Lycie

History

The Lycie is located at the south of the Lydie, is bordered in the east by the Pamphylie, in north by the Phrygie and the Carie and in the south and the west by the Mediterranean. The area is primarily mountainous, the coastal plains are rare and the culture is done especially in the back country. Lycie has one river, the Xanthos or Xantos. The area is populated as of thousand-year-old IIIe, but we to date have only very little knowledge on the beginning of its history. It is mentioned then in the texts hittites (under the name of Lukka), then afterwards, much later, at the time of the domination Perse Achéménide.

The Hittites, in their texts, thus quote the Lukkas (or Luka, or Loukou), unknown people which are located at the extreme West of their empire, close to the sea, where one their kings conducted a military campaign during which it would have conquered the cities of: Myra, Patara, Arnna (of its Greek name: Xanthos), etc Lukkas would have belonged to the Peuples of the sea, one finds them later at the time of the Bataille of Qadesh, combined Hittites which were opposed to the Pharaon Ramsès II (-1279/-1213). They are quoted by the Egyptians under the name of Ruku or Luk. In fact we know only their name, because the excavations revealed, to date, no material trace of their existence.

These is five centuries later, that the people of Lyciens appear. According to Hérodote (Greek historian, -484/v. -425), the first inhabitants named the Solymes, which are replaced during the invasion Minoenne by a population originating in the Crete, carried out by Sarpédon, the Termyles. It would then have been subjected by Lycos, wire of the king of Athens Pandion I. Homère (Greek poet, 8th century), advances to him that Lyciens were the allies of the Troyens and their king Priam, during the Trojan War. What is sure, it is that the study of their language, typically Anatolian, unquestionable watch related with that of the Hittites.

Later, about the 6th century, Lyciens form a confederation with for principal cities Xanthos (Xantho or Xantos), Telmessos, Myra and Patara. Lycie like all the areas of Minor Asia, will know the invasion of the Perses achéménides. Lyciens have a reputation of pirates and they are fixed only very nominally with the Persian empire. In -480, they take part in the countryside of the king Xerxès I {{er}} (-486/-465) against continental Greece. Lycie passes then under the domination of the king of Halicarnasse, Mausole (-377/-353), until the release by Alexandre Large the (-336/-323). Then under that of the Ptolémées, the Séleucides and finally of Rhodos of -188 with -168. At the time of all its occupations, Lyciens will preserve a certain freedom and the cities even will be rather prosperous. In 43 a. J. - C., Lycie is incorporated in the Empire Roman by the emperor Claude (41 - 54) and joined together with the Roman province of Pamphylie. In 304/305 it is cut in two distinct provinces, by the emperor Dioclétien (284 - 305) to form a Roman province of the diocese of Asia.

One finds the influence of Greek civilization at Lyciens in all the fields, the first being the alphabet which they adapt and to which they added some signs. The religion, they adopt and adapt to their, of the Greek divinities. The Anatolian god of the storm Tarchunt (present also at the Hittites) is compared to Zeus, etc the sculpture or Lyciens makes come from the artists of Greece to decorate the royal tombs. This Greek culture, this will lose a little at the time Roman, where one will build forums, thermal baths, etc only the " to know to make indigène" who will return them celebrates, is stone construction of their tombs in an unusual form. Those of Myra and Telmessos, are splendid examples of rupestral tombs dug with side of walls and decorated like the Greek temples.

Confederation lycian

Lycie goes one moment to release itself from the influence from Rhodos and the Séleucides and in 167 av. J. - C. to find its independence temporarily. It founds a confederation of cities then. According to Strabon (Greek geographer, 57 av. J. - C-25 a. J. - C.), this confederation gathered twenty-three cities which met on the site of the Létôon (near Xanthos) in order to elect an assembly and judges there. On this site also a sanctuary was where one venerated there the worship of Léto mother of Apollon and of Artémis. Ambassadors of Egypt and Greece came on the crowned site where the worship remained until 7th century a. J. - C.

Roman Provinces

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Lycie

History

Confederation lycian

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