The Lydian kingdom in antiquity

The ancient Lydian kingdom was in the center of the western part of the peninsula of Asia Minor. At the turn of the II and I millennia it was part of another powerful state - Phrygia. After the weakening and decay of the latter, Lydia became an independent entity. Its capital was the city of Sardis, located on the bank of the Pactol River.

Economy

The prosperity of the economy of the Lydian kingdom was due to the developed agricultural economy. The rivers of Asia Minor fertilized its soil with mud and made it exceptionally fertile. On the slopes of the mountains, the inhabitants of the country bred a fig tree, grapes and other valuable crops. In the river valleys, the cultivation of grain flourished.

The geographical position of the Lydian kingdom was also favorable for cattle breeding and horse breeding, which were practiced on vast pastures. Another important sphere of the economy of the ancient state is metallurgy. In the mines of Asia Minor considerable reserves of silver, iron, zinc and copper were stored. The Pactol River was also called "gold-bearing" (valuable nuggets were found on its banks in abundance). Lydians were not just masters of the rich land. They learned how to extract gold from rocks and clean it with the help of the most developed at that time techniques and devices.

Trade and crafts

Lydians were able to make magnificent clothes, luxurious headdresses and shoes. Their ceramics were famous throughout the Mediterranean (in particular, facing tiles and painted vessels). Sardis produced strong bricks, the famous ocher and other colors of various colors.

Located at the junction of the ancient Eastern and Greek worlds, the Lydian kingdom led an active and profitable trade. His merchants were famous for their consistency, which was repeatedly mentioned by ancient writers. Lydia was visited by foreign traders-comfortable hotels were built for them. This country is traditionally considered the birthplace of the coin - a new convenient way of trading. Money was minted from all sorts of metals. For example, in the time of King Giges, coins from a natural alloy of silver and gold-electrum appeared. The monetary system of the Lydians spread to all neighboring countries. It was used even in the Greek cities of Ionia.

Society

The most influential layer of the Lydian society was the slaveholders, including the priestly and military elite, wealthy landowners, wealthy merchants. For example, Herodotus mentioned a certain aristocrat of the Pythia. He was so rich that he gave the Persian ruler Darius I a golden vine and a platanus. The same nobleman organized a splendid reception of Xerxes, who goes with the army to Greek policies.

The Lydian kingdom earned from taxes paid to the tsarist treasury and temples. They were paid mainly by shepherds, small landowners, artisans. At the bottom of the social ladder were slaves - privately owned, temple, etc.

Political system

Lydia was the classical monarchy of the Ancient World. The state was ruled by the tsar. He relied on the army and faithful bodyguards. In the Lydian army, chariots and cavalry were especially famous. Sometimes kings resorted to servants of mercenaries from among their neighbors: Ionians, Carians, Lycians. At first, the people's congress played an important role in the life of the country. However, over time, power centralized, and the kings ceased to pay attention to the opinion of society.

The Lydian kingdom in antiquity has not yet been rid of archaic social and political vestiges: customs of ancestors, division according to tribal traits, ancient patrimonial legal norms, etc. But even these shortcomings did not prevent the country from entering its golden age in the 7th-6th centuries BC . E. At that time the dynasty of the Mermnads ruled the kingdom. Its founder was Giguez. He ruled in the first half of the VII century. BC. E.

King Giguez

Giges came from a noble, but not royal dynasty. He seized power as a result of a successful palace coup. This king of the Lydian kingdom was the most powerful of all the rulers of the country: both his predecessors and his successors. Gigées annexed Mysia, Troas, and part of Caria and Phrygia to his power. Thanks to this, the Lydians began to control the access to important commercial sea routes and the Black Sea straits.

However, even the initial successes of Giges remained inadequate without further conquests. For the sake of trade development, the Lydian kingdom, whose history had been counted for several centuries, was to have access to the Aegean Sea. The first attempts to win in this direction the Greek policies of Smyrna and Miletus failed. But Giguez succeeded in subduing Magnesia and Colophon, which was part of the Ionian Union. Although the Lydian king fought with certain policies, he was not the enemy of all Greeks. It is known that Gigees sent generous offerings to Delphi, and also maintained friendly relations with the priests of the Hellenistic god Apollo.

Relations with Assyria

Western foreign policy of Lydia was successful. But in the east, her pursuit of failure. In this direction the country was threatened by the hordes of Cimmerians who lived in Cappadocia. Giguez unsuccessfully tried to subdue Cilicia and go to the shores of the eastern Mediterranean.

Realizing that alone with a formidable opponent can not cope, the king enlisted the support of Assyria. However, he soon changed his mind. Giges found new allies - Babylonia and Egypt. These states sought to get rid of the hegemony of neighboring Assyria. Lydia joined the coalition against the empire. The war, however, was lost. Cimmerians became allies of the Assyrians and attacked the possessions of Giges. In one of the battles he was killed. The nomads seized Sardis, the main city of the Lydian kingdom. The entire capital (except for the impregnable acropolis) was burnt. It was in this citadel that the successor of Gigos stayed - Ardis. Later he got rid of the Cimmerian threat. The price for security was high - Lydia became dependent on the powerful Assyria.

War with the Media

In the east, Ardis, in contrast to Gigos, conducted a cautious and balanced foreign policy. But he continued the offensive in the western direction. In the second half of the 7th century BC. E. Lidia fought with Miletus and Priene, but without success. Each time, Greek politicians managed to defend their independence.

In the meantime, the Assyrian empire fell under the pressure of its neighbors. The Lydian kings tried to use this to spread their power in the eastern provinces of Asia Minor. Here they have a new competitor - Media. The most bitter war between the two kingdoms occurred in 590-585. BC. E. The legend of the last battle of that campaign says that right at the time of the battle, a solar eclipse began. Both Lydians and Medes were superstitious people. They regarded the astronomical phenomenon as a bad sign and threw weapons in horror.

Soon, a peace treaty was concluded, restoring the status quo (the border between the two powers was the Galis River). The agreement was fixed by a dynastic marriage. The Median heir and future king Astyages married the princess Lydia. Around this time, the Cimmerians were finally expelled from Asia Minor.

The Fall of the Kingdom

Another period of prosperity and stability of Lydia fell on the reign of King Creus in 562-547. BC. E. He completed the work of his predecessors and subdued the Greek lands in the west of Asia Minor. However, by the end of the reign of this monarch, Lydia was on the way to the continued expansion of Persia. On the eve of an inevitable war with a formidable opponent, Croesus made an alliance with Athens, Sparta, Babylon and Egypt.

Believing in his strength, Croesus himself invaded the Cappadocia, which belonged to Persia. However, he failed to establish control over the province. The Lydians retreated and returned to their homeland. King of Persia Cyrus II the Great decided not to end the war, but he himself invaded the neighboring country. He captured Crease, and the capital of the Lydian kingdom fell, this time definitively.

In 547 BC. E. Lydia lost her independence and became part of the new Persian Empire. The former kingdom was declared a satrapy. The Lydian people gradually lost their identity and merged with other ethnic groups of Asia Minor.

Culture, art, religion

Lydian culture was one of the most advanced for its time. Its people have created their own alphabet. This writing had much in common with the Greek. Nevertheless, it was possible to decipher it only to archaeologists of the New Time.

Residents of Sard and other cities of the ancient kingdom loved military dances, military gymnastic games, as well as ball games, cubes and bones. Famous for Lydian music, including folklore songs, and Lydian instruments included cymbals tympanum, pipes, flutes, ratchets and multi-stringed lyres. For the ancient civilization this was a significant cultural progress. Lydians not only had knowledge of art, but also had outstanding doctors.

The rulers of the ancient kingdom were buried in tombs. At the same time, the art of building well-defended fortresses was developed. Residents of the country built entire reservoirs. Lydian art gave the then world of talented jewelers who worked with both precious metals and crystal. It was it that transmitted some of the traditions of the East to the Greek culture.

The Lydian pantheon consisted of many deities. Particularly revered were those who stood at the head of the cults of death and resurrection (Attis, Sandan, Sabazi). Believers held sacrifices in honor of them. The greatest popularity was enjoyed by the Great Mother, or the Mother of the Gods, with whom the cult of fertility and war was associated.