The League existed since the 5th century BC. It was at the time not a fully-fledged federation (sympoliteia) as elsewhere in Greece, but a loose confederation of the Acarnanian cities.[1] An assembly of representatives met atStratos, having also the power of negotiating treaties with other states, a supreme court existed atOlpae (in common with theAmphilochians), and there was a common coinage and cult, but no federal officials and no common foreign policy.[2] Thus, although the League sometimes acted for all its members, as in the alliance withSparta in 390 BC or the joining of theSecond Athenian League in 375/4 BCE, at other times individual member city-states acted independently, e.g. during theThird Sacred War, where the citiesAlyzia andAnaktorion participated asTheban allies while the rest of the League remained neutral.[3]
The Acarnanians agreed to provide 2,000hoplites in the common struggle againstPhilip II of Macedon, but as the latter occupiedAmbracia, only a handful volunteers participated alongside the southern Greek city-states in theBattle of Chaeronea. As a result, the leaders of the independence faction were banished, and the League became a member of theLeague of Corinth organized by Philip.[3] DuringAlexander the Great's campaign in Asia, theAetolians seized the town ofOiniadai from the League. With the exception of Alyzia, the Acarnanians remained largely uninvolved in the struggles that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, but in 314 BCECassander arrived in Acarnania and reorganized the League on a truly federal basis. The island ofLeucas joined the League soon after, following the eviction of its Macedonian garrison.[4] The Acarnanian League was a member of the Hellenic League organized byDemetrius Poliorcetes, and then became subject to KingPyrrhus of Epirus.[5]
After Pyrrhus' death, in ca. 270 BCE, the Acarnanians and Aetolians settled their differences, agreeing on theAcheloos River as their mutual border, and concluded a perpetual alliance. The treaty specified the obligations of mutual military assistance, and the two leagues assured each other the rights ofepigamia, citizenship, and acquisition of property.[5] This treaty records sevenstrategoi (one each from Oiniadai,Derion, Stratos,Phoitia,Thyrreion, Anaktorion and Leucas), ahipparch (from Oiniadai), a foreign secretary (from Oiniadai), and a treasurer (from Stratos). The frequent occurrence of officials indicates that at the time it was the most important city of the League.[5] According toPolybius, however, soon after the Aetolians allied themselves with Pyrrhus' son.Alexander II of Epirus, and invaded Acarnania, dividing the country between them: the northern part with Leucas went to Epirus, and the south was incorporated into theAetolian League.[5]
Following the extinction of theAeacid dynasty in Epirus, in 230 BCE the Acarnanian League was reconstituted in the northern, former Epirote part of the country. Leucas was its capital, and only Anaktorion,Palairos, Thyrreion, andMedion were members.[6] Allied with theIllyrians, and then with the Macedonians and theAchaean League, in theSocial War (220–217 BCE) the Acarnanians were able to recover Phoitia and Oiniadai.[7] This success did not last long: in theFirst Macedonian War (214–205 BCE), Oiniadai was lost again, and in theSecond Macedonian War (200–197 BCE) the Acarnanians were forced to capitulate to theRoman Republic, who however left them in their possessions and free to govern themselves. Oiniadai was returned after theRoman–Seleucid War. Despite their steadfast loyalty to Rome, the League lost Leucas after theThird Macedonian War (171–168 BCE), as it became an autonomous state, but Thyrreion became a member.[7]
The Acarnanian League continued to exist even after the final establishment of Roman power over Greece in 146 BCE. It was only after theBattle of Actium in 31 BCE that the League was incorporated into theRoman province ofAchaea.[7]
