Gyges (Γύγης) was the founder of the third or
Mermnad dynasty of
Lydian kings and reigned from
716 BC to
678 BC (or from c. 680-644 BCE ). He was succeeded by his son
Ardys II.
Authors throughout history have told differing stories of Gyges rise to power. Gyges was the son of
Dascylus. Dascylus was recalled from banishment in
Cappadocia by the Lydian king
Sadyates, called
Candaules, or "the Dog-strangler" by the Greeks, and sent his son back to Lydia instead of himself.
According to
Nicolaus of Damascus, Gyges soon became a favourite of Sadyates and was dispatched by him to fetch
Tudo, the daughter of
Arnossus of Mysia, whom the Lydian king wished to make his queen. On the way Gyges fell in love with Tudo, who complained to Sadyates of his conduct. Forewarned that the king intended to punish him with death, Gyges assassinated Sadyates in the night and seized the throne.
According to
Plutarch, Gyges seized power with the help of
Arselis of
Mylasa, the captain of the
Carian bodyguard, whom he had won over to his cause.
In the account of
Herodotus, which may be traced to the poet
Archilochus of Paros, Candaules insisted upon showing Gyges his wife when unrobed, which so enraged her that she gave Gyges the choice of murdering her husband and making himself king, or of being put to death himself. In the novel The
English Patient, Count Almásy (himself a disciple of Herodotus), falls in love with a married woman (Katherine Clifton) as she reads this Gyges story aloud around a campfire. The story is harbinger of their own tragic path.
Finally, in the more allegorical account of
Plato, found in the Republic, II, a parallel account may be found. Here, the ancestor of Gyges was a
shepherd, who discovered a
magic ring by means of which he murdered the King and won the affection of the Queen. This account bears marked similarity to that of Herodotus.
In all cases,
civil war ensued on the death of the King, which was only ended when Gyges sought to justify his ascendence to the throne by petitioning for the approval of the
Oracle at Delphi.
According to Herodotus, he plied the Oracle with numerous gifts, notably six mixing bowls minted of gold extracted from the
Pactolus river weighing thirty
talents— an amount which would fetch over US$13 million at 2006 prices. The Oracle confirmed Gyges as the rightful Lydian King, gave moral support to the Lydians over the Asian Greeks, and also claimed that the dynasty of Gyges would be powerful, but due to his usurpation of the throne would fall in the fifth generation. This claim was later proven true, though perhaps by the machination of the Oracle's successor. Gyges 4th descendant,
Croesus, lost the kingdom after misunderstanding a prophecy of the later Oracle, and fatefully attacking the
Persian armies of
Cyrus the Great.
Once established on the throne, Gyges devoted himself to consolidating his kingdom and making it a military power. The
Troad was conquered,
Colophon captured from the Greeks,
Smyrna besieged and alliances entered into with
Ephesus and
Miletus.
The armies of Gyges beat back the
Cimmerii, who had ravaged
Asia Minor. An embassy was sent to
Assur-bani-pal at
Nineveh circa 650 BC in the hope of obtaining his help against the barbarians. The Assyrians were otherwise engaged, and Gyges turned to
Egypt, sending his faithful Carian troops along with
Ionian mercenaries to assist
Psammetichus in shaking off the Assyrian yoke
circa 660 BC.
Gyges later fell in battle against the Cimmerii under
Dugdamme (called Lygdamis by
Strabo i. 3. 21 —
who probably mistook the Greek Delta Δ for a Lambda Λ), who took the lower town of
Sardis. Gyges was succeeded by his son
Ardys.
Many
Bible scholars believe that Gyges of Lydia was the Biblical figure of
Gog, ruler of
Magog, who is mentioned in the
Book of Ezekiel and the
Book of Revelation. 
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