The excavations at Limyra, located in the south-west coastland region of Lycia, constitute after Ephesos the second scientific excavation project carried out in Turkey by the Republic of Austria. The excavations at Limyra were initiated in 1969 by J. Borchhardt under the auspices of the German Archaeological Institute/Istanbul branch; from 1984-2001 they were carried out as an Austrian project under the auspices of the Institute for Classical Archaeology (IKA) of the University of Vienna. When T. Marksteiner took over the direction of the excavations in 2002, the Limyra project found a new home at the OEAI; certain projects, however, are still under the guidance of J. Borchhardt and the IKA.

Limyra, the Lycian zemuri, can with great probability be identified with the Hittite zumarri, mentioned in texts of the 2nd millennium B.C. In the course of excavations, however, no strata dating to this early period have yet come to light. The earliest finds, late Geometric ceramic material, date back to the 8th century B.C.; observations concerning built structures and the extent of the settlement implied by these finds are not, however, possible. Only scant information is available concerning the Archaic and Early Classical periods at Limyra as well. Zemuri was nevertheless the location of the mint of the Xanthian dynast kuprlli and must have had an important position within the regional settlement heirarchy.
In the high classical period, the settlement experienced a heyday, as it was developed into the residence city of an up-and-coming east Lycian dynasty. The dynasty's protagonist, perikle, altered the political landscape of the region. This active general most probably defeated the dynasty at Xanthos in the first half of the 4th century B.C., and within a short period of time ruled all of Lycia as well as the neighbouring regions in the north and east. This shift in power took place against the will of the Persian overlords, so that perikle is associated in historical research with the participation by the Lycians in the so-called Satrap revolt. In the advanced dynastic period, an extensive building programme was carried out at Limyra, in the course of which a defensive wall system, enclosing ca. 25 ha., and fortifications on the city's peak were erected. This citadel contained two lofty towers, similar to castle keeps, visible symbols of the power and significance of the ruler responsible for their construction. At this time, the monumental Heroon of the east Lycian dynasty was also erected. On this amphiprostyle podium building, whose colonnades were supported by caryatids and whose side walls were decorated with friezes of military themes, the blending of local building traditions with Greek influence is apparent. Additional monumental tombs likely served as burial sites for an aristocratic class. The two-storeyed tomb of xntaburamay be singled out here, with its relief decoration depicting, in addition to a scene of sacrifice, also an apobate scene and a banquet scene, thus encompassing the central themes of classical Lycian iconography.
Extensive necropoleis, in which numerous reliefs and inscriptions in the Lycian language and alphabet are preserved, ring the settlement and constitute the largest ensemble of Lycian rock-cut tombs. Particularly impressive is Necropolis 1, located at the beginning of the Arycanda valley in a towering rock cliff. In Necropolis 2, a simple rock-cut tomb, belonging to xuwata according to the tomb inscription, was decorated with a relief depicting a duel which is modelled on the famous shield of the Athena Parthenos of Pheidias. On another tomb, tebursseli had himself portrayed as a victorious hero, as he together with his king perikle defeated the field general arttumpara arttumpara in the Xanthos valley. On the double tomb of artimas in Necropolis 5, one of the few Aramaic inscriptions from Asia Minor provides evidence for the connections between Lycia and the core regions of the Achaemenid kingdom. From the monuments of Limyra which date to the high classical period, a developed philhellenism of the political ruling class of the dynasty can be recognized; the semantics of Lycian culture of this period, however, were determined by its inclusion within an essentially oriental way of life. The independent dynastic rule reached an abrupt end with its connection to the defeat of the so-called Satrap revolt by the Persians, and Lycia was incoporated within the territory of the rulers of Caria, the Hecatomnids.
Monumental buildings in the lower city, for example the Hellenistic Ptolemaion and the Cenotaph for Gaius Caesar (the adoptive son of Augustus, who died in Limyra in 4 A.D.), provide evidence for the continued importance of the settlement also in later periods. The theatre, baths, a gate, and a colonnaded street indicate the urban prosperity of Limyra during the Imperial period. The position of Limyra as an episcopal see is illustrated by an episcopal church as well as additional Christian cult buildings. The massive post-antique city wall circuit at the east and west of the city is testimony to turbulent times. With the 16th-century Tekke of Kâfi-Baba, the oldest Bektaschi-Monastery of the Turkish south coast, Limyra is also provided with an important monument of Islamic history.

The following field projects are currently in progress at Limyra:

1) The West City Project
In the course of the research project begun in 2002, "Archaeological Research in the West City of Limyra", four excavation campaigns and a completion campaign were carried out. The work was supported by funds from the Austrian Science Fund, the former Ministry for Education, Science and Culture, and the OEAI. During the course of this research, the foundations for the clarification of significant questions could be formulated. In particular, the creation of a typology for pre-hellenistic pottery can be mentioned in this regard. The dense sequence of levels which was encountered in the region of the excavation area behind the classical city wall extended from the late classical back to the early archaic period, and permitted the excavation of large quantities of stratified ceramic finds. Due to the large portion of wares imported from the Greek realm, encountered in the majority of the levels, it will be possible to create a chronology for pre-hellenistic pottery found in east Lycian locations.
Also in the course of the excavations a sequence of pre-hellenistic building levels, with in part well-preserved ground plans, was revealed; this has significantly improved our understanding of the classical and archaic settlement. In this connection, two antae houses of the 5th century B.C. and a two-roomed structure dating to ca. 380 B.C. may be mentioned in particular. In each case, due to the presence of hearth locations, we are probably dealing with domestic residences. Remains of structures dating to the 6th century B.C. were only encountered in the excavations in a generally very destroyed condition. In the earliest level of the excavated region in which architectural remains were found, a small building of the 7th century B.C. and walls leading from it were uncovered.
The dating of the classical-period city wall of Limyra to the first quarter of the 4th century B.C. was confirmed by ceramic finds in the heaps inside the settlement. A more precise definition of this chronological assessment will be possible after the final evaluation of the ceramic material. New information was also gained regarding the building methods and the typology of the fortifications: it could be demonstrated that the defensive walkway and the stairs were constructed in wood. It was also confirmed that the classical South Gate was flanked by a second bastion located to the east of the passageway.
New observations were also permitted regarding the post-Imperial development of the area: the uncovering of an extensive structure at an entrance in the first post-antique wall circuit produced a rich collection of finds of ceramics and coins; the evaluation of this material is not yet complete. The assessment, already obtained in the area of the South Gate, that the late antique - early Byzantine development inside the wall circuit of the West City was densely crowded, and made accessible by irregular open spaces as well as angled alleyways, was confirmed. Numerous small-scale sondages in the central region of the West City permitted the collection of structural and ceramic remains from the last phase of settlement.
The results from the excavation work carried out between the classical settlement wall and a high-quality wall of hewn blocks set up in front of it resulted in a date for the latter in the high imperial period: in the region between the two walls, which probably for a short time was used for the disposal of rubbish, a complex of finds was excavated which contained glass, high-quality ceramics, terracottas, and coins.

2) Recording of Spolia
During the campaign of 2005, work was begun by L. Cavalier (Bordeaux 3) on a catalogue of spolia. In the course of analysis of the worked pieces, it was recognized that a portion of the blocks which were excavated in the '90s of the previous century must originate from a monumental cult building. 18 of the better-preserved and documentary blocks were recorded by means of drawing during the 2006 campaign.
Work on the spolia allowed the identification of a large number of worked blocks which almost certainly belonged to a monumental building, the existence of which was until now unknown. Most of these blocks came from the southern section of the late antique East City wall, into which additional comparable worked blocks are still built today. They consist of local limestone and were all heavily damaged before they were reused, in that a large part of their ornamentation was hacked off. The blocks probably originate from a peripteros of the Ionic order; the exterior faces of its cella walls were decorated with Corinthian half-columns and three-quarter columns. The dating of these elements is based purely on stylistic and structural-technical characteristics, which in the opinion of L. Cavalier suggest a date in the Hellenistic period. These observations, however, are only preliminary.

3) Investigations at the Sanctuary on the Yalakbaşı
Financial support for this project was provided by funds from the OEAI and from the German Archaeological Institute. The sanctuary, which was discovered in 1996 during the course of the Bonda-Survey, was investigated in the framework of the 2006 Limyra campaign by B. Stark and M. Wörrle.
The sanctuary of Yalakbaşı lies at an elevation of easily 300 m. above sea level, to the south and above the gorge which opens up in an east-west direction from Finike towards the Bonda region. A surface area of ca. 40 × 40 m. was investigated; within this region, an area covering approximately 17 × 25 m. was documented by means of a stone-by-stone plan, numerous detailed drawings of individual monuments, photographic recording, squeezes of the inscriptions, and a descriptive catalogue of the 55 artifacts found there.

The sanctuary, which on the basis of inscriptions was dedicated to a previously unknown divinity named Suraendis, was characterized by an ensemble of closely-spaced votive stelae, votive altars, and votive pillars; their dimensions extend from the 10 cm. of a miniature altar, up to the almost 2.3 m. of a monumental pillar. A number of monuments stood on foot-stool shaped socles, and carried dedicatory gifts made out of bronze. This must have been an open-air cult area. A dating is, however, possible in spite of the heavily weathered and scarcely legible inscriptions: they all point to a date in the mid-Imperial period, which however does not exclude an earlier origin.
The original structures of the precinct can only be hypothetically assessed: it is assumed that the ancient pathway led from east to west, climbing up along the south side of a terrace wall built of large blocks. On this terrace created to the north and higher than the pathway, stood the majority of the smaller votive objects, densely crowded around a small area in the form of an exedra. Both of the monumental pillars, on the other hand, must have belonged rather to a terraced area laid out to the south of the pathway and on approximately the same level.

Picture Captions
Fig. 1: Map of Lycia
Fig. 2: Limyra, complete plan (© OEAI)
Fig. 3: Metope from the Ptolemaion (© OEAI)
Fig. 4: Aerial photograph of the excavations (© OEAI)
Fig. 5: Aerial photograph of the excavations (© OEAI)
Fig. 6: Architrave (© ÖAI)
Fig. 7: Location of the Yalakbaşı (© OEAI)
Fig. 8: Votive stele (© OEAI)

Bibliography:
J. Borchhardt, Die Steine von Zemuri. Archäologische Forschungen an den verborgenen Wassern von Limyra (1993).
J. Borchhardt und Mitarbeiter, Grabungen und Forschungen in Limyra aus den Jahren 1984-1990, ÖJh 61, 1991/92, Beibl. 125-192.
Th. Marksteiner, Die befestigte Siedlung von Limyra, Forschungen in Limyra I (1997).
J. Borchhardt und Mitarbeiter, Grabungen und Forschungen in Limyra aus den Jahren 1991-1996, ÖJh 66, 1997, Beibl. 321-426.
J. Borchhardt, Der Fries vom Kenotaph für Gaius Caesar in Limyra (2002).
Vorberichte zu den Grabungen erscheinen jährlich in den Kazı Sonucları Toplantısı.

Contact:
Martin Seyer
Co-workers:
Andreas L. Konecny (Vienna)
Jörg Gebauer (Münster)
Joachim Gorecki (Frankfurt am Main)
Michael Wörrle (Munich)