The ancient Lydian kingdom was located in the center of the western part of the Asia Minor Peninsula . At the turn of the 2nd and 1st 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 banks of the Pactol River.
Economy
The prosperity of the economy of the Lydian kingdom was due to a developed agricultural economy. The rivers of Asia Minor fertilized its soil with silt and made it extremely fertile. On the slopes of the mountains, the inhabitants of the country planted fig trees, grapes and other valuable crops. In the river valleys, cereal cultivation flourished.
The geographical position of the Lydian kingdom was also favorable for cattle breeding and horse breeding, which were engaged in vast pastures. Another important area of the economy of the ancient state is metallurgy. Mines of Asia Minor held significant reserves of silver, iron, zinc and copper. The Paktol River was called “gold-bearing” at all (valuable nuggets came in abundance on its banks). The Lydians were not just masters of the rich land. They learned how to extract gold from rocks and clean it using the most advanced techniques and devices at that time.
Trade and crafts
The Lydians knew how to make magnificent clothes, luxurious hats and shoes. Their ceramics were famous throughout the Mediterranean (especially facing tiles and painted vessels). The Sardis produced strong bricks, the famous ocher and other paints 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 wealth, which was repeatedly mentioned by ancient writers. Foreign traders also came to Lydia - 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 a wide variety of metals. For example, during the time of King Giges, coins appeared from a natural alloy of silver and gold - electrum. The Lydian monetary system has spread to all neighboring countries. It was used even in the Greek cities of Ionia.
Society
The most influential layer of Lydian society was the slave owners, which included the priestly and military elite, wealthy landowners, wealthy merchants. For example, Herodotus mentioned a certain aristocrat of Pythia. He was so rich that he presented the Persian ruler Darius I with a golden vine and plane tree. The same nobleman organized the sumptuous reception of Xerxes, who was going with the army to the Greek policies.
The Lydian kingdom earned from taxes paid to the royal 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 a classical monarchy of the ancient world. The state was ruled by the king. He relied on the army and loyal bodyguards. In the Lydian army, chariots and cavalry were especially famous. Sometimes the kings resorted to the servants of the mercenaries from among the neighbors: the Ionians, Carians, Lycians. At first, an important role in the life of the country was played by the popular assembly. However, over time, power was centralized, and the kings ceased to pay attention to the opinion of society.
The ancient Lydian kingdom has not yet rid itself of archaic social and political remnants: the customs of their ancestors, tribal divisions, ancient tribal 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 this time, the dynasty of Mermadov ruled the kingdom. Its founder was Giges. He ruled in the first half of the 7th century. BC e.
King Giges
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. Giges annexed Misia, Troas, and also part of Caria and Phrygia to his power. Thanks to this, the Lydians began to control access to important trade sea routes and the Black Sea straits.
However, even Giges' initial successes remained inferior without further gains. For the sake of the development of trade, the Lydian kingdom, whose history has lasted several centuries, was supposed to get access to the Aegean Sea. The first attempts to conquer the Greek policies Smyrnu and Miletus in this direction failed. But Gigesus managed to subjugate Magnesia and Colophon, a member of the Ionian Union. Although the Lydian king fought with some policies, he was not an enemy of all Greeks. It is known that Giges sent generous offerings to Delphi, and also maintained friendly relations with the priests of the Hellenic god Apollo.
Relations with Assyria
Lydia's western foreign policy was successful. But in the east she was haunted by failure. In this direction, the country was threatened by hordes of Cimmerians living in Cappadocia. Giges tried unsuccessfully to subdue Cilicia and go to the shores of the eastern Mediterranean.
Realizing that he could not cope alone with a formidable enemy, 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. The Cimmerians became allies of the Assyrians and attacked the possessions of Giges. In one of the battles he was killed. Nomads captured Sardis, the main city of the Lydian kingdom. The entire capital (except the impregnable acropolis) was burned. It was in this citadel that the successor of Gigos, Ardis, sat out. Later he got rid of the Cimmerian threat. The price for security was high - Lydia became dependent on the powerful Assyria.
War with mussel
In the east, Ardis, unlike Gigos, conducted a cautious and balanced foreign policy. But he continued the offensive in a westerly direction. In the second half of the VII century BC. e. Lydia fought with Miletus and Priena, but to no avail. Each time, the Greek policies managed to defend their independence.
Meanwhile, the Assyrian Empire fell under pressure from its neighbors. The Lydian kings tried to take advantage of this to spread their power in the eastern provinces of Asia Minor. Here they have a new competitor - Mead. The most fierce war between the two kingdoms occurred in 590-585. BC e. The legend of the last battle of that campaign says that a solar eclipse began right during the battle. Both the Lydians and the Medes were superstitious people. They regarded the astronomical phenomenon as a bad sign and threw down their weapons in horror.
Soon a peace treaty was concluded, which restored the status quo (the Galis River became the border between the two powers). The agreement was secured by dynastic marriage. The Median heir and future king Astyages married Princess Lydia. Around the same 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 Croesus in 562-547. BC e. He completed the work of his predecessors and subjugated Greek lands in the west of Asia Minor. However, by the end of the reign of this monarch, Lydia was on the path to continuing the successful expansion of Persia. On the eve of the imminent war with a formidable enemy, Croesus entered into an alliance with Athens, Sparta, Babylon and Egypt.
Having believed in himself, Croesus himself invaded Cappadocia belonging 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 himself invaded a neighboring country. He captured Croesus, and the capital of the Lydian kingdom fell, this time for good.
In 547 BC e. Lydia lost independence and became part of the new Persian Empire. The former kingdom was declared satrapy. The Lydian people gradually lost their identity and merged with other ethnic groups in Asia Minor.
Culture, art, religion
Lydian culture was one of the most advanced of its time. Her people created their own alphabet. This writing had much in common with Greek. Nevertheless, only archaeologists of the New Age managed to decipher it.
Residents of Sard and other cities of the ancient kingdom loved military dances, military gymnastic games, as well as ball games, cubes and dice. Lydian music was famous, including folklore songs, and Lydian instruments included cymbals tympans, pipes, flutes, rattles and multi-stringed lyres. For ancient civilization, this was 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 talented jewelers who worked with both precious metals and crystal. It was she who transmitted some traditions of the East to Greek culture.
The Lydian pantheon consisted of many deities. Those who stood at the head of the cults of death and resurrection (Attis, Sandan, Sabaziy) were especially revered. Believers made sacrifices in honor of them. The Great Mother, or Mother of the Gods, with whom the cult of fertility and war was associated, was most popular.