Lycian and the Achaemenid Empire

Type:

Book Chapter

Author:

Valerio Pisaniello

Published:

2025

Lycia under Persian DominationAs reported by Herodotus (1.176), Lycia fell under Persian domination after the military campaigns of the Persian general Harpagus (ca.540 bce), who defeated a small Lycian army on the plain of Xanthos and conquered the city.Herodotus's account reports the destruction of the acropolis and the almost complete extermination of the local population: only 80 families, which were not in the city at that time, survived.The city was then resettled and repopulated under the Persians, who also probably established a ruling dynasty.1In 516/515 bce, the Persian king Darius I included the Lycians and the Milyans in the first nomos of his Empire-together with Ionians, Magnesians of Asia, Aeolians, Carians, and Pamphylians-charged with a joint tribute of 400 talents of silver (Herodotus 3.90), and in 480 bce the Lycians provided Xerxes's navy with 50 ships (Herodotus 7.92).However, before 468 bce, Lycia allied with Athens and became a member of the Athenian League, won by persuasion () by the Athenian general Cimon (Diodorus 11.60.4),that is, probably without any military action and seemingly without changes in the internal political organization of Lycia.2Thus, Lycians and Telmessians-probably a separate political entity in this period-appear in the Athenian tribute lists of 452/451, 451/450, and 446/ 445 bce, but shortly afterwards, before or during the Peloponnesian War, the alliance with Athens broke down.3According to Thucydides (2.69), when the Atheni…

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