The tombs are wholly cut into, or formed by cutting away, the rock, being left standing like works of sculpture. In the ruins there are many parallelisms to the Persepolitan, as may be seen in this entrance of a tomb.

The elegant designs evince the talent of the Greeks, and the highly poetical subjects of the bas-reliefs, the temples, friezes, and tombs, some of them blending in one figure the forms of many, probably to describe its attributes, are also of Greek character. The ruins are wholly of temples, tombs, triumphal arches, walls, and a theatre. The site is extremely romantic, upon beautiful hills; some crowned with rocks, others rising perpendicularly from the river, which is seen winding its way down from the woody uplands, while beyond in the extreme distance are the snowy mountains in which it rises. On the west the view is bounded by the picturesquely formed but bare range of Mount Cragus, and on the east by the mountain-chain extending to Patara. rich plain, with its meandering river, carries the eye to the horizon of the sea toward the south-west.

The city has not the appearance of having been very large, but its remains show that it was highly ornamented, particularly the tombs, two of which I have put in my sketch-book somewhat in detail, as well as some other sculptures. I did not find any well-formed Greek letters; in an inscription over a gateway, and on one or two architectural stones, the Greek alphabet was used, but not the pure letters. There is no trace of the Roman or the Christian age, and yet there are points, such as the costume in the bas-relief, the attitude and appearance of groups of figures, that reminded me of the times of the Crusades and of the Romans.

I have attempted a sketch of the most beautiful of the tombs, and I add the description by pen to make my drawing more intelligible*. It is a sarcophagus, formed of the scaglia of the country, standing on the side of a hill rich with wild shrubs, the distant mountains, of the silvery grey peculiar to marble rocks, forming the background. Being finely worked, the polish has greatly assisted in its preservation from * The plates are necessarily omitted from the abridged book, but this tomb is now in the Lycian Collection in the British Museum.

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the effect of the atmosphere. The roof is somewhat grey, and the fractures of the lower parts are tinged with the shade of red which this marble assumes after long exposure to the weather, and in places with yellow blended with brown. On the top, or hog's mane, is a hunting-scene; some figures are running, others are on horseback galloping, with spears in their hands and mantles blown by the wind, chasing the stag and wild-boar which has turned to attack its pursuer; the whole of the figures, although in a small frieze, are well formed and finished. On each of the sloping sides of the roof are two stones projecting about a foot, as found on all these tombs, but which upon this are carved into lions' heads crouching on their paws; upon one side of the roof is a group, in which a warrior, carrying a shield, is in the act of stepping into his chariot, which is of the early simple form, with wheels of four spokes only, and is driven by a man leaning forward, with his arms stretched out holding the reins and a whip or goad: four beautifully formed horses, prancing in various attitudes, are drawing the car. The chariot and horses appear sculptured on the other side of the roof, differing only in the attitudes of the figures. In the upper panels at the ends or gables are traces of small carved figures. On the side of the tomb under two lines of the peculiar characters of this city (perhaps Lycian) is a group of figures, which I will describe, beginning from the left-hand. A finely-formed figure in a simple robe, his hands folded before him, and with a head of bushy hair, stands, as if in attendance behind the chair or clawed seat of the principal figure, who, clothed in rich folded drapery, with short hair, sits in the attitude of a judge, with one arm somewhat raised; before him stand four figures the first is mutilated, but appears similar to the second, who has long bushy hair, confined round the head, and looking like a wig; his attitude is that of a counsellor pleading for the others; the loose robe falls gracefully

from one shoulder, and is thrown over, so as almost to conceal one arm; two other figures, differing only in having the hair shorter and the arms hanging down, stand apparently waiting the decision of the judge, and complete the well-formed group. At the end, on a larger scale, are two figures of warriors, clothed only with girdles of armour round their loins, and petticoats reaching nearly down to their knees, resembling the figures of the ancient Britons. The background on the same stone contains a long, but, from - mutilation, partially illegible inscription, which I did not attempt to copy. On the opposite end of the tomb are two other figures of the same size; one, clothed in a loose robe, stands in a commanding attitude fronting the spectator, with an arm raised over the head of a naked figure also standing. Were this marble found elsewhere, the group might be taken to represent the baptism of our Saviour, but the character of the figures does not support this idea, although the attitudes would be precisely correct for the ceremony.

On the other side, under a single line of inscription, is an animated battle-scene*: men on horses are fighting with

others on foot; all have helmets, and those on foot have shields; some fight naked, others with a loose shirt or blouse descending below the thighs, and confined by a belt round the waist. The horse of the principal figure is ornamented with a plume, and the rider has a kind of armour to protect his legs. The groups upon the two sides are three feet six inches high, by nine feet in length. I have not described. the architectural form, leaving that to be gathered from the sketch.

The hog's-mane does not at either end extend to the full length of the roof; and at each extremity of it is a niche

for attaching another stone. It is probable that there may have been at each end, when the tomb was perfect, some ornament, perhaps a helmet or figure of an animal, corresponding in character with the other subjects. It is not surprising that so beautiful a tomb should have been broken open in all parts; but as each chamber is now exposed, I trust that it may not receive further injury.

Upon another tomb, or high square pedestal, near the theatre at Xanthus, are some curious bas-reliefs, which, to assist the imperfect representation given by my drawing, I will describe. On the north and south sides are four figures of similar design; the head is that of a female with the Greek cap and hair, the breast is exposed, and the body, which terminates with the trunk, has wings and a tail like

*These sculptures are now in the Lycian Collection in the British Museum, and known as the "Harpy Tomb."