Lydia , an old country West Anatolia , extends east of the Aegean and occupies the valleys of the Hermus and Cayster rivers. The Lydians are said to have been the originators of gold and silver Coins . During their brief Hegemony over Asia Minor from mid-7th to mid-6th century v . Chr . Did the Lydians profoundly influence the Ionian Greeks in their west.
Britannica Quiz The Middle East:Fact or Fiction? Is the literacy rate very high in Afghanistan? Does Yemen take its name from the Arabic word "northern"? Sort the facts in this quiz about Syria, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. 7th century v . Chr . Filled Lydia the vacuum created by the Cimmerian destruction of Phrygia, and set up a Dynasty in Sardis under the legendary king Gyges . The kingdom peaked at Alyattes ( approx. 619–560), parrying a median threat, pushed the Cimmerians and extended its rule in Ionia . The kingdom seemed destined to reach even greater heights under Alyattes' son, the Rich Croesus when the Persians under Cyrus brought the Lydian monarchy to a final and dramatic end ( approx. 546–540).
The Lydians were a merchant people who, according to Herodotus had customs like the Greeks and was the first people to establish permanent retail stores. Their invention of metal embossing, which the Greeks quickly adopted, played an important role as Catalyst in the commercial revolution that launched Greek civilization in the 6th century v . Chr . Transformed .