The Letoon, sometimes Latinized as Letoum, was a sanctuary of Leto located 4km south of the ancient city of Xanthos to which it was closely associated, and along the Xanthos River. It was one of the most important religious centres in the region though never a fully-occupied settlement.
Archaeological finds at the site date to the late sixth century BC. This was before the Greek cultural hegemony in Lycia, which began in the early fourth century. In earlier times, the site was probably already sacred to the cult of an earlier mother goddess — she is Eni Mahanahi in Lycia — which was superseded by the worship of Leto, joined by her twin offspring.
