The Sunken Ruins of Kekova Island: Turkey’s Ancient Lycian Federation
Centuries before the Byzantines, Romans, or Ottomans ruled Turkey, a remote corner of the country was home to the world’s first democratic federation, the Lycians. The Lycians were a peaceful federation of city-states that dated back to around 2000 BCE and included the city of Simena, a bustling sea-trading hub. However, in the 2nd century…