In its earliest history, about 300 BC, Ankara was ruled by the Persians.  The Persians maintained their rule in the region for a few hundred years until they were conquered by the Galations, a northern Celtic tribe which took over many territories in Europe in the late centuries BC and early centuries AD.  It was from the Galations that the city gets its name, derived from the word Ancyra, or "anchor" in Greek. 

Early in the First Century Ankara came under control of the Roman Empire.  It became an important trade center with a large, cosmopolitan population, languages from Galatian Celtic to Latin and that of the native Phyrgians being spoken there.   In the 4th Century, Ankara, because of its diverse population, became one of the cities where the Romans began prosecuting and martyring Christians.  In the following centuries the city would become an important early Christian center and today the remains of a few early churches can still be seen there. 

Eventually, in the 11th Century, the city would come under the control of the Ottomans who made it into a Muslim sate.  Ankara remained under their control until the early 20th Century when Turkey fought for its independence from the Ottomans, declaring itself a republic in 1923.   It was at this time that Ankara replaced Istanbul as the country's capitol.