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In ancient times Kappadokia was one of the 15 provinces of
Asia Minor peninsula its borders often changed because of
the many conquerors. Hettey, Assyrians, Medes Persians, Macedonians,
Romans , Byzantines, the Selduk Turks and finally Ottomans
are the people who left their traces on this land. Fron Herodotus
we conclude that Kappadokians were settled east of the river
Alis as Herodotus wrote”Alis is a river which flows between
Kappadokians and Paphlagonians in the south and flows into
the Euxine sea in the north” (Herod. A', 6).  River
Alis was at the same time a natural border between the Medes
and the Lydians. So Herodotus rightly acknowledged Alis as
a national border in Asia Minor which divided Syrian Kappadokians
on one side and Frygianes and Paphlagonians on the other side.
Herodotus calls Kappadokia the “neck” of Asia Minor (Herod.A',72).
In another quotation from Herodotus, Kappadokians along with
Paphlagonians and Mariandines belonged to the province of
satrap Darius (C', 9o ). During the last years of Persian
ruling as well as Greek and Roman ruling periods, Kappadokia
included all the regions between the Black Sea, Armenia, the
river Euphrates Taurus, Lycaonia and the river Alis.
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