The Ancient Carian City is located east of Bodrum near the fishing village of Dalyan. From here boats carry visitors through the intricate passages and giant reeds of the Dalyan River, a marshy channel that empties into the sea at a large sandy beach. Near Dalyan a series of elaborate rock tombs can be seen cut into the faces of distant cliffs. One of these is unfinished, revealing which parts of the tomb faces were carved first.

 

Shards inside date these tombs to the 4th Century BC and some were reused by the Romans. The Ancient citizens of Caunus were known for their sickness and poor health. A harp player named Stratonicus, known for his sharp tongue, commented after a visit with the green-skinned residents that he now understood Homer's words that 'humans pass on like leaves'. When the Caunians demanded an apology Stratonicus replied, 'What! How could I dare to call a city unhealthy where even dead men walk the streets?'

Doctors at the time attributed the sickness to excessive fruit consumption, as the Ancient medical community considered fresh fruit unhealthy. They had yet to comprehend the potential danger of mosquito bites, and it is now assumed that malaria caused the city's health problems.

Despite its unhealthy reputation, Caunus went through a long series of different cultures. The extensive ruins include a huge Roman Bath, Persian City walks, a Carian fortress, a Greek theatre and a Byzantine basilica. As a member of the Delian confederacy it paid a tax of ten talents, higher than that of Ephesus.

 

 

The probable reason for Caunus' wealth was its highly profitable fishing industry. When fish swam up the channel to breed in fresh water they were easily trapped on their way back. The wooden structures stretching across the river today are used for the same purpose.

Also worth a visit are the hot sulfur springs, which boats often shop at on the way back from the ruins.