Phryges

The Phryges, or Phrygians, were an ancient Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited central Anatolia, in what is now Turkey, from the early first millennium BCE. The core territory, known as Phrygia, lay in the inland plateau between the Aegean coast and the central highlands, with Gordium (modern Gordum/Yassıhüyük near Polatlı) as its reputed royal capital.

The Phrygian language, part of the Anatolian branch of Indo-European, is attested in inscriptions and royal names from the Phrygian kingdom. Phrygian culture shows interactions with neighboring Urartu, Lydians, and later Persians, and the material record includes distinctive metalwork and architecture.

Historically, the Phryges rose to regional prominence in the early first millennium BCE. The legendary founder Gordias is associated with the mythical Gordian Knot; the later kings, notably Midas (late 8th–7th centuries BCE), symbolize Phrygian wealth and splendor. The Phrygian kingdom was eventually absorbed into the Achaemenid Persian Empire in the 6th century BCE after conflicts with Lydia and Persia. Following Alexander the Great, Phrygia became part of the Hellenistic world and later lay within Roman provincial borders.

In classical and later periods, the Phryges left a legacy in art and iconography, especially the Phrygian cap, a soft conical hat that became a symbol of liberty and revolution in later European tradition. The term Phrygia also appeared in classical sources to denote the broader region and its mixed populations.