The Ancient City of Kadyanda was the site of Brutal Pankration Competitions

Surface surveys conducted in the ancient city of Kadyanda, situated at an altitude of 1 kilometer above sea level in the Yeşilüzümlü neighborhood of Fethiye district in Muğla, Turkey, have revealed that pankration competitions, one of the ruthless sports of the ancient era, were held in this mountain city of Northern Lycia in the 2nd century AD. Prof. Dr. Fatih Onur, who continues surface research with his team in the 15-hectare area of the ancient city, stated that 30 new inscriptions were found during the 2024 studies.

Noting that despite the dense remains in the ancient city of Kadyanda, sufficient research has not been conducted apart from rescue excavations carried out under the leadership of the Fethiye Museum, Prof. Dr. Onur said, “For this reason, we decided to conduct a surface survey in the ancient city.” Emphasizing that the ancient city is a mountain city, Prof. Dr. Onur stated, “It is a city overlooking Fethiye from above, dominating the Port of Fethiye. It is located in a position to control all roads that could go north from the Port of Fethiye. In this respect, it is one of the cities that we can call a very important junction from the classical period onwards.”

Stating that a German team had previously conducted limited research in the ancient city, Prof. Dr. Onur said that there are currently approximately 105 inscriptions in the city and that the more than 30 new inscriptions contain important information. Emphasizing that their expectation from these inscriptions is to understand the position of the city before the Roman period, Prof. Dr. Fatih Onur said that they have not obtained enough data related to this. However, he explained that in their work, they identified a remarkable situation regarding the magnificent period of the city just before it was abandoned: “We have identified an interesting situation. We saw that the city was a center for sports activities in the second century. In fact, we know that there were sports activities in other cities in general during these centuries, but it was interesting that these sports activities were carried out intensively in a city located at a very high altitude.”

“We Encountered This Sport for the First Time in an Inscription in the City”

Stating that this sport is mentioned in only a few ancient cities in the region, Prof. Dr. Onur continued: “In the Ancient City of Kadyanda, wrestling as well as pankration are mentioned directly on the pedestal of the statue of the person who organized these competitions. This person organizes all these competitions. Moreover, he spent his own money for these competitions to take place. The inscription mentions the construction of the city’s old gymnasium building. In other words, he is reactivating the old one.”

Prof. Dr. Onur explained that the construction of the gymnasium was carried out through the Council of Elders, competitions were held, and prizes were awarded. He added, “While learning about the activities in this city from the inscription, we also learn that there was a very old but inactive gymnasium that needed repair. Since this person called it old in his time, we estimate that the concept of old could go back to the Hellenistic period. This also helps us to understand the buildings of the city.”

Emphasizing that pankration competitions, like wrestling, known as “Sacred Games,” were not organized solely for entertainment, Prof. Dr. Fatih Onur drew attention to the general economic instability in the empire during that period. Prof. Dr. Onur said, “These types of competitions were organized to overcome these [instabilities]. That is, both to provide morale and economic circulation. Because people from the region come and go to the competitions. Therefore, the economy in the city revives. The competitions pass like a festival that also includes the economy. This is a system that ensures regional circulation and the movement of people.”

The City Was Abandoned

Explaining that the most striking aspect of the city is its abandonment, Prof. Dr. Onur said, “When we look at the structures within the city, we always see Roman period structures. In the periods after the Roman period, we did not encounter a church, not even a trace of Christianity in the city. This is actually not a very common situation.”

Noting that the organized competitions were probably the last glorious days of the city, Prof. Dr. Onur said: “This city was abandoned without even seeing Christianity. The most reasonable option among the reasons for this is the deterioration of the city’s water system, that is, the cistern system, which could be due to an earthquake. They cannot rebuild this system, it is very difficult. Because it is quite a laborious task. Moreover, especially in that period, people started to move down to the plains. They probably left the city and continued their lives somewhere down below.”