PHRYGIA

Anatolia [i] hosted many ancient kingdoms thanks to its fertile land; and the Phrygians were no exception, as they benefited greatly from the environment. It is assumed that a migration of peoples from the drought stricken Balkans drove the Phrygians into an Anatolian power vacuum [ii] following the collapse of the Hittite Empire [iii]. The fertile land allowed Phrygians to raise sheep for their after wool which was widely used in a range of Greek industries. Specializing in wool, metal, and pottery gave rise to a strong economy focused on trade. Their sudden decline came after an invasion of the Cimmerians [iv] around 695 BCE.

It is believed that during their primary migration to Anatolia, the Phrygians fought with the Trojans during the Trojan War [v]. Goods manufactured in Phrygia led to them to be closely connected to the Greek world thanks to their sought after status within the city states. Though there is not much information on the diplomatic rivals of the Phrygians, the Assyrians [vi] to the East originally stopped the Phrygian’s migration after the collapse of the Hittite Empire. While conflict with Assyrians did not erupt into full scale warfare, however, the consequences of this conflict helped accelerate the fragility of Phrygia by their collapse.

One modern colloquial used is to describe a situation as a “Gordian Knot”. This was named after the father of the famous King Midas [vii], King Gordios III, and the special prophecy tied to those who can break the knot [viii]. Phrygian culture shared many ties with its Greek neighbors, but the Phrygian’s pottery is still preserved in many museums across Turkey and Greece. The ruins of the former capital city, Gordion [ix], are still visible today and can be visited along with several other smaller towns throughout northwestern Turkey. The Phrygian language is also believed to be related to classical Armenian.

Since Phrygia and Greece shared close cultural ties, the two societies’ governments were also understandably similar as well. The Kingdom of Phrygia was ruled as a monarchy, but was also home to a strong equestrian aristocratic class [x]. This was primarily because horses were very expensive to feed and maintain at the time. Since their maintenance was such an investment, typically aristocrats were the primary caretakers of horses, as they were the upper echelon of society with enough money to own horses. Equestrian aristocrats typically led the calvary on many military campaigns and were of higher rank in these types of societies.

It is believed that the Phrygians were a group of people who migrated from the Balkans, north of the Danube river. This migration was due to an environmentally driven drought in the region. They emigrated to Northwestern modern-day Turkey and created a kingdom [xi] out of the recently shattered Hittite Empire. The location of Phrygia allowed for fertile land and enabled the empire to benefit from rich mineral deposits and foster important trade networks along the famous Royal Road. Their height came under King Midas III as well as their downfall then becoming a satrapy and province under other ancient empires.

There has not been much recorded or remembered of the Phrygian society, as their kingdom fell quickly in the 7th century BCE. Their society was absorbed into subsequent kingdoms and empires and eventually was diminished to being known as solely the name of a region under the Roman Empire. However, stories of the empire have survived the ages including tales such as the Gordian Knot, and the widely known mythological king, King Midas whose touch supposedly turned everything into gold [xii]. His story has been remembered thoroughly in Hellenic mythologies and has taken many different forms in other regional mythologies as well.

King Midas was known for his vast riches, which he owed primarily to Phrygia’s [xiii] rich mineral deposits. These deposits provided expansive livelihood and allowed the society to specialize in metallurgy. Being on the Royal Road trade route also enabled their special metal-making techniques to travel across the ancient world. These works spread from Greece all the way to the banks of the Indus River. Phrygians were skilled craftsmen when it came to pottery as well. Their pottery was highly sought after by Greeks and other Anatolian communities. Phrygian artifacts have been found across modern-day Turkey and the MENA/SWANA region.