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These close ties between Smyrna and Lydia ended when Gyges's great-grandson Alyattes conquered Smyrna around 600 BC. Gyges's attempt to capture Smyrna likewise failed the inhabitants of the city were successfully able to repel his attacks, after which peaceful and friendly relations would be established between Lydia and this city, leading to the Lydians using the port of Smyrna to export their products and import grain, Lydian craftsmen being allowed to settle in Smyrniot workshops. Gyges was however unable to conquer Miletus and he made peace with the city, following which Gyges accorded to the Milseians the privilege to colonise the coastal areas of Asia Minor under Lydian control. Gyges took advantage of the power vacuum created by the Cimmerian invasions to consolidate his kingdom and make it a military power, and, to this end, immediately after coming to power he attacked the Ionian Greek cities of Miletus, Smyrna, and Colophon. The most notable of these offerings were six crates made of gold and which collectively weighed thirty talents.

These offerings still stood at Delphi in the time of Herodotus, who referred to Gyges's dedications as the Gygadas ( Ancient Greek: Γυγαδας Gugadas, from 𐤨𐤰𐤨𐤠𐤩𐤦𐤳 *Kukalis, meaning "of Kukas (Gyges)"), and remarked that most of the silver at Delphi was part of it. To thank the oracle, Gyges offered it lavish offerings consisting of gold and silver. Immediately after Gyges had seized the Lydian throne, the oracle of the god Apollo at Delphi confirmed the legitimity of his kingship. Gyges's rise to power happened in the context of a period of turmoil following the invasion of the Cimmerians, a nomadic people from the Eurasian Steppe who had invaded Western Asia, who around 675 BC destroyed the previous major power in Anatolia, the kingdom of Phrygia.

Gyges was helped in his coup against Candaules by a Carian prince from Mylasa named Arselis, suggesting that Gyges's Mermnad dynasty might have had good relations with Carian aristocrats thanks to which these latter would provide his rebellion with armed support against Candaules. Rise to power Īvailable historical evidence suggests that Gyges became the king of Lydia by overthrowing his predecessor, the king Candaules of the Heraclid dynasty. Nothing is known about Gyges's origins except for the Greek historian Herodotus's claim that he was the son of a man named Dascylus. Īttestations of Gyges's name from the period of the Lydian kingdom are found on the legends of coins by his great-grandson Alyattes, reading Kukalim ( 𐤨𐤰𐤨𐤠𐤩𐤦𐤪), meaning "I am of Kukaś". If this etymology is accurate, it correlates with the probability of a Carian origin of the Mermnad dynasty. Īnother derivation for Kukaś suggests that it might be a loanword from Carian Quq ( 𐊨𐊲𐊨), which was represented in Greek as Gugos ( Γυγος), and was a cognate of the various Anatolian words for "grandfather": Hittite ḫuḫḫa ( 𒄷𒄴𒄩), Luwian ḫūḫa- ( 𒄷𒌋𒄩) and huha- ( 𔕳𔓷‎), Milyan xuga- ( 𐊜𐊒𐊄𐊀), and Lycian xuga- ( 𐊜𐊒𐊄𐊀). Kukaś is derived from a common Proto-Indo-European root from which evolved Hittite ḫuḫḫa- ( 𒄷𒄴𒄩), Luwian ḫūḫa- ( 𒄷𒌋𒄩) and huha- ( 𔕳𔓷‎), and Lycian xuga- ( 𐊜𐊒𐊄𐊀) in the Anatolian languages family, as well as Latin avus, all meaning "grandfather". Gu(g)gu and Gugēs are respectively the Akkadian and Greek forms of the Lydian name Kukaś ( 𐤨𐤰𐤨𐤠𐤮), which means "grandfather". In addition, the annals of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal refer several times to Gu(g)gu, king of Luddi, to be identified with Gyges, king of the Lydians. The name Gyges is derived from the Ancient Greek form Gugēs ( Ancient Greek: Γυγης) recorded by Graeco-Roman authors.

Gyges reigned 38 years according to Herodotus. 680-644 BC ) was the founder of the Mermnad dynasty of Lydian kings and the first known king of the Lydian kingdom to have attempted to transform it into a powerful empire. Gyges ( / ˈ dʒ aɪ dʒ iː z/, / ˈ ɡ aɪ dʒ iː z/ Lydian: 𐤨𐤰𐤨𐤠𐤮 Kukaś Akkadian: Guggu, Gugu Ancient Greek: Γύγης, romanized: Gugēs Latin: Gygēs reigned c. A rare depiction of the legend of Gyges finding the magic ring, Ferrara, 16th century