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Lydia (satrapy)
𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭,Sparda

Lydian soldier of theAchaemenid army,c. 480 BC..Xerxes I tomb relief.

Lydia, including Ionia, during the Achaemenid Empire.

TheSatrapy of Lydia, known asSparda inOld Persian (Old Persian cuneiform𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭,Sparda),^[1] was an administrative province (satrapy) of theAchaemenid Empire, located in the ancient kingdom ofLydia, withSardis as its capital.

Tabalus, appointed byCyrus the Great, was the first satrap; however, his rule did not last long as the Lydians revolted. The insurrection was suppressed by generalMazares and his successorHarpagus. After Cyrus' death,Oroetus was appointed as satrap. Oroetus ruled during the reign ofCambyses, and after the chaotic period that followed the Persian king's death, he conquered theGreek isle ofSamos, killing its rulerPolycrates. Due to his growing power,Darius the Great hadBagaeus kill Oroetus. Bagaeus himself may have become satrap for a short period, but the next rulers wereOtanes and Darius' younger brother,Artaphernes.

During theIonian revolt in 499 BC, Sardis was sacked by the Greeks. Five years later, the rebellion was suppressed and to the surprise of the Greek world, Artaphernes was very lenient in his treatment of the rebels.

After this period, many Persians settled in Lydia. The worship of eastern gods such asAnahita, as well aspersified Lydian deities, began. Although members of the Persian aristocracy were given estates in the region following the Greek revolt, Greeks loyal to the Persian Empire were also given estates.

Artaphernes was succeeded as satrap in 492 BC by his sonArtaphernes II. Lydians enrolled in theAchaemenid army, and participated to theSecond Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC). Sardis was where all the troops of Xerxes stationed during the winter of 481-480 BC to prepare for the invasion of Greece.^[2][3]

From the period of 480 BC to 440 BC, there is little historical information about the satrap of Lydia. In 440 BC, the satrapPissuthnes attempted to retake Samos, which had rebelled againstAthens, but failed. In 420 BC, Pissuthnes revolted against the Persian kingDarius II. The Persian soldier and statesmanTissaphernes (Pers. Tiθrafarna, Gr. Τισσαφέρνης), a grandson ofHydarnes, was sent by Darius II to Lydia to arrest and execute Pissuthnes. Tissaphernes became satrap of Lydia in 415 BC and continued to fightAmorges, son of Pissuthnes.

AfterSparta had defeated Athens, the Greeks invaded Lydia. Tissaphernes overcame the invasion ofThibron in 399 BC but was defeated at Sardis by the Spartan KingAgesilaus II. The satrap was executed and replaced byTiribazus, who restored order in Lydia and was responsible for a series of treaties between the Persian king and the Greek city states.

Autophradates was probably Tiribazus' direct successor, and was loyal to the Achaemenid monarch during a series of revolts in 370 BC. The last satrap of Lydia wasSpithridates, who was killed byAlexander the Great at the battle ofGranicus.

• Tabalus (c. 546–545 BC)
• Mazares (c. 545–544 BC)
• Harpagus (c. 544 BC)
• Oroetus (beforec. 530–520 BC)
• Bagaeus (c. 520 BC)
• Otanes (c. 517 BC)
• Artaphernes I (c. 513–492 BC)
• Artaphernes II (492–after 480 BC)
• Pissuthnes (beforec. 440–415 BC)
• Tissaphernes (c. 415–408 BC)
• Cyrus the Younger (c. 408–401 BC)
• Tissaphernes (c. 400–395 BC)
• Tiribazus (bornc. 395 BC)
• Autophradates (c. 365 BC)
• Spithridates (died beforec. 334 BC)

• Gökçeler relief

• Lendering, Jona.Lydia — Livius.org (accessed 18 January 2013)

• Achaemenid satraps of Lydia
• Achaemenid satrapies

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