Lycaonia was a large region in the interior of Anatolia, north of Mount Taurus, bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west by Phrygia and Pisidia, and on the south by Cilicia and in the Byzantine period Isauria; but its boundaries varied greatly at different times. The Lycaonians appear to have been in early times to a great extent independent of the Persian empire, and were like their neighbors the Isaurians a wild and lawless race of freebooters; but their country was traversed by one of the great natural lines of high road through Asia Minor, from Sardis and Ephesus to the Cilician gates, and a few considerable towns grew up along or near this line. After the defeat of Antiochus the Great, Lycaonia was given by the Romans to King Eumenes II of Pergamon. About 160 BC, part of Lycaonia was added to Galatia; and in 129 BC the eastern half was given to Cappadocia. Its administration and grouping changed often under the Romans. In Acts 14:6 Paul, after leaving Iconium, crossed the frontier and came to Lystra in Lycaonia. The mention of the Lycaonian language in the Acts of the Apostles (14:11) shows that the native language was spoken by the common people at Lystra even in 50 A.D.; and probably it was only later and under Christian influence that Greek took its place. In 371, Lycaonia was first formed into a separate Roman province. The ancient coinage of Lycaonia is quite limited. Judging from the number of types and known issues, coins appear to have been struck sporadically and perhaps mostly for prestige or important occasions.