In the historical period the Lydians lived in the region of Lydia in western Anatolia. R. Beques believed that during the Trojan War the Lydians, known to Homer as Meonians, lived much further north, in northwest Anatolia, in the region of Masa, the localization of which is still a matter of debate.
In 547 BC, the successor of Alyattes, King Croesus, crossed the Halys and attacked the Persians, who had by that time conquered Midia. According to Herodotus, who devoted much space to the Lydians in his History, the Delphic oracle promised Croesus that he would crush the great kingdom. As it turned out, Croesus misunderstood the prophecy-the war resulted in the crushing of Lydia itself. In 546 BC, the Persians captured Lydia and turned it into their satrapy.