Even in antiquity, the borders
of Pamphylia were difficult to establish accurately. It roughly starts in the west where Lycia stops and covers the plains north and east of Antalya up to the foothills of the Taurus Mountains.
The cities in my field of interest lie generally within its borders: Antalya, Perge, Sillyum,
Aspendos
and Side,
while Termessos and Selge belong to Pisidia situated to
the north, together with Sagalassos.
In as much
as it was traceable, the Pamphylian language is a Greek dialect of the kind
spoken in southern Greece, moving to Asia Minor with its emigrants who arrived
here before 1100 BC. A proof of this dialect can be found in an inscription
from Sillyum.
Side, on the other hand, strangely enough spoke a dialect all of its
own that has not yet been deciphered.
The history
of Pamphylia is rather confusing. We have to wait till the 6th century BC when King Croesus of Lydia annexed this territory. His
rule however was short-lived because in 546 BC he is already defeated by the
Persian King Cyrus. During the
following centuries, Pamphylia is occupied in turns by the Athenians and the
Persians till in 386 BC a treaty of peace is finally being signed by both
powers, giving the cities of Asia Minor to the
Great Persian King. The yoke under Persian rule was not heavy and Pamphylia
seems to have settled pretty easily.
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[Click on the Label Pamphylia to read about my specific visits]
