Caria

Caria was a region in western Anatolia, near the coast. It stretched from the middle of Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The people who lived there were called the Carians. They were described as people from the land near Anatolia. They called themselves Caria after their king's name.

Herodotus, a writer from long ago, said that the Carians were very good at seafaring. He also said they were related to the Mysians and the Lydians. The Carians spoke their own language, called Carian, which was related to Luwian. There were also people called the Leleges who might have been an older name for the Carians.

Municipalities of Caria

Cramer’s study of Carian towns uses ancient records. The many names of towns and natural features show different groups of people living in the area over time.

Coastal Caria

Coastal Caria starts at Didyma, just south of Miletus, though Miletus was part of pre-Ion Caria. Moving south, you find the Iassicus Sinus (Güllük Körfezi) and towns like Iassus and Bargylia. Nearby, Cindye was called Andanus by the Carians. Further along are Caryanda or Caryinda, and on the Bodrum Peninsula, Myndus.

At the tip of the Bodrum Peninsula is Termera, and across Ceramicus Sinus (Gökova Körfezi) lies Halicarnassus, a Dorian Greek city. It was built among six Carian towns: Theangela, Sibde, Medmasa, Euranium, Pedasa or Pedasum, and Telmissus. Together with Myndus and Syangela, these were known as the eight Lelege towns. Also along this coast are Ceramus and Bargasus.

South of Ceramicus Sinus is the Carian Chersonnese, or Triopium Promontory (Cape Krio), called Doris after the Dorian colony of Cnidus. At the base of the Datça Peninsula was Bybassus or Bybastus. South of this area is Doridis Sinus, the “Gulf of Doris” (Gulf of Symi), home to three bays and several small towns and islands, including Elaeus near Loryma.

The Rhodian Peraea is a stretch of coast controlled by Rhodes. It includes towns like Loryma, Amos, and Caunus. Some cities in this area, like Calynda, are sometimes considered part of Lycia and sometimes part of Caria.

Inland Caria

Inland from the coast near Latmus and Euromus is the district of Euromus, once known as Idrieus and Chrysaoris (Stratonicea). Its towns include Tauropolis, Plarasa, and Chrysaoris, later incorporated into Mylasa. Nearby are Labraunda and Sinuri. Other nearby towns are Lagina, Panamara, Tendeba, and Astragon.

Further inland toward Aydın are towns like Alabanda, known for its marble, Orthosia, and Alinda. The religious center Hyllarima lies to the east. At the meeting point of rivers are towns such as Harpasa and Antioch on the Maeander. In the mountains near the border with Phrygia is Gordiutichos, meaning “Gordius’ Fort,” close to Geyre. Originally called Ninoe, this place later became known as Megalopolis (“Big City”) and then Aphrodisias, which served as a capital of Caria at one time.

Other towns along rivers include Timeles and Plarasa. Tabae was sometimes considered part of Phrygia, Lydia, or Caria. Caria also included areas near the headwaters of the Indus and Eriya rivers, and Thabusion, close to the small state of Cibyra.

History

Caria was an ancient region along the western coast of Anatolia. It is often linked to a place called Karkiya from much older Hittite writings, but this connection is not certain.

During the Early Iron Age, Greek people settled in Caria. We know they were there because of special pottery and other signs of their culture that appeared around 1100 BC. The coastline of Caria was part of a group called the Doric hexapolis, which meant it included six important cities.

Later, Caria became part of the Persian Empire around 545 BC. Important towns included Halicarnassus, where leaders ruled. Caria joined a big rebellion against Persian rule from 499 to 493 BC. During a later Persian attack on Greece, Carian ships fought alongside the Persians.

After the Persian rule ended, Caria became part of the Athenian Delian League for a short time. Later, it fell under the control of the Macedonian Empire after the famous conqueror Alexander the Great took it over in 334 BC with help from a local queen named Ada, who wanted her throne back.

When the Roman Empire took control, Caria remained a recognized area. Over time, it became its own province. Christianity spread slowly to Caria, mainly taking hold in a few towns. In the following centuries, the region was taken over by Turkish groups and later became part of the Ottoman Empire.

In 2021, archaeologists found two ancient marble statues that were about 2,500 years old at a temple site in Euromus. One statue was bare, and the other wore leather armor and a short skirt, both holding a lion.

Bronze Age

Further information: Karkiya

Lydian province

The expansion of Lydia under Croesus (560-546 BC) briefly included Caria before it became part of the Persian Empire.

Persian satrapy

Further information: Lygdamid dynasty and Hecatomnids

Caria became a part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in 545 BC as a satrapy. Halicarnassus was the main city, ruled by leaders known as tyrants. Other important towns were Latmus, refounded as Heracleia under Latmus, Antiochia, Myndus, Laodicea, Alinda and Alabanda. Caria took part in the Ionian Revolt against Persian control between 499 and 493 BC.

During the Second Persian invasion of Greece (480-479 BC), Carian cities supported Xerxes I and fought in important battles. The Queen of Halicarnassus, Artemisia, led 70 Carian ships. Before these battles, a leader named Themistocles tried to convince the Carians to leave the Persian side, but they did not.

After the failed Persian attack on Greece in 479 BC, Carian cities joined the Athenian-led Delian League for a time but later returned to Persian rule for about a century. Under Persian control, a leader named Mausolus ruled nearby Lycia.

Halicarnassus was home to the famous Mausoleum built for Mausolus by his wife, Artemisia II of Caria. This grand tomb became known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the word "mausoleum" comes from his name.

Hellenistic period

The Carians became part of the Macedonian Empire after Alexander the Great conquered the area in 334 BC, following the Siege of Halicarnassus. Alexander was helped by Ada, a former queen of Caria who had been removed by the Persians. She welcomed Alexander and named him her heir.

Roman-Byzantine province

As the Roman Empire grew, Caria stayed a known region but was part of a larger area called the province of Asia. Later, during changes in the 4th century, Caria became its own province under the Diocese of Asia.

Christianity spread slowly in Caria. Important early Christian communities were in towns like Laodicea and Colossae. It was only after Christianity became the official religion of Constantinople that it gained more followers in Caria.

Dissolution under the Byzantine Empire and passage to Turkish rule

In the 7th century, the Byzantine Empire changed its government, and Caria was taken over by groups from Turkey, known as the Menteşe Dynasty, during the early 13th century.

Records from the Ottoman Empire show that most people in this area were from Turkey, with a small group of Carian people and a few Jewish families in a place called Milas. The Ottomans moved the main city from Milas to Muğla, which was better for controlling the area.

Archaeology