The ancient name of Asia Minor. Asia Minor

Asia Minor, Asia Minor on the map

Asia Minor(Greek Μικρά Ασία), Anatolia(Greek ἀνατολή; tur. Anadolu) - a peninsula in western Asia, the middle part of the territory of modern Turkey. The length from west to east is over 1000 km, width is from 400 km to 600 km. The territory is approximately 506 thousand km².

The name "Anatolia" in Greek means sunrise (sun), east. Anatolia is often called the Asian possessions of Turkey (in contrast to Rumelia, the European part of Turkey).

1 Geographical characteristic
2 Climate and rivers
- 2.1 Climate
3 History
4 References
5 Notes

Geographic characteristic

It is washed by the Black, Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas and the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, separating Asia from Europe. The peninsula is far west in comparison with all other parts of Asia. The eastern border of Asia Minor as a physical-geographical zone is usually considered a line from the Mediterranean coast south of Iskenderun Bay, then between the 40th meridian and Lake Van, and in the north, the border roughly coincides with the lower course of the Chorokha River. Islands (Cyprus, Rhodes, etc.) are located off the coast of Asia Minor.

The mountainous relief prevails on the peninsula. Most of it is occupied by the semi-desert Asia Minor Highlands, in the east - the Armenian Highlands. Inner part The Asia Minor Highlands is occupied by the Anatolian Plateau, which is bordered by the marginal Pontine Mountains (in the north) and Taurus (in the south). Along the shores there are narrow lowlands with Mediterranean vegetation.

Cenozoic folded structures of the region continue to be structures of the Balkan Peninsula. The formation of the modern relief took place in the Neogene and the first half of the Tertiary period, when the region, together with the neighboring territories of Europe and the adjacent parts of the modern Mediterranean, was subjected to uplifts, subsidence and fragmentation. At this time, Asia Minor separated from the Balkan Peninsula, the Marmara and Aegean Seas, the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus were formed, and the coastal strip was dismembered. The manifestation of volcanic processes is associated with fault lines (especially in the east of the Asia Minor Highlands). the western part of the region is characterized by strong seismicity.

Regions of Turkey

The Pontic mountains almost everywhere abruptly drop off to the Black Sea coast, leaving only in some places small areas coastal lowlands. The few bays there are cut shallowly into the land and are bordered by steep slopes of longitudinal mountain ranges. The largest bays on the northern coast are Sinop and Samsun.

The Taurus ridge also forms a sparsely dissected coast, but in several places it recedes from the coast, leaving space for vast lowlands bordering the wide bays of Mersinsky and Iskenderon, which separate the Lycian and Cilician peninsulas on the southern coast.

Climate and rivers

Climatic conditions are not conducive to the development of dense river network... A few rivers are shallow and have an uneven regime. Many rivers dry up due to the establishment of a strong anticyclone in summer. The largest rivers heading to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates basins, flow from the eastern ridges of the region. The longest river - Kyzyl-Irmak - reaches 950 km and flows into the Black Sea, forming a swampy delta. Having no navigational importance, rivers play an important role as sources of irrigation and water supply. Some have dams and reservoirs.

The lake basins are of tectonic and karst origin. Almost all of them lack runoff and are highly saline. The largest lake Tuz is located in the middle part of the Anatolian plateau and is surrounded by a strip of swampy lowlands.

In many areas, composed of limestone from the surface, there are practically no surface waters and the population suffers from a lack of water. The southern peninsulas and some areas of the Anatolian plateau are almost completely waterless.

Forests occupy small areas... This, on the one hand, is a consequence of natural conditions, and on the other, the result of long-term destruction of forests.

In the east, the Asia Minor Highlands without sharp boundaries passes into the Armenian Highlands, in the west - into mountain ranges the western part of the peninsula of Asia Minor, leading to the Aegean Sea. The ridges approach the coast perpendicularly, as a result of which the coastline is highly dissected. There are comfortable and deep bays here. An important port of Asian Turkey, Izmir, is located here.

Climate

Turkey is a predominantly mountainous country. In this regard, the country's climate is on average mountainous and features of a continental climate. Summers in the inner continental regions of Turkey are hot and dry everywhere, winters are snowy and cold. The Aegean and Mediterranean Sea has a Mediterranean climate, with milder winters and no stable snow cover. The Black Sea has a temperate maritime climate with warm summers and cool winters. average temperature in winter (January) it is about +5 ° C, in summer (in July) - about +23 ° C. Precipitation falls up to 1000-2500 mm per year. In summer, the average daily temperature can exceed 30 and (occasionally) 35 ° C, and the heat can exceed + 40 ° C, but this is relatively rare on the southern coast of Turkey. In southeastern Turkey, the climate has features of a tropical desert, and the humidity is low, in contrast to high humidity on the shores of the Black Sea.

History

Historical regions of Asia Minor in the time of classical antiquity. Asia Minor by 550 BC BC, before the Persian invasion Main article: History of Anatolia

Since antiquity (approximately from the 5th-4th centuries BC), Asia Minor also had another name - Anatolia (Tur. Anadolu, from the Greek Anatolē, literally - east).

The territory of Asia Minor in different historical periods was included (in whole or in part) in various state formations of antiquity and early middle ages(Hittite kingdom, Lydian kingdom, Media, Achaemenid state, Great Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Cilicia, Western Armenia, Alexander the Great state, Seleucid state, Pontine kingdom, Pergamum, Ancient Rome, Byzantium, Sultanate of Conia, etc.).

WITH mid XVII before early XIII centuries BC. hegemony in Asia Minor was established by the Hittites. In the east of the peninsula and in Armenia, a number of tribal unions arose, which later united into the state of Urartu. In the southeast at that time there were Hittite state formations - first the Ancient Hittite, then the New Hittite kingdom.

The eastern, central, northern and southern regions of Asia Minor were inhabited by Armenians until the Armenian Genocide in 1915. During this period, a number of Armenian states and ethno-territorial formations existed here, such as Hayasa (1500-1290 BC), Little Armenia (600 BC - 428 AD), Yervandi Armenia (570-200 BC), Western Armenia (387-1921), Cilicia (1080-1375), the Kingdom of Filaret Varazhnuni (1071-1086), the Armenian Empire (95-55 BC) AD), Commagene (163 BC-72 AD), Vaspurakan Republic (1915-1918), and others.

Later, central Anatolia was occupied by the Phrygians, and the Lydian kingdom arose in the southwest. 546 BC NS. the ruler of the Lydian kingdom Croesus was defeated by the Persian king Cyrus II. From that time on, Asia Minor fell under the influence of the Persian first, and then, in the IV century BC. e., with the creation of the empire of Alexander the Great, - Hellenic culture.

In the II century BC. NS. The Romans reached Asia Minor, gradually subjugating it to themselves and dividing it into several provinces (Asia, Bithynia, Pontus, Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia, Cappadocia and Galatia). After the division of the Roman Empire, Asia Minor was part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium).

In the XI century, most of Byzantium was captured by the Seljuk Turks, who created their own state in the west of Asia Minor - the Sultanate of Kony.

During the XIV-XV centuries, the Ottoman Turks destroyed Byzantium, creating on its ruins Ottoman Empire(after the First World War - Turkey).

Notes (edit)

Asia Minor // Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
Anatolia // Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

where is Asia Minor, Asia Minor, Asia Minor in antiquity, Asia Minor on the map, Asia Minor peninsula, Asia Minor peninsula

Asia Minor Information About

Asia Minor is a peninsula washed by four seas at once - the Marmara, Mediterranean, Black, Aegean, as well as two famous straits - the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, which separate Europe and Asia. It is quite far, in comparison with other parts of Asia, pushed towards the west, and on its shores are Rhodes, Cyprus and other islands.

In length, Asia Minor reaches a thousand kilometers, and in width - up to six hundred. Its territory is more than 500 thousand square meters mainly mountainous terrain, the main part of which is occupied by the Armenian and Asia Minor highlands, bordered in the north by the Pontine Mountains, and in the south by the Taurus.

Along its shores, Asia Minor is covered with Mediterranean vegetation. The forests on it occupy only small areas, which, in addition to natural conditions, is also a consequence of their prolonged extermination.

In the western regions of the peninsula of Asia Minor, there are many mountain ranges leading perpendicularly to, which is why this part of the coastline is intricately dissected and forms deep and comfortable bays. Here (on the west side) is the most important Turkish port - Izmir.

If you look at the map, then this peninsula on it will look like a rectangle.

In ancient times - up to the 4th century BC. - it was called Anatolia.

In general, at different periods of its history, Asia Minor was partially or completely part of such states as Hittite, Lydian, Great and Little Armenia, Cilicia, Ancient Rome, Macedonian State, Byzantium and others.

However, the most influential peoples inhabiting Asia Minor were the Hittites, and in the east - the Armenians, who lived here until the genocide of 1905.

An important role in the economic, and therefore in the cultural development of Anatolia was played by natural resources of this peninsula, the need for which gradually became more and more with the development of civilization. Huge deposits of metals, including copper, were hidden in the depths of ancient Anatolia. All these riches brought merchants to the peninsula from different countries, including from the Middle East.

In exchange for copper raw materials and other materials, foreign merchants imported into Anatolia magnificent woolen and linen Mesopotamian fabrics, as well as an enormous amount of tin, so necessary for the preparation of bronze.

There were many famous ancient cities on the territory of Anatolia, but perhaps the most famous of them was the capital of the powerful state - Lydia - ancient city in Asia Minor on the banks of the gold-bearing river Paktol, known as the place where the first silver and gold coins in the history of mankind began to be minted. Sardis also became famous in history as the place where the adious and richest king Croesus reigned.

No less famous is another ancient city in Asia Minor - Ankara. It was first mentioned in chronicles in the 7th century BC. It is located at the junction of two major trade routes connecting Asia with Europe.

The citizens of our country are also well aware of Asia Minor, and all thanks to the fact that it is on its territory that such popular resorts as Alania, Antalya, Kemer, Belek, Side and so on are located, and in the south there is picturesque Cyprus.

Asia is washed by the Arctic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as - in the west - inland seas Atlantic Ocean(Azov, Black, Marble, Aegean, Mediterranean). At the same time, there are vast areas of internal flow - the basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas, Lake Balkhash, etc. Lake Baikal in terms of the volume of fresh water surpasses all lakes in the world; Baikal contains 20% of the world's fresh water (excluding glaciers). The Dead Sea is the deepest tectonic depression in the world (-405 meters below sea level). The coast of Asia as a whole is relatively weakly dissected, large peninsulas are distinguished - Asia Minor, Arabian, Indian subcontinent, Korean, Kamchatka, Chukotka, Taimyr, etc. Hainan, Sri Lanka, Japanese, etc.), occupying a total area of more than 2 million km2.

At the base of Asia are four huge platforms - the Arabian, Indian, Chinese and Siberian. Up to ¾ of the territory of the part of the world is occupied by mountains and plateaus, the highest of which are concentrated in the Central and Central Asia... In general, Asia is a contrasting region in terms of absolute elevation marks. On the one hand, there is highest peak world - Mount Chomolungma (8848 m), on the other hand, the deepest depressions - Lake Baikal with a depth of 1620 m and the Dead Sea, the level of which is 392 m below sea level. East Asia- an area of active volcanism.

Asia is rich in various minerals (especially fuel and energy raw materials).

Almost all types of climate are represented on the territory of Asia - from arctic in the far north to equatorial in the southeast. In the East, South and South-East Asia the climate is monsoon (within Asia, the wettest place on Earth is located - the place of Cherrapunji in the Himalayas), while in Western Siberia- continental, in Eastern Siberia and on Saryarka - sharply continental, and on the plains of Central, Central and Western Asia - a semi-desert and desert climate of the temperate and subtropical zones. Southwest Asia - tropical desert, the hottest in Asia.

The extreme north of Asia is occupied by tundra. Taiga is located to the south. Fertile black earth steppes are located in western Asia. Most of Central Asia, from the Red Sea to Mongolia, is occupied by deserts. The largest of them is the Gobi Desert. The Himalayas separate Central Asia from the tropics of South and Southeast Asia.

Himalayas - the highest mountain system the world. The rivers, in the territory of the basins of which the Himalayas are located, carry silt to the fields of the south, forming fertile soils

Asia Minor is a peninsula in the west of Asia (the territory of modern Turkey). It is washed by the Black, Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean seas.

Hittite kingdom

The Hittite kingdom is a state in Asia Minor (Eastern Anatolia region). The rival of Egypt in the struggle for domination in Western Asia. It arose at the beginning of the II millennium don. NS.

1680-1650 The reign of King Labarna. Completion of the unification of the Hittite kingdom.

1620-1590 The reign of King Mursuli I. Strengthening of centralization in the Hittite kingdom. Hittite conquest of Babylonia (1595 BC).

1380-1340 The reign of the great king Suppiluliuma I, a sophisticated diplomat, a capable commander and a far-sighted politician. He expelled the Egyptians from Syria (the battle of Cadet), turned the Hittite kingdom into a powerful military power, stretching from the Chorokh and Araks basin to southern Palestine and from the shores of the Black Sea to the borders of Assyria and Babylonia.

1340-1305 The reign of King Mursuli I. The apogee of the Hittite kingdom's military power. The Hittites reached the shores of the Aegean Sea.

1190 BC NS. Under the pressure of a coalition of Mediterranean tribes ("Sea Peoples"), the Hittite kingdom disintegrated and ceased to exist.

Troy. Lydia. Miletus. Pontus. Pergamum

1900-1300 BC NS. The highest prosperity of the city of Troy ("Trojan Kingdom"). This period ended with a devastating earthquake.

Troy (Ilion) is an ancient city-state. It was located on the coast of the Aegean Sea (northwest of modern Turkey, at the entrance to the Dardanelles). Founded in the 3rd millennium BC NS. It existed until the end of the Hellenistic era (1st century BC). Troy was discovered in the 1870s during excavations by G. Schliemann of the Hissarlik hill.

692-546 BC NS. Period of existence independent state Lydia in the west of modern Turkey between the rivers Germ (now Gediz) and Meander (now Big Menderes). The capital is the city of Sardis (on the Germ river). Royal dynasty Mermnadov (Gyges, Aliatt, Croesus) approved the power of Lydia from the coast of the Aegean Sea to the Galis River (Central Anatolia). The last king, Croesus, whose wealth became proverbial, was deposed by the troops of the Persian king Cyrus II, and Lydia became the province of Persia.

600 BC NS. The pinnacle of economic and cultural development the city of Miletus. Miletus is an ancient Greek policy on the Aegean coast opposite the island of Samos (southwest of modern Turkey). Known since the 7th century. BC NS. The inhabitants were engaged in trade and crafts. Burnt 494 BC NS. after the failure of the uprising of the Greek city-states of Asia Minor against Persian rule.

302-64 BC NS. The period of existence of the state of Pontus (Kingdom of Pontus) on the southern coast of the Black Sea. Founded by Lysimachus, the commander of Alexander the Great, after the collapse of the empire. The highest flowering - under the king Mithridates VI Eupator (132-63 BC); conquered the entire coast of the Black Sea, finally conquered the Scythians. Mithridates fought three wars with Rome. The defeat of Pontus led to the incorporation of its territory into the Roman state. The period of existence of the independent city of Pergamum ("Pergamon kingdom"). Pergamum is an ancient city-state in the northwest of Asia Minor (modern Bergama, Turkey). Founded in the XII century. BC NS. He owned a significant territory (up to the coast of the Aegean Sea in the west and up to the Ida mountain range south of Troy in the north). Trade and cultural center of the Hellenistic world. According to the will of King Attalus III, he passed to the Romans.

Geography and natural conditions Asia Minor

Asia Minor(Anatolia) - large peninsula, which is washed by the Black, Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean seas. It is separated from Europe by two straits - the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. The east of the peninsula occupies a steppe plateau, enclosed by the North Pontic Mountains, Taurus and Antitavr. The western part of the peninsula is comfortable sea bays, here, in contrast to the east, there are larger rivers - Germ, Paktol, Meander.

Figure 1. Anatolia and Transcaucasia in antiquity

Asia Minor was rich in forests, the Cilician pine and Lebanese cedar were considered especially valuable. Minerals and valuable metals were mined in the mountains: lead, zinc, iron ore, copper, gold and silver. The mountains also gave an abundance of building stone - the inhabitants of Asia Minor mined obsidian (volcanic glass), marble, mica, rock crystal, onyx. The location of the peninsula between Europe and Asia has determined its important role in trade, cultural ties and ethnic movements.

The ancient inhabitants of Asia Minor include the tribes of the Hutts (Proto-Hittites), Kashks (Kaskov) in the northeast and the Hurrians in the southeast, who lived in the east of the peninsula.

The Hittites appeared in Asia Minor from the beginning of the $ II $ millennium BC. e., researchers attribute them to the Hittite-Luwian (Anatolian) branch of the Indo-European languages. The origin of the Hittites remains a subject of debate: they are looking for their homeland in the Caucasus, the Balkans; there is also an autochthonous version. Due to the peculiarities of the geographical position of Asia Minor, it played the role of a staging post for many ancient peoples: Greeks, Phrygians, Cimmerians, and others visited here.

History of Asia Minor

The first settlements of primitive hunters and farmers in Asia Minor date back to $ VIII - VII $ millennia BC. NS. One of the first cultures representing a sedentary agricultural and pastoralist population is Chatal-Hyukja, dating back to the second half of $ VII $ -first half of $ VI $ millennium BC. NS. This culture is considered one of the most developed in Ancient East for this time.

By the middle of $ III $ millennium BC. NS. in different regions of Anatolia there were already local cultural centers: Troy and Poliochni in the north-west, Beyjesultan in the south-west, Tarsus in the Cilician plain in the south-east. Several prosperous settlements have been discovered in Central Anatolia - from the southern bend of the Kyzyl Irmak (antique Galis) to the north to the southern coast of the Black Sea. The most prominent of them - Aladzha Guyuk (located $ 180 $ km northeast of Ankara, where $ 13 $ royal tombs dating from $ 2300-2100 AD were discovered), is approximately identified with Arinna - the Hittite city of the sun goddess ... This city, which flourished during the Early Bronze Age, existed until the end of the Late Bronze Age. Other important settlements of this time: Hattus (later - Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite state), Ankuva (modern. Alishar, 80 km southeast of Hattusa), Tsalpa in the Pontic region and Kanesh in the Kayseri plain.

From the time of the Akkadian Empire of Sargon in Mesopotamia, the region of the Central Anoanatolian cities was known as the Hatti state. Its inhabitants - the Hutts (in a language similar to the North and West Caucasian peoples) - inhabited the central part of Asia Minor already in the early Bronze period. They preserved the texts in the Hattili language ("in Hatti") from the Bogazkiy archive, mainly tablets of cult content, the study and interpretation of which continues to the present day.

As for the Hittites, a people who spoke one of the most ancient Indo-European languages, their settlement together with other closely related groups (Luwians, Palai) in Anatolia took place over the last centuries of the $ III millennium BC. e., and took the form of successive migrations. Settling in the territories occupied by the Hatti tribes, the Hittites borrowed from them part of the pantheon, a number of traditions and vocabulary, and began to call themselves "people of the Hatti country."

Remark 1

The history of Ancient Anatolia really begins in the $ 1 $ -th century, $ II $ millennium BC. NS. (in archaeological periodization - during the Middle Bronze Age), when writing spreads in Asia Minor.

At the beginning of the $ II $ millennium BC. NS. Assyrians, establishing trade relations with Central Anatolia, formed here a network of settlements (kämm), the administrative center of which was Karum Kanesh. At this place, more than $ 20 thousand cuneiform Assyrian tablets were discovered, describing the generally accepted mechanisms of trade and the way of life of traders, but judging by a number of names, they also indicate the early presence of the Indo-European population among ethnic groups of this region. In this regard, it should be said that Kanesh himself consisted of $ 2 $ parts. The first belonged to the local Anatolian population, and was the king's palace, located on a $ 20-meter hill with a diameter of $ 500 $ m, in the valley of the Kayseri River. The Assyrian colony was represented by a mixed population of Assyrians, Hurrians and Hittite-Luwians, their settlement was located at the foot of the hill. The cessation of the activity of the Assyrian trading colonies in Anatolia dates back to the end of the $ 18th century. BC NS. and is associated with the general political and military decline of Assyria.

By the beginning of the $ II $ millennium BC. in Anatolia there were a number of independent city-states, the most significant of which (in particular Tsalpa in the north and Hattusa in the center of the peninsula) in the Assyrian texts were designated by the concept mâtum("Country" in Sumerian).

Events that took place in the middle of the $ XVIII century. BC NS. are described in the earliest known text written in the Hittite language. It may have been compiled after a number of centuries, but it contains ancient Hittite linguistic forms. The text - "Inscriptions of Anitta" - tells about the victory of King Annita, ruler of Kussar, over his opponents - the kings of Hatti and Tsalpa. After the victory, he established control over much of Northern Anatolia. During his conquest of the Hatti country, the city of Hattusa was destroyed to the ground and cursed by Anitta, who forbade its reconstruction. Thanks to its aggressive and unifying policy, Anitta can be regarded as the predecessor of statehood among the ancient Hittites.

Ancient Transcaucasia

Transcaucasia borders Anatolia in the southwest, and Northern Mesopotamia in the southeast. The first known public education here - Urartu ($ XIII (VIII) - VI $ centuries BC), later the typical civilizations of Colchis, Iberia, Armenia, Caucasian Albania were immediately formed.

The origins of the development of Transcaucasian cultures go back to $ VI-V $ thousand BC. e., when in the plains of the Kura and Araks rivers there were small settlements of sedentary farmers and pastoralists. Their inhabitants lived in round adobe houses, used flint, stone and bone tools. Later, copper products appeared. Cultural and economic progress is noted in $ III thousand. BC. BC: the archaeological culture of the Early Bronze Age, called the Kuro-Arak culture, spreads in the Armenian Highlands and in the Transcaucasia.

Remark 2

The process of decomposition of the primitive system developed intensively among the tribes that lived in the area of Lake Van and were called the Urarts. 8 formations under the general name Uruatri are mentioned in this area by Assyrian sources already in the $ XIII $ century. BC NS. Ashurnasirpal's documents, $ II $, mention not isolated small holdings, but the state of Urartu. Another state union of the Urartian tribes was formed southwest of Lake Urmia and was called Mutsatsir. It housed a general Urartian religious center.