Turkey - Mausoleum and Sacred area of Hecatomnus

The Mausoleum of Hecatomnus is located on the East side of Hisarbaşı Hill in the Milas District of Muğla. In 1675/76 German scholar Jacob Spon visited Milas - which was known as “Mylasa” at the time and discovered the podium of the mausoleum and the Menandros Column. He included the engraving(s) of this column in the travelogue he published with his British colleague George Wheler following this initial visit to the site. The mausoleum has been studied by different scholars (1775: Richard Chandler; 1932: Alfred Laumonir; 1954: Prof. Dr. Aşkıdil Akarca; 1987: Assist. Prof. Walter Voigtlander, 1994-1995 Prof. Dr. Frank Rumscheid). Although the monument had been defined in various earlier studies as a “temple”, recent research has proven that it is a “mausoleum”, similar to the Mausoleum atHalicarnassus, Bodrum (Tomb of Mausoleums). In fact, scholars argue that the Mausoleum of Hecatomnus was a precedent in terms of its architectural form to similar monuments constructed in the later periods. With regard to its architectural features, it is possible to date the mausoleum to the early 4th century B.C. Considering the burial customs of the period when Hecatomnus was a satrap - burial of the founder and/or members of the dynasty within the city centre - and taking into account that Mylasa was still the capital, the mausoleum, could most certainly belong to Hecotomnus and his family. In addition, the bas-reliefs, on the sarcophagus, and the iconography of the wall paintings, support the argument that this mausoleum belonged to Hecatomnus.