

On the right side of the frieze is a horseman, dressed in a short cloak and a helmet, accompanied by an attendant wearing a chiton, a Greek-style tunic, and carrying a spear.

The Archaic pillar tomb itself, which is the oldest example of an architectural style unique to Lycia, alludes to his Lycian origin.

Then, it was postulated that because the tomb was fabricated by Greek artisans and workmen, the imagery referenced a scene of the underworld, using iconography to underscore the funerary use of the structure.

The third theory is that the multiple generations of figures depicted around the image are an indication of hero worship centred around the individuals buried within the tomb.

The women depicted have been identified either as Nereids, as they might have appeared to the Greeks, or as water nymphs that were part of a local Lycian cult.

The grand size and position within a dynastic tradition of pillar tombs helps to express the sources of power of the ruler, King Erbinna of the Xanthian Dynasty, who was entombed inside.

[12] Each set of friezes, in the podium, architrave, and interior, each show scenes of political life and recreation, as well as civic and religious duties.

James Fergusson has commented that "in India, the form and construction of the older Buddhist temples resemble so singularly these examples in Lycia".

[19] The Lycian tombs, which were built in the 4th century BCE, are free-standing or rock-cut barrel-vaulted sarcophagi placed on a high base, with architectural features carved in stone to imitate wooden structures.