Asia Minor

I  INTRODUCTION

Asia Minor, region of the ancient world, roughly corresponding to present Asian Turkey, or the peninsula of Anatolia. Some of the earliest Neolithic settlements in the Middle East have been found in Asia Minor. One of the most important, at Çatal Hüyük, near present Konya, dates from as early as 9000 bc.

II  EARLY INDIGENOUS STATES Of the Anatolian cultures of the succeeding Bronze Age, the most important was that of the Hittites, about 1900-1200 bc, which originated in the central plateau. At its widest extent, the Hittite Empire covered most of Asia Minor and rivaled Egypt as a Middle Eastern power. It was destroyed by invaders known as the Sea Peoples, who swept over Asia Minor and Syria toward the end of the 12th century bc. The destruction of the western Anatolian city of Troy, an event celebrated in ancient Greek legends, probably occurred during these invasions. One of the Sea Peoples, the Phrygians, established a kingdom that became the dominant Anatolian power in the 9th and 8th centuries bc. Their king, Midas, was credited by the Greeks with the power to change anything he touched into gold. Hittite culture survived in Carchemish, Milid (present-day Malatya, Turkey), and other small states in eastern Asia Minor until about 700 bc. During this same period the Greeks founded Miletus, Ephesus, and Priene and a number of other cities in Ionia, an area along the Aegean coast. About 700 bc the Phrygian kingdom was overrun and destroyed by the Cimmerians, a nomadic people who thereafter lived in western Asia Minor. In the 7th century bc the Lydians also appeared near the Aegean coast, where they founded a kingdom, the capital of which was Sardis. According to Greek writers, they were the first people to coin money. Their last king, Croesus, fabled for his wealth, was overthrown by the Persians under Cyrus the Great in about 546 bc.

III  FOREIGN RULE From the mid-6th century to 333 bc most of Asia Minor belonged to the Persian Empire, although the Greek cities frequently enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy. In the 4th century bc Persian power declined, and after 333 bc it was supplanted by the Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, his realm was divided among his followers, Asia Minor falling to the Seleucid kings of Syria, except for Lycia and Caria on the south coast, which were governed by the Ptolemies of Egypt. In the 3rd century bc, Bithynia and Pontus in the north and Cappadocia in the east became independent; Celtic invaders settled in central Asia Minor, in an area thenceforth known as Galatia; and the kingdom of Pergamum was established on the Aegean coast. In the 2nd and 1st centuries bc, Asia Minor was gradually conquered by the Romans. For the most part the region prospered under Roman rule, and its cities flourished as centers of Greek culture.

IV  MEDIEVAL AND MODERN TIMES After the division of the Roman Empire in the 4th century ad, Asia Minor became part of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire, the capital of which was Constantinople (present-day İstanbul), or Byzantium, located on the European side of the Bosporus, just across from the west coast of Anatolia. During the 8th and 9th centuries the free peasantry of Anatolia provided recruits for the imperial army and were the main bulwark of the Byzantine state. During the 11th century Asia Minor was invaded by the Seljuk Turks, and the eastern part of the region became predominantly Turkish in character. In the 14th and 15th centuries the Ottoman Turks conquered the whole peninsula, and it remained part of the Ottoman Empire until the establishment of the republic of Turkey in 1923. Contributed By: Michael S. Cheilik Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),

 organization of 20 nations and one administrative region dedicated to promoting regional economic integration and global free trade among countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. APEC was founded in 1989 at the prompting of the government of Australia. The APEC secretariat, the organization's administrative office, was established in 1992 in Singapore. Its members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States. Peru, Russia, and Vietnam joined the organization in 1998. Foreign ministers and trade officials from each country have met yearly since APEC's inception. The heads of state met for the first time in 1993, while trade officials began annual meetings in 1994. At these meetings, members have discussed such issues as regional security, financing for infrastructure development, reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers, and development of global free trade. In 1994 APEC members with industrialized economies pledged to eliminate trade barriers by 2010, while those with developing economies agreed to follow by 2020. To promote global free trade, members were encouraged to reduce trade barriers to non-APEC nations as well. No legally binding agreement was signed. The group has also agreed to strive to standardize customs and international trade documentation. In 1998 APEC leaders pledged to pursue a cooperative economic growth strategy in response to economic instability in many Asian nations. Members pledged to strengthen social safety nets, financial systems, trade and investment flows, and scientific and technological infrastructure within their nations. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.