Ardys of Lydia

Ardys (reigned c.652–c.603 BC; also known as Ardysus) was the second king of the Mermnad dynasty in Lydia, the son of Gyges. According to Herodotus, he reigned for 49 years and was succeeded by his son Sadyattes.[1]

Dates for the Mermnad kings are uncertain and are based on a computation by J. B. Bury and Russell Meiggs (1975) who estimated c.687–c.652 BC for the reign of Gyges.[2] Herodotus gave reign lengths for Gyges' successors: Ardys for 49 years (to c.603 BC); and Sadyattes for 12 years (to c.591 BC).[1]

Ardys attacked the Ionian Greek city of Miletus and succeeded in capturing the city of Priene.[3] Most of his reign was taken up with the wars against the Cimmerians, who occupied part of Sardis in one invasion.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. Herodotus & de Sélincourt 1954, p. 46
  2. Bury & Meiggs 1975, pp. 82–83
  3. 'Miletos, the ornament of Ionia: history of the city to 400 BCE' by Vanessa B. Gorman (University of Michigan Press) 2001
  4. Kristensen, Anne Katrine Gade (1988). Who were the Cimmerians, and where did they come from?: Sargon II, and the Cimmerians, and Rusa I. Copenhagen Denmark: The Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters.

Sources

  • Bury, J. B.; Meiggs, Russell (1975) [first published 1900]. A History of Greece (Fourth Edition). London: MacMillan Press. ISBN 0-333-15492-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Herodotus (1975) [first published 1954]. Burn, A. R.; de Sélincourt, Aubrey (eds.). The Histories. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-051260-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Preceded by
Gyges
King of Lydia
c.652 BC–c.603 BC
Succeeded by
Sadyattes
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