Gyges

E337398

Gyges was an early 7th-century BCE king of Lydia, known from both Greek and Near Eastern sources for founding the Mermnad dynasty and dramatically seizing the throne.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Gyges canonical 9
Gyges of Lydia 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Lydian king
founder of dynasty
human
king
associatedWithLegend Ring of Gyges
attestedIn Annals of Ashurbanipal
Assyrian royal inscriptions
Herodotus’ Histories
linked to: works of Herodotus
cameToPowerBy coup d’état
regicide
child Ardys II
consulted Oracle of Delphi
linked to: Oracle of Apollo
contemporaryOf Ashurbanipal
country Lydia
culturalDepiction paradigm of usurpation
deathCause killed in battle
diedInBattleAgainst Cimmerians
dynastyFounded Mermnad dynasty
enemyOf Cimmerians
era Iron Age
ethnicIdentity Lydian
linked to: Lydians
father Dascylus
floruit early 7th century BCE
foreignPolicyAction intervened in Egyptian affairs
killed Candaules
knownFromSourceTradition Greek sources
Near Eastern sources
legitimizedRuleBy Delphic oracle
linked to: Oracle of Apollo
mentionedBy Plato
mentionedIn Plato’s Republic (myth of the Ring of Gyges)
linked to: Plato's Republic
nameInGreek Γύγης
nameVariant Guges
Guggu
Gugu
notableFor dramatic seizure of the Lydian throne
founding the Mermnad dynasty
positionHeld King of Lydia
linked to: Croesus
predecessor Candaules
recognizedBy Oracle of Delphi
linked to: Oracle of Apollo
region Western Anatolia
reignedOver Lydia
reignEndTime circa 644 BCE
reignStartTime circa 680 BCE
seizedThroneFrom Candaules
sentEnvoysTo Ashurbanipal
sentTroopsToAid Psammetichus I
linked to: Psamtik I
spouse wife of Candaules
successor Ardys II

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lydian Kingdom ruler Gyges
Lydia famousKing Gyges
Gyes alternateNameOf Gyges
Gyes hasAlternateName Gyges
Psamtik I alliedWith Gyges of Lydia
linked to: Gyges
Ardys II predecessor Gyges
Ardys II father Gyges
Mermnad dynasty namedAfter Gyges of Lydia
linked to: Gyges