The historical geography of Hellenistic and imperial Lydia: the literary and numismatic evidence

“The lists of the province Lydia are a puzzle as yet unsolved”. Despite its age, this quote from W. M. Ramsays’ Historical geography of Asia Minor reveals the difficulty of determining the limits of the Hellenistic and Imperial Lydia. Ancient authors didn’t define this region in precise geographical terms and, throughout Antiquity, different terms (kingdom, satrapy, region…) were used to refer to it. Confusion grows when considering general agreement about topography and bioclimatic characteristics. Following Pliny, Natural History, V, 110-111, everyone agrees to consider the plain of Sardis as the heart of Lydia through centuries. Delimiting the border area is, on the other hand, more difficult: Lydian relief differs completely from North/North-East to the South and Lydian ecosystem changes when going inland. For example, Hyrcanian plain landscapes distinguish themselves from the ones in the Katakekaumena. Considering the absence of topographical coherence and administrative definition, we have to be very cautious and thorough when determining the outlines of Hellenistic and Imperial Lydia. Therefore, by analysing literary sources and excavation coins, this communication proposes to describe the limits of Lydia as a geographical area during the Hellenistic and Imperial periods, possibly distinguishing a “Great Lydia” from a “Lydia stricto sensu”.