Iconium (Konya)
Konya, also spelled
in some historic
English texts as
Konia or Koniah, was
known in classical
antiquity and during
the medieval period
as Iconium in Latin,
and Ἰκόνιον (Ikónion) in Greek.
The name Konya is a
cognate of icon, as
an ancient Greek
legend ascribed its
name to the "eikon"
(image), or the
"gorgon's (Medusa's)
head", with which
Perseus vanquished
the native
population before
founding the city
Excavations
have
shown
that
the
region
was
inhabited
during
the
Late
Copper
Age,
around
3000
BC.
The
city
came
under
the
influence
of
the
Hittites
around
1500
BC.
These
were
overtaken
by
the
Sea
Peoples
around
1200
BC.
The
Phrygians
established
their
kingdom
in
central
Anatolia
in
the
8th
century
BC.
Xenophon
describes
Iconium,
as
the
city
was
called,
as
the
last
city
of
Phrygia.
The
region
was
overwhelmed
by
Cimmerian
invaders
c.
690
BC.
It
was
later
part
of
the
Persian
Empire,
until
Darius
III
was
defeated
by Alexander
the
Great in
333
BC.
Alexander's
empire
broke
up
shortly
after
his
death
and
the
town
came
under
the
rule
of
Seleucus
I
Nicator.
During
the
Hellenistic
period
the
town
was
ruled
by
the
kings
of Pergamon.
As
Attalus
III,
the
last
king
of Pergamon,
was
about
to
die
without
an
heir,
he
bequeathed
his
kingdom
to
Rome.
Under
the
rule
of
emperor
Claudius,
the
city's
name
was
changed
to
Claudioconium,
and
during
the
rule
of
emperor
Hadrianus
to
Colonia
Aelia
Hadriana.
Saint Paul and Barnabas preached in Iconium during the First Missionary Journey in about 47-48 AD (see Acts 14:1-5 and Acts 14:21), and Paul and Silas probably visited it again during the Second Missionary Journey in about 50 (see Acts 16:2). In Christian legend, it was also the birthplace of Saint Thecla. During the Byzantine Empire the town was destroyed several times by Arab invaders in the 7th-9th centuries. The
city
was
conquered
by
the
Seljuk
Turks
following
the
Battle
of
Manzikert
in
1071,
and
from
1097
to
1243
it
was
the
capital
of
the
Anatolian
Seljuk
Sultanate,
though
very
briefly
occupied
by
the
Crusaders
Godfrey
of
Bouillon
(August
1097)
and
Frederick
Barbarossa
(May
18,
1190).
The
name
of
the
town
was
changed
to
Konya
by
Rukn
al-Dīn
Mas'ūd
in
1134.
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