Memory and Control: Mylasa and the Sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos

Mylasa is situated in inland Karia (Figure 3.1), a mountainous region known primarily for its hilltop settlements and sanctuaries until it underwent a wave of urbanization in the fourth century BC. The Hekatomnids, the local dynasty chosen to rule Karia as satraps under the Achaemenid empire, conducted an intensive reorganization of the region that included the foundation of cities and the monumentalization of key sanctuaries. Mylasa was home to the Hekatomnids and hence one of the first to benefit from their legacy. The polis remained a major center in the region for generations to come. With its rich sacred landscape, Mylasa provides an excellent starting point for this study. By the first century BC, Strabo writes of Mylasa and its sanctuaries: