List of the kings of Lydia

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This lemma lists the kings of the ancient kingdom of Lydia (also called Maeonies) in what is now Western Anatolia (Asia Minor). Historical sources report three dynasties, the first of which comes completely and at least the beginning of the second comes from the realm of myths. From the eighth century BC Then there is evidence of the rulers of this dynasty, as well as of the following.

Atyads

Also called tantalides , depending on the source .

In the fifth century BC In the first book of his histories, the Greek historian Herodotus , who lives in the southwest of Asia Minor, names Manes and his son Atys (lat. Atyllus) as the first kings of Maeonia.

Other sources such as the historians Xanthos (living in Lydia at the same time) and Strabo (living in northern Asia Minor at the time of Christ) name Tmolos and his son Tantalos as kings of Lydia of the same time period.

The connecting link is Omphale , who is mentioned in both sources, so it can be assumed that the aforementioned are the same people.

Name
after Herodotus 		Name
after Strabo 		Remarks
Manes Tmolos impaled by a bull (Zeus?)
Omphale Widow of Tmolos, after him queen
Atys Tantalos Son of Tmolos (or Zeus) and Plouto
Lydos Broteas Son of Tantalus and Dione , threw himself madly into the fire, namesake of Lydia
Tantalos (II.) Son of Broteas, married to Clytaimnestra , killed by his cousin Agamemnon

Herakleiden

Also called Tylonids after Heracles' Lydian slave name "Tylos".

After Agamemnon has stolen the throne and Klytaimnestra, according to Herodotus, a new dynasty begins with his cousin Agron in the new capital of Sardis .

According to the myth, Agron was a descendant from the second marriage of Omphale to Heracles, whose son Alcaius was the father of Belos , who in turn was the father of Ninos , the legendary king of Assyria.

Name
(aka.) 		Dates
according to Herodotus 		Remarks
Agron 1216–? v. Chr. Son of ninos
... 17 kings not known by name, each sons of the previous kings
Ardys I. (Ardysus I.) 790-754 BC Chr. Son of the previous king
Alyattes I. 754-740 BC Chr. Son of Ardys I.
Meles (Myrsus) 740-728 BC Chr. Son of Alyattes I.
Sadyattes I (Myrsilus, Kandaules) 728-711 BC Chr. Son of Meles, murdered by Gyges

Mermnades

Having come to the throne by force, Gyges , the son of Daskylos , founded the short but powerful dynasty of the Mermnads, under which Lydia first reached the peak of its power in Asia Minor and was crushed after the defeat of Kroisos against the Persian king Cyrus II .

Although historically documented, there are doubts about the correctness of the times handed down by Herodotus. Modern studies provide different data based on Assyrian history.

Surname Dates
according to Herodotus 		Dates
Assyrian 		Remarks
Gyges 710-672 BC Chr. before 668–644 BC Chr. Usurper, marries Candaules' widow
Ardys II (Ardysus II) 671-624 BC Chr. 643-624 BC Chr. Son of Gyges
Sadyattes II 625-613 BC Chr. 623-613 BC Chr. Son of Ardys II.
Alyattes II. 613-556 BC Chr. 611-556 BC Chr. Son of Sadyattes II, "inventor" of coinage
Kroisos 555-541 BC Chr. Son of Alyattes II.

literature

  • Hermann Sauter: Studies on the Kimmerierproblem. (= Saarbrücker contributions to antiquity. Vol. 72), Habelt, Bonn 2000, ISBN 3-7749-3005-8 .
  • Robert Rollinger : The Median Empire, the End of Urartu and Cyrus the Great Campaigne 547 BC Chr. In Nabonaid Chronicle II 16 in: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Ancient Cultural Relations between Iran and West-Asia. Tehran 2004, pp. 5-6.
  • Rudolf Schubert : History of the kings of Lydia. Breslau 1884. (see web links)

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Herodotus 1.7 and 7.74.
  2. ↑ Herodotus 1.7.
  3. ↑ a b c The old chronology according to Herodotus refers to the year 546 BC. And was linked to the supposed Lydia campaign , see: Hermann Sauter: Studies on the Kimmerierproblem In: Saarbrücker contributions to antiquity, vol. 72 , Habelt, Bonn 2000; Chronology according to Herodotus in chapter 4.1.2.1 The conquest of Sardis during the reign of Ardys , here online . However, according to new research, the Lydian campaign represents a campaign to Urartu : This reading forms the new basis for all future evaluations in Robert Rollinger: The Median Empire, the End of Urartu and Cyrus the Great Campaigne 547 BC. Chr. In Nabonaid Chronicle II 16 in: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Ancient Cultural Relations between Iran and West-Asia , Teheran 2004, pp. 5-6; see. on this also the setting on 541/540 BC In the marble Parium for the end of the reign of Croesus .