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The city is
situated on the land across the Dalyan strait at Ortaca. According
to poet Ovidius, Miletos had twins, Caunus and Byblis. During
adolescence, Byblis felt an enormous love for her twin and grew
most possessive. Though well aware of the unnatural aspect of her
love, Byblis sent a letter of declaration to Caunus whereupon the
mythological King was both enraged and disgusted. To avoid meeting
her, he escaped from Miletos, to the Carian and Lycian border
where he founded the city of Caunus.
Strabon defines Caunus in
the Antique period as "having dockyards and a closed harbour.
"Howerer, as is the case with many ports on the Anatolian coasts
during Antiquity, Caunus today is cut off from the sea due to
alluvial soil.
Approaching the city, tombs
carved into rocks are noteworthy. These large and resplendent
tombs resemble lonian temples with in-antis plans. At the eastern
end, the half-finished rock-tomb is an interesting sample to
illustrate the constructional steps.
Another significant sight is the upper
acropolis.The southern bloke is craggy. The wall and towers on the
summit are medieval.
The present excavations
here brought to light a longish stoa leading to the antique port
on the shore of the Sülüklü lake. To the east of the stoa a
fountain has been restored by the excavating team. On the northern
wall of the fountain there is an inscription regarding the Customs
regulations. Dur to the presence of another inscription found
here, dedicated to Vespasian, it is called the Vespasian Fountain.
The Hellenistic
theater on the western slope of the upper acropolis is still
standing on a large scale. The northern portion is supported by
two cradle vaults. On the ridge to the north of the theater is a
row of three buildings. The first, built with sqared masonry, is a
church dating from Early Christianity.
The building
further on the west in colossal dimensions is a bath from the
Roman Period. Inscriptions found on the site mention temples built
in honour of Zeus, Leto, Appollon, Artemis and Aphrodite. However
the location of such temples has not yet been established. |
