The Thesprotians (Ancient Greek: Θεσπρωτοί, romanized: Thesprōtoí) were an ancientGreek tribe, akin to the Molossians, inhabiting the kingdom of Thesprotis in Epirus.[1][2] Together with the Molossians and the Chaonians, they formed the main tribes of the northwestern Greek group.[3] On their northeastern frontier, they neighbored the Chaonians and on their northern frontier they neighbored the kingdom of the Molossians. The poet Homer frequently mentions Thesprotia in the Odyssey,[4] which had friendly relations with Ithaca and Doulichi. The Thesprotians originally controlled the Dodona oracle, the oldest religious shrine in Greece. Later, they were part of the Epirus until they were annexed into the Roman Empire.
Thesprotia in antiquity. (=Tesprotia; map labeled in Spanish.)
Strabo puts the Thesprotians' 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 Cichyrus (Cichorus), which later was called Ephyra, the capital of Thesprotia. Other important cities of Thesprotia include Pandosia,[5]Titani, Cheimerium, Toryne, Phanote, Cassope,[6]Photice, Boucheta[7] and Batiai.[7] There was a city called Thesprotia sharing the same name with the tribe itself.[8]
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 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.[9] Strabo also records that the Thesprotians, Molossians, and Macedonians referred to old men as pelioi and old women as peliai (PIE: *pel- means grey; Ancient Greek: pelitnós – "grey", peleia – "dove", so-called because of its dusky grey color, poliós – grey, and pollós – "dark"). Their senators were called Peligones (Πελιγόνες), similar to MacedonianPeliganes (Πελιγᾶνες).[10] An inscription from Goumani, dated to the second half of the 4th century BC,[11][12] indicates that the organisation of the Thesprotian state was similar to that of the other Epirotes.[13] Terms for office were prostates (Greek: προστάτες) literally meaning "protectors" like most Greek tribal states at the time.[14] 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".[15]
Subtribes
The Thesprotians were divided into many subtribes that included the Elopes, Graeci, Kassopaeoi, Dryopes, Dodonians (Greek: Δωδωναίοι), Aegestaeoi, Eleaeoi, Elinoi, Ephyroi, Ikadotoi, Kartatoi, Kestrinoi, Klauthrioi, Kropioi, Larissaeoi, Onopernoi, Opatoi, Tiaeoi, Torydaeoi, Fanoteis, Farganaeoi, Parauaei, Fylates and the Chimerioi. Some of these tribes throughout antiquity migrated to and established colonies in Ithaca, Lefkada, Acarnania, parts of southern Greece, Thessaly and Italy.[16]
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.[17]
History
Coin of the Epirote League, depicting Zeus (left) and a lighting with the word "ΑΠΕΙΡΩΤΑΝ" – Epirotes (right)
Brock, Roger; Hodkinson, Stephen (2000). Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-815220-5.
Errington, Robert Malcolm (1990). A History of Macedonia. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN0-520-06319-8.
Habicht, Christian; Stevenson, Peregrine (2006). The Hellenistic Monarchies: Selected Papers. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. ISBN0-472-11109-4.
Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1994). "CHAPTER 9d. ILLYRIANS AND NORTH-WEST GREEKS". In Lewis, David Malcolm; Boardman, John; Hornblower, Simon; Ostwald, M. (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: The Fourth Century B.C. Vol. VI. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 422–443. ISBN0-521-23348-8.
Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1982). "CHAPTER 40 ILLYRIS, EPIRUS AND MACEDONIA". In Boardman, John; Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C. Vol. III, Part 3 (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 261–285. ISBN0-521-23447-6.
Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1986). A History of Greece to 322 B.C. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN0-19-873096-9.
Hansen, Mogens Herman; Nielsen, Thomas Heine (2004). An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-814099-1.
Hornblower, Simon (2002). The Greek World, 479–323 BC. New York and London: Routledge. ISBN0-415-16326-9.
Horsley, G. H. R. (1987). New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity: A Review of the Greek Inscriptions and Papyri Published in 1979. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN0-85837-599-0.
Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889). An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Miller, Stephen Gaylord (2004). Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. ISBN0-520-24154-1.
Wilkes, John (1995) [1992]. The Illyrians. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Limited. ISBN0-631-19807-5.
External links
Thesprotia: A Pleiades Place Resource
January 30, 2023
thesprotians, ancient, greek, Θεσπρωτοί, romanized, thesprōtoí, were, ancient, greek, tribe, akin, molossians, inhabiting, kingdom, thesprotis, epirus, together, with, molossians, chaonians, they, formed, main, tribes, northwestern, greek, group, their, northe. The Thesprotians Ancient Greek 8esprwtoi romanized Thesprōtoi were an ancient Greek tribe akin to the Molossians inhabiting the kingdom of Thesprotis in Epirus 1 2 Together with the Molossians and the Chaonians they formed the main tribes of the northwestern Greek group 3 On their northeastern frontier they neighbored the Chaonians and on their northern frontier they neighbored the kingdom of the Molossians The poet Homer frequently mentions Thesprotia in the Odyssey 4 which had friendly relations with Ithaca and Doulichi The Thesprotians originally controlled the Dodona oracle the oldest religious shrine in Greece Later they were part of the Epirus until they were annexed into the Roman Empire Thesprotia in antiquity Tesprotia map labeled in Spanish Contents 1 Geography 2 Tribe 2 1 Subtribes 3 Mythology 4 History 5 List of Thesprotians 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Citations 7 2 Sources 8 External linksGeography EditStrabo puts the Thesprotians 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 Cichyrus Cichorus which later was called Ephyra the capital of Thesprotia Other important cities of Thesprotia include Pandosia 5 Titani Cheimerium Toryne Phanote Cassope 6 Photice Boucheta 7 and Batiai 7 There was a city called Thesprotia sharing the same name with the tribe itself 8 Tribe EditAccording 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 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 9 Strabo also records that the Thesprotians Molossians and Macedonians referred to old men as pelioi and old women as peliai PIE pel means grey Ancient Greek pelitnos grey peleia dove so called because of its dusky grey color polios grey and pollos dark Their senators were called Peligones Peligones similar to Macedonian Peliganes Peligᾶnes 10 An inscription from Goumani dated to the second half of the 4th century BC 11 12 indicates that the organisation of the Thesprotian state was similar to that of the other Epirotes 13 Terms for office were prostates Greek prostates literally meaning protectors like most Greek tribal states at the time 14 Other terms for office were grammateus Greek grammateys meaning secretary demiourgoi Greek dhmioyrgoi literally meaning creators hieromnemones Greek ieromnhmones literally meaning of the sacred memory and synarchontes Greek synarxontes literally meaning co rulers 15 Subtribes Edit The Thesprotians were divided into many subtribes that included the Elopes Graeci Kassopaeoi Dryopes Dodonians Greek Dwdwnaioi Aegestaeoi Eleaeoi Elinoi Ephyroi Ikadotoi Kartatoi Kestrinoi Klauthrioi Kropioi Larissaeoi Onopernoi Opatoi Tiaeoi Torydaeoi Fanoteis Farganaeoi Parauaei Fylates and the Chimerioi Some of these tribes throughout antiquity migrated to and established colonies in Ithaca Lefkada Acarnania parts of southern Greece Thessaly and Italy 16 Mythology EditAccording 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 17 History Edit Coin of the Epirote League depicting Zeus left and a lighting with the word APEIRWTAN Epirotes right 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 BC 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 EditQueen Kallidike 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 18 19 Alexandros prostates mid 4th century BC 20 Xenarchos son of Xenon from Cassopea tomb stele c 310 BC 21 Gallithos son of Xenon from Cassopea tomb stele c 275 BC 22 Sokratis daughter of Sotion from Boucheta tomb stele c 250 BC 23 Xenias of Cassopea proxenos in Thyrrheion Acarnania 3rd century BC 24 Alkimos son of Nikandros proxenos in Delphi c 215 BC 25 Eucharon Eunostidas proxenoi in Thermos Aetolia late 3rd century early 2nd century BC 26 Milon son of Sosandros honoured by Koinon of Epirotes late 3rd century BC 27 Opatos dedicated to Zeus Naos Dione and Zeus Bouleus in Dodona c 215 210 BC 28 Simakos son of Phalakrion 2nd century BC Pancratiast Epidauria fined 1000 staters along with other two athletes 29 Demetrios son of Machatas dedicated to Apollon at Kourion Cyprus 200 193 BC 30 Ptolemaic city commander of Kourion 31 Alkemachos son of Charops Diaulos 400 metre race Panathenaics 190 189 BC nephew of Demetrios 31 Echenika daughter of Menedamos and Aristokrateia from Kassopa wife of Lysixenos tomb stele 2nd century BC 32 See also EditChaonia NecromanteionReferences EditCitations Edit Epirus Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 1 July 2013 Hammond 1994 pp 430 434 Hammond 1982 p 284 Wilkes 1995 p 104 Errington 1990 p 43 See book 19 Hansen amp Nielsen 2004 p 347 Hansen amp Nielsen 2004 p 346 a b Hansen amp Nielsen 2004 p 342 Hansen amp Nielsen 2004 p 340 Plutarch Parallel Lives Pyrrhus Liddell amp Scott 1889 peligᾶnes Hammond 1994 p 437 Regions Northern Greece IG X Epeiros Illyria and Dalmatia Epeiros Archived from the original on 2015 07 23 Hornblower 2002 p 199 Horsley 1987 p 243 Hornblower 2002 p 199 Hammond 1994 p 431 434 Hammond 1986 p 75 Telegony Fragment 1 from Proclus Chrestomathia 2 IG IV 1 95 col I 1 Line 25 Brock amp Hodkinson 2000 p 247 Hansen amp Nielsen 2004 p 348 Cabanes L Epire 576 49 Thess Mnemeia 286 72 Thess Mnemeia 288 74 Thess Mnemeia 320 103 IG IX 1 2 243 FD III 2 83 IG IX 1 1 31 line 47 Cabanes L Epire 547 17 Cabanes L Epire 548 18 Miller 2004 p 74 IG IV 1 99 II I Kourion 42 1 a b Habicht amp Stevenson 2006 p 89 Acarnania IG IX 1 2 312 a Sources Edit Brock Roger Hodkinson Stephen 2000 Alternatives to Athens Varieties of Political Organization Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 815220 5 Errington Robert Malcolm 1990 A History of Macedonia Berkeley CA University of California Press ISBN 0 520 06319 8 Habicht Christian Stevenson Peregrine 2006 The Hellenistic Monarchies Selected Papers Ann Arbor MI University of Michigan Press ISBN 0 472 11109 4 Hammond Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere 1994 CHAPTER 9d ILLYRIANS AND NORTH WEST GREEKS In Lewis David Malcolm Boardman John Hornblower Simon Ostwald M eds The Cambridge Ancient History The Fourth Century B C Vol VI Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 422 443 ISBN 0 521 23348 8 Hammond Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere 1982 CHAPTER 40 ILLYRIS EPIRUS AND MACEDONIA In Boardman John Hammond Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere eds The Cambridge Ancient History The Expansion of the Greek World Eighth to Sixth Centuries B C Vol III Part 3 2nd ed Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 261 285 ISBN 0 521 23447 6 Hammond Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere 1986 A History of Greece to 322 B C Oxford Clarendon Press ISBN 0 19 873096 9 Hansen Mogens Herman Nielsen Thomas Heine 2004 An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 814099 1 Hornblower Simon 2002 The Greek World 479 323 BC New York and London Routledge ISBN 0 415 16326 9 Horsley G H R 1987 New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity A Review of the Greek Inscriptions and Papyri Published in 1979 Grand Rapids MI Wm B Eerdmans Publishing ISBN 0 85837 599 0 Liddell Henry George Scott Robert 1889 An Intermediate Greek English Lexicon Oxford Clarendon Press Miller Stephen Gaylord 2004 Arete Greek Sports from Ancient Sources Berkeley and Los Angeles CA University of California Press ISBN 0 520 24154 1 Wilkes John 1995 1992 The Illyrians Oxford Blackwell Publishers Limited ISBN 0 631 19807 5 External links EditThesprotia A Pleiades Place Resource Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thesprotians amp oldid 1124664979, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
