Ancient Sardis in Asia Minor
A Chief Commercial Center From the Hittites to the Romans
The ancient city of Sardis in Asia Minor is usually best known as the capital of the Lydians, who pioneered the use of coins replacing barter, as well as inventing the game of dice, and as being one of the Seven Churches prominently mentioned in St. John’s Revelation or Apocalypse. If one accepts Old Testament records, the descendants of Lydia were referred to as “Lud” in Genesis (10:22), tracing their beginnings to Noah’s son, Shem. Sardis would develop into a significant trade center, serving several ancient civilizations from the Hittites to the Romans.
The Early Years of Sardis
Scholars agree that not much is known about Sardis and its inhabitants prior to the Hittites. As the Hittites expanded their empire, facilitating trade throughout the Mediterranean region, Sardis may have grown as an early commercial center. It was known for its fruits and its wool as well as the worship of Cybele, the mother-goddess. In the Old Testament it was referred to as "Sepharad," and may have been a haven for exiles fleeing the destruction of Jerusalem (see the OT prophet Obadiah). The city became the capital of the Lydian civilization, benefiting from huge gold deposits often equated with its most famous king, Croesus. The adage “rich as Croesus” is rooted in Lydian wealth.
In 605 BC Lydians are mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah, who commented on an important battle near the Euphrates River between Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt (Jer.46.9). The Lydians were allies of the Egyptians, known for their ability to “handle and bend the bow.” Some scholars believe that the Lydians were actually mercenaries, a common practice and one which several Pharaohs availed themselves of.
By 561 BC, Croesus ruled Lydia, watching to his east the rise of Cyrus, and coveting the lands bordering his own. In the legendary story recounted by Herodotus, Croesus sought the advice of oracles, eventually asking the most famous oracle at Delphi in Greece whether he should attack Cyrus. The answer he received was that if he attacked Cyrus, a great empire would fall. Motivated by greed, Croesus interpreted the answer as victory for himself.
After an indecisive battle, Croesus led his forces home, but Cyrus followed. Sardis was taken and Lydia was incorporated into the Persian Empire. Sardis would become the capital of the Persian satrapy or province in Asia Minor, connected to the chief Persian cities by the famous Royal Road, thus enhancing its commerce and trade.
Sardis after Persian Control
It was from Sardis that Xerxes launched his campaign against the Greek city-states. Following the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, however, Alexander the Great, in 334 BC, took Sardis and launched his campaign against the Persians, using the Royal Road to benefit his own ambitions. After his death, Sardis became the chief city of the Seleucids, one of several dynasties arising out of Alexander’s conquests.
The Seleucids were defeated by the Romans in 190 BC and the city was given to the king of Pergamum who had allied himself with Rome. Following the death of the last king of Pergamum in the late Republic, the entire region, including Sardis, fell under direct Roman control. A devastating earthquake in AD 17 destroyed the city, yet, with the assistance of the Emperor Tiberius, it was rebuilt. Sardis would be at the crossroads of empires that rose and fell until AD 1402 when Tamerlane completely razed the city. It was never rebuilt.
Sources:
E. J. Banks, “Sardis,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia Volume IV (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1939) p 2692.
Fatih Cimok, A Guide to the Seven Churches (Istanbul: A Turizm Yayinlari, 2001).
Anna G. Edmonds, Turkey’s Religious Sites (Istanbul: Damko Publications, 1998.
Michael Grant, The Ancient Mediterranean (New York: History Book Club Edition, 2002).
Michael Grant, The History of Ancient Israel (New York: History Book Club edition, 2002).
New American Standard Bible, reference edition (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973).
Sardis Ruins, 2003
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