The relation between Phrygians' religion and military structure

The Phrygians, who lived thousands of years ago and are one of the oldest inhabitants of Anatolia, have an important place in Anatolian history with their unique culture. Mass migration movements, known as Aegean Migration, which took place from the end of the 13th century BC, brought many changes with it. So much so that these migration movements affected Anatolia closely and represented the beginning of a new era. Phrygians, who are thought to have entered Anatolia with the Aegean Migration, became the new political actor of the region after the Hittite State (1650-1200 BC), which was destroyed by the influence of these migrations. Phrygians, who emerged on the stage of history as a central power in Anatolia in the first half of the 1st millennium BC, lived their heydays especially with the Midas period in the second half of the 8th century BC. Phrygians have a polytheistic religious belief. However, the singular position of the Mother Goddess Cybele in this belief is very special. Against the power and influence of Cybele, other Phrygian gods had a secondary position. A number of remarkable religious rituals, which are still mysterious, performed by the Phrygians to show their faith and devotion to the Mother Goddess Cybele, have been a determining factor in their political and military policies. In this thesis, it will be emphasized how the belief in Cybele shaped the Phrygian politics by affecting the Phrygian military structure and evaluations will be made on the source of this power of the Phrygians, who became an important power in Anatolia during the Midas period.