Gagae or Gagai ( grc, Γάγαι) was a town on the southeast coast of ancient Lycia, in what is now the province of Antalya, from which the ''Gagates lapis'' derived its name. The ruins are located in Kumluca district, Antalya Province, Turkey. Excavations in 2007 revealed an upper and lower

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

and evidence of Rhodian colonization. Several ancient authors ( Pliny the Elder, Pedanius Dioscorides,

Galenos Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one ...

, Oribasius and Aetios) mention "the stone of Gagates" (λίθος γαγάτης,

translit. Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

''líthos gagátis'') as being able to drive serpents away, diagnose epilepsy, calm the women down in their

hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...

s, evacuate worms, ease heart problems and heal the gynaecological diseases. It was also used in jewellery. The stone was found by the estuary of a river called Gages, near to Gagai, and named after the river. It is described as a modern jet stone, which fits perfectly with ancient descriptions. Although it is a form of

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

, containing

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

and petroleum, it is not used for heating. However, there has been no evidence concerning the location of Gages River and Gagates mine, though there are suggestions for Gages as it may be the ancient name of the Alakır Çay ("Alakir River") or Gavur Kayı. Onur, Fatih
Gagates: θαυμάσιος λίθος. Antikçağ’da Meşhur bir Taşın Kullanım Alanları ve Yataklarının Yeriyle İlgili Bir Değerlendirme
(abstract in English). ''Adalya - The Annual of the Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Center for Mediterranean Civilizations'' # XIV. Istanbul, January 2011, p 103-118.

References

Populated places in ancient Lycia Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Former populated places in Turkey Archaeological sites in Antalya Province Geography of Antalya Province Kumluca District {{Antalya-geo-stub