The Thesprotians (Greek: Θεσπρωτοί, English: Thesprôti) were an ancient Greek[1] tribe of Thesprotis, Epirus, akin to the Molossians. The poet Homer frequently mentions Thesprotia which had friendly relations with Ithaca and Doulichi. On their northeast frontier they had the Chaonians and to the north the kingdom of the Molossians. The Thesprotians were part of the League of Epirus until they were annexed into the Roman Empire.
Contents |
Geography
Strabo puts the Thesprotian's territory, Thesprotis, on the coast of southwest Epirus. Thesprotis stretched between the Ambracian Gulf in the south to the River Thyamis (modern-day Kalamas) in the north, and between the Pindus mountains and the Ionian Sea. According to legend, the nation got its name from the Pelasgian leader and first governor Thesprotos, who built Kichyro (Cichorus), which later was called Ephyra, the capital of Thesprotia. Other important cities of Thesprotia include Pandosia,[2] Titani, Chimerion, Torine, Fanoti, Kassopa,[3] Fotiki, Boucheta[4] and Batiai.[5] There was a city called Thesprotia[6] sharing the same name with the tribe itself.
Tribe
According to Strabo, the Thesprotians (along with the Chaonians and the Molossians) were the most famous among the fourteen tribes of Epirus, as they once ruled over the whole region. The Chaonians ruled Epirus first while the Thesprotians and Molossians ruled afterwards. Plutarch[7] tells us that the Thesprotians, the Chaonians and the Molossians were the three principal clusters of Greek tribes that had emerged in Epirus, and all three were the most powerful among all other tribes. Strabo also records that the Thesprotians, Molossians, and Macedonians referred to old men as pelioi and old women as peliai (PIE: *pel- means grey); in Ancient Greek pelitnós - grey, peleia, "pigeon", so-called because of its dusky grey color, poliós - grey, and pollós - dark). Their senators were called Peligones , similar to the Macedonian Peliganes. An inscription[8][9] from the mid 4th century BC indicates that the organisationof the Thesprotian state was similar to that the other Epirotes.[10] Terms for office were prostates (Greek: Προστάτες) literally meaning "protectors" like most Greek tribal states at the time. Other terms for office were grammateus (Greek: Γραμματέυς) meaning "secretary", demiourgoi (Greek: Δημιουργοί) literally meaning "creators", hieromnemones (Greek: Ιερομνήμονες) literally meaning "of the sacred memory" and synarchontes (Greek: Συνάρχοντες) literally meaning "co-rulers".
Sub-tribes
The Thesprotians were divided into many sub-tribes. These included: The Elopes, Graeci, Kassopaeoi, Dryopes and Dodonians, (Greek: Δωδωναίοι), Aegestaeoi, Eleaeoi, Elinoi, Ephyroi, Ikadotoi, Kartatoi, Kestrinoi, Klauthrioi, Kropioi, Larissaeoi, Onopernoi, Opatoi, Tiaeoi, Torydaeoi, Fanoteis, Farganaeoi, Fylates and the Chimerioi. There was a migration to Thessaly since early Antiquity.[11] Some of these tribes in later times moved and further colonized Ithaca, Leucas, Acarnania, parts of South Greece, Thessaly and Italy.
Mythology
According to the Telegony (Epic Cycle), Odysseus came upon the land of Thesprotia where he stayed for a number of years. He married Thesprotia's queen, Kallidike (Callidice, Kallidice), and had a son with her named Polypoetes. Odysseus led the Thesprotians in the war against the Brygoi (Brygi), but lost the battle because Ares was on the side of the Brygoi. Athena went to support Odysseus, by engaging the war god in another confrontation until Apollo separated them. When Kallidike died, Odysseus returned home to Ithaca, leaving their son, Polypoetes, to rule Thesprotia.[12]
Trivia
- Allied with Corinth in the 5th century BC.
- Allied with Athens and Molossis, 415-404 BC.
- Occupation of Kassopaea, Dodona, east Thesprotia by Molossians 400 BC.
- The Thesprotian League, middle 4th century BC.
- Allied with Macedonia, 343-300 BC.
- Part of the League of Molossis, 300 BCE.
- Part of the Epirote League, included Chaonians and Molossians, 220-167 BC.
- Assigned as a district of Macedonia within Rome, 148-27 BC.
- Assigned as a district of Achaea within the Roman Empire from 27 BC.
List of Thesprotians
- Kallidike Queen, wife of Odysseus.
- King Aidoneus of Ephyra, husband of Persephone.
- Poionos: Admatos; Thesprotoi: Petoas, Simakos; Skepas, Aristodamos from Cassopea; Dioszotos from Pandosia; Theorodokoi in Epidauros, 365 BC.[13][14][15]
- Alexandros prostates, mid 4th c. BC.[16]
- Xenarchos son of Xenon from Cassopea (tomb stele), ca. 310 BC.[17]
- Gallithos son of Xenon from Cassopea (tomb stele), ca. 275 BC.[18]
- Sokratis daughter of Sotion from Boucheta (tomb stele), ca. 250 BC.[19]
- Xenias of Cassopea proxenos in Thyrrheion Acarnania III bc.[20]
- Alkimos (son of Nikandros) proxenos in Delphi, c. 215 BC.[21]
- Eucharon, Eunostidas proxenoi in Thermos (Aetolia) end III-beg. II.[22]
- Milon (son of Sosandros) honoured by Koinon of Epirotes, late 3rd century BC.[23]
- Opatos dedicated to Zeus Naos, Dione, and Zeus Bouleus in Dodona, ca. 215-210 BC.[24]
- Simakos (son of Phalakrion) 2nd century BC Pancratiast, Epidauria (fined 1000 staters, along with other two athletes).[25][26]
- Demetrios (son of Machatas) dedicated to Apollon at Kourion, Cyprus, 200-193 BC[27] Ptolemaic city commander of Kourion.[28]
- Alkemachos (son of Charops) Diaulos (~400-metre race) Panathenaics 190/189 BC nephew of Demetrios.[29]
- Echenika daughter of Menedamos and Aristokrateia from Kassopa, wife of Lysixenos (tomb stele) II bc.[30]
See also
References
- ^ Hammond, NGL (1994). Philip of Macedon. London, UK: Duckworth. "Epirus was a land of milk and animal products...The social unit was a small tribe, consisting of several nomadic or semi-nomadic groups, and these tribes, of which more than seventy names are known, coalesced into large tribal coalitions, three in number: Thesprotians, Molossians and Chaonians...We know from the discovery of inscriptions that these tribes were speaking the Greek language (in a West-Greek dialect)."
* Wilkes, John. The Illyrians. Wiley-Blackwell, 1995, p. 104. "Nevertheless there does seem to be evidence that these peoples between Acharnania and Illyria spoke a language akin to Greek, though this is contested by Albanians who would have them to be Illyrians." - ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 347, ISBN 0198140991. "Pandosia was a polis belonging to the Kassopians (Theopomp.fr.206) who in turn formed a section of the Thesprotians."
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 346, ISBN 0198140991. "Kassopa was located in a region called Κασσωπία."
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 342, ISBN 0198140991. "Boucheta was a polis belonging to the Kassopians (Theopomp. fr. 206), who in turn formed a section of the Thesprotians (Strabo 7.7.5). In C4S Boucheta was a dependency of Kassopa (no. 100)."
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 342, ISBN 0198140991. "Batiai was a polis belonging to the Kassopians (Theopomp. fr. 206), who in turn formed a section of the Thesprotians (Strabo 7.7.5). In C4S Batiai was a dependency of Kassopa (no. 100)."
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 340, ISBN 0198140991. "Thesprotia Θεσπρωτία Steph.Byz. 310.16-17 (πόλις και χώρα έξω του Αμβρακικού κόλπου)...could have been an urban center of the Thesprotians."
- ^ Pyrrhus by Plutarch (The Internet Classics Archive)
- ^ Boardman, John. The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press, 1923, p. 437.
- ^ PHI Greek Inscriptions
- ^ Hornblower, Simon. The Greek World, 479-323 B.C. Routledge, 2002, p. 199, ISBN 0415163269. "Even before about 385, the Molossian tribes had combined with the neighbouring Thesprotians and Chaonians to form a Molossian state with a king and officials called prostates (president), grammateus (secretary), and tribal representatives called demiourgoi; also hieromnemones some kind of cult figure. (See for all of this SGDI 1334-67; also SEG 23.471: fifteen synarchontes, federal officials. This inscription shows that Orestis was part of the federal organisation, that is the koinon or federation embraced an area which would later be Macedonian territory.)"
- ^ Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece to 322 B.C. Clarendon Press, 1986, p. 75, ISBN 0198730969. ...the Thessaloi, led by Heracleidae, migrated from Thesprotia in southern Epirus to enter the south-western canton of Thessaly, which was thenceforth called Thessaliotis.
- ^ Telegony (from Proclus Chrestomathia 2), Fragment 1. Odysseus then goes to Thesprotis where he marries Kallidike, queen of the Thesprotians. A war then breaks out between the Thesprotians, led by Odysseus, and the Brygoi. Ares routs the army of Odysseus and Athena engages with Ares, until Apollon separates them.
- ^ IG IV²,1 95 col I.1 line 25.
- ^ Brock, Roger and Hodkinson, Stephen. Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization and Community in Ancient Greece. Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 247, ISBN 0198152205. [List] "*Leukas: Timophrades *Palairos: Leontios *Anaktorion: Ariston Periandou *Apeiros: Geron Aristodamou *Pandosia: Dioszotos *Kassopa: Skepas, Aristodamos *Thesprotoi: Petoas, Simakos *Poionos: Admatos *Korkyra: Mnasalkidas, Antiredas *Chaonia: Dorupsos *Artichia: Schidas *Molossoi: Tharups *Ambrakia: Phorbadas, Timogenes *Apeiros of Kassopa". [Note: This roster, as shown in the book, does not contain asterisks and the term Geon Aristodamou is underlined.]
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman and Nielsen, Thomas Heine. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 348, ISBN 0198140991. "The toponym is Ποιωνός. The only thing we know about Poionos is that in, probably, 355 a theorodokos was appointed to host theoroi from Epidauros: Ποιωνός. Άδυματος (IG IV2.1 95.27), if the reading Ποιωνός is correct. Cabanes (1997a) 97 has no doubt, and Perlman (2000) 182 rejects the conjecture Τόρωνος suggested by Baunack (1895) 56 and again by Dakaris (1972) 34. Hammond (1967) 519 suggests that Poionos might be a personal name. If so, the Thesprotians had four theorodokoi. Because of the geographical order in the list, Cabanes (ibid.) supposes that Poionos was a harbour between Thesprotia and Korkyra (no. 123)."
- ^ Cabanes, L'Épire 576,49.
- ^ Thess. Mnemeia, 286,72.
- ^ Thess. Mnemeia, 288,74.
- ^ Thess. Mnemeia, 320,103.
- ^ IG IX,1² 2:243.
- ^ FD III 2:83.
- ^ IG IX,1² 1:31 line 47.
- ^ Cabanes, L'Épire 547,17.
- ^ Cabanes, L'Épire 548,18.
- ^ Miller, Stephen G. Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources. University of California Press, 2004, p. 74, ISBN 0520241541. "When Kleaichmides the son of Aristokles was the agonothetes of the Games of Asklepios [at Epidauros] the athletes judged guilty of damaging the festival were fined $44,000 each: Taurides son of Telesios from Soloi in the men's stadion, Philistos son of Kallisthenes from Argos in the men's pentathlon, and Simakos son of Phalakrion of Epiros in the men's pankration. When Sostratus son of Patrokleides was the agonothetes of the Games of Asklepios and of Apollo the actor judged guilty of not competing had his salary of $5,280 revoked: the comic Dionysios son of Dionysios of Rhodes."
- ^ IG IV²,1 99,II.
- ^ I.Kourion 42[1]
- ^ Habicht, Christian and Stevenson, Peregrine. The Hellenistic Monarchies: Selected Papers. University of Michigan Press, 2006, p. 89, ISBN 0472111094. "It is more likely, then, that Demetrios, son of Machatas, the Ptolemaic city commander of Kourion, was a brother of this Charops who was prominent in Epirus at the same time."
- ^ Habicht, Christian and Stevenson, Peregrine. The Hellenistic Monarchies: Selected Papers. University of Michigan Press, 2006, p. 89, ISBN 0472111094. "Demetrios was therefore the uncle of Alkemachos who was the victor at the games in Athens in 190/189 and the latter's brother Machatas who died young and who, in turn, was the father of the younger Charops."
- ^ Acarnania - IG IX,1² 2:312,a.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
