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'''Anatolia''' (
Turkish: Anadolu (''ana'' (mother) and ''dolu'' (filled) for "full of mothers" to emphasize abundance)
Greek ανατολη (''anatole'') for "rising of the sun"; compare "
Orient" and "
Levant"), also called by the
Latin name of ''Asia Minor'', is a region of
Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the
Asian portion of
Turkey.
Image:Tu-map.png Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Because of its strategic location at the intersection of Asia and
Europe, Anatolia has been a cradle for several
civilizations since
prehistoric ages, with
neolithic settlements such as
Catal Hyk (pottery neolithic),
Cayn (
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A to pottery Neolithic),
Nevali Cori (
PPN B),
Hacilar (pottery neolithic),
Gbekli Tepe (
PPN A) and
Mersin.
The settlement of
Troy starts in the Neolithic, but continues up into the Iron age.
Major civilizations and peoples that have settled in or conquered Anatolia include the
Hattians,
Luwians,
Hittites,
Phrygians,
Cimmerians,
Lydians,
Persians,
Celts,
Tabals,
Meshechs,
Greeks,
Pelasgians,
Armenians,
Romans,
Goths,
Kurds,
Byzantines,
Seljuk Turks and
Ottomans. These peoples belonged to many varied
ethnic and
linguistic traditions. Through recorded history, Anatolians have spoken both
Indo-European and
Semitic languages, as well as many languages of uncertain affiliation. In fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European
Hittite and Luwian languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical center from which the Indo-European languages have radiated. Other authors have proposed an Anatolian origin for the
Etruscans of ancient
Italy.
Today the inhabitants of Anatolia are mostly
Turkish speakers, due to the conquest of Anatolia by Turkic peoples (and subsequent
Islamification) in mediaeval times. A significant
Kurdish ethnic and linguistic minority exists in the southern regions, next to the frontiers with
Iraq and
Iran.
For a detailed account of the prehistory of Anatolia: Balter, Michael, The Goddess and the Bull: Catalhoyuk, An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization, Free Press (2005)
da:Anatolien
de:Kleinasien
es:Anatolia
fr:Anatolie
ja:アナトリア半島
la:Asia_Minor
lb:Anatolien
nl:Anatoli
nds:Anatolien
pl:Anatolia_(Turcja)
sl:Anatolija
sv:Anatolien
