Phrygia

History

In classical antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.

Stories from the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of legendary Phrygian kings like Gordias, known for the Gordian Knot that Alexander the Great later solved, and Midas, who could turn anything he touched to gold. Another king, Mygdon, even fought against the Amazons.

According to Homer's Iliad, the Phrygians fought alongside the Trojans in the Trojan War against the Achaeans. Phrygia grew very powerful under a later king also named Midas. However, around 695 BC, the Cimmerians attacked the Phrygian capital, Gordium. After that, Phrygia came under the control of many empires, including Lydia, Persia, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, and finally the Byzantine Empire. Over time, the Phrygians adopted Christianity and began speaking Greek.

Geography

Phrygia was a dry and rocky land on the western edge of the high Anatolian plateau. Unlike the green forests to its north and west, this area had hot summers and cold winters, making it hard to grow olives. Instead, people raised animals and grew barley.

South of the town of Dorylaeum lies Midas City, located in hilly, rocky land. Central Phrygia included towns like Afyonkarahisar, famous for its marble, and Synnada. At the far west were Aizanoi and Acmonia. Southwest Phrygia was watered by the Maeander River, also called the Büyük Menderes River, and its tributary, the Lycus, home to towns such as Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Origins

Legendary ancient migrations

Old stories from Greek writers say the Phrygians moved to a place called Anatolia from the Balkans. Herodotus wrote that the Phrygians were once called Bryges when they lived in Europe. He and other Greek writers told stories about a king named Midas, saying he might have come from Macedonia. Herodotus mentioned a rose garden in Macedonia named after Midas.

Some classical writers linked the Phrygians with a group called the Mygdones, who lived in places like northern Macedonia and Mysia. The Phrygians were also sometimes linked with another group, the Bebryces, who fought with Mysia long before the Trojan War. Both groups had a king named Mygdon around the same time.

The historian Strabo grouped the Phrygians, Mygdones, Mysians, Bebryces, and Bithynians together as people who moved to Anatolia from the Balkans. This helps explain why people often mixed up the Phrygians, Bebryces, and the Anatolian Mygdones.

Phrygian language

The Phrygians kept speaking their language until around the year 6 AD, even though we no longer have their special way of writing. One old poem, called the Homeric Hymns, says the Phrygian language sounded very different from the language of Troy. Inscriptions found at Gordium show that Phrygian was an Indo-European language, sharing some words with Greek. It was different from most languages spoken nearby, which were Anatolian languages.

Phrygian seems to be most like Greek and Armenian. It belongs to a group called “centum” languages. In the past, some thought it was more like Armenian and Thracian, but now most think it is closer to Greek.

Recent migration hypotheses

Some scholars think the idea that Phrygians moved to Anatolia might just be a story. They believe Phrygians might have arrived later, around the time the Hittite Empire ended in the 12th century BC. They might have filled an empty space in central-western Anatolia after the empire fell. Some think they might even have been part of the groups called the “Sea Peoples” mentioned in old Egyptian records.

Relation to their Hittite predecessors

Some scholars think the Phrygians were already living near the Sakarya River during the late Bronze Age, under the rule of the Hittites. They connect Phrygians to stories of them fighting in the Trojan War and to myths about Gordium.

No one knows for sure which group of Hittite subjects might have been the early Phrygians. One old story, told by Josephus, links Phrygia to a place called Togarmah, known in Hittite texts as Tegarama and in Assyrian records as Til-Garimmu. Josephus called them “the Thrugrammeans,” saying Greeks later called them Phrygians. But we don’t know if this is true.

Some scholars think Phrygia might have been the Assuwa league. The Iliad mentions a Phrygian named Asios, who was the brother of the Trojan queen Hecuba. Another idea is that Phrygia could be Hapalla, a province that came from the empire Arzawa. But we’re not sure if Hapalla was Phrygia or a place further south called Pisidia.

Relation to Armenians

The ancient Greek writer Herodotus said that Armenians came from Phrygia, which covered much of western and central Anatolia. He wrote that Armenians “were equipped like Phrygians, being Phrygian colonists.” Later scholars, like Igor Diakonoff, thought Armenians also came from the Balkans with the Phrygians. But recent studies have questioned this, as there isn’t strong evidence to support it. Some think the Phrygians or a related group called the Mushki might have originally come from Armenia instead.

Linguists generally do not think Armenian is very close to Phrygian, even though they share a few features. Phrygian is now considered closer to Greek than to Armenian.

History

See also: Cimmerian invasion of Phrygia

In the 8th century BC, the Phrygian kingdom grew into an empire. Its capital was Gordium in the Sakarya River valley. It bordered the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the kingdom of Urartu.

Classical writers like Strabo, Eusebius, and Julius Africanus said the king was Midas. Some think this is the same Midas called Mita in Assyrian records and was king of the Mushki. Phrygia fought with Assyria for control of land. Midas ruled Phrygia at its strongest from about 720 BC to around 695 BC or 676 BC. He had good ties with the Greeks and married a princess from the Aeolian Greeks.

Phrygia made its own writing system and created a special kind of pottery called Polished Ware.

However, Phrygia was attacked and destroyed by invaders called the Cimmerians, and Gordium was destroyed. A tomb thought to be the "Tomb of Midas" was found with items like furniture and food offerings.

After the Cimmerians destroyed Gordium, they were later driven out by Lydia, which took over much of Phrygia. The site of Gordium shows new buildings from the 6th century BC under Lydian rulers, including Croesus.

Phrygia became part of the Achaemenid (Great Persian) Empire in the 540s BC when Cyrus the Great conquered Lydia.

After Darius the Great became Persian Emperor in 521 BC, he improved trade routes and set up new ways to govern. Phrygia became a Persian province called a satrapy, with its capital at Dascylium, now Ergili.

During the 5th century, the area was split into two Persian provinces: Hellespontine Phrygia and Greater Phrygia.

The Macedonian leader Alexander the Great passed through Gordium in 333 BC and cut the Gordian Knot in the temple of Sabazios. After Alexander died in 323 BC, a big battle called the Battle of Ipsus happened in 301 BC.

After Alexander's death, northern Phrygia was taken over by the Celts and later became Galatia. The old capital Gordium was captured and destroyed.

In 188 BC, the southern part of Phrygia came under the rule of the Attalids from Pergamon. The Phrygian language lived on, though written with the Greek alphabet.

In 133 BC, what was left of Phrygia became part of Rome. The Romans divided Phrygia into two parts. These areas stayed until the end of the 7th century. Later, the area was taken over by Turks. The old name Phrygia was still used until the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Culture

Religion

The Phrygians believed in many gods. This was different from the religions of nearby lands. Their most important goddess was Matar Kubeleya, called the "Mountain Mother." She was the goddess of mountains and wild animals. People honored her with music and dancing.

Other important gods were Tiws, the storm god, and Mas, the moon god. These gods were part of Phrygian stories and traditions.

Music

Phrygia had a big effect on early Greek music. One important musical style was the Phrygian mode. It was used in exciting and emotional songs. Phrygian music was linked to religious ceremonies and feelings of joy. The aulos, a musical instrument with two pipes, came from Phrygia.

Phrygian cap

In ancient Greek stories, the Trojan prince Paris wore a special hat called the Phrygian cap. This hat later became a symbol of freedom in the revolutions of America and France.

Mythic past

The Phrygians had many famous kings and stories from long ago. One early king was Nannacus, who lived in a city called Iconium. After he died at a very old age, a big flood covered the land.

Later, a king named Gordius became ruler in a special way. The people were told to pick the first person who came to the temple in a cart. Gordius arrived in his ox-cart and tied the cart’s shaft with a very complicated knot, known as the Gordian Knot. He then made his city, Gordium, the new capital.

Gordias’s son, Midas, had many amazing tales about him. One story says that he could turn anything he touched into gold. Midas later became an important leader in Phrygia.

The Phrygians were also known for their strong horses and their love of wine. In stories, they fought alongside the people of Troy during the Trojan War.

Jews of Phrygia

During ancient times, Jewish families lived in Phrygia as a successful group. A king named Antiochus III brought over families from places called Mesopotamia and Babylon to live in Phrygia and nearby areas. He gave them land, lower taxes, and food until they could grow their own crops. The land was good for growing grapes, which matches stories from a book called the Talmud about wine made in Jewish Phrygia.

We know there were special buildings called synagogues in cities like Iconium, Synnada, and Hierapolis. In Acmonia, a woman named Ioulia Severa helped build a synagogue. Her help shows that important people supported the Jewish community. Later, more signs of Jewish life appeared in Acmonia, showing they were part of the town.

Christian period

Visitors from Phrygia were in Jerusalem during an important event called Pentecost. Later, the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas traveled through Phrygia and Galatia, sharing messages about the Christian gospel. They planned to go to Asia but chose to go west instead.

A special Christian belief called Montanism began in a village named Ardabau in the 2nd century AD. This group was known for its strong spiritual experiences and having women as leaders. They built a place they called the new Jerusalem in a valley that later had a monastery.