THE NATIONS OF ASIA MINOR.
The teeming populations of Asia Minor are unfortunately too little known, apart from the Greeks who had settled among them, to enable us fully to explain and appreciate their status. It is to be inferred that they were composed of small groups of Aryan and Semitic tribes, the former having migrated from the east, the latter from the south. Greek colonies, especially along the western coast, introduced a superior culture in the domain of the fine arts into the civilization of the land, to which the nationalities from Central Asia contributed technical skill. Incapable of uniting in a political whole, the nations of Asia Minor were at the mercy of foreign invaders.
The Kingdom of Lydia, best known from its last king, Crcesus (56S-554 B. C.), made an attempt by subjugating the various tribes to establish a mon archy in the ancient sense of the word, only to be itself subdued by the Persians, who made a satrapy of it, and after its subsequent conquest by Alexander the Great its inhabitants enthusiastically adopted Greek civil ization. Possessed of a fertile soil and industrious habits, its people never at any time lacked a certain degree of prosperity, of which the Greeks had much to tell, and from which they derived manifold suggestions. The riches of Crcesus have become proverbial.
Homer, who had evidently seen what he describes, praised the costly garments, the rich jewelry, and the artistic weapons of the Lydians. Their cloths and dyes, especially the purple, were famous. The carpets of Sardis were as highly valued then as those of Smyrna are to-day, and perhaps there is an uninterrupted historical connection between the two. The islands of Cos and Amorgos furnished 'fine transparent materials for dress (p1. 28, fig. 9).
Dress was distinguished by its completeness and by its brilliancy (figs. 1-8). Embroideries in gold and bright colors were widely known, and ornaments of gold were even woven into the garments. Herodotus speaks of the aversion of the Lvdians to nudity—a dislike which they shared with all non-Hellenic nations, but which seemed remarkable to him. The northern origin of one or another of the predominant tribes no doubt affords a natural explanation of this trait. Trousers, coats with sleeves, shoes, etc., which were in general use in Asia Minor, were worn in lively colors by the Scythians as early as 400 B. c. Influences upon dress ema
nating from Central Asia are no less distinctly observable, but its specific and harmonious character was derived from the Greeks; at least it was chiefly they who furnished the designs with which throughout the apparel was decorated. The Phrygian cap (fig. 8) seems to have been originally peculiar to the country; it covered the back of the neck, curving forward 195 toward the top of the head, and was sometimes supplied with cheek-flaps which could be fastened under the chin or on top or behind the head.
The garb of the women, like that of the men, was worn so as to con ceal as much of the body as possible, compensating for the concealment of natural charms by its ornamentation and beauty of color (pl. 28, jig. 6). The extreme elegance of these costumes as they are seen in all the delineations is no doubt to be attributed in great part to the fact that they have been transmitted to us only by means of Greek works of art. How ever, the Roman writers also speak of their beauty; accordingly, it must be admitted that the garments were essentially tasteful.
CivihIs.ation.—The entire absence of works originating with the people themselves leaves many phases of their civilization in complete obscurity. But the very fact of this lack, which itself testifies to their possession of only a low degree of creative activity, enables its to conclude with some appearance of probability that their life was absorbed in empty pleasures and moulded on foreign forms, and to reason from analogy as to the cha racter of their civilization. Additional evidence' is afforded by what we learn from their furniture and utensils (figs. 12-17), which seem to be entirely Greek.' Social Lz:fe.—As regards the mode of life of the people, ancient authors speak of their extreme fondness for sociability, which assembled not only the men, but also the women and, as we are assured, even the children, to participate in great banquets. In the time of the Roman empire going to Asia meant seeking a life of pleasure, such as was implied in the last century by a visit to Paris. The Lydians claimed to have invented most of the games and forms of social amusements known to antiquity. It is easy to understand how these nations could devote themselves to the development of social life, since they were never called upon to develop a political life.