Lydia

Related civilization: Archaic Greece.

Date: 700-500 b.c.e.

Locale: Western Asia Minor

Lydia

The kingdom of Lydia spread east from the Aegean Sea to the Hermus (Gediz) and Caÿster River Valleys in western Asia Minor (Anatolia). Its neighbors to the north, east, and south were Mysia, Phrygia, and Caria, respectively. Lydia was noted for the gold and silver deposits found in its rivers and its location on the trade routes between the coastal cities of Smyrna and Ephesus and the interior of Anatolia. Lydia’s civilization was shaped by Greek, Anatolian, and Persian cultures.

Lydia rose to power under the Mermnad, a family of rulers who reigned from the mid-600’s to 550 b.c.e. Their founder was Gyges, who ruled from about 640 to about 645 b.c.e. The kingdom reached its peak during the reign of Alyattes, who extended his rule into Ionia. Alyattes’ son, King Croesus (r. c. 560-546 b.c.e.) was to be the last Mermnad ruler. Croesus brought the Greek coastal cities (such as Miletus) under his control but maintained friendly relations with them by forming alliances with them. Croesus used his vast wealth to rebuild shrines at Ephesus and made pilgrimages to the famous Greek shrine at Delphi. At his royal capital of Sardis, Croesus impressed visitors with his hospitality and wealth. “To be as rich as Croesus” became a popular phrase in myth.

Croesus’s wealth was based on the electrum deposits found in the rivers that flowed through Lydia. Electrum is a natural alloy of gold and silver and can also contain copper, iron, and other metals. Around 635 b.c.e., the Lydians began to mint coins—they were the first people to do so—and used them in their trade with other peoples. Lydian coins, with their distinctive lion-bull image, became famous throughout the Greek world, and their invention was soon copied by Greek cities. The Lydians were a commercial people who traded with peoples on the coast and the interior. They were the first people to establish permanent retail shops in Sardis.

Militarily, the Lydians possessed a formidable cavalry and had knowledge of siege techniques. Both enabled them to hold sway over lesser powers. In addition, Sardis was a well-fortified city. Despite these advantages, the Lydians were unable to resist the might of the Persian Empire and its ruler, Cyrus the Great. The Persians swept over the Lydian kingdom in 546 b.c.e., occupied its capital of Sardis, and overthrew Croesus. The Lydian king had allied himself with Egypt and Syria in anticipation of a Persian advance. Sparta also promised military aid. However, Croesus’s plans were futile. According to historian Herodotus, the defeated Lydian king threw himself on a funeral pyre. The Persians eventually made Lydia an outpost of their empire. Although Lydia never regained its independence, the Lydians managed nevertheless to maintain their cultural identity. The Lydians spoke an Indo-European language, had an alphabet, and invented the so-called Lydian mode in music.

Persian dominance over Lydia ended with the arrival of Alexander the Great. Alexander swept into Lydia in 334 b.c.e. en route to his conquest of the Persian Empire and Asia. After Alexander’s death, Lydia became a province of the Seleucid Empire (from 280 b.c.e.), with Sardis as a royal capital. For a brief period, Lydia was absorbed by the kingdom of Pergamum. In 189 b.c.e., following the Roman defeat of the Seleucid ruler Antiochus the Great at the Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum, Lydia became part of the Roman Empire. It was part of the Roman province of Asia until Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305 c.e.) made it a separate province. In early Christian times, Sardis was one of the seven churches in Asia.

Bibliography

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