Sardis had a long and rich history reaching back into ancient times. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, known for its magnificence, wealth, and opulence. It then became one of the most prominent cities of the Persian Empire, the Seleucid Kingdom, and the proconsular seat under the Romans. Later under Byzantium, it was the leading metropolis of the province of Lydia.
Geographically Sardis was located in the center of the Hermus Valley along the foot of Mount Tmolus. The city was located at the crest of a rocky plateau about 1,500 feet high. The sharp perpendicular walls of the plateau made the city impregnable. There was only one access point to the city and this was easily guarded. Sardis was basically inaccessible except for a single point; a bottleneck along the narrow path leading up to it forced an oncoming army into a single file which in turn made them easy pickings for anyone guarding the city from above.
As the capital of the Lydian Kingdom, Sardis was a city well acquainted with war. In many ways, Sardis was the focal point of Lydian military strategy. The reasoning behind that was simple; whoever possessed Sardis could bring the entire Kingdom to its knees and whoever wanted to gain mastery over Lydia had to take down Sardis. Sardis was the key to conquering the Lydians and it was also key to Lydia retaining and advancing its power.
Sardis became cemented as somewhat of a legend among Ancient Greece. It was ridiculously wealthy, in fact, coinage was first minted by the Lydians, and it was impregnable. Sardis was in many ways the single greatest enemy of the Ionian city-states; it learned from them, schooled them, and eventually conquered each one of them in succession. It was this that earned it the moniker; Sardis the First Metropolis of Asia and of Lydia and of Hellenism.
Because of its natural fortification and rich military history, Croesus, King of the Lydians, felt that his city could never fall. It was this overconfidence that led to the overthrow of the city by the Persians under Cyrus the Great in 549 BC. The story of the overthrow of Sardis is fascinating.
