Theregions ofancient Greece were sub-divisions of the Hellenic world as conceived by the ancient Greeks, shown by their presence in the works of ancient historians and geographers or in surviving legends and myths.
Conceptually, there is no clear theme to the structure of these regions. Some, particularly in thePeloponnese, can be seen primarily as distinct geo-physical units, defined by physical boundaries such as mountain ranges and rivers. Conversely, the division ofcentral Greece betweenBoeotia,Phocis,Doris and the three parts ofLocris, seems to be attributable to ancient tribal divisions and not major geographical features. Both types of regions retained their identity throughout theGreek Dark Ages and its tumultuous changes in the local population and culture, giving them a less political and more symbolic presence.
Other geographical divisions not identified with the aforementioned areas did, however, change over time, suggesting a closer connection with tribal identity. Regardless of their rates of fluctuation, all such regions would eventually take on geo-political meanings, with regional political bodies like theArcadian League commonly unifying its poleis under a confederation (seesymmachia) in theClassical period.
These traditional sub-divisions of Greece form the basis for the modern system ofregional units of Greece. However, there are important differences, with many of the smaller ancient regions not represented in the current system.
Continental Greece (Greek:Στερεά Ελλάδα orΧέρσος Ἑλλάς) was (and still is) ageographic region ofGreece. In English the area is usually calledCentral Greece, but the equivalent Greek term (Κεντρική Ελλάδα,Kentrikí Elláda) is more rarely used.
Acarnania (Greek:Ἀκαρνανία) is a region of west-centralGreece that lies along theIonian Sea, west ofAetolia, with theAchelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf ofCalydon, which is the entrance to theGulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of theregional unit ofAetolia-Acarnania. The capital and principal city in ancient times wasStratos. The north[1] side of Acarnania of theCorinthian Gulf was considered part of the region ofEpirus.
Acarnania's foundation inGreek mythology was traditionally ascribed toAcarnan, son ofAlcmaeon.
Aeniania (Greek:Αἰνιανία) orAinis (Greek:Αἰνίς) was a small district to the south ofThessaly (which it was sometimes considered part of).[2] The regions of Aeniania andOetaea were closely linked, both occupying the valley of theSpercheios river, with Aeniania occupying the lower ground to the north, and Oetaea the higher ground south of the river. The boundaries of these two regions were formed by the arc of high ground running west fromMount Oeta round toMount Tymphristos, then north round to the headwaters of Spercheios, and then east to the western spur ofMount Othrys. The lowland border in the Spercheios valley withMalis ran approximately north-south along from Oeta to the western spur of Othrys.
During the Archaic and Classical periods, the Aenianians (in Greek Αἰνιᾶνες) were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and shared two votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Oetaeans.
TheAchelous River separates Aetolia (Greek:Αἰτωλία) fromAcarnania to the west; on the north it had boundaries withEpirus andThessaly; on the east with the OzolianLocrians; and on the south the entrance to theCorinthian Gulf defined the limits of Aetolia. In classical times Aetolia comprised two parts:Old Aetolia in the west, from the Achelous to theEvenus andCalydon; andNew Aetolia or Acquired Aetolia in the east, from the Evenus and Calydon to the Ozolian Locrians. The country has a level and fruitful coastal region, but an unproductive and mountainous interior. The mountains contained many wild beasts, and acquired fame inGreek mythology as the scene of the hunt for theCalydonian Boar.
Ancient Aperantia (Greek:Ἀπεραντία) was a small region of Aetolia, south ofDolopia. Its inhabitants were known as Aperantii.[3]
The name of Attica (Greek:Ἀττική) was said to be derived fromAtthis, daughter ofCranaus, who was said to have been the second king of Athens. The origin of the name, however, is most likely pre-Greek in origin. Attica is bounded on the east by the Aegean sea, on the west byMegaris and the Saronic gulf and on the north byBoeotia. It is separated from Boeotia by two mountain ranges,Parnes andCithaeron. In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Atticans were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and shared the twoIonian votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Euboeans.
The region of Boeotia (Greek:Βοιωτία), along with many of the cities that existed there in the Classical period, is described in the "catalogue of ships", in the Iliad.[4] In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Boeotians were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council.
Dolopia[5] (Greek:Δολοπία) was a mountainous region[6] ofGreece, located north ofAetolia. The Dolopians were members of the DelphianAmphictyonic League, and shared two votes on the Amphictyonic council with thePerrhaeboi.
In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Dorians (Greek:Δωριείς; region: Δωρίς) were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and shared the twoDorian votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Laconian Dorians.
In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Euboeans were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and shared the twoIonian votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Athenians.
The region of Locris, primarily the eastern part ("that dwell over against sacred Euboea"), is described in theIliad.[7] In the Archaic and Classical periods, theLocrians were members of the DelphianAmphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council.
In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Malians were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council.
Megaris (Ancient Greek:Μεγαρίς) was a small but populous state and region of ancient Greece, west of Attica and north ofCorinthia, whose inhabitants were adventurous seafarers, credited with deceitful propensities. The capital,Megara, famous for white marble and fine clay, was the birthplace of the eponymousEuclid.Mount Geraneia dominates the center of the region.
Oetaea (Greek:Οἰταία) was a small upland district located south of Thessaly (of which it was sometimes considered part).[8] It was closely linked with the district ofAeniania, sharing a location in the valley of the Spercheios (see above). The Oetaeans were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and shared two votes on the Amphictyonic council with theAenianes.
The region of Phocis, along with some of the cities that existed there in the Classical period, is described in the Iliad.[9] In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Phocians were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council, until they were stripped of them after theThird Sacred War.
ThePeloponnese or Peloponnesos, is a large peninsula at the southern tip of theBalkans, and part of the traditional heartland of Greece. It is joined to the Greek 'mainland' by theIsthmus of Corinth. The Peloponnese is conventionally divided into seven regions, which remain in use as regional units of modern Greece. Most of these regions are directly named in the "catalogue of ships" in theIliad,[10] suggesting that this geographic division of the Peloponnese is very ancient, and stretches back toMycenaean Greece.
Geographically, Achaea was (and is) the northernmost region of the Peloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north ofArcadia. To the south, it bordered Arcadia along the ridge of high ground running fromMount Erymanthos toMount Cyllene. To the east, it borderedCorinthia near to the city ofSicyon, and to the west theLarissos river and western ridge of Erymanthos formed the border withElis. Apart from the plain aroundDyme, to the west, Achaea was generally a mountainous region.
Geographically, ancient Arcadia occupied the highlands at the centre of the Peloponnese. To the north, it borderedAchaea along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Erymanthos to Mount Cyllene; most ofMount Aroania lay within Arcadia. To the east, it had borders withArgolis andCorinthia along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Cyllene round toMount Oligyrtus and then southMount Parthenius. To the south, the borderLaconia andMessenia ran through the foothills of theParnon andTaygetos mountain ranges, such that Arcadia contained all the headwaters of theAlpheios river, but none of theEurotas river. To the south-west, the border with Messania ran along the tops ofMount Nomia, andMount Elaeum, and from there the border withElis ran along the valleys of theErymanthos andDiagon rivers. Most of the region of Arcardia was mountainous, apart from the plains aroundTegea andMegalopolis, and the valleys of the Alpheios andLadon rivers.
Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia seems to have been a cultural refuge. When, during theGreek Dark Age,Doric Greek dialects were introduced to the Peloponnese, the older language apparently survived in Arcadia, and formed part of theArcado-Cypriot group of Greek languages. Herodotus says that the inhabitants of Arcadia werePelasgians, the Greek name for the supposed 'indigenous' inhabitants of Greece, who dwelt there before the arrival of the 'Hellenic' tribes.[11] Whilst Herodotus seems to have found the idea that the Pelasgians were not 'Greek' far-fetched, it is clear that the Arcadians were considered as the original inhabitants of the region.[12]
Arcadia is one of the regions described in the "catalogue of ships" in theIliad.[13]Agamemnon himself gave Arcadia the ships for the Trojan war because Arcadia did not have a navy.
There is a modern regional unit of Greece of thesame name, which is more extensive than the ancient region.
Ancient Argolis, sometimes called 'the Argolid' and taking its name from the city ofArgos, occupied the eastern part of the Peloponnesus, primarily theArgolid peninsula, together with the coastal region to the east ofArcadia, and north ofLaconia. To the north, the boundary with theterritory of Corinth was rather more fluid, and these territories have sometimes been considered together. For instance, Pausanias discussed Argolis and Corinthia together in one book of hisDescription of Greece;[14] similarly, in modern Greece, a prefecture of "Argolidocorinthia" has existed at various times.
Argolis is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of theIliad, without being given that explicit name, but the major cities of the region are listed together under the leadership ofDiomedes.[15] There is a modern regional unit of Greece of thesame name, occupying a smaller area than the ancient region.
ThePyramids of Argolis are found within this territory.
The territory associated with the city ofancient Corinth in ancient Greece lay on either side of the isthmus of Corinth. On the northern side of the Isthmus, it was bounded byMount Geraneia, which separated it fromMegaris. On the Peloponnesian side of the Isthmus, Corinthia was bounded byAchaea to the west, and to the south by the territory of Argolis. As discussed above, the boundary between Argolis and Corinthia was rather fluid, and in both ancient and modern times, the regions have been considered together.
Corinthia is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of the Iliad, without being given that explicit name, but the major cities of the region are listed together under the leadership ofAgamemnon.[16] There is a modern regional unit of Greece of thesame name.
Elis occupied the western, and flattest part of the Peloponnese. To the north-east, it borderedAchaea along the Larissos river and western spur of Erymanthos, and the east the border with Arcadia ran along the Erymanthos and Diagon rivers to Mount Elaeum. From the Elaeum, its border withMessenia ran along theNeda (river) river to the sea.
Elis is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of the Iliad, without being given that explicit name (Elis is only used for the name of the city), but the major cities of the region are listed together.[17] There is a modern regional unit of Greece with thesame name.
Laconia (also called Lacedaemon;Greek:Λακεδαίμων,Lakedaimōn), occupied the south-eastern part of the Peloponnese. Its principal boundaries were formed by the Parnon and Taygetos mountain ranges. Its western boundary, adjoiningMessenia, ran along the Koskaraka (or Rema Mili) River from just south of the city ofAbia, up into the Taygetos range, and then north along the Taygetos ridge. The northern border withArcadia ran amongst the foothills of Taygetos and Parnon, such that up Laconia included all the headwaters of theEurotas river. To the north-east of the Parnon range was the coastal area ofCynuria; this was originally part of the Argolid, but by the Classical period had become part of Laconia. The land between the Taygetos and Parnon ranges formed the heart of Laconia; the coastal region east of Parnon, and south of Cynuria was also part of Laconia. Lacedaemon is one of the regions described in the "catalogue of ships" in the Iliad.[18]
In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Laconians were members of theDelphianAmphictyonic League, and shared the twoDorian votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Dorians fromDoris. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of thesame name.
During theClassical period, Laconia was dominated by the city of Sparta. There were other settlements in the region, and most inhabitants were not full Spartan citizens (Spartiates), but Lacedaemonians orPerioeci ("about-dwellers"). However, all these citizens and towns were part of the Spartan state. Only after the final eclipse of Spartan power after theWar against Nabis did the rest of Laconia become free from Spartan domination. However, Laconia instead fell under the domination of theAchaean League until the whole of the Peloponnese was conquered by the Romans in 146 BC.
Messenia occupied the south-western part of the Peloponnese. To the north it had a border withElis along theNeda river, from whence the border withArcadia ran along the tops of Mount Elaeum and Mount Nomia. The northern border with Arcadia then ran amongst the foothills of Taygetos, but all the headwater of the Alpheios river lay outside Messenia. The eastern border withLaconia ran along the Taygetos ridge up to the Koskaraka river, and then along that river to the sea, near the city of Abia.
There is a modern regional unit of Greece of thesame name.
Thessaly or Thessalia was one of the traditional regions of Ancient Greece. During theMycenaean period, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, a name that continued to be used for one of the major tribes of Greece, theAeolians, and their dialect of Greek,Aeolic.
The Phtiotic Achaeans were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council.
The Magnetes were members of the Delphian Amphictyonic League, and had two votes on the Amphictyonic council.
Perrhaebia was the northernmost district of ancientThessaly, where the tribe ofPerrhaebi lived. Major cities were:Pythion,Doliche, Azorus,Oloosson andPhalanna the capital. Perrhaebia was part ofMacedonia between 4th and 1st centuries BC.
Athamania (Greek:Ἀθαμάνες) referred to the southeastern area of Epirus, which was the homeland of the Greek tribe of the Athamanians, who are usually considered to be Greek by modern scholars, althoughStrabo andHecataeus of Miletus considered them "barbarians." The former Greek municipality of thesame name is named after the ancient territory.
Chaonia orChaon (Greek Χαονία or Χάων) was the name of the northwestern part ofEpirus, the homeland of the Greek tribe of theChaonians.[19][20] Its main town was calledPhoenice. According toVirgil,Chaon was theeponymous ancestor of the Chaonians.[21]
TheMolossians (Greek:Μολοσσοί,romanized: Molossoi) were anancientGreektribal state that inhabitedthe region of Epirus since theMycenaean era.[22][23] On their northeast frontier, they had theChaonians and on their southern frontier the kingdom of theThesprotians; to their north were theIllyrians.
Parauaea (Greek:Παραυαία) was anancient Greek region inEpirus.[24]
Macedonia orMacedon (fromGreek:Μακεδονία,Makedonía) was an ancientkingdom and region, centered in the northeastern part of theGreek peninsula,[25] bordered byEpirus to the west,Paionia to the north,Thrace to the east andThessaly to the south. Early geographers put riverStrimon as the eastern border ofMacedonia withThrace. However, askingdom of Macedon was expanding and was pushing east the Thracian tribes, riverNestos was regarded as the eastern border of the region andSintice,Odomantis andEdonis were included in it.
Traditionally part of Thrace but after its annexation by the kingdom of Macedon it was regarded as part of the region of Macedonia.
Traditionally part of Thrace but after its annexation by the kingdom of Macedon it was regarded as part of the region of Macedonia.
Traditionally part of Thrace but after its annexation by the kingdom of Macedon it was regarded as part of the region of Macedonia.
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