Lycaonian is an unclassified language spoken in the former region of

Lycaonia Lycaonia (; el, Λυκαονία, ''Lykaonia''; tr, Likaonya) was a large region in the interior of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), north of the Taurus Mountains. It was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west by ...

. The Lycaonians appear to have retained a distinct nationality in the time of

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, but their ethnical affiliations are unknown. The mention of the Lycaonian language in the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...

() shows that the native language was spoken by the common people of Lystra around 50 AD. The name "Lycaonia" is believed to be a Greek-adapted version (influenced by the Greek masculine name '' Lycaon'') of an original ''Lukkawanna'', which would mean 'the land of the Lukka people' in an old

Anatolian Anatolian or anatolica may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the region Anatolia * Anatolians, ancient Indo-European peoples who spoke the Anatolian languages * Anatolian High School, a type of Turkish educational institution * Anatol ...

language related to Hittite. It is notable though that in the Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas was called '

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

', and Paul was thought to be

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

by the Lycaonians.

References

{{Anatolian languages Languages of ancient Anatolia Languages extinct in the 1st century Unclassified languages of Asia Unclassified Indo-European languages Unattested languages of Asia