Anatolia

Introduction & Top Questions
Ancient Anatolia
- Prehistoric cultures of Anatolia
  - The Neolithic Period
  - The Chalcolithic Period
  - Early Bronze Age
  - Middle Bronze Age
- The rise and fall of the Hittites
  - The Hittite occupation of Anatolia
  - The Old Hittite Kingdom
  - The Middle Kingdom
  - The Hittite empire to c. 1180 bce
- Anatolia from the end of the Hittite Empire to the Achaemenian Period
  - Phrygia from c. 1180 to 700 bce
  - The neo-Hittite states from c. 1180 to 700 bce
  - The Cimmerians, Lydia, and Cilicia, c. 700–547 bce
  - Greek colonies on the Anatolian coasts, c. 1180–547 bce
- Anatolia in the Achaemenian and Hellenistic periods
  - Diversity of cultural influences
  - The Anatolian Greeks in the Achaemenian period
  - Caria, Lycia, and Cilicia in the Achaemenian period
  - Anatolia in the Hellenistic Age (334–c. 30 bce)
Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuq rule
- Anatolia in the later Roman and Byzantine periods
  - Administration and settlement patterns
  - War and social dislocation
  - Late Byzantine rule
- The Seljuqs of Anatolia
  - Origins and ascendancy
  - Seljuq expansion
  - Division and decline

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

cave dwellings in Cappadocia

Cappadocia, Turkey

archaeological sites of Anatolia and northern Syria

Two large stone lion sculptures flank the entrance of the Lion Gate at Hattusa, with ancient stone walls and blue sky in the background.

Hattusas: Yerkapi rampart

Anatolia and northern Syria

Ancient mosaic detail showing Alexander the Great in armor riding his horse Bucephalus at the Battle of Issus, with another soldier visible behind him.

Historical map showing the Rum Seljuq Sultanate in Anatolia around 1100, with shaded regions indicating territory at that time and later conquests or annexations from neighboring states up to 1240. Key cities, battle sites with years, and the boundary of the sultanate in 1243 are marked. An inset map at upper right displays the broader Seljuq Empire and its protectorates around 1080, highlighting the Sultanate of Rum within the larger context of the Middle East and Central Asia.

This map shows the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1300 to its greatest extent in 1683-99, highlighting different periods under rulers such as Mehmed II, Selim I, and Süleyman the Magnificent, and marking key cities, seas, and geographical boundaries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

At a Glance

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Anatolia summary

Related Questions

cave dwellings in Cappadocia — cave dwellings in Cappadocia Abandoned cave dwellings in Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey.

Anatolia

historical region, Asia

Also known as: Anadolu, Asia Minor

Written by

John Frederick HaldonAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Anatolia, the peninsula of land that today constitutes the Asian portion of Turkey. Because of its location at the point where the continents of Asia and Europe meet, Anatolia was, from the beginnings of civilization, a crossroads for numerous peoples migrating or conquering from either continent. This article discusses the history and cultures of ancient Anatolia beginning in prehistoric times and including the Hittite empire, the Achaemenian and Hellenistic periods, and Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuq...

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