Location of Phrygia - traditional region (yellow) - expanded kingdom (orange line)

In antiquity, Phrygia (Greek: Φρυγία) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern day Turkey. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Phrygians (Phruges or Phryges) initially lived in the Southern Balkans; according to Herodotus under the name of Bryges(/Briges), changing it to "Phruges" after their final migration to Anatolia, via the Hellespont. Bryges or Briges ( Greek: Βρύγοι or Βρίγες is the historical name given to a Thracian people that dwelled in Ancient Macedonia north

During the floruit of the city-state of Troy a part of the Bryges emigrated to Anatolia as Trojan allies or under the protection of Troy. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Trojan language did not survive; consequently, its exact relationship to the Phrygian language and the affinity of Phrygian society to that of Troy remain open questions. The Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor. Similarly the date of migration and the relationship of the Phrygians to the Hittite empire are unknown. Hittites is the conventional English-language term for an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa A conventional date of c. 1200 BC often is used, at the very end of the empire. It is certain that Phrygia was constituted on Hittite land, and yet not at the very center of Hittite power in the big bend of the Halys river, where Ankara now is. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul.

Subsequently the state of Phrygia arose in the 8th century BC with capital at Gordium. The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. Gordium (Greek Gordion, Turkish Gordiyon) was the capital of ancient Phrygia. During this period the Phrygians extended eastward and encroached upon the kingdom of Urartu, the descendants of the Hurrians, a former rival of the Hittites. Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising The Hurrians (also Khurrites; cuneiform Ḫu-ur-ri 𒄷𒌨𒊑 were a people of the Ancient Near East, who lived in northern Mesopotamia

Meanwhile the Phrygian kingdom was overwhelmed by Iranian Cimmerian invaders c. See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E 690 BC, then briefly conquered by its neighbor Lydia, before it passed successively into the Persian Empire of Cyrus, the empire of Alexander and his successors, was taken by the Attalids of Pergamon, and eventually became part of the Roman Empire. Events and trends 699 BC — Khallushu succeeds Shuttir-Nakhkhunte as king of the Elamite Empire. Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' The Diadochi (plural of Latin Diadochus, from Greek Διάδοχοι, Diadokhoi, "successors" were the rival successors The Attalid dynasty was a Hellenistic dynasty that ruled the city of Pergamon after the death of Lysimachus, a general of Alexander the Great The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Phrygian language survived until about the 6th century AD, when it finally gave way to Greek. The Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

Geography

Homer

Phrygians are mentioned by Homer as dwelling in two regions of Anatolia:

• In Ascania, the region around Lake Ascania in Bithynia of northwest Anatolia. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Lake İznik (İznik Gölü is a Lake in the Bursa Province in Turkey. Description Several major cities sat on the fertile shores of the Propontis (which is now known as Sea of Marmara) Nicomedia, Chalcedon, Cius ^[1] The Trojan allies mentioned in the Catalog of Trojans are from there. The Trojan Battle Order or Trojan Catalogue is a section of the second book of the Iliad listing the allied contingents that fought for Troy ^[2]
• In the "swift-horsed" country of Phrygia, a land of "many fortresses", on the banks of the Sangarius (now Sakarya River), the third longest river in modern Turkey, which flows north and west to empty into the Black Sea. The Sakarya ( Greek Σαγγάριος, Latinized as Sangarius) is a River in Asia Minor. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey There Otreus is king. ^[3] Priam once was there on the occasion of the war of the Phrygians against the Amazons and reports seeing many horses and that the leaders of the Phrygians were Otreus and Mygdon. In Greek mythology, Priam ( Greek Πρίαμος Priamos) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical In Greek mythology, King Mygdon of Phrygia was a son of Acmon and father of Coroebus by his wife Anaximene ^[4] Priam's wife's brother, Asios, was the son of Dymas, a Phrygian. In Greek mythology, Asius refers to two people who fought during the Trojan War: Asius ( Asios) son of Hyrtacus was the leader In Greek mythology, Dymas is the name attributed to at least four individuals ^[5]

Other

Later, Phrygia was conceived as lying west of the Halys River (now Kızıl River) and east of Mysia and Lydia. Mysia (Μυσία was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia (part of modern Turkey) Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy

Culture

The Phrygian goddess Cybele with her attributes

It was the 'Great Mother', Cybele, as the Greeks and Romans knew her, who was originally worshiped in the mountains of Phrygia, where she was known as 'Mountain Mother'. A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak In her typical Phrygian form, she wears a long belted dress, a polos (a high cylindrical headdress), and a veil covering the whole body. The later version of Cybele was established by a pupil of Phidias, the sculptor Agoracritus, and became the image most widely adopted by Cybele's expanding following, both in the Aegean world and at Rome. Phidias (or Pheidias; in Ancient Greek,; c[[ 80 BC]] c 430 BC) son of Charmides was an ancient Greek Agoracritus ( Greek, fl late 5th century BC was a famous statuary and sculptor in Ancient Greece, born on the island of Paros, who Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 It shows her humanized though still enthroned, her hand resting on an attendant lion and the other holding the tympanon a circular frame drum, similar to a tambourine. Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles

The Phrygians also venerated Sabazios, the sky and father–god depicted on horseback. Sabazios is the nomadic horseman and sky father god of the Phrygians and Thracians. God, as a male Deity, contrasts with female deities or " goddesses " Although the Greeks associated Sabazios with Zeus, representations of him, even at Roman times, show him as a horseman god. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology His conflicts with the indigenous Mother Goddess, whose creature was the Lunar Bull, may be surmised in the way that Sabazios' horse places a hoof on the head of a bull, in a Roman relief at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Appearances of the Bull (also known as Taurus) in Mythology and worship are widespread in the ancient world Roman sculpture refers to the Sculpture of Ancient Rome. Roman sculpture often involved copying of Ancient Greek sculpture. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States attracting over one million visitors a year

Phrygian costumes

Phrygia developed an advanced Bronze Age culture. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The earliest traditions of Greek music of Greece, derived from Phrygia and transmitted through the Greek colonies in Anatolia, included the Phrygian mode, which was considered to be the warlike mode in ancient Greek music. The musical legacy of Greece is as diverse as its history. Cypriot music has certain similarities to traditional Greek Music, and their Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Phrygian mode can refer to two different Musical modes or Diatonic scales the ancient Greek Phrygian mode and the Mediaeval Phrygian mode Phrygian Midas, the king of the "golden touch", was tutored in music by Orpheus himself, according to the myth. In Greek mythology, Midas or King Midas (in Greek Μίδας is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into Gold Orpheus ( Greek: Ὀρφεύς ˈɔrfiəs ( OHR-fee-uhs) or /ˈɔrfjuːs/ ( OHR'-fews) in English is a figure from Greek mythology born in Another musical invention that came from Phrygia was the aulos, a reed instrument with two pipes. The aulos ( Greek αυλός, plural αυλοί, auloi or tibia ( Latin) was an ancient Greek musical instrument Marsyas, the satyr who first formed the instrument using the hollowed antler of a stag, was a Phrygian follower of Cybele. In Greek mythology, the Satyr Marsyas ( gr) appeared in two vignettes: in one he picked up the double flute ( Aulos In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most Deer species mostly worn by males only for some species such as Caribou by both A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. He unwisely competed in music with Olympian Apollo, and inevitably lost. The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον Whereupon Apollo flayed Marsyas alive and provocatively hung his skin on Cybele's own sacred tree, a pine. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation.

Phrygia retained a separate cultural identity. Classical Greek iconography identifies the Trojan Paris as non-Greek by his Phrygian cap, which was worn by Mithras and survived into modern imagery as the "Liberty cap" of the American and French revolutionaries. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or See List of King Priam's children Paris ( Greek:; also known as Alexander or Alexandros, c The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late The Phrygian cap is a soft red conical cap with the top pulled forward worn in antiquity by the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Phrygians spoke an Indo-European language. (See Phrygian language. The Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor. ) Although the Phrygians adopted the alphabet originated by the Phoenicians, and several dozen inscriptions in the Phrygian language have been found, they remain untranslated, and so much of what is thought to be known of Phrygia is second-hand information from Greek sources. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun

Mythic past

Mythic kings of Phrygia were alternately named Gordias and Midas. Gordias (or Gordius) was a royal name in the mythic prehistory of Phrygia. Some sources place Tantalus as a king in Phrygia. In Greek mythology Tantalus ( Greek Τάνταλος was a son of Zeus and the Nymph Plouto. Tantalus is endlessly punished in Tartarus because he killed his son Pelops and sacrificially offered him to the Olympians, a reference to the suppression of human sacrifice. In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place In Greek mythology, Pelops ( Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark and ops: face eye king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus was venerated Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing In the mythic age before the Trojan war, during a time of interregnum, Gordius (or 'Gordias'), a Phrygian farmer, became king, fulfilling an oracular prophecy. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity of a government organization or social order Gordias (or Gordius) was a royal name in the mythic prehistory of Phrygia. Prophecy, generally describes the disclosing of Information that is not known to the Prophet by any ordinary means The kingless Phrygians had turned for guidance to the oracle of Sabazios ("Zeus" to the Greeks) at Telmissus, in the part of Phrygia that later became part of Galatia. Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. They had been instructed by the oracle to acclaim as their king the first man who rode up to the god's temple in a cart. That man was Gordias (Gordios, Gordius), a farmer, who dedicated the ox-cart in question, tied to its shaft with the "Gordian Knot. The Gordian Knot is a Legend associated with Alexander the Great. " Gordias refounded a capital at Gordium in west central Anatolia, situated on the old trackway through the heart of Anatolia that became Darius' Persian "Royal Road" from Pessinus to Ancyra, and not far from the River Sangarius. Darius I the Great (c 549 BC&ndash486 BC 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 Dārayavahuš: "Possessing goodness" Having ascended to power amidst controversy and bloodshed thumb|Pessinus Area Sivrihisar Eskişehir Turkey Pessinus was the city in Anatolia, the Asian part of Turkey on the upper course of the river Sakarya Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul.

Myths surrounding the first king Midas connect him with Silenus and other satyrs and with Dionysus, who granted him the famous "golden touch. The Silenoi (Σειληνοί were followers of Dionysus. They were drunks and were usually bald and fat with thick lips and squat noses and had the legs of a human In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman " In another episode he judged a musical contest between Apollo, playing the lyre, and Pan, playing the rustic pan pipes. The lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later Pan ( Greek, Genitive) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks of mountain wilds hunting and rustic music paein means to pasture The pan flute or pan pipe (also known as panflute or panpipes) is an ancient Musical instrument based on the principle of the Closed Midas judged in favor of Pan, and Apollo awarded him the ears of an ass.

Man in Phrygian costume, Hellenistic period (3rd–1st century BC), Cyprus

The mythic Midas of Thrace, accompanied by a band of his people, travelled to Asia Minor to wash away the taint of his unwelcome "golden touch" in the river Pactolus. The Hellenistic period of European history was the period between the death of Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon in 323 BC and the annexation The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Pactolus (Sart Çayı is a river near the Aegean coast Turkey. Leaving the gold in the river's sands, Midas found himself in Phrygia, where he was adopted by the childless king Gordias and taken under the protection of Cybele. Acting as the visible representative of Cybele, and under her authority, it would seem, a Phrygian king could designate his successor.

According to the Iliad, the Phrygians were Trojan allies during the Trojan War. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her The Phrygia of Homer's Iliad appears to be located in the area that embraced the Ascanian lake and the northern flow of the Sangarius river, and so was much more limited in extent than classical Phrygia. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Homer's Iliad also includes a reminiscence by the Trojan king Priam, who had in his youth come to aid the Phrygians against the Amazons (Iliad 3. In Greek mythology, Priam ( Greek Πρίαμος Priamos) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient 189). During this episode (a generation before the Trojan War), the Phrygians were said to be led by Otreus and Mygdon. Mygdon may refer to Mygdon of Phrygia, in Greek mythology king who was an ally of King Priam of Troy Mygdon of Bebryces, in Greek mythology Both appear to be little more than eponyms: there was a place named Otrea on the Ascanian lake, in the vicinity of the later Nicaea; and the Mygdones were a people of Asia Minor, who resided near Lake Dascylitis (there was also a Mygdonia in Macedonia). Mygdonia was an ancient territory part of Ancient Thrace, later conquered by Macedon, which comprised the plains around Therma ( Thessalonica During the Trojan War, the Phrygians sent forces to aid Troy, led by Ascanius and Phorcys, the sons of Aretaon. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or In Greek and Roman mythology, Ascanius was the son of Aeneas and Creusa. In Greek mythology, Phorcys, or Phorkys (Φόρκυς was one of the names of the "Old Man One of the Sea" the primeval sea god, who according Asius, son of Dymas and brother of Hecabe, is another Phrygian noble who fought before Troy. In Greek mythology, Dymas is the name attributed to at least four individuals Quintus Smyrnaeus mentions another Phrygian prince, named Coroebus, son of Mygdon, who fought and died at Troy; he had sued for the hand of the Trojan princess Cassandra in marriage. Quintus Smyrnaeus (or Quintus of Smyrna, also known as Kointos of Smyrna) ( Κόιντος Σμυρναίος) was a Greek epic For the Olympic athlete see Coroebus of Elis. For the place see Koroivos. Mygdon may refer to Mygdon of Phrygia, in Greek mythology king who was an ally of King Priam of Troy Mygdon of Bebryces, in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Cassandra ( Greek: Κασσάνδρα "she who entangles men" (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King King Priam's wife Hecabe is usually said to be of Phrygian birth, as a daughter of King Dymas. This page is about the mythological figure for the Butterfly, see Morpho hecuba; for the Asteroid, see 108 Hecuba In Greek mythology, Dymas is the name attributed to at least four individuals

The Phrygian Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the Apollonian oracle at Phrygia. The word sibyl probably comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning Prophetess (Other schools of thought suggest that the word

According to Herodotus (Histories 2. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash 9), the Egyptian pharaoh Psammetichus II had two children raised in isolation in order to find the original language. The children were reported to have uttered bekos which is Phrygian for "bread", so Psammetichus admitted that the Phrygians were a nation older than the Egyptians.

Josephus claimed the Phrygians were founded by the biblical figure Togarmah grandson of Japheth and son of Gomer: "and Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were named Phrygians". Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Togarmah ( Armenian: Thorgom, Թորգոմ Georgian: Thargamos, თარგამოს third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth (ˈdʒeɪfɪθ Hebrew. יפת Greek Ιάφεθ, Iapheth, Latin Iafeth or Iapetus Arabic يافث Gomer ( גֹּמֶר, Standard Hebrew Gómer, Tiberian Hebrew Gōmer, go'mer) is the eldest son of Japheth, and father

History

Migration

Tomb at Midas City (6th century BC), near Eskişehir

After the collapse of the Hittite Empire at the beginning of the 12th century BC, the political vacuum in central/western Anatolia was filled by a wave of Indo-European migrants and "Sea Peoples", including the Phrygians, who established their kingdom, with a capital eventually at Gordium. In Greek mythology, Midas or King Midas (in Greek Μίδας is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into Gold Eskişehir ( eskē'shehēr, Eskişehir "Old City" Latin: Dorylaeum; Greek: Δορύλαιον Dorylaion) is a city Hittites is the conventional English-language term for an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa The Sea Peoples is the term used for a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, caused political Gordium (Greek Gordion, Turkish Gordiyon) was the capital of ancient Phrygia. It is still not known whether the Phrygians were actively involved in the collapse of the Hittite capital Hattusa, or whether they simply moved into the vacuum that followed the collapse of Hittite hegemony. Hattusa (URU Ḫa-at-tu-ša 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 Unicode cuneiform article to display these cuneiform characters--> The so called Handmade Knobbed Ware was found by archaeologists at sites from this period in Western Anatolia. According to Greek mythographers^[6], the first Phrygian Midas had been king of the Moschi (Mushki), also known as Bryges (Brigi) in the western part of archaic Thrace. In Greek mythology, Midas or King Midas (in Greek Μίδας is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into Gold Bryges or Briges ( Greek: Βρύγοι or Βρίγες is the historical name given to a Thracian people that dwelled in Ancient Macedonia north Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe

8th to 7th centuries

Detail from a reconstruction of a Phrygian building at Pararli,Turkey, 7th - 6th c. BC; Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul. A griffin, sphinx and two centaurs are shown.

Assyrian sources from the 8th century BC speak of a king Mita of the Mushki, identified with king Midas of Phrygia. The Mushki ( Muški) were an Iron Age people of Anatolia, known from Assyrian sources An Assyrian inscription records Mita as an ally of Sargon of Assyria in 709 BC. Sargon II ( Akkadian Šarru-kinu "legitimate king" reigned 722 – 705 BC was an Assyrian king A distinctive Phrygian pottery called Polished Ware appears in the 8th century BC. The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. The Phrygians founded a powerful kingdom which lasted until the Lydian ascendancy (7th century BC). Under kings alternately named Gordias and Midas, the independent Phrygian kingdom of the 8th and 7th centuries BC maintained close trade contacts with her neighbours in the east and the Greeks in the west. Phrygia seems to have been able to co-exist with whichever was the dominant power in eastern Anatolia at the time.

The invasion of Anatolia in the late 8th century BC to early 7th century BC by the Cimmerians was to prove fatal to independent Phrygia. See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E Cimmerian pressure and attacks culminated in the suicide of its last king, Midas, according to legend. Gordium fell to the Cimmerians in 696 BC and was sacked and burnt, as reported much later by Herodotus.

A series of digs have opened Gordium as one of Turkey's most revealing archeological sites. Excavations confirm a violent destruction of Gordion around 675 BC. A tomb of the Midas period, popularly identified as the "Tomb of Midas" revealed a wooden structure deeply buried under a vast tumulus, containing grave goods, coffin, furniture, food offerings, (Archaeological Museum, Ankara). The Gordium site contains a considerable later building program, perhaps by Alyattes, the Lydian king, in the 6th century BC.

Minor Phrygian kingdoms continued to exist after the end of the Phrygian empire, and the Phrygian art and culture continued to flourish. Cimmerian people stayed in Anatolia but do not appear to have created a kingdom of their own. The Lydians repulsed the Cimmerians in the 620s, and Phrygia was subsumed into a short-lived Lydian empire. The eastern part of the former Phrygian empire fell into the hands of the Medes in 585 BC. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran.

Croesus' Lydian Empire

Under the proverbially rich king Croesus, (r. 560–546 BC), Phrygia remained part of the Lydian empire that extended east to the Halys River. There may be an echo of strife with Lydia and perhaps a veiled reference to royal hostages, in the legend of the twice-unlucky Adrastus, the son of a king Gordias with the Queen, Eurynome. He accidentally killed his brother and exiled himself to Lydia, where King Croesus welcomed him. Once again, Adrastus accidentally killed Croesus' son and then committed suicide.

Persian Empire

Lydian Croesus was conquered by Cyrus in 546 BC, and Phrygia passed under Persian dominion. This article refers to the historical King of Lydia For the opera by Reinhard Keiser, see Croesus (opera. After Darius became Persian Emperor in 521 BC he remade the ancient trade route into the Persian "Royal Road" and instituted administrative reforms that included setting up satrapies. The capital of the Phrygian satrapy was established at Dascylion.

Under Persian rule, the Phrygians seem to have lost their intellectual acuity and independence. Phrygians became stereotyped among later Greeks and the Romans as passive and dull. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

Alexander and the successors

Alexander the Great passed through Gordium in 333 BC, famously severing the Gordian Knot in the temple of Sabazios "Zeus". Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Gordium (Greek Gordion, Turkish Gordiyon) was the capital of ancient Phrygia. The Gordian Knot is a Legend associated with Alexander the Great. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology The legend (possibly promulgated by Alexander's publicists) was that whoever untied the knot would be master of Asia. With Gordium sited on the Persian Royal Road that led through the heart of Anatolia, the prophecy had some geographical plausibility. The Persian Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius I of Achaemenid Empire in the 5th Century BC With Alexander, Phrygia became part of the wider Hellenistic world. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. After Alexander's death, his successors squabbled over Anatolian dominions.

Gauls overran the eastern part of Phrygia which became part of Galatia. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. The former capital of Gordium was captured and destroyed by the Gauls soon afterwards and disappeared from history. In imperial times only a small village existed on the site and, in 188 BC, the remnant of Phrygia came under control of Pergamon. In 133 BC, western Phrygia passed to Rome.

Rome

For purposes of provincial administration the Romans maintained a divided Phrygia, attaching the northeastern part to the province of Galatia and the western portion to the province of Asia. Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Phrygia ceased to exist on the map. The name Phrygia continued in intermittent use until the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.

See also

• Phrygian language
• Phrygian cap
• Paleo Balkan languages
• Bryges

References and notes

External links

• Phrygian Period in Anatolia
• 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica