Sarcerius, Wilhelm, the only son of the pre- ceding, was pastor at Eisleben, but lost his position be- cause of liolding the opinions of Flacius (q. v.). He went, thereupon, to iMansfeld, where he died as court- preacher. He published, Leichen-, Lauf-, imd Wasser- Predhjten : — GeistUches Herbarium : — Fechtschiile Jesu Christ i: — HOllischer Trauergesuug. See Herzog's ^ea/- Encyldop. xx, 682-686,
Sarched'onus (Sapx't'ovoc, v. r. Saxepcoj^of, 2a- Xipodv), a Grajcized form (Tob. i, 21) for the name of the Assyrian king Esar-iiaddon (q. v.).
Sardae'us (SftpcVtToe, v. r. TiupcaloQ, ZepaXiac), a corrupt (ireek form (1 Esdr. ix, 28) of the name AzizA (q. V.) of the Ileb. list (Ezra x, 27).
Sardessius, in Greek mythology, is an appellative of Jupiter, derived from the city of Sardessus, in Lycia.
Sardica, in Illyria. A council was held at this place in 347, by order of the emperors Constantius and Constans, whom Athanasius, persecuted by the Eusebi- ans, had jjetitioned to convoke a council. Twenty can- ons were ilrawn up, and regulations made concerning Easter. See Smith, Tables of Church Hist. ; Landon, Manual of Councils, s. v.
Sardine (adpoivoQ, apparently an adjective from (Tc'ipciov, which has the same signification), the name of a gem (Kev. iv, 3). See Saruius.
Sar'dis {^dpCuQ, of uncertain etymology), a city of Asia jNIinor, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. It was situated about two miles to the south of the river Hermus, just below the range of Tmolus (Bos Dagli), on a spur of which its acropolis was buili, in a fine plain watered by the river Pactolus (Herod, vii, 31 ; Xenophon, Cyrop. vii, 2-11 : Pliny, Hist. Xat. ; Strabo, xiii, 625). It is in lat. 38^ 30' N., long. 27*3 57' E. Sardis was a great and ancient city, and, from its wealth and importance, was the object of much cupidity and of many sieges.
1. Ancient History. — The Lydians, or Ludim, whose metropolis Sardis was, were the descendants of Lud the son of Shem, and must not be confoimded with the Ludim, the children of Lud the son of Jlisraim the sou of Ham, who tlwelt and settled in Egypt. These latter were the nation alluded to by Jeretniali (xlvi, 9) when he speaks of " the Lydians that handle the bow :" the distinction will appear the more clearly from the fact that the Lydians and the Libyans are mentioned to- gether as embracing the same cause. The Shemitic Ludim were a warlike, active, and energetic people, and estalilished an empire extending as far east as tlie river Halys, The city of Sardis, although of more recent or- igin than the Trojan war (Strabo, xiii, 625), was very ancient, being mentioned by >Eschylus {Pers. 45) ; and Herodotus relates (i, 84) that it was fortified b_v a king Meles, who (according to the Chron. of Ensebins) preceded Candaules. The city itself was, at least at first, built in a rude manner, and the houses were cov- ered with dry reeds, in conse(iuence of which it was repeatedly destroyed by fire; but the acropolis, wliich some of the ancient geographers identified with the Homeric [fyd'e (Strabo, xiii, 626; comp. Pliny, v, 30; Eustath. ad JHon. Per. 830), was built upon an almost inaccessible rock. In the reign of Ardys, Sardis was taken by the Cimmerians, but they were unable to gain liossession of tlie citadel. Over this realm a series of al)le princes ruled, tlie last of whom, Cnesus, obtained a world-wide fame for his wealth, his misfortunes, and his philosophy. The earlier part of his reign was one of unusual glory; he extended his dominion over the
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whole of Asia Minor with the exception of Lyeia and Cilicia, and displayed as much ability as an adminis- trator as he had done as a conqueror. But the rising power of CVrus soon came into collision with his own, and, by the capture of Sardis, the Persian prince brought the Lydian rule to a close. Croesus is said to have ad- vised the victor to discourage the martial spirit of the Lydians by restraining them from all warlike occupa- tions, and employing them in those arts only which minister to luxury and sensualitj'. Cj'rus is reported to have taken the disgraceful advice, and the result was that, from ranking among the bravest and hardiest nations of antiquity, the Lydians became the most help- less and effeminate.
After its conquest, the Persians always kept a garri- son in the citadel, on account of its natural strength, which induced Alexander the Great, when it was sur- rendered to him in the sequel of the battle of the Granicus, similarlj' to occupy it. Sardis recovered the privilege of municipal government (and, as was alleged several centuries afterwards, the right of a sanctuary) upon its surrender to Alexander the Great, but its fort- unes for the next three hundred years are very ob- scure. It changed hands more than once in the con- tests between the dynasties which arose after the death of Alexander. In the year B.C. 214 it was taken and sacked by the army of Antiochus the Great, who be- sieged his cousin Acha;us in it for two years before suc- ceeding, as he at last did through treachery, in obtain- ing possession of the person of the latter. After the ruin of Antiochus's fortunes, it passed, with the rest of Asia on that side of Taurus, under the dominion of the kings of Pergamus, whose interests led them to divert the course of trafiic between Asia and Europe away from Sardis. Its productive soil must alwa3'S liave con- tinued a source of wealth ; but its importance as a cen- tral mart appears to have diminished from the time of the invasion of Asia by Alexander. After their victory over Antiochus it passed to the Romans, under whom it still more rapidly declined in rank and prosperity.