Lucien Inscription - Atlıkaya Relief
The Lucien Inscription and the Atlıkaya Relief are
historical artifacts and are located in the village of Fasıllar, in the
Beyşehir district of our province of Konya. It is one of the important historical
heritages in Konya.
Standing 100 m east of the Kurt Beşiği Monument, this is
about 10 m tall and famous for the horse relief on the rock face; it is
believed to be from the era of Roman Empire. According to the inscriptions it
eternalizes the memory of Lucian, who died quite young.
A ground with a width of 1.80 meters was created and a
relief of a horse was carved on it in the rock area. Next to the relief, an
area that is believed to be a tomb or monument with an arched structure and two
columns was constructed. The arch has the Greek word " Lucien "
inscribed on the top and the words "Iros progamiyc" inscribed on the
bottom. The distance from the relief to the tail of the horse is 1.65 meters,
the height of the front legs and neck is 1.90 meters, and the height of the
waist is 1.30 meters. The curled tail is approximately 1 meter long, and the
width of the horse's hoof is about 18 centimeters.
The horse depicted in the relief has a necklace on its
throat and a ship on the front part of the necklace. Its right front leg is in
a stepping position, and its mane is also depicted as wavy.
On the right side, slightly lower than the relief, there is
an inscription consisting of ten lines with dimensions of 0.85 to 0.95 meters.
This inscription, known as the Lucien Inscription, is written in Greek. In this
inscription, horse races to be held in honor of a cavalryman who died at a
young age before getting married are announced, and the rules that must be
followed in these races are also mentioned. It is believed that the monument
dates back to the period of the Roman Empire.
Regarding the artifacts in this region, in a statement made
by Prof. Dr. Hasan Bahar about the 2,000-Year-Old Horse Racing Rules
Inscription, he stated that this monument belongs to a Roman horse rider and
that the statue was made after the death of the rider named Lucien at a young
age.
The rock where the statue with the horse relief is located
is also called Atkaya by the local people. Prof. Dr. Hasan Bahar states that
the artifact dates back 2,000 years and that this place was a hippodrome where
racehorses were raised and raced, with Lucien being a racer himself. He also
mentions that javelin throwing and horse-riding activities were carried out in
the region. As we mentioned before, the inscription next to the relief sheds
light on the history of a horse racing rules inscription consisting of 10 lines
of rules.
The rules mentioned in this inscription convey the following
meanings:
If a horse wins first place in a race, it cannot participate
in other races.
The owner of a horse that wins first place in a race cannot
enter the competition again with another horse. The champion horse owner has no
right to a second participation.
When compared to the current rules, it can be seen that
2,000 years ago, emphasis was placed on sportsmanship and fairness rather than
just winning.