Necropolis Myrensis
About
More than 100 rock-cut tombs honeycomb the cliffs above Myra, most carved in the 4th century BCE in the distinctive Lycian house-tomb style that mimics timber architecture in solid stone. Stonemasons reproduced beams, joists, and doors down to the smallest detail, and traces of the original red and blue paint still survive on several facades. The River Necropolis holds the famous Painted Tomb, decorated with life-sized carved figures on both its interior and exterior walls. Myra remained a major Lycian city throughout Roman rule of the province.
What happened here
The dead are outside the walls because the law requires it, so the approach to every town is lined with them. Tombs face the road in rows, grand ones in front and simpler markers behind, all of them addressed to the passer-by. Burial clubs let ordinary people and slaves pay a monthly subscription for a place in a communal vault and a decent funeral; the alternative is a pit. Families come out on anniversaries and at the February festival, eat at the graveside, and pour wine into a pipe set into the ground. Undertakers, stonecutters and letter-cutters work nearby and compete on price. Ground is bought by the foot, and the frontage on the road costs the most.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →