مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - The Cult of the Ancestral (Patroos) God Xanthos in Light of New Inscriptions

Abstract :

This article introduces four inscriptions carved on pedestals found in Xanthos which was the governmental and cult centre of Lycia together with Letoon during the antiquity. The statues were erected by different priests of Xanthos, the ancestral god in various times. The ancestral-god’s controversial-identity is also considered, and new aspects are brought to this topic. It is also thought necessary to reconsider the god’s place within the inscriptions and ancient sources. The ancestral god Xanthos was identified with the river Xanthos, which is known from the Iliad of Homeros, has a role in the myths of the goddess Leto. However, the ancestral god differs itself from the other river gods by having the epithet παθρῷος used generally for the chief god Apollo in Lycia. These inscriptions date from the Roman Period although it is thought that the cult of the ancestral god Xanthos had its origins in the Hellenistic period. In addition to these four inscriptions, five inscriptions mentioning the god Xanthos are known from the city. This situation reveals the significance of the longstanding worship to mentioned god.