Spring-cult in Lycia

Xlll Summary The present MA thesis, "Springcult in Lycia", focuses on religious activities based on Lycian springs within the instutional process in the history of religion of the region. Every aspect of the spring beliefs, from architecture to iconography, has been taken into consideration. An attempt has been made to classify the Lycian sacred springs and to identify the deities associated with each of them. We do not know how the Lycians initially identified springcult centres. The examination and identification of the sacred springs in Lycia was primarily based on ancient literary sources, epigraphic documents, numismatic evidence and archaeological remains. In order to understand the identification and function of Lycian sacred spring within their architectural context it is essential to know the meaning of the Hittite word D KASKAL.KUR (Under Ground Water Course) and the Greek word Kprjvrj /Krene (Sacred Spring, Fountain) Based on our results from fieldwork in Lycia we have identified eleven different sites [Cabene, Calbius, Cyaneai, Letoon, Limyra, Patara, Skaroi, Sura, Telandrus, Tuminehi ve Wiianavanta (= Oinoanda) that were possibly religious centres focused on springs. In the case of five of the above cult centres (Wiianavanta, Kalbiaos, Kabene, Skaroi, Limyra), the exact location could not be established. Another problem in our investigation is that apart from Sura and Tuminehi, all the cult centres like Cyaneai, Letoon, Oinoanda, and Patara/Telephus have either not been excavated or are very badly preserved, and due to this fact a sufficiently thorough analysis has not been possible. The conclusion of the present thesis is that in the territory of Lycia the belief in spring and characteristic of activities have contained native Anatolian elements. According to the archaeological remains and philological source of Cyaneai, Letoon, Patara and Tuminehi, these cult centres date back to sixth or fifth century B.C. We have established that the Lycian springcult closely related with the Bronze Age people of Lukka in Lycia.