Editing Lydia (section)

{{Short description|Ancient Anatolian kingdom}}
{{redirect2|Maeonia|Maionia|the town of that name|Maionia in Lydia}}
{{other uses}}
{{distinguish|Lycia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = 
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Lydia
| common_name            = Lydia
| era                    = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| area_km2               = 
| year_start             = Before 800 BC
| year_end               = 546 BC
| life_span              = ?–546 BC
| event_start            = [[Late Bronze Age collapse#Anatolia|Bronze Age Collapse]]
| date_start             = 
| event_end              = [[Battle of Thymbra|Fall to Persia]]
| date_end               = 
| event1                 = [[Cimmerians#In Anatolia|Lydian-Cimmerian Wars]]
| date_event1            = 670–630s BC
| event2                 = [[Lydian–Milesian War]]
| date_event2            = 612–600 BC
| event3                 = [[Battle of the Eclipse|Lydian-Median War]]
| date_event3            = 590–585 BC
| p1                     = Hittites
| flag_p1                = Սուպպիլուլիումաս Ա-ի կնիքը.gif
| p2                     = Phrygia
| flag_p2                = Turkey ancient region map phrygia.gif
| p3                     = Cimmerians
| flag_p3                = Cimmerian Migrations.jpg
| p4                     = Treri
| flag_p4                = Peltaste.JPG
| p5                     = Ionian League
| flag_p5                = Western Asia Minor Greek Colonization.svg
| p6                     = 
| flag_p6                = 
| s1                     = Achaemenid Empire
| flag_s1                = Standard of Cyrus the Great (Achaemenid Empire).svg
| border_s1              = no
| s2                     = 
| flag_s2                = 
| image_flag             = 
| flag_size              = 
| flag_type              = 
| image_coat             = 
| symbol                 = 
| symbol_type            = 
| image_map              = Kingdom of Lydia.png
| image_map_caption      = Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under [[Croesus]], {{Circa|547 BC}}.
| capital                = [[Sardis]]
| common_languages       = [[Lydian language|Lydian]]
| religion               = [[Lydian religion]]
| currency               = [[Croeseid]]
| title_leader           = [[List of kings of Lydia|Kings]]{{efn|tūran}}
| year_leader1           = 680–644 BC
| leader1                = [[Gyges of Lydia|Gyges]]
| year_leader2           = 644–637 BC
| leader2                = [[Ardys of Lydia|Ardys]]
| year_leader3           = 637–635 BC
| leader3                = [[Sadyattes]]
| year_leader4           = 635–585 BC
| leader4                = [[Alyattes]]
| year_leader5           = 585–546 BC
| leader5                = [[Croesus]]
| footnotes              = 
}}
'''Lydia''' ({{langx|grc|Λυδία|Ludía}}; {{langx|la|Lȳdia}}) was an [[Iron Age]] [[Monarchy|kingdom]] situated in western [[Anatolia]], in modern-day [[Turkey]]. Later, it became an important province of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] and then the [[Roman Empire]]. Its capital was [[Sardis]].

At some point before 800 BC, the [[Lydian people]] achieved some sort of political cohesion, and existed as an independent kingdom by the 600s BC. At its greatest extent, during the 7th century BC, it covered all of western Anatolia. In 546 BC, it became a [[Lydia (satrapy)|satrapy]] of the [[Achaemenid Empire]], known as ''Sparda'' in [[Old Persian]]. In 133 BC, it became part of the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[Asia (Roman province)|province of Asia]].

Lydian coins, made of [[electrum]], are among the oldest in existence, dated to around the 7th century BC.<ref>"Lydia" in ''Oxford Dictionary of English''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2010. Oxford Reference Online. 14 October 2011.</ref><ref name=coins>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/money/the_origins_of_coinage.aspx|title=The origins of coinage|publisher=britishmuseum.org|access-date=September 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051955/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/money/the_origins_of_coinage.aspx |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>