History
Origins, power, and change
Carians spoke an Anatolian language and inhabited the rugged southwest coast and interior. Greek settlements such as Halicarnassus and Cnidus interacted with Carian communities over centuries. After Persian conquest, local dynasts governed as satraps; in the fourth century BCE Mausolus shifted the capital to Halicarnassus and sponsored an ambitious hybrid court culture. His monumental tomb became one of the ancient wonders. Alexander took Halicarnassus in 334 BCE, after which Caria entered successive Hellenistic kingdoms while retaining strong local identities.
Myths from this region
Endymion, Selene
Endymion at Mount Latmus
Source: Pausanias V.1; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica IV
The beautiful shepherd or king Endymion sleeps eternally in a cave at Mount Latmus while the moon goddess Selene visits him.
Greek authors attached the tale to a Carian mountain and may preserve contact with local lunar cult, though any direct derivation remains uncertain.