The sanctuary at Lagina itself is much older than its links with the Hellenistic city of Stratonicea would suggest. Recent research indicates that the region has been continuously inhabited since the Early Bronze Age (3000 BCE).

The Seleucid kings merely expanded the local sanctuary and transformed it into one of the most important religious sites in Caria. At the same time, they founded the city of Stratonicea, located 8 kilometres as the crow flies to the south of Lagina, as the political centre of the region. Every year, the inhabitants of Stratonicea made pilgrimages to the Temple of Hecate in Lagina and the Temple of Zeus in Panamara.

The Temple of Hecate, the remains of which we can admire today, was built before the war with Eumenes III Aristonikos in 133 BCE. The temple is considered the last great monument of the so-called "Ionic Renaissance", which began in Caria ruled by the Hekatomnid dynasty. As part of this movement, monuments such as the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus were built.

In the Hellenistic period, Lagina came under the control of the Seleucid dynasty. The close links between Lagina and Stratonicea continued after the Romans gained control of Caria. In 188 BCE, the Treaty of Apamea gave control of Caria to the island of Rhodes, an ally of Rome during the Roman-Seleucid War. An inscription from this period shows that the chief priest of Hecate was also appointed local priest of the Rhodian sun god Helios by a decree issued at Stratonicea.

Lagina also flourished under the direct control of the Roman Empire. Emperor Augustus himself donated a significant sum to help rebuild the sanctuary after it was damaged by an attack by Quintus Labienus, a Parthian-backed rebel, in 40 BCE. This donation allowed for the construction of, among other things, a new altar.

Lagina continued to develop until the catastrophic earthquake of 365 BCE. After that date all the stoas fell into disuse and the central altar was badly damaged. Then, as a sign of the new, Christian times, a large basilica was built between the altar and the temple, which was used from the 4th to the 6th century CEE.

The goddess Hecate

The cult of Hecate had been surrounded by mystery even in the ancient times. Originally, she had not been included in Greek pantheon, e.g. Homer did not mention her at all in his epics. Most probably the cult of Hecate had its origins in Asia Minor, perhaps even in Caria, where Lagina is situated.

The earliest recorded reference to Hecate in Greek literature is the Theogony by Hesiod (8th century BC). This work is a poem that describes the origins of the universe and the genealogies of the Greek gods. Hesiod describes Hecate as a daughter of Perses and Asteria and, therefore, as the descendant of the Titans. As such, she does not belong to the twelve Olympian gods, but retains certain privileges and is offered new ones by Zeus.

Hecate image and characteristics changed in the antiquity. Her oldest personification had been associated with a friendly goddess, benevolent to people, granting them successes in sports events, fishing and animal husbandry.

However, with time, her essential features changed. Hecate started to be perceived as the protector of magic and sorcery and, as such, associated with the underworld. She became the source of magical rituals and the mother of first sorcerers. In this incarnation, she was also the patron of crossroads where her statues were erected. They presented Hecate as a woman with three heads or three torsos.