Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:51 AM Sayfa
mind given what I see, or should I just keep quiet?” When the Lydian
king said “What is this crowd doing with heart and soul?”, “They are
pillaging your city” replied Kyros, “They are pillaging and sharing
all your possessions.” Kroisos replied with the following iconic words:
“What they are pillaging is no longer my city or my possessions,
what they are pillaging are all your belongings”. Agitated by these
words the Persian king banned the pillage. Kyros was impressed by
Kroisos’s words and treated him in a manner to suit kings.
He expressed his appreciation by saying “Now tell me whatever your
wish is from me.” These events took place only 60 years before the
time when Herodotos lived. Herodotos told that he wrote in his book
what had been told to him and what he had heard.
After Kyros acquired Sardes, the State of Lydia was scratched from the
stage of history, thus Anatolia came under the dominion of the Persians
totally. Kyros assigned a Persian called Tabalos to govern Lydia and
assigned Paktyes of Lydia to carry the treasure of Lydia to Iran, and set
off for Iran. However, with this amount of wealth, this person was
carried away by the desire to revive the State of Lydia and started to
gather some mercenaries along the shores of the Aegean Sea. Then he
attacked Sardes with the soldiers he had gathered. Kyros found out
about this on his way, and instead of returning himself, he sent out a
force from his army. Even before this force-commanded by Mazaresarrived
in Sardes, Paktyes fled the city and sheltered in Kyme, after
which he left for Mytilene, and then for Chios. The Chiosians handed
him over to the Persian Commander Mazares in return for the plain close
to the city of Atarneus.
The Persian King Dareios, who came to power after Kyros in 521 BC,
separated the Empire into 23 large provinces. These were divided into
127 sub-government areas. The Province of Sardes near the Province of
Ionia covered a vast area including Mysia. Previously included in this
province, Mysia later came under another province known as
Hellespontica Phrygia and Daskyleion-which is beside Lake Manyas-and
became the capital of this province.
The Persians owned Anatolia from 546 BC to 344 BC; however, they did
not influence the culture of Anatolia, they only continued their political
dominion here. Very few remnants in Anatolia belong to them. The most
important one of these is the Persian works in Daskyleion.
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