Phrygia: Map & History
In classical antiquity, Phrygia was a civilization and kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.
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In classical antiquity, Phrygia was a civilization and kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.
Modern Countries Once Part of Phrygia
At its mapped extent, Phrygia covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Phrygia's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Phrygia in Depth
History
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 bordering the larger and more powerful Neo-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 believe that the Assyrians called Phrygians "Mushki" because the Phrygians and Mushki, an eastern Anatolian people, were at that time campaigning in a joint army against Assyria.
Origins
According to ancient tradition among Greek historians, the Phrygians migrated to Anatolia from the Balkans. Herodotus says that the Phrygians were called Bryges when they lived in Europe. He and other Greek writers also recorded legends about King Midas 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.
Culture
The Phrygian religion in antiquity was polytheistic and was distinct from the earlier religions of the Anatolian peoples and whose pantheon was composed of deities who were reflexes of earlier Aegean-Balkan ones.
Unlike the Hittite and Luwian religions, the Phrygian pantheon was headed by a feminine deity, a goddess Matar who was associated with mountains and wild animals and was given the epithet of Kubeleya or Kubileya with the full name Matar Kubeleya thus meaning lit. 'Mother of the Mountain Peaks'. As the "Mountain Mother" (Ancient Greek: Μητηρ ορεια, romanized: Mētēr oreia), Matar was the mistress of wild mountainous landscapes and the protectress and nurturer of the wild animals living there.
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.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Phrygia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Phrygia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Phrygia appears, with the other states of the time.
Phrygia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 188,102 km² in 688 BCE.
Phrygia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Phrygia exist?
Phrygia is dated to 900 BCE – 676 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Phrygia?
The capital of Phrygia was Gordion.
How large was Phrygia at its peak?
At its peak in 688 BC Phrygia covered about 188,102 km².
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