Alyattes II
Encyclopedia
Alyattes, king of Lydia
(619–560 BC), considered to be the founder of the Lydian empire, was the son of Sadyattes
, of the house of the Mermnadae.
For several years he continued the war against Miletus
begun by his father, but was obliged to turn his attention towards the Medes
and Babylonians. On May 28, 585 BC, during the Battle of Halys fought against Cyaxares
, king of Media, a solar eclipse
took place (see also Thales
); hostilities were suspended, peace concluded, and the Halys fixed as the boundary between the two kingdoms.
Alyattes drove the Cimmeria
ns (see Scythia
) from Asia Minor
, subdued the Carians
, and took several Ionia
n cities (including Smyrna
, Colophon). (Smyrna was sacked and destroyed with its inhabitants forced to move into the countryside.)
He standardised the weight of coins (1 Stater = 168 grains of wheat). The coins were produced using an anvil die technique and stamped with the Lion's head, the symbol of the Mermnadae.
He was succeeded by his son Croesus
. His daughter Aryenis of Lydia was Queen consort
of Astyages
, King of Media.
His tomb still exists on the plateau between Lake Gygaea and the river Hermus to the north of Sardis
—a large mound of earth with a substructure of huge stones. It was excavated by Spiegelthal in 1854, who found that it covered a large vault of finely cut marble blocks approached by a flat-roofed passage of the same stone from the south. The sarcophagus
and its contents had been removed by early plunderers of the tomb. All that was left were some broken alabaster vases, pottery and charcoal. On the summit of the mound were large phalli
of stone.
's 1788 Classical Dictionary (Biblioteca Classica
), its full name being Classical Dictionary of Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large, With Chronological Table. This work, however, also doesn't cite its sources, but its sources were likely to be ancient epigraphs (or later works whose usage was based on ancient epigraphs) which are lists of kings on clay tablets and other media.
Epigraphic lists, however, are known by historians today to be generally unreliable as historical documents. For one thing, they sometimes combine kings from different regions. Livio C. Stecchini contended, for instance, that Gyges was the first Lydian king and those before him, including the earlier Alyattes, were kings of nearby Maionia, a Phrygian dependency. What's more, epigraphic lists are often legendary rather than annalistic, including, for instance, the mythic hero Herakles as a city's founder or people's progenitor, as they do for the Lydians, so another possibility is that "Alyattes I" was a legendary rather than a historical figure.
The ancient historians Herodotos and Strabo both refer to Croesus' father as Alyattes and make no mention of an earlier King Alyattes of Lydia in their writings on Lydia. The same is true of modern historians, archeologists, and numismatists who have focused on Lydia, including George M.A. Hanfmann, John Griffiths Pedley, Robert W. Wallace, Koray Konuk, and Andrew Ramage. Likewise, other newer references such as Oxford Classical Dictionary and Encyclopaedia Britannica don't use "Alyattes II" and make no mention of an earlier Lydian king named Alyattes.
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
(619–560 BC), considered to be the founder of the Lydian empire, was the son of Sadyattes
Sadyattes
Sadyattes, son of Ardys II, of the house of the Mermnadae was King of Lydia from 624 BC to 619 BC. He was succeeded by his son Alyattes II.Sadyattes began a twelve year war with the Ionian Greek maritime city of Miletus that was continued by his son Alyattes II.-Sources:* Nos ancêtres de...
, of the house of the Mermnadae.
For several years he continued the war against Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
begun by his father, but was obliged to turn his attention towards the Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Babylonians. On May 28, 585 BC, during the Battle of Halys fought against Cyaxares
Cyaxares
Cyaxares, Cyaxares the Great or Hvakhshathra , the son of King Phraortes, was the first king of Media. According to Herodotus, Cyaxares, grandson of Deioces, had a far greater military reputation than his father or grandfather, therefore he is often being described as the first official Median...
, king of Media, a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
took place (see also Thales
Thales
Thales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
); hostilities were suspended, peace concluded, and the Halys fixed as the boundary between the two kingdoms.
Alyattes drove the Cimmeria
Cimmeria
Cimmeria may refer to:*Cimmeria, an ancient name of the Crimea, a peninsula in the North part of Black Sea, or the Eastern part thereof*Cimmerians, an ancient people who lived in the south of modern-day Ukraine in the 8th and 7th century BC, usually associated with the ancient Cimmeria or Crimea...
ns (see Scythia
Scythia
In antiquity, Scythian or Scyths were terms used by the Greeks to refer to certain Iranian groups of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who dwelt on the Pontic-Caspian steppe...
) from Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, subdued the Carians
Carians
The Carians were the ancient inhabitants of Caria in southwest Anatolia.-Historical accounts:It is not clear when the Carians enter into history. The definition is dependent on corresponding Caria and the Carians to the "Karkiya" or "Karkisa" mentioned in the Hittite records...
, and took several Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
n cities (including Smyrna
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Colophon). (Smyrna was sacked and destroyed with its inhabitants forced to move into the countryside.)
He standardised the weight of coins (1 Stater = 168 grains of wheat). The coins were produced using an anvil die technique and stamped with the Lion's head, the symbol of the Mermnadae.
He was succeeded by his son Croesus
Croesus
Croesus was the king of Lydia from 560 to 547 BC until his defeat by the Persians. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Hellenes, providing a fixed point in their calendar. "By the fifth century at least," J.A.S...
. His daughter Aryenis of Lydia was Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Astyages
Astyages
Astyages Astyages Astyages (spelled by Herodotus as Ἀστυάγης - Astyages; by Ctesias as Astyigas; by Diodorus as Aspadas; Akkadian: Ištumegu, was the last king of the Median Empire, r...
, King of Media.
His tomb still exists on the plateau between Lake Gygaea and the river Hermus to the north of Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
—a large mound of earth with a substructure of huge stones. It was excavated by Spiegelthal in 1854, who found that it covered a large vault of finely cut marble blocks approached by a flat-roofed passage of the same stone from the south. The sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
and its contents had been removed by early plunderers of the tomb. All that was left were some broken alabaster vases, pottery and charcoal. On the summit of the mound were large phalli
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
of stone.
Naming disagreement
It is considered that the name "Alyattes II" is likely to be incorrect. Its usage here is based on the online Encyclopaedia of the Orient. Though this online work provides no references, its usage of "Alyattes II" is likely based on John LemprièreJohn Lemprière
John Lemprière , English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster...
's 1788 Classical Dictionary (Biblioteca Classica
Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica
The Bibliotheca Classica , or Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors is the best-known work of John Lemprière, an English classical scholar. Edited by various later scholars, the dictionary long remained a readable if not absolutely...
), its full name being Classical Dictionary of Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large, With Chronological Table. This work, however, also doesn't cite its sources, but its sources were likely to be ancient epigraphs (or later works whose usage was based on ancient epigraphs) which are lists of kings on clay tablets and other media.
Epigraphic lists, however, are known by historians today to be generally unreliable as historical documents. For one thing, they sometimes combine kings from different regions. Livio C. Stecchini contended, for instance, that Gyges was the first Lydian king and those before him, including the earlier Alyattes, were kings of nearby Maionia, a Phrygian dependency. What's more, epigraphic lists are often legendary rather than annalistic, including, for instance, the mythic hero Herakles as a city's founder or people's progenitor, as they do for the Lydians, so another possibility is that "Alyattes I" was a legendary rather than a historical figure.
The ancient historians Herodotos and Strabo both refer to Croesus' father as Alyattes and make no mention of an earlier King Alyattes of Lydia in their writings on Lydia. The same is true of modern historians, archeologists, and numismatists who have focused on Lydia, including George M.A. Hanfmann, John Griffiths Pedley, Robert W. Wallace, Koray Konuk, and Andrew Ramage. Likewise, other newer references such as Oxford Classical Dictionary and Encyclopaedia Britannica don't use "Alyattes II" and make no mention of an earlier Lydian king named Alyattes.
External links
- Livius, Alyattes of Lydia by Jona Lendering