LYCAONIA

(Lyc·a·oʹni·a).

A region in Asia Minor where the Lycaonian language was spoken. (Acts 14:6-11) The exact boundaries of Lycaonia are uncertain and fluctuated considerably throughout its history. Basically, in the period during which Lycaonia figured in the Bible record, it lay in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia and was bounded by Pisidia and Phrygia on the W, Cappadocia on the E and Cilicia on the S. This area consists of a treeless plain having limited water. In some parts the soil has a high salt content, contributing further to the barrenness of the region. Anciently, though, it was reasonably productive and furnished sufficient pasturage for a large number of sheep.

The apostle Paul visited Derbe and Lystra, two cities of Lycaonia, during the course of his first and second missionary journeys. He may also have stopped there on his third missionary tour as he traveled from “place to place through the country of Galatia.”—Acts 14:6, 20, 21; 16:1; 18:23.