Lydian Religion

The Lydians were an ancient culture that lived in western Anatolia who spoke a distinctive Indo-European language. Its origins reach back into the 2nd millennium BCE. Their state records cover three dynasties and are traceable back to the Late Bronze Age. Lydia reached the height of its power and prowess during the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. Lydian power came to an abrupt end with the fall of their capital to the Medes after the Battle of Halys in 585 BCE, and the subsequent defeat by the Persians in 546 BCE. A distinct Lydian culture probably persisted for the next 500 years or so. A number of Lydian religious beliefs and practices may date back to the Early Bronze Age, and possibly even the Late Stone Age. Lydian religion embraced the vegetation goddess Kore, the snake and bull cult, the thunder and rain god (and the double-axe, or Labrys, as a sign of thunder), the mountain mother goddess (Mother of Gods) assisted by lions and equated with Cybele. More obsure dieties include Santai, Cybele's escort and sometimes described as a hero burned on a pyre, and Marivda, who is associated with darkness Contact and transfers between the Lydians and the ancient Greeks occurred for over a millennium, from the Bronze Age to classical (Persian) times. This makes it difficult to definatively classify religion and mythology as being predominately Greek or predominately Lydian in origin. As noted by archaeological explorers of Lydia, Artimu (Artemis) and Pldans (Apollo) have strong Anatolian components and Cybele-Rhea, the Mother of Gods, and Baki (Bacchus, Dionysos) went from Anatolia to Greece, while both in Lydia and Caria, Levs (Zeus) preserved strong local characteristics. Herodotus states in his Histories that the Lydians "were the first men whom we know who coined and used gold and silver currency." While this specifically refers to coinage in electrum, some scholars beleive that coinage itself first arose in Lydia. Herodotus also states that during the kingship of legendarily affluent Croesus, there was no other Asia Minor people braver and more militant than the Lydians. Herodotus chronicled a few less weighty matters. He notes that once a Lydian girl reached maturity, she would ply the trade of prostitute until she had earned a sufficient dowry, upon which she would publicize her availability for marriage. This was general practice among girls not born into nobility. He also attributes the Lydians with inventing a number of ancient games, most notably knucklebones. Herodotus relates that knucklebones rose in popularity during a particularly severe drought. The game afforded the Lydians a psychological reprieve from their troubles.