[Ac 27:5 ], (Greek Lycia), the name of a mountainous but very fertile region in the southwest of Asia Minor by the Mediterranean Sea, opposite the island of Rhodes. Upon losing independence, the Lycians were incorporated into the Persian Empire, then into the empire of Alexander the Great and the Seleucids. In 188 BC, they were annexed to Rhodes, in 168 BC, they achieved self-governance, and in 43 AD, they became a Roman province with the capital city of Myra. Another city of this province was Patara [Ac 21:1 ], renowned for the worship of the Greek Apollo. Many Jews lived in Lycia.

Biblical Dictionary of Adolf Novotný