Phrygia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kingdom of Phrygia
𐊩𐌏𐌛𐊅𐊄𐌌
Gordum |
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| 1200–675 BC | |||||||||||||||
Map of the Phrygian Kingdom at its greatest extent, c. 700 BC.
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| Capital | Gordion | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Phrygian | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Phrygian religion | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| Kings | |||||||||||||||
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• 8th Century–740 BC
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Gordias | ||||||||||||||
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• 740–675 BC
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Midas | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||||||||
| 1200 BC | |||||||||||||||
| 675 BC | |||||||||||||||
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Phrygia was an ancient kingdom located in what is now central Turkey. It was centered around the Sangarios River. After its time as a powerful kingdom, Phrygia became a region within larger empires.
Ancient Greek stories tell of several famous Phrygian kings:
- Gordias, known for the Gordian Knot that Alexander the Great later cut.
- Midas, famous for his "golden touch" that turned everything he touched into gold.
- Mygdon, who fought against the Amazons.
According to Homer's Iliad, the Phrygians were close friends with the Trojans and fought alongside them against the Achaeans in the Trojan War. Phrygia was strongest in the late 8th century BC under King Midas. He controlled much of western and central Anatolia and was a rival to powerful empires like Assyria and Urartu.
However, this King Midas was the last independent ruler of Phrygia. Around 695 BC, invaders called Cimmerians attacked and destroyed the Phrygian capital, Gordium. Phrygia then became part of other empires, including Lydia, Persia, and later the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. Over time, the Phrygian people became Christian and spoke Greek, blending into the Byzantine state. After the Turkish conquest in the Middle Ages, the name "Phrygia" was no longer used for the region.
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Where was Phrygia Located?
Phrygia was in the western part of the high Anatolian plateau. This area is dry, unlike the forests to its north and west. Phrygia began in the northwest, where the Sakarya and Porsuk rivers flow. Important cities like Dorylaeum (near modern Eskişehir) and the capital Gordion were here. The weather was extreme, with hot summers and cold winters. Because of this, olives did not grow well, so the land was mostly used for raising animals and growing barley.
South of Dorylaeum was another key Phrygian city, Midas City (Yazılıkaya, Eskişehir). It was in an area with hills and tall columns made of volcanic rock called tuff. Further south, central Phrygia included cities like Afyonkarahisar and Synnada. In the western part of Phrygia were the towns of Aizanoi and Acmonia. The southwestern part of Phrygia was hilly and different from the flat plains in the region's center.
The Maeander River, also known as the Büyük Menderes River, and its branch, the Lycus, watered southwestern Phrygia. Cities like Laodicea on the Lycus and Hierapolis were located there.
Who Were the Phrygians?
Ancient Stories of Phrygian Origins
Many ancient Greek historians believed the Phrygians came to Anatolia from the Balkans (a region in southeastern Europe). Herodotus said that the Phrygians were called Bryges when they lived in Europe. He and other Greek writers also shared legends about King Midas that connected him to Macedonia. For example, Herodotus mentioned a wild rose garden in Macedonia named after Midas.
Some ancient writers also linked the Phrygians to the Mygdones, a group of people who lived in northern Macedonia and another group in Mysia. The Phrygians have also been connected to the Bebryces, a people who fought with Mysia before the Trojan War. They had a king named Mygdon, just as the Phrygians were said to have a king with the same name.
The historian Strabo grouped Phrygians, Mygdones, Mysians, Bebryces, and Bithynians together. He said they all moved to Anatolia from the Balkans. This idea suggests that Phrygians were part of a related group of cultures in northwest Anatolia. This helps explain why there was confusion about whether these groups were the same people.
The Phrygian Language
The Phrygian language was spoken until about 600 AD. However, its unique alphabet was lost earlier than those of most other Anatolian cultures. An ancient Greek poem, one of the Homeric Hymns, says that the Phrygian language was not understood by people from Troy. Inscriptions found at Gordium show that Phrygians spoke an Indo-European language. It had some words similar to Greek.
Phrygian was clearly different from the Anatolian languages spoken in most nearby countries, like Hittite. The similarity of Phrygian to Greek and its difference from Anatolian languages supports the idea that the Phrygians came from Europe.
Modern experts believe Greek is the closest relative to Phrygian. Many scholars support the idea that Greek and Phrygian came from a common "proto-Graeco-Phrygian" language. If we had more Phrygian texts, we might be able to reconstruct this ancient language.
New Ideas About Phrygian Migration
Some scholars think the idea of a Phrygian migration is just a legend. They believe it might have come from the similar sound of their name to the Bryges. These scholars suggest that Phrygians might have arrived in Anatolia more recently than ancient sources say. They try to connect the Phrygian arrival to the fall of the Hittite Empire and the end of the Bronze Age in Anatolia.
According to this "recent migration" theory, the Phrygians invaded just before or after the Hittite Empire collapsed around the early 12th century BC. They filled the empty space in central-western Anatolia. They might even have been part of the "Sea Peoples" that Egyptian records say caused the Hittite collapse. A type of pottery found in Western Anatolia from this time, called Handmade Knobbed Ware, might be linked to this invasion.
Connection to the Hittites
Other scholars believe the Iliad's story that Phrygians were already living by the Sakarya River before the Trojan War is true. This means they would have been there during the later years of the Hittite Empire. These scholars try to find the Phrygians' origins among the many groups in western Anatolia who were under Hittite rule. This idea is also supported by Greek legends about the founding of Phrygia's main city, Gordium, by Gordias, and Ancyra by Midas. These stories suggest that Gordium and Ancyra were thought to be very old, from before the Trojan War.
No one has definitely identified which of the Hittites' subjects might have been the early Phrygians. Some ancient traditions linked Phrygia to a country called Togarmah by the ancient Hebrews. This country has been identified as Tegarama in Hittite texts and Til-Garimmu in Assyrian records. However, scholars of the Hittites believe Tegarama was in eastern Anatolia, far from Phrygia.
Some scholars have suggested Phrygia was part of the Assuwa league. They noted that the Iliad mentions a Phrygian named Asios. Another possible early name for Phrygia could be Hapalla. This was the easternmost province that came from the breakup of the Bronze Age western Anatolian empire Arzawa. However, scholars are not sure if Hapalla was Phrygia or Pisidia, which was further south.
Connection to Armenians
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus (around 440 BC) suggested that Armenians moved from Phrygia. At that time, Phrygia covered much of western and central Anatolia. Herodotus wrote that "the Armenians were equipped like Phrygians, being Phrygian colonists." He also said that the Phrygians came from the Balkans. This led some scholars to think Armenians also came from the Balkans and moved east with the Phrygians.
However, the idea of Armenians coming from the Balkans is now being questioned. This is because of differences in timelines and a lack of genetic and archaeological proof. In fact, some scholars have suggested that the Phrygians or the related Mushki people originally came from Armenia and moved west.
Many linguists do not believe there is a very close relationship between Armenian and Phrygian, even though they share some features. Phrygian is now seen as a language more closely related to Greek than to Armenian.
History of the Phrygian Kingdom
Phrygia During the Trojan War Era
According to the Iliad, the Phrygians lived near the Sangarius River. This area remained the heart of Phrygia throughout its history. Phrygia was known for its wine and had "brave and expert" horsemen.
Before the Trojan War, a young king Priam of Troy led an army to Phrygia. He helped them in a war against the Amazons. Homer calls the Phrygians "the people of Otreus and godlike Mygdon". According to other writers, Mygdon's son, Coroebus, fought and died in the Trojan War. He wanted to marry the Trojan princess Cassandra.
King Priam married the Phrygian princess Hecabe (or Hecuba) and had a strong friendship with the Phrygians. They helped him by fighting bravely in the Trojan War against the Greeks. Hecabe was the daughter of the Phrygian king Dymas.
The Iliad suggests that the main part of Phrygia was further north and downriver than it would be later. The Phrygian group came to help Troy from Lake Ascania in northwest Anatolia. They were led by Phorcys and Ascanius.
The Peak and Fall of the Phrygian Kingdom
During the 8th century BC, the Phrygian kingdom grew into a large empire. Its capital was Gordium, located in the upper Sakarya River valley. This empire controlled most of central and western Anatolia. It even bordered the larger Assyrian Empire to the southeast and the kingdom of Urartu to the northeast.
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According to ancient historians, the king of Phrygia during this time was another Midas. This historical Midas is believed to be the same person named Mita in Assyrian writings. He was identified as the king of the Mushki. Scholars think Assyrians called Phrygians "Mushki" because the Phrygians and Mushki, an eastern Anatolian people, were fighting together. This Midas is thought to have ruled Phrygia at its strongest, from about 720 BC to 695 BC. An Assyrian inscription from 709 BC suggests Phrygia and Assyria had made peace by then. This King Midas seems to have had good relationships and trade with the Greeks. He reportedly married a Greek princess.
A writing system for the Phrygian language developed in Gordium during this time. It used an alphabet similar to the Greek one, based on the Phoenician alphabet. A special Phrygian pottery, called Polished Ware, also appeared during this period.
However, the Phrygian Kingdom was then attacked by Cimmerian invaders. Gordium was sacked and destroyed. According to some accounts, Midas died after drinking bull's blood.
Archaeological digs at Gordium have uncovered many important findings. Excavations confirm that Gordium was violently destroyed around 675 BC. A tomb from that time, often called the "Tomb of Midas," was found deep under a large tumulus (burial mound). It contained wooden structures, grave goods, a coffin, furniture, and food offerings. These items are now in the Archaeological Museum in Ankara.
Phrygia as a Lydian Province
After destroying Gordium, the Cimmerians stayed in western Anatolia and fought with Lydia. Lydia eventually drove them out around 620 BC. Lydia then expanded and took over Phrygia, which became the eastern border of the Lydian empire. The site of Gordium shows a lot of building activity during the 6th century BC, when it was under the control of Lydian kings, including the very rich King Croesus. Meanwhile, Phrygia's former eastern lands were taken by Assyria and later by the Medes.
Phrygia as a Persian Province
Around the 540s BC, Phrygia became part of the Great Persian Empire. This happened when Cyrus the Great conquered Lydia.
After Darius the Great became Persian Emperor in 521 BC, he rebuilt the ancient trade route into the Persian "Royal Road." He also made administrative changes, including setting up satrapies (provinces). The Phrygian satrapy was west of the Halys River (now Kızıl River) and east of Mysia and Lydia. Its capital was Dascylium, which is modern Ergili.
During the 5th century BC, the region was divided into two administrative provinces: Hellespontine Phrygia and Greater Phrygia.
Phrygia Under Alexander the Great and His Successors
The Macedonian Greek conqueror Alexander the Great visited Gordium in 333 BC. There, he famously cut the Gordian Knot in the temple of Sabazios (who the Greeks called "Zeus"). A legend said that whoever untied the knot would rule Asia. Since Gordium was on the Persian Royal Road that went through the heart of Anatolia, this prophecy made some sense geographically. With Alexander, Phrygia became part of the larger Hellenistic world. After Alexander's death in 323 BC, the Battle of Ipsus took place in 301 BC.
Celts and Attalids in Phrygia
In the confusing time after Alexander's death, northern Phrygia was taken over by Celts. This area eventually became the province of Galatia. The former capital of Gordium was captured and destroyed by the Gauls soon after and disappeared from history.
In 188 BC, the southern part of Phrygia came under the control of the Attalids of Pergamon. However, the Phrygian language continued to be spoken, although it was now written using the Greek alphabet.
Phrygia Under Roman and Byzantine Rule
In 133 BC, the remaining parts of Phrygia became part of Rome. For administrative purposes, the Romans kept Phrygia divided. The northeastern part was added to the province of Galatia, and the western part to the province of Asia. Later, during the reforms of Diocletian, Phrygia was divided again into two provinces: "Phrygia I," or Phrygia Salutaris, and Phrygia II, or Pacatiana. Both were part of the Diocese of Asia. Salutaris, with Synnada as its capital, covered the eastern part of the region. Pacatiana, with Laodicea on the Lycus as its capital, covered the western part. These provinces lasted until the end of the 7th century. They were then replaced by the Theme system.
In the late Roman and early "Byzantine" period, most of Phrygia belonged to the Anatolic theme. The region was taken over by the Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Turks had full control by the 13th century. However, the ancient name Phrygia was still used until the last part of the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
Phrygian Culture
Phrygian Religion
The ancient Phrygian religion had many gods (it was polytheistic). It was different from the earlier religions of other Anatolian peoples. Its gods were similar to older gods from the Aegean-Balkan region.
Matar Kubeleya: The Mountain Mother
Unlike the Hittite and Luwian religions, the Phrygian religion was led by a female deity. This goddess was called Matar, meaning "Mother." She was linked to mountains and wild animals. She was also called Kubeleya or Kubileya. So, her full name, Matar Kubeleya, meant "Mother of the Mountain Peaks." As the "Mountain Mother," Matar was the ruler of wild mountain areas. She protected and cared for the wild animals living there.
The worship of Matar Kubeleya was performed by priests called Corybantes. These priests likely held ceremonies in mountainous places. Their rituals involved wild music with pipes and cymbals, and excited dancing. Her name also suggested she was the goddess of head-shaking and the trance-like state it caused. She was given a Phrygian title meaning "frantic," referring to the divine excitement she inspired in her followers.
Because the worship of Matar Kubeleya was so important in Central Anatolia during the Iron Age, her cult spread. It reached Pisidia and later the Greek and Roman worlds. There, she became known as Kybele (Ancient Greek: Κυβέλη; Latin: Cybele).
Other Phrygian Gods
The storm god Tiws was very important in the Phrygian religion. His worship was common throughout Phrygia. Tiws was not connected to the earlier Anatolian storm god Tarḫuntas. Instead, he was the Phrygian version of an older Aegean-Balkan god. This god's Lydian and Greek forms were Lefs and Zeus. He was also related to the Italic god Jovis.
The Phrygian moon god was Mas, known in Greek as Men. Mas was the Phrygian version of an older Aegean-Balkan god. His Lydian form was Qaλiyañs.
The identity and gender of the Phrygian god Bas are still not clear.
Artimis was a Phrygian goddess similar to a Potnia Theron (mistress of animals). She was the Phrygian version of an older Aegean-Balkan goddess. Her Lydian and Greek forms were Artimus and Artemis.
Phrygian Music
The earliest traditions of Greek music came from Phrygia. They were passed on through Greek colonies in Anatolia. This included the Phrygian mode, which was seen as a warlike musical style in ancient Greek music. Phrygian Midas, the king with the "golden touch," was taught music by Orpheus himself, according to myth. Another musical invention from Phrygia was the aulos, a wind instrument with two pipes.
The Phrygian Cap
In ancient Greek art, the Trojan Paris is shown wearing a Phrygian cap. This cap identified him as non-Greek. It was also worn by Mithras and later became known as the "Liberty cap" during the American and French revolutionaries.
Mythical Past of Phrygia
The earliest known mythical king of Phrygia was Nannacus (also called Annacus). This king lived in Iconium, which was the easternmost city of Phrygia at that time. After he died at the age of 300, a great flood covered the country, just as an ancient oracle had predicted. The next king mentioned in old writings was named Manis or Masdes. According to Plutarch, because of his amazing deeds, great things were called "manic" in Phrygia.
After this, the kingdom of Phrygia seems to have split into smaller parts ruled by different kings. One of these kings was Tantalus. He ruled over the northwestern part of Phrygia near Mount Sipylus. Tantalus was endlessly punished in Tartarus. This was because he supposedly killed his son Pelops and offered him as a sacrifice to the gods. Tantalus was also falsely accused of stealing from lotteries he had invented.
In the mythical time before the Trojan War, during a period when there was no king, Gordius (or Gordias), a Phrygian farmer, became king. This happened because of an prophecy from an oracle. The Phrygians, who had no king, asked the oracle of Sabazios ("Zeus" to the Greeks) at Telmissus for guidance. They were told to make the first man who rode up to the god's temple in a cart their king. That man was Gordias, the farmer. He dedicated his ox-cart to the god, tying it to its shaft with the famous "Gordian Knot." Gordias then founded a new capital city called Gordium. It was in west-central Anatolia, on the old road that later became Darius's Persian "Royal Road."
The Phrygians are linked in Greek mythology with the Dactyls. These were minor gods who were believed to have invented iron smelting. In most versions of the legend, they lived at Mount Ida in Phrygia.
Gordias's son (or adopted son in some stories) was Midas. Many myths and legends surround this first King Midas. Some connect him with a story about Attis. This mysterious figure lived at Pessinus and tried to marry his daughter to the young Attis. This was against the wishes of Attis's lover Agdestis and his mother, the goddess Cybele. When Agdestis or Cybele appeared, they caused madness among the wedding guests. Midas is said to have died in the chaos that followed.
King Midas is also said to have been friends with Silenus and other satyrs, and with Dionysus. Dionysus granted Midas his famous "golden touch."
In one version of his story, Midas traveled from Thrace with some of his people to Asia Minor. He went there to wash away the curse of his unwanted "golden touch" in the river Pactolus. After leaving the gold in the river's sands, Midas found himself in Phrygia. There, he was adopted by the childless King Gordias and protected by Cybele. It seems that a Phrygian king, acting as Cybele's representative, could choose his successor.
The Phrygian Sibyl was the priestess who gave prophecies at the Apollonian oracle in Phrygia.
According to Herodotus, the Egyptian pharaoh Psammetichus II had two children raised alone to find out what the original human language was. The children were reported to have said bekos, which is Phrygian for "bread." So, Psammetichus decided that the Phrygians were an older nation than the Egyptians.
Jewish Communities in Phrygia
During the Roman Empire, Jewish people in Phrygia, like in other parts of Asia Minor, were a successful and established minority. Centuries earlier, the Seleucid king Antiochus III (ruled 228–187 BC) moved 2,000 Jewish families from Mesopotamia and Babylon to Lydia and Phrygia. He did this to strengthen Seleucid control in the region. This likely meant moving more than 10,000 people to Antiochus's lands in western Asia Minor. The Jewish families received land, were excused from taxes, and got grain until they could grow their own food. Antiochus specifically gave them land for vineyards. This matches later mentions in the Talmud about Jewish Phrygia's wine production.
Evidence suggests that synagogues existed in various cities. This included Iconium, which had a mixed population but was sometimes considered Phrygian. In Synnada, a leader of the synagogue is mentioned, showing a synagogue was present. In Hierapolis, an inscription on a sarcophagus (a stone coffin) from the third century highlights how important the holy synagogue was for burial practices. The best-documented Phrygian synagogue was in Acmonia. There, during Nero's rule, Ioulia Severa, a descendant of Galatian royalty, paid for its construction. While her support might not mean she personally believed in Judaism, it shows that influential people supported the Jewish community.
Christianity in Phrygia
People from Phrygia were among the crowds in Jerusalem during Pentecost, as described in Acts 2:10. In Acts 16:6, the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas traveled through Phrygia and the region of Galatia. They were spreading the Christian message. Their original plan was to go to Asia. However, circumstances or guidance, "in ways which we are not told, by inner promptings, or by visions of the night, or by the inspired utterances of those among their converts who had received the gift of prophecy," prevented them. Instead, they traveled west towards the coast.
A Christian movement called Montanism, sometimes known as "the Phrygian heresy" in Orthodoxy, began in an unknown village called Ardabau in the 2nd century AD. This movement was known for its excited spiritual practices and for having women priests. Although it was first described as a rural movement, it is now thought to have started in cities, like other Christian developments. The new Jerusalem that its followers founded in the village of Pepouza has now been found in a remote valley that later held a monastery.
Images for kids
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The ancient theatre complex of Aizanoi in Phrygia.
See also
In Spanish: Frigia para niños
- Ancient regions of Anatolia
