The Burdur Archaeological Museum holds material from a mountainous area
of southwest Turkey where Pisidians in antiquity mingled with Phrygians,
Lycians and other ancient peoples, coming to terms first with Greek and
then with Roman culture. This volume presents its rich holdings of
ancient inscriptions, ranging from Hellenistic royal letters and Roman
imperial regulations to the votive offerings and gravestones of rural
people. Larger cities such as Sagalassos and Kibyra are close to or just
beyond the boundaries of Burdur province. The Museum collection is
particularly strong in votive reliefs related to local rural cults; the
most prolific is that of a club-bearing rider variously named as
Herakles or Kakasbos, to which an extensive and penetrating excursus is
devoted. As well as inscribed texts relief iconography is presented and
discussed - indeed several items never carried an inscription. The
physical form of votives and gravestones is also fully described, with
more than 360 plates illustrating the range of monuments produced by
local masons. Of the 350 monuments collected here, over 150 have not
previously been published, and many of the rest have never been
illustrated, so that the volume presents a substantial body of new
evidence relating to the history, religion and culture of the area. All
texts are translated into English and Turkish.