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Lydia

Region
Western Anatolia / modern Turkey

Ancient kingdom in western Anatolia with its capital at Sardis; neither a modern state nor a synonym for Magog.

Artemis temple remains at Sardis, ancient Lydia's capital. This temple postdates Gyges; the photograph locates the site rather than his reign
Artemis temple remains at Sardis, ancient Lydia's capital. This temple postdates Gyges; the photograph locates the site rather than his reignPhoto: Raicem; Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SAImage source

Text

Lydia was an ancient kingdom in western AnatoliaAnatoliaAnatolia is the region occupying the Asian part of present-day TurkeyGlossary · Click to read the explanation, within today's TurkeyTurkeyTurkey is a modern country including Anatolia and territory in southeastern EuropeGlossary · Click to read the explanation. Sardis was its capital. It flourished in the seventh and sixth centuries BCE before the Persian conquest in the mid-sixth century. [1]

It enters discussions of Gog because the Lydian king Gyges appears as Guggu in an Assyrian inscription. This supplies context for a proposed name comparison, not proof that Ezekiel's Magog was Lydia. A modern photograph of Sardis would locate the capital, not depict Gyges' reign.

References and notes

  1. Specified source portion only; no claim to reading an entire book. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sardis essay opening on capital, location and Persian conquest read. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 3 · 14 October 2026 · aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

  2. Edition 2 · 14 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Lydia», Edition 3, https://ilarchive.com/en/sites/lydia-ancient-kingdom