Historical
Pamphylia
is the ancient name of the rich and fertile alluvial plain
of the rivers Kestros, Eurymedon and Melas in the south of Asia Minor. The name 'Pamphylia'
is very ancient, but because the language of the Pamphylians
is hardly known (although it is closely related to Greek),
we cannot interpret the name. When the Rhodian Greeks entered
the region in the seventh century BC, they thought that the
nation with the related language was called pam-phylos 'all tribes.'
Pamphylia
belonged to the ancient Hittite empire. The main towns were
Estwediiys (later known as Aspendus) and Side. After the fall
of the Hittite empire after 1215 BC, Pamphylia was the center
of a new kingdom called Tarhuntassa. It was later claimed
that Greeks settled in the region in the twelfth century BC,
but these stories were probably invented to explain the linguistic
similarities between Greek and Pamphylian. (There is no archaeological
evidence for a Greek invasion.) It is not known how long Tarhuntassa
existed; when the Rhodians entered the region, it was already
called Pamphylia. It is certain that from the seventh century
BC on, the Pamphylians traded with the Greeks. Ports like
Perge and Side became large cities, and rich Pamphylia became
a natural target for foreign enemies.
The first
to conquer the coastal towns were the Lydians. It is not known
who was responsible for the conquest, but it is certain that
Pamphylia belonged to the possessions of king Kroisos (Croesus), 560-547
BC, who lost it to the Persian conqueror Cyrus the Great.
According to the fifth-century Greek researcher Herodotos
of Halikarnassos, Pamphylia belonged to the first tax district
of the Achaemenid empire, together with Lykia, Magnesia, Ionia,
Aiolia, Mysia, and Caria. Although Pamphylia belonged to Persia
at this time, Greek cultural influence was still felt due
to trade contactst. In 468-465 BC, the Athenian admiral Kimon
defeated the Persians at the mouth of the Eurymedon, after
which Pamphylia became part of the Athenian empire. Forty
years later, the Persians reoccupied their former possession.
In the first weeks of 333 BC, the Makedonian king Alexander
the Great occupied the Pamphylian coast. He left his personal
friend Nearchos in charge of the country, which he organized
thoroughly and it never revolted against its new Makedonian
masters. In the years after Alexander's death, it was first
part of the empire of Antigonos Monophthalmos, but in the
third century BC, the Ptolemies ruled the country, then succeeded
by the Seleukids. Side and Perge continued to flourish; new
important cities were Sillyon and Aspendos.
When the
Romans defeated the Seleukid king Antiochus III, they ordered
him to give up Pamphylia, which was given to Rome's ally Pergamon
(188 BC). The new rulers founded Attalia in 150 BC, and seem
to have given special attention to the production of olive
oil. However, because of the decline of the Seleukid empire,
the region was politically unstable and the eastern town Korakesion
became the capital of the Kilikian pirates. After 100 BC,
the Romans started to intervene. At first, they were not very
successful, but in 77 BC Publius Servilius Vatia gained some
remarkable successes: he defeated the pirates at sea and cleared
Lykia and Pamphylia. Later, general Pompey conquered Kilikia (Cilicia)
proper. Pamphylia was first part of a Roman province called Cilicia;
in 43 BC it was added to Asia; twelve years later, general
Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) made it part of Galatia;
the emperor Vespasian created a new province called Lycia
and Pamphylia (after 70 AD). In 314 or 325 AD, this double
province was divided, and Pamphylia was a province of its
own. The Roman period was one of great economic and cultural
flourishing. [Based on article by Jona Lendering - Livius.org]
