Idyma (), or Idymus or Idymos (Ἴδυμος), was a coastal town of

ancient Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid- Ionia ( Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian mainlanders ...

, strategically placed at the head of a gulf, near the Idymos (Ἴδυμος) river. It is located in the modern town of Gökova. In 546 BCE, the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

armies under the command of Harpagos conquered the area, but the Carian customs and the religion remained unchanged. The

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

took over between 484 and 405 BCE and Idyma is mentioned in the tax lists for 453/2 BCE, the earliest written documentation of the city. The same reports mention a local sovereign by the name of Paktyes, whose descendants may have founded a dynasty which governed Idyma and to whose members the rock tombs could be attributable. The ''

phoros In Ancient Greece, phoros () was the name for the membership dues paid to Athens by the members of the Delian League, formed to offer protection from Persian forces. It could be paid in military equipment (such as triremes) or money, most usually t ...

'' (tribute) imposed by

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

on Idyma was 114 drachmae, 5 obol. Idyma produced its own coins, one side of which was marked with the name Idimion (ΙΔΥΜΙΟΝ), and the other side with the head of Pan, hinting at a shepherd's cult. From 167 BCE to at least the 2nd century CE, Idyma, together with the entire region south of modern Muğla was part of the

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

's mainland possessions (''

Peræa Rhodiorum The Rhodian Peraea or Peraia () was the name for the southern coast of the region of Caria in western Asia Minor during the 5th–1st centuries BC, when the area was controlled and colonized by the nearby island of Rhodes. Already in Classical ti ...

''). Its site is located near Kozlukuyu, Asiatic Turkey. It remains an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

today. The city walls in length and around fifty rock tombs are located along the steep climb (sea level to ) of Küçük Sakar. The

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

was explored by the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

archaeologist Louis Robert in 1937.

References

Populated places in ancient Caria Former populated places in Turkey Members of the Delian League History of Muğla Province Ula District Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey {{AncientCaria-geo-stub