Cilicia
/sɪˈlɪʃiə/noun
An ancient region on the southern coast of Anatolia, corresponding mainly to parts of modern southern Turkey.
Did you know?Cilicia became so associated with piracy that Roman campaigns under Pompey the Great targeted its pirates in the first century BCE.
Etymological Timeline
Late Bronze Age
Anatolian languages
Kizzuwatna
“An earlier name for a related region in southeastern Anatolia; its connection with later Cilicia is historically debated.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Κιλικία (Kilikía)
“The Greek name for the region on Anatolia’s southern coast.”
Ancient Greek tradition
Greek
Κίλιξ (Kílix)
“Cilix, a mythic ancestor used in Greek tradition to explain the region’s name.”
Classical Latin
Latin
Cilicia
“The Roman provincial and geographical name for Cilicia.”
Medieval Latin and English
English
Cilicia
“The historical name retained in English for the ancient Anatolian region.”