Tepecik Settlement

Tepecik, located north of the city center of Patara and east of the ancient bay, is a strategic natural elevation with a height of 30 meters and an area of approximately 280×300 meters. This geographical location, which dominates the highway to the north and the inner harbor, allowed the region to be inhabited until 5000 years ago. However, in the 4th century BC, the upper plain of Tepecik was leveled and turned into a flat area for new buildings, and the early remains were largely destroyed.

The architectural remains at Tepecik indicate a continuous, albeit intermittent, settlement from the 6th century BC to the 5th century AD. In the 4th century BC, a garrison was established in Lycia by the Hecatomnid dynasty of Carian origin, which shared rule on behalf of the Persian Empire. The construction during this period was carried out by completely sweeping away the earlier structures.

In the 3rd century BC, Tepecik hosted a garrison of the Ptolemaic kingdom. During this period, defensive structures and dwellings were built, and in addition to military ammunition, ceramics, statuettes and weaving tools used in daily life were found. The garrison was probably damaged by the Rhodes earthquake of 227/26 BC and ceased to function after the reign of King Antiochus III of Syria in 197 BC.

In Late Antiquity, in the 5th-6th centuries AD, Tepecik was again used for defensive purposes. This system, consisting of three towers and connecting walls, was designed to protect the port and highway from threats from the north. The thin walls and small size of the towers suggest that this system was an outpost.

The finds at Tepecik provide important information about the architecture and daily life of the pre-Roman Lycian settlement. Ongoing excavations promise a more detailed understanding of the defensive systems of both these periods and Late Antiquity.