Lydia

Kingdom of Lydia
𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣
Sfard
1200–546 BC
Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC.
Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC.
CapitalSardis
Common languagesLydian
Religion
Lydian religion
GovernmentMonarchy
Kings[a] 
• 680–644 BC
Gyges
• 644–637 BC
Ardys
• 637–635 BC
Sadyattes
• 635–585 BC
Alyattes
• 585–546 BC
Croesus
Historical eraIron Age
1200 BC
670–630s BC
612–600 BC
590–585 BC
546 BC
CurrencyCroeseid
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Hittites
Phrygia
Cimmerians
Treri
Ionian League
Achaemenid Empire
The gymnasium complex of Sardis, the capital of Lydia

Lydia (Lydian: 𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣, Sfard; Ancient Greek: Λυδία, romanizedLȳdiā; Latin: Lȳdia) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish provinces of Uşak, Manisa and inland Izmir. The ethnic group inhabiting this kingdom are known as the Lydians, and their language, known as Lydian, was a member of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The capital of Lydia was Sardis.[1]

The Kingdom of Lydia existed from about 1200 BC to 546 BC. At its greatest extent, during the 7th century BC, it covered all of western Anatolia. In 546 BC, it became a province of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, known as the satrapy of Lydia or Sparda in Old Persian. In 133 BC, it became part of the Roman province of Asia.

Lydian coins, made of silver, are among the oldest in existence, dated to around the 7th century BC.[2][3]


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  1. ^ Rhodes, P.J. A History of the Classical Greek World 478–323 BC. 2nd edition. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, p. 6.
  2. ^ "Lydia" in Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford University Press, 2010. Oxford Reference Online. 14 October 2011.
  3. ^ "The origins of coinage". britishmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

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