Caria [key], ancient region of SW Asia Minor, S of the Maeander River, which separated it from Lydia. The territory is in present SW Asian Turkey. The Carians were probably a native people, but their region was settled by both Dorian and Ionian colonists. Caria was a center of the Ionian revolt (c.499 b.c.) that was a prelude to the Persian Wars. Some of the communities joined (c.468 b.c.) the Delian League. In the 4th cent. b.c. the region was united under a satrapy of princes, of whom the most celebrated was Mausolus. Alexander the Great conquered Caria, and it changed hands often in the wars after his death. In 125 b.c. it was made a Roman province (part of the province of Asia). Cnidus, Halicarnassus, and Miletus were famous Carian cities.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Middle East
