A joint international team of archaeologists has unearthed a 4th-century BCE sanctuary in the ancient Lycian city of Tlos, now located in modern-day Turkey. Dubbed the 'Temple of the Sacred Ibex', the structure was dedicated to a localized mountain deity associated with fertility and high-altitude wildlife. The most striking find within the inner sanctum was a pair of solid gold ibex horns, meticulously crafted and placed upon a limestone altar as a votive offering.
The temple's architecture deviates from the standard Greek-influenced Lycian style, utilizing an asymmetrical courtyard designed to capture the first rays of the spring equinox. Excavators also found a series of inscribed lead tablets containing prayers written in the Lycian script, which detail the specific seasonal rituals performed at the site. These artifacts provide rare linguistic evidence of non-Hellenized religious practices in the region during the late Classical period.