kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant
Lycian dynasts
Origins
In c. 540 BCE the Persian general Harpagus conquered Lycia; Herodotus tells that the men of Xanthos killed their families and died fighting. Afterwards a dynasty at Xanthos, perhaps descended from Harpagus, and rival dynasts in other cities ruled Lycia as vassals of the Achaemenid Empire.
Rule and society
The dynasts minted silver coins with Lycian legends and raised pillar tombs and temple-tombs, such as the Nereid Monument of Erbbina, now in the British Museum. The Inscribed Pillar at Xanthos carries the longest known Lycian text. Lycian culture blended Anatolian traditions with Greek art.
Decline and legacy
In the 4th century BCE Pericles of Limyra briefly united Lycia and joined the revolt against Persia, but Mausolus of Hecatomnid Caria took control c. 360 BCE. The dynasts disappeared, and Lycia later reorganised as the Lycian League.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Lycian dynasts was a vassal of Achaemenid Empire540 BCE – 360 BCE
- Lycian dynasts was part of Delian League470 BCE – 440 BCE
- Lycian dynasts was conquered by Hecatomnid Caria360 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lycian dynasts. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lycian-dynasts
- MLA
- “Lycian dynasts.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lycian-dynasts. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Lycian dynasts.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lycian-dynasts.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lycian dynasts’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lycian-dynasts (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻