﻿LTDD. 



LYDIA. 



6(0 



Sererml gateways with Ibeir pand roada *tiU exiit. In the walk of 

 the •croiwlis mtnj beautifully Mulpturcd marbles are used M 

 materials. Fellowe* thinks that tho oldest of tho rciilptures of 

 Xanthns belong to the 6th or 7th oentunr B.c, The tombs, many of 

 which he examined, extend over seTcral miles of country. In the 

 Xanthian room in the British Museum ore fragments also, and casts 

 of some of the marbles of Xanthus, and also those of Tlos, Telmeasus, 

 Pinarm, Hyra, and Cadnnda. 



Farther up the Xanthos in the interior was Tlos, where Pinara is 

 marked on moat ma{», and where Fellowea discovered a highly- 

 finished theatre, and other interesting ruins and rock-tombs. To the 

 east, along the coast, were Myra (mcutioned in the Acta, xxviL 5, as 

 a sea-port, but placed in most maps in the interior), Limyra, and 

 Olympus. Between Uyra and Olympus was the sacred promontory, 

 stretching out a considerable distance into the sea, off which were 

 the Chelidonian Islands. On the borders of Pamphylin was the 

 important town of Phoselis, founded by the Dorians. (Herodot. ii. 

 178.) It had three harbours (Strabo, vol. iii., p. 217), and was one of 

 the most flourishing commercial cities on the southern coast of Asia 

 Minor. It was one of the principal resorts of the Cilician pirates in 

 the later times of the lioman republic, and was destroyed for this 

 reason by Paulus SerrUius. (Cic., ' Verr.,* vi. 10.) It was afterwards 

 rebuilt, and is mentioned by Lucan (viii 251) ; but it never recovered 

 its former importance. 



According to Fellowes, Lycia is now well inhabited, chiefly by Turks, 

 many of whom lead a life half settled and half nomadic. Trade is 

 carried on by Armenians and Greeks who live in the const-towns, and 

 form the greater portion of the population of the inland town of 

 Almali, which is the largest in Lycia, the population being about 

 25,000. Many of the Turks wander with their herds ou the high 

 plateaus, like the Turkomans. Alon;; the coast of Lycia, as well as 

 the adjoining provinces of Caria and Pamphylia, there live a number 

 of Arabs (Syrians 1), who are generally seamen, and seem to have 

 settled there many centuries ago. Among the wild animals the 

 'kipUn' (which term is here applied to the leopard), and the 'arsWn,' 

 or lion (perhaps the panther), commit great depredations among the 

 herds ; great numbers of them are annually killed, and a reward of 

 from 100 to 200 piasters is given by the government for each arslitn. 

 They are very frequent in the district of Sidyma, on the coast. The 

 ox is precisely the same as represented on the ancient coins and monu- 

 ments of Lycia ; but there is also a species of dwarf ox, of the size 

 of a large dog, though more stoutly built There are great numbers 

 of bufialoes and cameU. The breeding of horses is carried on to a 

 great extent, and herds of many hundreds are often seen grazing 

 together in the valleys. The only kind is that of which such spirited 

 repreaentatioDs are seen in the ancient marbles ; the head is of Arabic 

 cast, the chest is very large, the feet are remarkably flne and thin, ond 

 the ears are small, as in the antique. They are not shod. The rivers 

 and lakca abound with large tortoises, and on their banks the trees 

 swarm with the green climbing frog. No part of Asia Minor contains 

 such splendid vaLeys as those of the Xaothus and the Dolomon Chdi. 

 Myrtle, oleander, and pomegranates cover the banks of the rivers ; 

 th* plains along the rivers are well cultivated, and in many places the 

 fields are inclosed by fences of myrtle and the small prickly oak, 

 mixed with the orange, the wild olive, the pomegranate, the oleander, 

 the elegant green storax, which are most beautifully matted together 

 by vine, clematis, and many other climbers. Fruit-trees are planted 

 in inclosurea. The hills are covered with large oaks and planes, which 

 supply excellent timber, of which however only small quantities are 

 shipped from the coast-towns. The oak (Qmereut ayUopt) is a source 

 of wealth from its acorns, the ' valonea ' of the Smyrna merchants, 

 which is used in tanning leather, and gives it that agreeable smell 

 which places the Turkish leather even above the Russian 'juchV A 

 sort of horae-radish is used as food, and as a substitute for soap. In 

 proportion aa the traveller approaches the high upland plains the 

 tender fruit-trees, aa well as the olive, the aloes, and other southern 

 plants, disappear, and are repUced by the walnut, apple, and pear 

 tnea. The high plain round Almali, which is 4000 feet above the sea, 

 is coe of the largest and beat cultivated com tracts in Asia Minor; 

 ™ chief produce is barley, which is the common food for horses. 

 Maise is chiefly raised in the valleys and on the coast 



(Fellowea, An AcctMnt of DitcoterUi in Lycia — a Journal written 

 during an Ji.rcurtion in Atia Minor.) 



LYDU. [KKS.T.J 



LYDFOUD, or LIDFORD. Devosskirk.] 



LY'DIA (Avtia), a country of Asia Minor. It is difiBouIt to 

 datarmine iU exact boundariea, aa they differed at various times ; but 

 nnder the Roman empuv it waa bounded S. by Caria, from which it 

 waa separated br tha rivar Msander ; N. by a range of mountains 

 S'T^T,^.^ tha name of Sardene, which divided it from Mysia; 

 E. by I^rygto; iod W. bj tha ^GgMn, though the timet of country 

 along the coaat waa more commonly known by the name of Ionia. 

 ^7"*'^?^ intarMcted by mountain ranges running from east to west, 

 of which the principal, called HiSssogis by Strabo, is a bnmoh of 

 Tannis. and forms the northern boundary of the valley of the Mioan- 

 der. Another chain of mountains, known to the ancients under the 

 name of Tmolns, which appears to detach itself from the M^awgis 

 near the borden of Phrygin, rum parallel to the Mdsaogis through iLe 



centre of Lydia, and terminates on the western coast opposite the 

 island of C'hios. A branch of Tmoliis, called Sipylus, stratches mora 

 to tho north-west towards the towns of Cuma and Phocow. The 

 chain of mountains which separates Mysia from Lydia appean to b« a 

 continuation of the northern range known in Bithynia by the name of 

 Olympus, and in Mysia by that of Ida and Temnon. Lydia is thus 

 divided into two principal valleys : the southern, between M^aaogia 

 and Tmolus, through which the Caystrus flows, is of modoste extant; 

 but the northern, between Tmolus and Saidene, watered by the 

 Hermus, and its tributaries tho llyllus, Pactolus, oiid Coganus, forms 

 a considerable plain. The fertility of Lydia, and the salubrity of the 

 climate, are frequently mentioned by ancient writers; and this account 

 is confirmed by the reports of modem travellers. ChishuU speaks 

 of the country between Tmolus and Mteogis as a " region inexpressibly 

 delicious." 



The origin of the Lydian people is uncertain. Some writers, and 

 among others Josepbus (' Antiquit,' i. 6, 4), have imagined that they 

 ore mentioned in the book of Genesis (x. 22) under the name of Lud, 

 in which passage they are described aa descendants of Shem. Homer 

 does not appear to have known the name of Lydia, but always calls 

 the people Mseones. According to most ancient writers, the people 

 were originally called Mieones, and obtained the name of Lydians 

 from Lydus, the son of Atys, who is mentioned by tradition as the 

 first king of the country. (Herod., i. 7 ; Diod. Sic, iv. ; Pliny 

 ' y. H.,' V. SO.) Later writers make a distinction between M.-coniaus 

 and Lydians, and represent the former as dwelling on the north-east 

 of Tmolus, near the river Hyllus, and the Lydinn.s as inhabiting the 

 southern part of the country. According to Herodotus, tho Lydians 

 were of a common origin with the Cariuus and Mysions (i. 171). 



The early history of Lydia ia related by Herodotus, who informs 

 us that three dynasties ruled in Lydia : the Atyadao from the earliest 

 times to B.C. 1221 ; the HeracUdai from B.C. 1221 to 716; and the 

 Mermnada: from B.C. 716 to 666. The proper history of Lydia can 

 be said to begin only with the lost of these dynasties ; since the two 

 first are almost entirely fabulous. The following is a list of the 

 Hermnadss princes ; — 1. Gyges, who obtained the throni: by tho 

 murder of Candaules, the last of the Ileraclidse monarcba, reigned 

 from B.C. 716 to 678. 2. Ardys, from B.c. 678 to 629. 8. Sadyatte-, from 

 B.C. 629 to 617. 4. Alyattes, from ac.617 to 560. 6. Croejus, from 

 B.C. 560 to 556, though be was probably associated in the sovereignty 

 during the lifetime of his father. These monarchs were engaged in 

 almost uninterrupted wars with the Greek cities on the coast ; but tha 

 empire steadily increased in wealth and power. It obtained ita 

 greatest prosperity during the reign of Crccsus, who subdued all the 

 people of Asia Minor west of the river Halys, with the exception of 

 the Cilicians and Lycians. (Herodot, i. 2S.) But this empire, the 

 most powerful at that time in Western Asia, was overthrown by Cyrus 

 (b.c. 656) ; and the country became a Persian province. Herodotus 

 informs us that no nation in Asia was more warlike than the Lydians 

 (i. 79) ; till, through the advice of Croisus, they were deprived of their 

 arms by Cyrus, and obliged to leam music and dancing (i. ISi). After 

 Alexander's conquests, Lydia, with the rest of Western Asia, formed 

 part of the empire of the SeJeucida: : and on the conquest of Antio- 

 chus by the liomana {B.C. 189) it was given to Eumencs, king of 

 Pergamus, as a reward for the assistance he had afibrded tiiem in 

 their war against the Syrian monarch. (Livy, xxxviL 66 ; Appion, 

 ' Syr.,' 38 ; 1 Mace., viiL 8.) On the death of AtUlus IIL (b.c. 133) 

 it came, with the other dominions of the kings of Pergamus, into the 

 power of the Romans. 



The ancient Lydians appear to have enjoyed great commercial 

 prosperity and to have possessed abundance of the precious metals, 

 as is evident from other circumstances, and particularly from the rich 

 presents which Crcesus sent to the different oracles in Greece. (Herodot, 

 i. 60.) They are said to have obtained a large quantity of gold which 

 was washed down from the mountains by the river Pactolus ; but 

 there is no proof that they ever carried on the operation of mining. 

 (Herodot, i. 93, v. 101.) But in the time of Strabo no gold waa 

 found in this river (xiii. 928) ; and if Herodotus had been misin- 

 formed, which is improbable since he visited Sardis, the tale mi^ht 

 have arisen from the appearance of Mount Tmolus, which, according 

 to a modem traveller, ChishuU, as quoted by Chandler, " is adorned 

 with bright and shining particles, resembling gold-dust" The Lydians 

 are said by the Greeks to have been the first people who put a stamp 

 upon gold and silver ; and they claimed to be the inventors of tha 

 games which were prevalent in Greece in the time of Herodotus 

 (L 94). 



The most extraordinary work of art in ancient Ljdia wa< tha 

 enormous sepulchral mound of Alyattes, the father of Cncsus, erected 

 a little to the north of the river Hermus, about three or four milea 

 from the city of Sardis. Herodotus classes it next to the groat works 

 of the Egyptians and Babylonians, and describes it as six stadia 

 (about three-quarters of a mile) and two plethra (200 feet) in cireum- 

 ference ; and 13 plethra (1300 Greek feet) in width. The basement 

 was built of great stones, and the upper part of earth. (Herodot, i. 

 93.) Chandler visited the spot in which this mound is supposed to 

 have been raised ; he describes the ground as covered with earthen 

 barrows or mounds of various sizes, and mentions one in particular, 

 near the middle, larger than the rest, which ho supposes to have boon 



