In
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...
, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, in what is now Asian
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, centered on the
Sangarios River.
Stories of the
heroic age of
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
tell of several legendary
Phrygian kings:
*
Gordias
Gordias (; also ) was the name of at least two members of the royal house of Phrygia.
The best-known Gordias was reputedly the founder of the Phrygian capital city Gordium, the maker of the legendary Gordian Knot, and the father of the legendary ...
, whose
Gordian Knot would later be cut by
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
*
Midas
Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house.
His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...
, who turned whatever he touched to gold
*
Mygdon, who warred with the
Amazons
The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...
According to
Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
's ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'', the Phrygians participated in the
Trojan War as close allies of the
Trojans, fighting against the
Achaeans. Phrygian power reached its peak in the late 8th century BC under another historical king, Midas, who dominated most of western and central Anatolia and rivaled
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
and
Urartu for power in eastern Anatolia. This later Midas was, however, also the last independent king of Phrygia before
Cimmerians sacked the Phrygian capital,
Gordium, around 695 BC. Phrygia then became subject to
Lydia, and then successively to
Persia,
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
and his
Hellenistic
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
successors,
Pergamon, the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
and the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
. Over this time Phrygians became Christian and Greek-speaking, assimilating into the Byzantine state; after the
Turkish conquest of Byzantine Anatolia in the late Middle Ages, the name "Phrygia" passed out of usage as a territorial designation.
Geography

Phrygia describes an area on the western end of the high Anatolian plateau, an arid region quite unlike the forested lands to the north and west of it. Phrygia begins in the northwest where an area of dry steppe is diluted by the Sakarya and
Porsuk river system and is home to the settlements of
Dorylaeum near modern
Eskişehir, and the Phrygian capital
Gordion. The climate is harsh with hot summers and cold winters. Therefore, olives will not easily grow here so the land is mostly used for livestock grazing and barley production.

South of Dorylaeum an important Phrygian settlement, Midas City (
Yazılıkaya, Eskişehir), is situated in an area of hills and columns of volcanic
tuff. To the south again, central Phrygia includes the cities of
Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar (, 'poppy, opium', ''kara'' 'black', ''hisar'' 'fortress') is a major city in western Turkey. It is the administrative centre of Afyonkarahisar Province and Afyonkarahisar District. Its population is 251,799 (2021). Afyon is in the ...
(ancient Akroinon) with its marble quarries at nearby
Docimium (İscehisar), and the town of
Synnada. At the western end of Phrygia stood the towns of
Aizanoi (modern
Çavdarhisar) and
Acmonia. From here to the southwest lies the hilly area of Phrygia that contrasts to the bare plains of the region's heartland.
The region of southwestern Phrygia is irrigated by the Maeander, also known as the
Büyük Menderes River, along with its tributary, the Lycus. Within its boundaries lie the towns of Laodicea on the Lycus and
Hierapolis.
[Peter Thonemann (ed), 2013, ''Roman Phrygia: culture and society'', Cambridge University Press]
Origins
Legendary ancient migrations
According to ancient tradition among Greek historians, the Phrygians migrated to
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
from the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
.
Herodotus says that the Phrygians were called
Bryges when they lived in Europe.
[Herodotus VII.73.] He and other Greek writers also recorded legends about King
Midas
Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house.
His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...
that associated him with or put his origin in
Macedonia; Herodotus, for example, says a wild rose garden in Macedonia was named after Midas.
Some classical writers also connected the Phrygians with the
Mygdones, the name of two groups of people, one of which lived in northern Macedonia and another in
Mysia
Mysia (UK , US or ; ; ; ) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lyd ...
. Likewise, the
Phrygians have been identified with the
Bebryces, a people said to have warred with
Mysia
Mysia (UK , US or ; ; ; ) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lyd ...
before the
Trojan War and who had a king named
Mygdon at roughly the same time as the Phrygians were said to have had a king named Mygdon.
The classical historian
Strabo groups Phrygians,
Mygdones,
Mysians,
Bebryces and
Bithynians together as peoples that migrated to Anatolia from the Balkans. This image of Phrygians as part of a related group of northwest Anatolian cultures seems the most likely explanation for the confusion over whether
Phrygians,
Bebryces and Anatolian Mygdones were or were not the same people.
Phrygian language
Phrygian continued to be spoken until the 6th century AD, though its distinctive alphabet was lost earlier than those of most Anatolian cultures.
One of the
Homeric Hymns describes the
Phrygian language as not mutually intelligible with that of
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
,
[ Homeric Hymns number 5, ''To Aphrodite''.] and inscriptions found at
Gordium make clear that Phrygians spoke an
Indo-European language
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia ( ...
with at least some vocabulary similar to
Greek. Phrygian clearly did not belong to the family of
Anatolian languages spoken in most of the adjacent countries, such as
Hittite. The apparent similarity of the
Phrygian language to Greek and its dissimilarity with the
Anatolian languages spoken by most of their neighbors is also taken as support for a European origin of the Phrygians.
From what is available, it is evident that Phrygian shares important features with
Greek and
Armenian. Phrygian is part of the
centum group of Indo-European languages. However, between the 19th and the first half of the 20th century Phrygian was mostly considered a
satəm language, and thus closer to Armenian and
Thracian, while today it is commonly considered to be a centum language and thus closer to Greek. The reason that in the past Phrygian had the guise of a satəm language was due to two secondary processes that affected it. Namely, Phrygian merged the old labiovelar with the plain velar, and secondly, when in contact with palatal vowels /e/ and /i/, especially in initial position, some consonants became palatalized. Furthermore,
Kortlandt (1988) presented common sound changes of Thracian and Armenian and their separation from Phrygian and the rest of the
palaeo-Balkan languages from an early stage.
Modern consensus regards Greek as the closest relative of Phrygian, a position that is supported by
Brixhe, Neumann, Matzinger, Woodhouse, Ligorio, Lubotsky, and Obrador-Cursach. Furthermore, 34 out of the 36 Phrygian isoglosses that are recorded are shared with Greek, with 22 being exclusive between them. The last 50 years of Phrygian scholarship developed a hypothesis that proposes a
proto-Graeco-Phrygian stage out of which Greek and Phrygian originated, and if Phrygian was more sufficiently attested, that stage could perhaps be reconstructed.
Recent migration hypotheses
Some scholars dismiss the claim of a Phrygian migration as a mere legend, likely arising from the coincidental similarity of their name to the
Bryges, and have theorized that migration into Phrygia could have occurred more recently than classical sources suggest. They have sought to fit the Phrygian arrival into a narrative explaining the downfall of the
Hittite Empire
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
and the end of the high Bronze Age in Anatolia.
According to the "recent migration" theory, the Phrygians invaded just before or after the collapse of the Hittite Empire at the beginning of the 12th century BC, filling the political vacuum in central-western Anatolia, and may have been counted among the "
Sea Peoples" that Egyptian records credit with bringing about the Hittite collapse. The so-called Handmade Knobbed Ware found in Western Anatolia during this period has been tentatively identified as an import connected to this invasion.
Relation to their Hittite predecessors
Some scholars believe that the Phrygians were already established on the
Sakarya River during the
Late Bronze Age. These scholars seek instead to trace the Phrygians' origins among the many nations of western Anatolia who were subject to the
Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
. This interpretation finds some motivation in Greek legends about Phrygians participation in the Trojan War, as well as the founding myth of the
Gordium.
No one has conclusively identified which of the many subjects of the
Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
might have represented early Phrygians. According to a classical tradition, popularized by
Josephus, Phrygia can be equated with the country called
Togarmah
Togarmah (, , ) is a figure in the Generations of Noah in the Book of Genesis that represents the peoples known to the Hebrews. Togarmah is among the descendants of Japheth and is thought to represent some people located in Anatolia. Medieval s ...
by the ancient Hebrews, which has in turn been identified as the
Tegarama of Hittite texts and Til-Garimmu of
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
n records.
Josephus called Togarmah "the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were named Phrygians". However, the Greek source cited by
Josephus is unknown, and it is unclear if there was any basis for the identification other than name similarity.
Scholars of the Hittites believe Tegarama was in eastern Anatolia – some locate it at
Gurun – far to the east of Phrygia. Some scholars have identified Phrygia with the
Assuwa league, and noted that the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'' mentions a Phrygian (Queen
Hecuba's brother) named
Asios. Another possible early name of Phrygia could be
Hapalla, the name of the easternmost province that emerged from the splintering of the Bronze Age western Anatolian empire
Arzawa. However, scholars are unsure if Hapalla corresponds to Phrygia or to
Pisidia, further south.
Relation to Armenians
Ancient Greek historian
Herodotus (writing circa 440 BC), suggested that Armenians migrated from Phrygia, which at the time encompassed much of western and central
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
: "the Armenians were equipped like Phrygians, being Phrygian colonists" (7.73) (') According to Herotodus, the Phrygians had originated in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
, in an area adjoining Macedonia, from where they had emigrated to Anatolia during the
Bronze Age collapse. This led later scholars, such as
Igor Diakonoff, to theorize that Armenians also originated in the Balkans and moved east with the Phrygians. However, an Armenian origin in the Balkans, although once widely accepted, has been facing increased scrutiny in recent years due to discrepancies in the timeline and lack of genetic and archeological evidence.
In fact, some scholars have suggested that the Phrygians and/or the apparently related
Mushki people were originally from Armenia and moved westward.
A number of linguists have rejected a close relationship between Armenian and Phrygian, despite saying that the two languages do share some features. Phrygian is now classified as a
centum language more closely related to Greek than Armenian, whereas Armenian is mostly
satem.
History
Peak and destruction of the Phrygian kingdom

During the 8th century BC, the Phrygian kingdom with its capital at
Gordium in the upper
Sakarya River valley expanded into an empire dominating most of central and western Anatolia and encroaching upon the larger
Assyrian Empire to its southeast and the kingdom of
Urartu to the northeast.
According to the classical historians
Strabo,
Eusebius and
Julius Africanus, the king of Phrygia during this time was another Midas. This historical Midas is believed to be the same person named as Mita in Assyrian texts from the period and identified as king of the
Mushki. Scholars figure that Assyrians called Phrygians "Mushki" because the Phrygians and
Mushki, an eastern Anatolian people, were at that time campaigning in a joint army. This Midas is thought to have reigned Phrygia at the peak of its power from about 720 BC to about 695 BC (according to Eusebius) or 676 BC (according to Julius Africanus). An Assyrian inscription mentioning "Mita", dated to 709 BC, during the reign of
Sargon of Assyria, suggests Phrygia and
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
had struck a truce by that time. This Midas appears to have had good relations and close trade ties with the Greeks, and reputedly married an Aeolian Greek princess.
A system of writing in the
Phrygian language developed and flourished in Gordium during this period, using a Phoenician-derived alphabet similar to the Greek one. A distinctive Phrygian pottery called Polished Ware appears during this period.
However, the Phrygian Kingdom was then
overwhelmed by Cimmerian invaders, and
Gordium was sacked and destroyed. According to Strabo and others, Midas committed suicide by drinking bulls' blood.

A series of digs have opened
Gordium as one of Turkey's most revealing archeological sites. Excavations confirm a violent destruction of Gordium around 675 BC. A tomb from the period, popularly identified as the "Tomb of Midas", revealed a wooden structure deeply buried under a vast
tumulus
A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...
, containing grave goods, a coffin, furniture, and food offerings (Archaeological Museum, Ankara).
As a Lydian province
After their destruction of
Gordium, the Cimmerians remained in western Anatolia and warred with
Lydia, which eventually expelled them by around 620 BC, and then expanded to incorporate Phrygia, which became the Lydian empire's eastern frontier. The Gordium site reveals a considerable building program during the 6th century BC, under the domination of Lydian kings including the proverbially rich King
Croesus. Meanwhile, Phrygia's former eastern subjects fell to
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
and later to the
Medes.
There may be an echo of strife with Lydia and perhaps a veiled reference to royal hostages, in the legend of the twice-unlucky Phrygian prince
Adrastus, who accidentally killed his brother and exiled himself to
Lydia, where King
Croesus welcomed him. Once again, Adrastus accidentally killed Croesus' son and then committed suicide.
As Persian province(s)

Some time in the 540s BC, Phrygia passed to the
Achaemenid (Great Persian) Empire when
Cyrus the Great conquered
Lydia.
After
Darius the Great
Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...
became Persian Emperor in 521 BC, he remade the ancient trade route into the Persian "
Royal Road" and instituted administrative reforms that included setting up
satrapies. The Phrygian
satrapy (province) lay west of the
Halys River (now
Kızıl River) and east of
Mysia
Mysia (UK , US or ; ; ; ) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lyd ...
and Lydia. Its capital was established at
Dascylium, modern
Ergili.
In the course of the 5th century, the region was divided in two administrative satrapies:
Hellespontine Phrygia and Greater Phrygia.
Under Alexander and his successors
The Macedonian Greek conqueror
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
passed through
Gordium in 333 BC and severed the
Gordian Knot in the temple of
Sabazios ("
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
"). According to a legend, possibly promulgated by Alexander's publicists, whoever untied the knot would be master of
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. With Gordium sited on the
Persian Royal Road that led through the heart of
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, the prophecy had some geographical plausibility. With Alexander, Phrygia became part of the wider
Hellenistic
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
world. Upon Alexander's death in 323 BC, the
Battle of Ipsus took place in 301 BC.
Celts and Attalids
In the chaotic period after Alexander's death, northern Phrygia was overrun by
Celts
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
, eventually to become the province of
Galatia. The former capital of
Gordium was captured and destroyed by the Gauls soon afterwards and disappeared from history.
In 188 BC, the southern remnant of Phrygia came under the control of the
Attalids of
Pergamon. However, the
Phrygian language survived, although now written in the
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. It was derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and is the earliest known alphabetic script to systematically write vowels as wel ...
.
Under Rome and Byzantium

In 133 BC, the remnants of Phrygia passed to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. For purposes of provincial administration, the Romans maintained a divided Phrygia, attaching the northeastern part to the province of
Galatia and the western portion to the province of
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. There is some evidence that western Phrygia and
Caria
Caria (; from Greek language, Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian main ...
were separated from Asia in 254–259 to become the new province of Phrygia and Caria. During the reforms of
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
, Phrygia was divided anew into two provinces: "Phrygia I", or Phrygia Salutaris (meaning "healthy" in Latin), and Phrygia II, or Pacatiana (Greek Πακατιανή, Pakatiane, unknown etymology, but translated as "peaceful"), both under the
Diocese of Asia. Salutaris with Synnada as its capital comprised the eastern portion of the region and Pacatiana with
Laodicea on the Lycus
Laodicea on the Lycus ( ''Laodikeia pros tou Lykou''; , also transliterated as ''Laodiceia'' or ''Laodikeia'') ( or archaically as ) was a rich ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, now Turkey, on the river Lycus (Çürüksu). It was located in the ...
as capital of the western portion. The provinces survived up to the end of the 7th century, when they were replaced by the
Theme system. In the Late Roman, early "
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
" period, most of Phrygia belonged to the
Anatolic theme. It was overrun by the Turks in the aftermath of the
Battle of Manzikert (1071). The Turks had taken complete control in the 13th century, but the ancient name of ''Phrygia'' remained in use until the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1453.
Culture
Religion
The Phrygian religion in antiquity was
polytheistic and was distinct from the earlier religions of the
Anatolian peoples
The Anatolians were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples who inhabited Anatolia as early as the 3rd millennium BC. Identified by their use of the now-extinct Anatolian languages, they were one of the oldest collective Indo- ...
and whose pantheon was composed of deities who were
reflexes of earlier Aegean-Balkan ones.
Matar Kubeleya
Unlike the Hittite and Luwian religions, the Phrygian pantheon was headed by a feminine deity, a goddess who was associated with mountains and wild animals and was given the epithet of or with the full name thus meaning . As the "Mountain Mother" (), was the mistress of wild mountainous landscapes and the protectress and nurturer of the wild animals living there.
was the Phrygian reflex of an earlier Aegean-Balkan goddess whose
Lydian variant was the goddess Kufaws.
The cult of was performed by priests named
Corybantes (meaning ), likely in mountainous locations, and through orgiastic rites featuring pipe and cymbal music and ecstatic dancing, with her name also characterising her as the goddess of head-shaking and the ecstatic state caused by it. Therefore, the goddess was also given a Phrygian epithet meaning "frantic" in reference to the divine frenzy she inspired in her worshipers and recorded in Greek as ().
Due to the prominence of the cult of in Central Anatolia during the Iron Age, her cult spread to Pisidia and later to the Greco-Roman world under the name of Kybele (; ).
Other deities
The storm god held an important place in the Phrygian pantheon and his cult was widespread in Phrygia. was not connected to the earlier Anatolian storm god
Tarḫuntas and was instead the Phrygian variant of an earlier Aegean-Balkan god whose Lydian and Greek reflexes were
Lefs and
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
, also cognate with the
Italic Jovis.
The Phrygian moon god was who was known in Greek as
Men
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...
. was the Phrygian reflex of an earlier Aegean-Balkan god whose Lydian variant was
Qaλiyañs.
The identity and gender of the Phrygian deity are still unclear.
was a
Potnia Theron-type Phrygian goddess who was the reflex of an older Aegean-Balkan goddess whose Lydian and Greek variants were respectively the goddesses
Artimus and
Artemis
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...
.
Music
The earliest traditions of
Greek music derived from Phrygia, transmitted through the Greek colonies in Anatolia and included the
Phrygian mode, which was considered to be the warlike mode in ancient Greek music. Phrygian Midas, the king of the "golden touch", was tutored in music by
Orpheus himself according to the myth. Another musical invention that came from Phrygia was the
aulos, a reed instrument with two pipes.
Phrygian cap
Classical Greek iconography identifies the
Trojan Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
as non-Greek by his
Phrygian cap, which was worn by
Mithras and survived into modern imagery as the "liberty cap" of the American and
French revolutionaries.
Mythic past
The name of the earliest known mythical king was
Nannacus (aka Annacus). This king resided at Iconium, the most eastern city of the kingdom of Phrygia at that time; and after his death, at the age of 300 years, a great flood overwhelmed the country, as had been foretold by an ancient oracle. The next king mentioned in extant classical sources was called Manis or Masdes. According to Plutarch, because of his splendid exploits, great things were called "manic" in Phrygia. Thereafter, the kingdom of Phrygia seems to have become fragmented among various kings. One of the kings was
Tantalus, who ruled over the north western region of Phrygia around
Mount Sipylus. Tantalus was endlessly punished in
Tartarus, because he allegedly killed his son
Pelops and sacrificially offered him to the Olympians, a reference to the suppression of
human sacrifice. Tantalus was also falsely accused of stealing from the lotteries he had invented. In the mythic age before the
Trojan War, during a time of an
interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...
,
Gordius (or Gordias), a Phrygian farmer, became king, fulfilling an oracular
prophecy. The kingless Phrygians had turned for guidance to the oracle of Sabazios ("Zeus" to the Greeks) at
Telmissus, in the part of Phrygia that later became part of
Galatia. They had been instructed by the oracle to acclaim as their king the first man who rode up to the god's temple in a cart. That man was Gordias (Gordios, Gordius), a farmer, who dedicated the ox-cart in question, tied to its shaft with the "
Gordian Knot". Gordias refounded a capital at Gordium in west central Anatolia, situated on the old trackway through the heart of Anatolia that became
Darius's Persian "Royal Road" from
Pessinus to
Ancyra, and not far from the
River Sangarius.
The Phrygians are associated in Greek mythology with the
Dactyls, minor gods credited with the invention of iron smelting, who in most versions of the legend lived at
Mount Ida in Phrygia.
Gordias
Gordias (; also ) was the name of at least two members of the royal house of Phrygia.
The best-known Gordias was reputedly the founder of the Phrygian capital city Gordium, the maker of the legendary Gordian Knot, and the father of the legendary ...
's son (adopted in some versions) was Midas. A large body of myths and legends surround this first king Midas. connecting him with a mythological tale concerning
Attis. This shadowy figure resided at Pessinus and attempted to marry his daughter to the young Attis in spite of the opposition of his lover Agdestis and his mother, the goddess
Cybele. When Agdestis and/or Cybele appear and cast madness upon the members of the wedding feast. Midas is said to have died in the ensuing chaos.
King Midas is said to have associated himself with
Silenus and other satyrs and with
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
, who granted him a "golden touch".
In one version of his story, Midas travels from
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
accompanied by a band of his people to Asia Minor to wash away the taint of his unwelcome "golden touch" in the river
Pactolus. Leaving the gold in the river's sands, Midas found himself in Phrygia, where he was adopted by the childless king Gordias and taken under the protection of Cybele. Acting as the visible representative of Cybele, and under her authority, it would seem, a Phrygian king could designate his successor.
The Phrygian
Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the
Apollonian oracle at Phrygia.
According to
Herodotus, the Egyptian pharaoh
Psammetichus II had two children raised in isolation in order to find the original language. The children were reported to have uttered ''bekos'', which is Phrygian for "bread", so Psammetichus admitted that the Phrygians were a nation older than the Egyptians.
In the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
, the homeland of the Phrygians was on the
Sangarius River, which would remain the centre of Phrygia throughout its history. Phrygia was famous for its wine and had "brave and expert" horsemen.
According to the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
, before the
Trojan War, a young king
Priam of
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
had taken an army to Phrygia to support it in a war against the
Amazons
The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...
. Homer calls the Phrygians "the people of
Otreus and godlike
Mygdon". According to
Euripides,
Quintus Smyrnaeus and others, this Mygdon's son,
Coroebus, fought and died in the
Trojan War; he had sued for the hand of the Trojan princess
Cassandra in marriage. The name ''Otreus'' could be an eponym for
Otroea, a place on
Lake Ascania in the vicinity of the later
Nicaea, and the name ''Mygdon'' is clearly an eponym for the
Mygdones, a people said by
Strabo to live in northwest Asia Minor, and who appear to have sometimes been considered distinct from the
Phrygians. However,
Pausanias believed that Mygdon's tomb was located at
Stectorium in the southern Phrygian highlands, near modern
Sandikli.
According to the ''
Bibliotheca'', the Greek hero
Heracles
Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...
slew a king Mygdon of the
Bebryces in a battle in northwest Anatolia that if historical would have taken place about a generation before the
Trojan War. According to the story, while traveling from
Minoa to the
Amazons
The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...
, Heracles stopped in
Mysia
Mysia (UK , US or ; ; ; ) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lyd ...
and supported the
Mysians in a battle with the Bebryces. According to some interpretations, Bebryces is an alternate name for Phrygians and this Mygdon is the same person mentioned in the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
.
King
Priam married the Phrygian princess Hecabe (or
Hecuba) and maintained a close alliance with the Phrygians, who repaid him by fighting "ardently" in the
Trojan War against the Greeks. Hecabe was a daughter of the Phrygian king
Dymas, son of
Eioneus, son of Proteus. According to the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
, Hecabe's younger brother
Asius also fought at Troy (see above); and
Quintus Smyrnaeus mentions two grandsons of Dymas that fell at the hands of
Neoptolemus at the end of the Trojan War: "Two sons he slew of Meges rich in gold, Scion of Dymas – sons of high renown, cunning to hurl the dart, to drive the steed in war, and deftly cast the lance afar, born at one birth beside Sangarius' banks of Periboea to him, Celtus one, and Eubius the other."
Teleutas, father of the maiden
Tecmessa, is mentioned as another mythical Phrygian king.
There are indications in the Iliad that the heart of the Phrygian country was further north and downriver than it would be in later history. The Phrygian contingent arrives to aid
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
coming from Lake Ascania in northwest Anatolia, and is led by
Phorcys and
Ascanius, both sons of Aretaon.
In one of the so-called
Homeric Hymns, Phrygia is said to be "rich in fortresses" and ruled by "famous
Otreus".
Jews of Phrygia
During the Roman imperial period, Jews in Phrygia, like elsewhere in Asia Minor, formed a prosperous and established minority. Centuries earlier, Seleucid king
Antiochus III () resettled 2,000 Jewish families from
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
and
Babylon in Lydia and Phrygia, aiming to strengthen Seleucid control in the region. This likely meant relocating more than 10,000 individuals to Antiochus' territories in western Asia Minor. The Jews received land, tax exemptions, and grain until they could sustain themselves from their own harvests. Antiochus specifically allocated land for vineyards, indicating a focus on
viticulture, consistent with later references in the
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
about Jewish Phrygia's wine production.
Evidence suggests the existence of
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
s in various cities, including
Iconium, which had an ethnically mixed population but was sometimes considered Phrygian. At
Synnada (Şuhut), a ruler of the synagogue is mentioned, indicating the presence of a synagogue. In
Hierapolis (Pamukkale), a third-century sarcophagus inscription highlights the importance of the holy synagogue in burial practices. The most well-documented Phrygian synagogue was in
Acmonia (Ahat), where in
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
's reign, Ioulia Severa, a descendant of
Galatian royalty, funded its construction. While her patronage may not indicate personal sympathy towards Judaism, it suggests support from influential circles. Though conditions for Jews in Acmonia seemed favorable in Severa's time, their continuity is unclear. By the third century, evidence of Jewish presence in Acmonia increased, including gravestones invoking biblical curses against grave violators, indicating the integration of Jewish practices and influential positions within the community.
Christian period
Visitors from Phrygia were reported to have been among the crowds present in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
on the occasion of
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
as recorded in . In the
Apostle Paul
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
and his companion
Silas travelled through Phrygia and the region of
Galatia proclaiming the
Christian gospel. Their plans appear to have been to go to
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
but 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 from doing so and instead they travelled westwards towards the coast.
The Christian heresy known as
Montanism
Montanism (), known by its adherents as the New Revelation, was an History of Christianity#Early Christianity (c. 31/33–324), early Christian movement of the Christianity in the 2nd century, mid-to-late 2nd century, later referred to by the n ...
, and still known in
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
as "the Phrygian heresy", arose in the unidentified village of Ardabau in the 2nd century AD, and was distinguished by ecstatic spirituality and women priests. Originally described as a rural movement, it is now thought to have been of urban origin like other Christian developments. The new Jerusalem its adherents founded in the village of Pepouza has now been identified in a remote valley that later held a monastery.
See also
*
Ancient regions of Anatolia
Notes
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
General
* Belke, Klaus; Mersich, Norbert (1990). ''Phrygien und Pisidien''
hrygia and Pisidia Tabula Imperii Byzantini, vol. 7. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, .
* Bru, Hadrien (2017). ''La Phrygie Parorée et la Pisidie septentrionale aux époques hellénistique et romaine. Géographie historique et sociologie culturelle''
aroraean Phrygia and Northern Pisidia in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Historical geography and cultural sociology Mnemosyne Supplements, vol. 401. Leiden/Boston: Brill, .
* Kelp, Ute (2015). ''Grabdenkmal und lokale Identität. Ein Bild der Landschaft Phrygiens in der römischen Kaiserzeit''
unerary monuments and local identity. A view of the landscape of Phrygia in the Roman imperial period Asia Minor Studien, vol. 74. Bonn: Habelt, .
On Phrygian religion
* Chiai, Gian Franco (2020).
Phrygien und seine Götter. Historie und Religionsgeschichte einer anatolischen Region von der Zeit der Hethiter bis zur Ausbreitung des Christenstums'
hrygia and its gods. History and religious history of an Anatolian region from the time of the Hittites to the spread of Christianity Pharos, vol. 46. Rahden/Westf.: Leidorf, .
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On Phrygian rock-cut altars
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External links
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