It was Antiochus III the Great, the Seleucid king, in the early 3rd cent. BC who sent 2000 Babylonian Jews as cleruchs to establish the first communities in Lydia and Phrygia, in Asia Minor. One of their largest settlements was Sardis. In the Roman imperial times Jewish communities were well established at several cities in Lydia and Phrygia , such as Thyateira and Hierapolis.

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The strong presence of Jews in Byzantine Asia Minor has its roots in earlier periods. The Jewish communities of the region bloomed in the Roman and Early Byzantine period. In Middle Byzantine years, particularly in the 10th-12th c., there were movements of Jews from and towards Asia Minor lands, while their presence in the region is evident until the end of Byzantine rule in Asia Minor, in the 14th century.

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The case of John Choiroboskos is both unusual and interesting. He lived in the first decade of the 14th century. He was a man of humble origin, a warrior and adventurer, who fought against the Turkish tribes at head of military troupes. The Byzantines initially imprisoned him on suspicion, while he had been also imprisoned by the Turks. Later, his troupes involved in looting.

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An official whose personality dominated politics for the greater part of the eleventh century. He was the only brother of emperor Constantine X Doukas (1059-1067) and in 1057 he supported the coup that overthrew Michael VI (1056-1057) and elevated Isaakios I Komnenos (1057-1059) to the imperial throne. During the reign of Constantine X Doukas he was honored with the title of caesar. In 1067 he supported the rise of Romanos IV Diogenes to the throne, while in 1071 he instigated another coup that...

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