This publication of two major Lydian excavation sectors at Sardis is the first in-depth presentation of the architecture, pottery, and other artifacts belonging to the inhabitants of this native Anatolian kingdom. The two-volume book catalogues nearly 800 objects, illustrated by more than 300 color plates of photos and detailed drawings.

Sardis, in western Turkey, was one of the great cities of the Aegean and Near Eastern worlds for almost a millennium—a political keystone with a legendary past. Recent archeological work has revealed how the city was transformed in the century following Alexander’s conquests from a traditional capital to a Greek polis, setting the stage for its blossoming as a Roman urban center. This integrated collection of essays by more than a dozen prominent scholars illuminates a crucial stage, from the early fourth century to 189 BCE, when it became one of the most important political centers of Asia Minor. The contributors to this volume are members of the Hellenistic Sardis Project, a research collaboration between long-standing expedition members and scholars keenly interested in the site. These new discussions on the pre-Roman history of Sardis restore the city in the scholarship of the Hellenistic East and will be enlightening to scholars of classical archaeology.

This richly illustrated volume examines monuments of Sardis and environs in the context of contemporary developments in Lydia and throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. It illuminates traditions of Anatolian kingship, technological exchange between Lydia and Greece and the Near East, and the origins of Persian imperial architecture.

This generously illustrated volume presents new studies by scholars closely involved with Professor Greenewalt's excavations during the Sardis Expedition in western Turkey.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the Lydians from ancient historians and contemporary records *Includes footnotes, online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "When all these nations had been added to the Lydian empire, and Sardis was at the height of her wealth and prosperity, all the great Greek teachers of that epoch, one after another, paid visits to the capital." - Herodotus Of all the empires and kingdoms in the ancient world, few could compare with the Lydians in terms of wealth and opulence. From the early 7th century BCE until the middle of the 6th century BCE, the Lydians played an important role in the history of the eastern Mediterranean region as they took on the role of middleman between the empires of the Near East and the emerging Hellenic civilization in Greece. From their capital in Sardis, the Lydian kings traded and made alliances and war with numerous kings, tyrants, and generals, which ultimately cemented their role as a brief but historically important people and kingdom in the ancient world. An examination of the Lydian people and their kingdom reveals that their power did not materialize overnight, but was instead a long process, dependent upon several factors. The primary factor contributing to Lydia's success was its wealth. The Lydians were fortunate enough to possess large deposits of precious metals within in their territory, but how they exploited and utilized those resources is what truly made them successful. They were the first people to invent a currency which not only allowed them to create a thriving economy within their own territory, but gave them tool with which to influence both their friends and enemies abroad. The wealth of Lydia impressed non-Lydians to the point that even the most sublime Greek philosophers who generally eschewed wealth, praised the high culture of Lydia and the Lydian people in general and the greatness of their capital city of Sardis in particular. Lydia was also successful because its kings were shrewd, politically savvy men who knew the supreme art of diplomacy. The Lydian kings would make alliances based not only on their immediate interests, but also with a view to the future, as they would often play one kingdom against another. Ultimately, despite their wealth and guile, the Lydians found themselves the victims of the Achaemenid Persian juggernaut, which consumed their kingdom, along with many others, in the mid-6th century BCE. But even after Lydia was conquered by the Persians, the Lydian people, and especially the city of Sardis, continued to play an important role in the history of the region. The Ancient Lydians: The History and Legacy of the Iron Age Kingdom of Lydia looks at the history of one of the most influential empires to ever take root in Anatolia. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Vandals like never before, in no time at all.

In The Archaeology of Lydia: From Gyges to Alexander, Christopher Roosevelt provides the first overview of the regional archaeology of Lydia in western Turkey, including much previously unpublished evidence as well as a fresh synthesis of the archaeology of Sardis, the ancient capital of the region. Combining data from regional surveys, stylistic analyses of artifacts in local museums, ancient texts, and environmental studies, he presents a new perspective on the archaeology of this area. To assess the importance of Lydian landscapes under Lydian and Achaemenid rule, roughly between the seventh and fourth centuries BCE, Roosevelt situates the archaeological evidence within frameworks established by evidence for ancient geography, environmental conditions, and resource availability and exploitation. Drawing on detailed and copiously illustrated evidence presented in a regionally organized catalogue, the book considers the significance of evidence of settlement and burial at Sardis and beyond for understanding Lydian society as a whole and the continuity of cultural traditions across the transition from Lydian to Achaemenid hegemony.

Table of contents

A defeated king stands on top of a pyre. His conqueror, the Persian ruler Cyrus, signals to his guards; they step forward and touch flaming torches to the dry wood. Croesus, once the wealthiest man of the ancient world, is to be burned alive. As he watches the flames catch, Croesus thinks back over his life. He remembers the time he asked the old Athenian philosopher, Solon, who was the happiest man in the world. Croesus used to think it was him. But then all his riches could not remove the spear from his dying elder son's chest; could not bring his mute younger son to speak; could not make him as wise as his own chief slave; could not bring his wife's love back; could not prevent his army from being torn apart and his kingdom lost. As the old philosopher had replied, a man's happiness can only be measured when he is dead. The first coils of smoke wrap around Croesus' neck like a noose...