L Y D 



L Y D 



watered by the Paftolus, being; properly called M«oiiia, 

 and the other lying on the coaft of Lydia. Lydia, according 

 to Pliny, Ptolemy, and other ancient geographers, was 

 bounded by the Myfia major on the north, by Caria on the 

 fouth, by Phrygia major on the eail, and Ionia on the well. 

 But the kingdom of Lydia, as tiic ancients underllood it, 

 extended from the river Halys to the iEgean fea. The chief 

 cities of Lydia were Sardis, the feat of king Croefus, Phi- 

 ladelphia, formerly the fecond city of Lydia, Thyatira, a 

 colony of the Macedonians, and Magnefia, feated on the 

 Mxander. The only mountain of any note in Lydia is Si- 

 pylus. Mount Tmolus was once very famous for its wine 

 and faffron. The rivers of this country, moft. worthy of 

 notice, are the Paftolus and the Cayller. 



As to the origin of the Lydians, Jofephus, and almoft all 

 fCclefialUcal writers after him, derive them from Lud, the 

 fourth fon of Shem, an opinion founded merely on the fimi- 

 larity of names. Some of the ancients fuppofe them to be a 

 mixed colony of Phrygians, Myfians, and Carians. Others, 

 finding fome conformity in religion between the Egyptians 

 and Tufcans, who were a Lydian colony, conclude that they 

 were originally Egyptians. Their fables, however, fliew 

 that they were a very ancient nation, and of their high anti- 

 quity there is ample evidence. 



The Lydians began, at a very early period, to be governed 

 by kings, whofe fovereignty feems to have been defpotic, and 

 the crown hereditary. 



Of their kings there are three diftinft races on record, 

 viz. the Atyadas, fo called from Atys, the fon of Cotys and 

 grandfon of Manes ; the Heraclidoe, or defcendants of 

 Hercules, who began to reign about the time of the Trojan 

 war ; and the Mermnadas, who began to reign not long be- 

 fore the Medes (hook off" the Affyrian yoke, of which race 

 the firft king was Gyges, and the laft Croefus. As to the 

 charafter of the Lydians, they were under Croefus, and 

 fome of his predecefTors, a very warhke people ; but when 

 fubdued by the Perfians, and enjoined by Cyrus, according to 

 the advice given him by Crcefus, to wear long vefts, and to 

 apply themfelves to fuch arts only as had a natural tendency 

 to debauch their manners, and enervate their courage, they 

 became voluptuous and effeminate, unfit for aftion, and 

 wholly given up to idlenefs, pleafure, and diverfions. The 

 foil of this country, watered by many rivers, was very fruit- 

 ful ; abounding with all forts of graii>, and celebrated for 

 its exquifite wines. It was alfo enriched with feveral mines, 

 whence Croefus is faid to have drawn his immenfe wealth. 



As to the religion of the Lydians, it feems to have 

 been much the fame with that of the Phrygians. They 

 worfhipped Diana, Jupiter, and Cybele at Magncfra. 

 The cuftoras of the Lydians were fimilar to thofc of 

 the Greeks, except that they ufed to proifitute their 

 daughters, who had no other fortune except what they 

 earned in this way. They puniflied idlenefs as a crime, and 

 inured their children from their infancy to hardfhips. Their 

 4rms were not bows and arrows, but long fpears anciently 

 ufed by the cavalry ; and if we may believe Herodotus, the 

 Lydians far excelled all other nations in horfeinanfliip. They 

 were the fivll that introduced the art of coining gold and 

 fdver, for facilitating trade ; the firft that fold by retail, that 

 kept eating-houfes and taverns, and that invented public 

 fports and fhows, which were therefore called luJi by the 

 Romans, who borrowed them of the Tufcans, the defcend- 

 ants of the Lydians. To thefe diverfions they recurred for 

 relief at a time, during the reign of Atys, when a great 

 fcarcity of provifions prevailed through the whole king- 

 dom of Lydia. Having contrived various kinds of diver- 

 sions, as Herodotus informs us, they ufed to play one 



whole day without intermiffion, eating and drinking the next 

 day without other amufement. After they had continued 

 thus alternately fafting and feafting, and finding that their 

 calamities increafed rather than abated, the king divided the 

 whole nation into two bodies, commanding them to determine 

 by lot, which of the two fhould remain at home, and which 

 fliould go abroad in quell of new habitations, lince their na- 

 tive country coidd not afford them fufficient maintenance. 

 Thofe who by lot were conftrained to abandon their country, 

 after many adventures, arrived in that part of Italy, which 

 was then called Umbria, and is now named Tufcany. Thus 

 they changed their name, being no longer called Lydians, 

 but Tyrrhenians, from their leader Tyrrhenus. 



Although the trade of the Lydians is no where particu- 

 larly mentioned, we may well imagine that it was confider. 

 able, efpecially under their latter kings, when Lydia was in 

 the meridian of its glory ; on account of the fplendour of 

 this monarchy and the advantageous fituation of the country. 

 The fame inference is jultified by adverting to the immenfe 

 riches, not only of the Lydian princes, but of feveral pri- 

 vate perfons. Herodotus (hb. vii. c. 2_^.) mentions one, 

 named Pythius,' who not only entertained Xerxes and his 

 whole army, while he was marching with innumerable forces 

 to invade Greece, but made him an offer of 2000 talents of 

 filver, and 3,993,000 pieces of gold, bearing the ftamp of Da- 

 rius. This fame Pythius was reckoned the richeft man in the 

 then known world. The lall king of Lydia was Crceius (fee his 

 article), with whofe capture by Cyrus at the fiege of Sardis 

 (B.C. 548.) the ancient kingdom of Lydia terminated ; and 

 from this time it continued fubjeft to the Perfians, till they 

 alfo were conquered by the Macedonians. Anc. Un. Hift, 

 vol. iv. 



LYDIAN, the name of one of the modes in Greek 

 mufic, which occupied the middle place between the JEoliza 

 and Hypodorian. It was alfo foraetimcs called the Barbarian 

 mode, from its being invented by a people of Afia. See 

 Mode. 



Euclid diftinguifhes two Lydian modes ; that of which 

 we have been fpeaking, and another called a low Lydian, and 

 which is the fame as the jEohan mode, at leaft as to its fun- 

 damental. The charafter of the Lydian mode was animated 

 and interefling, yet melancholy, pathetic, and proper for 

 voluptuous occafions ; on which account Plato banifhed it 

 his republic. It was faid that by this mode Orpheus tamed 

 wild beafts, and that Amphion built the walls of Thebes. 

 Some fay that it. was invented by Amphion, the fon of Ju- 

 piter and Anthiope ; others by Olympus the mulician, and 

 difciple of Marfyas ; while there are ftill others who affign 

 it to Melampides. Pindar fays, that it was firil ufed at the 

 nuptials of Niobe. 



Lydian Games, was a name given to the exercifes and 

 amufements invented by the Lydians : they are faid to have 

 invented the quoit and games of chance, played with dice. 

 Thefe Afiatics, after they had lo'l their city, emigrated into 

 Etruria, whither they carried their ceremonies and games. 

 Some Romans, having a paffion for foreign play, adopted the 

 Lydian method of gaming, which in the time of the empe- 

 rors was purfued with fuch exccfs, that Juvenal is very 

 fevere on the great number of thofe who were battening to 

 ruin by that means. 



The Lydian games were at firft called Lyili by the 

 Romans, but afterwards, by corruption, Luiii. 



LvDiAN Lyre, in the JruUnt Mujic. The Trigon inftru- 

 ment or harp of the Afiatics or Barbarians was ufually fo 

 called. * 



Julius Pollux, c. 10 of 1. iv. Onomaft. fpeaks of a L)-» 

 dian harmony, mode or tunc, proper for the flute, of which 



he 



