HISTORY OF BODRUM (ANCİENT HALİCARNASUS)-6

Halicarnassus was never able to recuperate after Alexanders plunder.In 201 B.C. Plilip V of Macedonia for a short while occupied the city. In 196 B.C. Antiochus III of Syria attempted to take it back from the Ptolemies, but was prevented by the Allies of the latter, the Rehodians. With peace of Apemeia in 189 B.C. the Romans gave the sovereignty of Halicarnassus to Rhodes; but this was never fully put into practice.The city independence lasted until 129 B.C., when the Romans organized the province of Asia and include Cariain in it. Halicarnassus was plundered by the prite Verres in 80 B.C. and by 60 seems to have been a city of no economical importance, As the ‘’ tyrannicides’’ Brutus and Cassius had established their headquarters at Myndus near Halicarnassus, the city suffered great damage during the power struggle in Rome (43 B.C. ). Better times came however with the establishment of the empire under Augustus and Halicarnassus was once again prospreus. Several temples including the Mars temple, were built during this period. In 400 A.D. the Roman provinces were re-organized and Caria became a separate province. With the adoptian of Christianity as the offical religion Halicarnassus developed into a Diocese connected to the Archbishopric at Aphrodisias.

Although Halicarnassus had passed under Turkish rule in the last quarter of the 11. Century, Byzantium again controlled the region during the first crusade (1096-1099).The Deniz Gazi’s under the command of the Menteşe Bey captured the city and built a castle towards the middle of the 13. Century. The Anatolian unity was destroyed with the defeat of Yıldırım Beyazıt by Tamerlane at the battle of Ankara in 1402. Meanwhile, the Knights of St. John demanded land from Mehmet Çelebi, in compensation for their castle in İzmir which had been wrecked. The knights were given Halicarnassus, but had to figth against the Menteşe Bey who claimed the land for himself. Finnaly capturing the city, which they called Mesy, the knights started building their castle on the Dorian acrapolis where the pervious.Turkish castle was situated.With the conquest of Rhodes in Junuary 5th 1523 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Bodrum once again became a part of the Ottoman empire. In 1770 the Rusia novy shelled the town, and in the Greek revolt of 1824 it was used by the Turks a military base. During the first World War the French battleship’’Dublex’’shelled Bodrum and tride to make a landing, this attemp, however, was a failture because of the resistantce of the inhabitants.The war ended with the Ottoman empire on the losingside ,and Bodrum was occupied by Italian forces in 11 May 1919.The Italians used the castle as their headquarters and tried to establish good relations with the inhabitants.When it became obvious that the war of indenpence led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk would be won by the Turks,the Italians left Bodrum and the region of Muğla.

Bodrum, today , is one of the flourishing holiday towns of the Turkish Republic.

HISTORY OF BODRUM (ANCİENT HALİCARNASUS)-4

The first satrap whose name we know was Hyssaldomus from Mylasa. He was succeesed by his son Hecatomnos in 387 B.C. Hecatomnos had three sons (Maussollos, Idrieus, Pixodarus) and two daugthers (Artemisia II;Ada), In 377 B.C. Hecatomnos died and his son Maussollos became the satrap of Caria.As in the times of the Lydamis dynasty, Maussollos transfered the capital back to Halicarnassus and rebuilt it on a much grander scale.Easy to defend and situated in a place favourable to naviagation and commerce. Halicarnassus quickly prospered. During the reing of Mussollos the inhabitants of the six neighbouring Lelegian cities were forced to live in Halicarnassus. An ambitious man, he conquered the islands of Cos and Rhodes, and Halicarnassus rebuilt by the most famous architects and sculptors of the age.The money necessary for this was supplied from the heavy taxes he livied. In his reign even long hair was taxed.

Maussollos died in 353 B.C., after reigning over Caria from twentyfour years.The rule of the satrapy passed to Artemisia, his elder sister and wife (with the exception of Egyptian Pharaohs and Polynesian of Egyptian Pharaohs and Polynesian kings, marriage between brothers and sister is never seen in the ruling families of the world. These, considering themselves far superior to the rest of the population did not want to mix; they therefore started to marry within the family).Artemisia II ruled for a very short period of two years, but made herself famous in two notable respects. The first was that she contiuned the construction of the superbtomb, the Maussolleion, which had started in her husband’s time. Artemisia’s other the claim to fame was the re-conquest of Rehodes.

The Rehodians, considering it an indignity to be ruled by a woman prepared a fleet and attacke Halicarnassus.Artemisia being informed of the Rhodians intentions, hid her fleet in the secret harbour.

HISTORY OF BODRUM (ANCİENT HALİCARNASUS)-3

After the conquest to Sardis by the Persian king Cyrus, the western Anatolian cities fell rapidly under Persian rule. In the cities they conquered the persians put the power dynasties who would rule in their interest.

During Xerxes’ campaing againts the Greeks (around 480 B.C.), the daughter of the tyrant Lygdamis, Artemisia I was the ruler of Halicarnassus. Herodotus has provided as with much information on Artemisia. He writes that she joined with the Persiansto fights againts the Greeks, and, also ruled over the islands of Cos, Nisyros and Calydnos. At Salamis she advised Xerxes not to risk a naval battle with the Greeks.However as the king had follewed the wish of the majority, she joined the battle in person and fought with so much prowes at the king exclaimed ’’My man have shown themselves women and my women men’’. Heredotus has not writen the name of her housband, but she must surely have taken over the rule after his death.

Following Artemisia’s death, first her son Psyindalis and later her grandson Lygdamis II became tyrants of Halicarnassus. Psyindalis who had a weak character did not archieve anything of much importance. Lygdamis II, on the other hand, exerted a despotic rule. It is said that Herodotus, forced to leave his native city because of Lygdamis’ cruelty, later returned and helped to the overthrow of the dynasty. Political strife, however, made him leave the city once again.

Halicarnassus took part in the lonian revolution, and around 486 B.C. joined the Attica-Delos Confederacy. The revenues it paid to the conferadetion were less than those paid by the cities of Termara and Pedasa.This is a evidence that Halicarnassus was a comparatively small city about middle of the V. Century B.C. In 404 B.C. Sparta put end to the confederation, and Halicarnassus for a while might have enjoyed democratic rule. In the beginnig of the IV. Century B.C. the Persians were again in power. With the treaty between Athens and Persia known as the ‘’king’s Peace’’, the cities of Asia went under totel Persian control.The Persians, once more, divied Anatolia into regions called satrapies. The rule of the Carian region was given to the Hekatomnos dynasty settled in Mylasa.