Archaeologists have uncovered a section of the long-sought Zeus Temple in the ancient city of Limyra, located in Antalya’s Finike district, southern Türkiye, nearly 40 years after its existence was first recorded in epigraphic sources.
The temple, whose exact location had remained a mystery since 1982, was first revealed during ongoing excavations at the water-rich archaeological site.
Limyra, one of the eastern cities of the Lycian civilization, lies at the foot of Toçak Mountain, approximately 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) northeast of Finike. The city served as the capital of Lycia during the reign of King Pericles and later became a prominent episcopal center in the Byzantine period. Known for its numerous rock tombs, Limyra is also notable for its city walls, the "Pericles Heroon" monumental tomb, a 6,000-seat theater, a Roman bath, the "Ptolemaion" monument, its main avenue and a funerary monument dedicated to Gaius Caesar.
Excavations at the site are ongoing under the coordination of Kudret Sezgin, head of the Limyra excavations, in collaboration with the Austrian Archaeological Institute.
Through recent work, researchers finally located the Zeus Temple, which had long been believed to exist in the western part of the city. A section of the temple was brought to light during the current excavations.
Sezgin, a faculty member in the Department of Archaeology at Hitit University, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that archaeological evidence indicates Limyra’s earliest urban development dates back to the classical period, approximately 2,400 years ago.
He noted that King Pericles oversaw significant construction activity in the city and that Limyra was included in the 2023 "Legacy for the Future” project. Sezgin explained that this year marked the first time their team conducted excavations at the site, leading to a major archaeological discovery.
"We have found the temple mentioned in epigraphic sources since 1982, but its location remained unknown for decades. Based on archaeological evidence, we determined that this is likely the Zeus Temple, built during the classical period. Written sources confirm that Zeus remained the city’s chief deity through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. We knew a temple existed, but we did not know where it was,” Sezgin said.
Discovery reshapes layout
The team uncovered the temple’s main entrance, referred to as the east facade and the anta walls that form a portico. "The temple’s front façade is 15 meters wide. During the Byzantine period, a city wall was constructed on top of it. The cella, or sacred chamber, now lies beneath an orange grove that was privately owned. We will continue excavations there once expropriation procedures are completed,” Sezgin explained.
Ceramic artifacts discovered at the site suggest that human settlement in Limyra dates back 5,000 years. The discovery has also prompted a reevaluation of the city’s urban development theories.
"For years, a monumental gate called the propylon was identified beneath the Roman Avenue. We now understand that this gate served as the entrance to the temple’s sacred precinct during the classical period. The wall previously thought to belong to the Hellenistic city fortification is now recognized as part of the temple’s protective enclosure,” Sezgin said.