Just a few kilometers away from Stratonicea was the ancient cult site of Lagina, one of the most important Carian sanctuaries. A 11 km long road called the Sacred Way (ceremonial road) connected the two sites. The establishment of the sanctuary at Lagina as a religious centre dates back to the Seleucids but evidence from the necropolis implies that the origins of the settlement go back to the 7th century BC.

Coordinates: 37° 22′ 42.83″ N, 28° 2′ 21.94″ E

Lagina

The deity worshipped at the sanctuary was the goddess Hecate. She was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was also associated with crossroads and entrance-ways. In statuary, Hecate was often depicted in triple form, either with three bodies or three heads. Numerous festivals were celebrated at the site during which a procession delivered the key of the temple from Lagina to the bouleuterion in Stratonicea on which the rules of the religious celebrations of Hecate were written.

The sculptural decorations that once adorned the temple are now on display in the Archaeology Museum in Istanbul. They covered all four sides of the building, with scenes representing the episodes from Zeus’ life circle, the battle of gods and giants (Gigantomachy), the mythical battle between the Ancient Greeks and the Amazons (Amazonomachy) as well as scenes from Carian mythology.