Lycaonia

/lik'ay oh"nee euh, -ohn"yeuh, luy'kay-/, n.

an ancient country in S Asia Minor: later a Roman province.

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Ancient region, southern Anatolia.

Situated north of the Taurus Mountains in present-day Turkey, in ancient times it was bounded by the regions of Caria and Pamphylia. It was ruled by Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Attalids, and, finally, the Romans. Under Rome it was attached to Galatia and Cappadocia. From Seleucid times on, Iconium (modern Konya) served as its capital. It was visited by St. Paul and by the 4th century had developed an organized ecclesiastical system.

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▪ ancient region, Turkey

      ancient region in the interior of Anatolia north of the Taurus Mountains, inhabited by a wild and warlike aboriginal people who pastured sheep and wild asses on the bleak central highlands. Little is known about the early Lycaonians. They seem to have escaped Persian domination but afterward shared the fate of many Anatolian states, passing under the rule of Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Attalids of Pergamum, and, finally, the Romans. Under Roman administration, Lycaonian territory was attached to Galatia to the north and Cappadocia to the east. The country was traversed by one of the great highroads across Anatolia, along which were clustered its urban centres. Iconium (Konya) was its capital and principal city since Seleucid times. Lycaonia, visited by St. Paul, was Christianized early, and by the 4th century it possessed a more completely organized ecclesiastical system than any other region of Anatolia.

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