Karkis

The land of Karkis serves as a vital piece in the puzzle of Late Bronze Age Anatolia. Far from being a mere geographical expression, Karkis was an active political entity, a contested buffer zone, and a participant in the high-stakes diplomacy between the Hittite Empire and Mycenaean Ahhiyawa.

The inhabitants of Karkis were the ancestors of the Carians known to classical history. Herodotus famously claimed the Carians were originally islanders (Minoans) who settled the mainland, while modern scholarship, backed by Linear B evidence from Miletus (Millawanda), suggests a distinct Anatolian population heavily influenced by Mycenaean Greek culture. karkis