Cimmerian

Dictionary: Cim·me·ri·an (sĭ-mîr'ē-ən) pronunciation

adj.
Very dark or gloomy.

n. Greek Mythology
One of a mythical people described by Homer as inhabiting a land of perpetual darkness.

[From Latin Cimmeriī, the Cimmerians, from Greek Kimmerioi.]

Search unanswered questions...

Browse: Unanswered questions | Most-recent questions | Reference library

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Cimmerian

Top

Any member of an ancient people living north of the Caucasus and the Sea of Azov. Their origins are obscure; linguistically they are usually regarded as Thracian or Iranian. Driven by the Scythians out of southern Russia and over the Caucasus, they entered Anatolia toward the end of the 8th century BC. In 696 – 695 BC they conquered Phrygia. They reached the summit of their power in 652 after taking Sardis, capital of Lydia. Their decline soon began, and their final defeat may be dated from 637 or 626, when they were routed by Alyattes of Lydia.

For more information on Cimmerian, visit Britannica.com.

WordNet: Cimmerian

Top

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has one meaning:

Meaning #1: intensely dark and gloomy as with perpetual darkness

Learn More

	kimmerian
	bosporian
	bosporus

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more