Photo: Hilltop Lycian Necropolis

The Lycian people created many styles of tombs, one of which is shown here at Simena in Turkey along the Turquoise Coast. These chest-like tombs are common along this part of the Mediterranean and were probably used starting in the 4th century BCE. The Lycian League came together in the third century, BCE, and existed as an independent governing authority until it was annexed into the Roman Empire over three hundred years later where it remained largely autonomous due to its fierce sense of independence and geographic isolation. The framers of the United States Constitution noted that the Lycian federation was a model for the new form of government they created. Until the United States, the Lycian League had been the only government that had developed a system of popularly elected representatives in a two-chamber governing body with an elected, not hereditary, head of government. They developed a system of proportional representation to distribute power among its 23 differently-sized city-states