Cilician
ὅπλον μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή βροτοῖς → man's greatest weapon is virtue, virtue is the greatest weapon for mortals
English > Greek (Woodhouse Extra)
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Cilicia (/sɪˈlɪʃə/) is a geo-cultural region in southern Anatolia (Turkey), extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population of over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilicia plain. The region includes the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay.
Before the early foundings of the kingdom, Cilicians had to protect themselves from Assyrian domination. After the dissolution of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 612 BC, they established an independent kingdom from Syria. Given the fact that Cilicia was a strategically significant location, Cilicians were able to expand their kingdom as far north as the Halys River in a short period of time. With these expansions, the Cilician Kingdom became as strong as Babylonia, one of the contemporary powerhouses.
The Syennesis dynasty emerged in Cilicia and seemed to have been based in its western part during the reign of Appuašu. The peaceful governance of the Syennesis dynasty sustained the kingdom and prevented the Achaemenid Empire from attacking Lydians after the Achaemenid invasions of Median lands. Appuašu, the son of Syennesis, defended the country against the Babylonian king Neriglissar, whose army reached Cilicia and crossed the Taurus mountain range. The Achaemenids defeated the Lydians, and Appuašu had to recognize the authority of the Persians in 549 BC to keep the local administration with the Cilicians. Cilicia became an autonomous satrapy under the reign of Cyrus II. Cilicians were independent in their internal affairs and kept this autonomy for almost 150 years. In 401, Syennesis III and his wife Epyaxa supported the revolt of Cyrus the Younger against his brother Artaxerxes II Mnemon. This was sound policy, because otherwise, Cilicia would have been looted by the rebel army. However, after the defeat of Cyrus at Cunaxa, keeping Syennesis' position was difficult. Most scholars assume that this behavior marked the end of the independence of Cilicia. After 400, it became a normal satrapy.
Under the Persian empire, Cilicia (in Old Persian: Karka) was said to be governed by tributary native kings who bore a Hellenized name or the title of "Syennesis", and it was officially included in the fourth satrapy by Darius. Xenophon found a queen in power, and no opposition was offered to the takeover of Cyrus the Younger.
The great highway from the west existed before Cyrus conquered Cilicia. On its long rough descent from the Anatolian plateau to Tarsus, it ran through the narrow pass between walls of rock called the Cilician Gates. After crossing the low hills east of the Pyramus it passed through a masonry (Cilician) gate, Demir Kapu, and entered the plain of Issus. From that plain one road ran southward through another masonry (Syrian) gate to Alexandretta, and thence crossed Mt. Amanus by the Syrian Gate, Beilan Pass, eventually to Antioch and Syria. Another road ran northwards through a masonry (Armenian) gate, south of Toprak Kale, and crossed Mt. Amanus by the Armenian Gate, Baghche Pass, to northern Syria and the Euphrates. By the last pass, which was apparently unknown to Alexander, Darius crossed the mountains prior to the battle of Issus. Both passes are short and easy and connect Cilicia Pedias geographically and politically with Syria rather than with Anatolia.
Alexander forded the Halys River in the summer of 333 BC, ending up on the border of southeastern Phrygia and Cilicia. He knew well the writings of Xenophon, and how the Cilician Gates had been "impassable if obstructed by the enemy". Alexander reasoned that by force alone he could frighten the defenders and break through, and he gathered his men to do so. In the cover of night they attacked, startling the guards and sending them and their satrap into full flight, setting their crops aflame as they made for Tarsus. This good fortune allowed Alexander and his army to pass unharmed through the Gates and into Cilicia. After Alexander's death it was long a battleground of rival Hellenistic monarchs and kingdoms, and for a time fell under Ptolemaic dominion (i.e., Egypt), but finally came to the Seleucids, who, however, never held effectually more than the eastern half. During the Hellenistic era, numerous cities were established in Cilicia, which minted coins showing the badges (gods, animals, and objects) associated with each polis.
Translations
als: Kilikien; am: ኪልቅያ; an: Cilicia; ar: قيليقية; arz: كيليكيا; ast: Cilicia; az: Kilikiya; be: Кілікія; bg: Киликия; br: Kilikia; ca: Cilícia; cs: Kilíkie; cv: Килики; cy: Cilicia; de: Kilikien; el: Κιλικία; en: Cilicia; eo: Kilikio; es: Cilicia; et: Kiliikia; eu: Zilizia; fa: کیلیکیه; fi: Kilikia; fr: Cilicie; gl: Cilicia; he: קיליקיה; hr: Cilicija; hu: Kilikia; hy: Կիլիկիա; hyw: Կիլիկիա; id: Kilikia; it: Cilicia; ja: キリキア; ka: კილიკია; kk: Киликия; ko: 킬리키아; ku: Kîlîkya; ky: Киликия; la: Cilicia; lt: Kilikija; mg: Kilikia; nl: Cilicië; nn: Kilikia; no: Kilikia; oc: Cilícia; pl: Cylicja; pt: Cilícia; ro: Cilicia; ru: Киликия; sh: Kilikija; sk: Kilíkia; sl: Kilikija; sq: Kilikia; sr: Киликија; sv: Kilikien; sw: Kilikia; tr: Kilikya; uk: Кілікія; ur: قلیقیہ; uz: Kilikiya; wuu: 奇里乞亚; zh: 奇里乞亚
