Летон: Святилище Ликийской цивилизации в Турции

Lycian sanctuary settlement on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Letoon or Letoum (Letoon, Λητῷον) in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province, Turkey, was a sanctuary of Leto located south of the ancient city of Xanthos, to which it was closely associated, and along the Xanthos River. It was one of the most important religious centres in the region though never a fully occupied settlement. Letoon was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Letoon was the religious centre of Xanthos and the Lycian League. Inscriptions found at the site indicate that it was where Lycian rulers declared their decisions to the public. It was continuously occupied from the 8th century BC to the end of the Roman period of occupation. The site remained active through the Roman period. It was Christianised by the construction of an basilical church.

Archaeological finds at Letoon date to at least the 6th century BCE, and pre date the Greek cultural hegemony in Lycia. The sanctuary was connected to Xanthos by a road that led up from Patara to the south. The foundations of the three Hellenistic temples dedicated to Leto and her children have been excavated since 1962, under the successive direction of the French archaeologists Henri Metzger, Jacques Des Courtils and Emmanuel Laroche. Since then, excavations have uncovered most of the site's ruins, most of which are located under the water table of the River Xanthos. The temple of Leto was successfully reconstructed in its original setting between 2000 and 2007 using original pieces found during excavations carried out since 1950s. It contains regulations for the establishment of a cult at Letoom. The text has contributed greatly to a greater understanding of the Lycian language. The text is unusual, in that, unlike most Lycian texts, it does not consist of consists of epitaphs.