Achaea Ἀχαΐα | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Roman odeon,Patras | |
 Map of ancient Achaea | |
| Country | Greece |
| Location | Peloponesse |
| Major cities | Patras,Dyme |
| Dialects | Doric |
| Key periods | Achaean League (ca. 260–146 BC) |
Achaea (/əˈkiːə/) orAchaia (/əˈkaɪə/;Greek:Ἀχαΐα,Akhaḯa,Ancient Greek:[akʰaía]) is the northernmost region of thePeloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north ofArcadia. Its approximate boundaries are: to the south, Mount Erymanthus; to the south-east, Mount Cyllene; to the east,Sicyon; and to the west, theLarissos river. Apart from the plain aroundDyme in the west, Achaea is generally a mountainous region.
The name of Achaea has a slightly convoluted history.Homer uses the termAchaeans as a generic term for Greeks throughout theIliad; conversely, a distinct region of Achaea is not mentioned. The region later known as Achaea is instead referred to asAegialus.[1] , meaning "coastal land"[2] withAegium being one of the main Achaean cities. Aegialus in the northern Peloponnese is not to be confused with Aegialus, the region inPaphlagonia, inAnatolia. Both regions are mentioned by Homer in the Illiad, Book 2 with Peloponnesian Aegialus being mentioned in 2.575[3] and Paphlagonian Aegialus mentioned in 2.855[4].
Both Herodotus and Pausanias recount the legend that the Achaean tribe was forced out of their lands in the Argolis by theDorians, during the legendaryDorian invasion of the Peloponnese.[5] Consequently, the Achaeans forced the Aegialians (now known as theIonians) out of their land.[6] The Ionians took temporary refuge in Athens, and Aegialus became known as Achaea.[7][8] It was supposedly for this reason that the region known as Achaea inClassical Greece did not correspond to Homeric references.
Under the Romans, Achaea was aprovince covering much of central and southern Greece. This is the Achaea referenced in theNew Testament (e.g.,Acts 18:12 and 19:21;Romans 15:26 and 16:5). However, Pausanias, writing in the 2nd century AD, devotes one of the books ofDescription of Greece to the ancient region of Achaea, showing that the name, locally at least, still preserved the use from the Classical period.[9] The name, Achaea, was later used in the crusader state, thePrincipality of Achaea (1205–1432), which comprised the whole Peloponnese, thus more closely following Roman use. The modern Greek prefecture ofAchaea is largely based on the ancient region.
Dolmens andcromlechs have been found in the ancient area of Achaea dating back to theNeolithic period.Flintaxes and bladesfabricated from materials such asquartz orobsidian have been found inmegalithicchamber tombs from this ancient region.[10] Among other finds,alabasterpotterysherds have been discovered duringexcavations atAntheia in Achaia and dated to the thirteenth century BC.[11][12]
The twelve cities of Achaea were grouped into an earlyAchaean League which had important cultural and religious functions. In its later 3rd century BC incarnation the Achaean League would play an important role in Greek politics.
According toPausanias, in 688 BC the city ofHyperesia was threatened by an army fromSicyon. The locals defended their city by placing burning torches on their goats' (aiges in Greek) horns. The Sicyonians retreated and the Hyperesians renamed their townAigeira (Greek: Aίγειρα) to honor the goats.[13]
During the 5th century BC the cities of Achaea were neutral in thePersian Wars and were usually neutral in the struggles betweenAthens andSparta. We begin to hear more of Achaea in the following centuries.
In 373 BC, the Achaean city ofHelike was destroyed in a great cataclysm. "Immense columns of flame", the first record in history of the phenomenon ofearthquake lights, were seen in the days leading up to the earthquake. The quake hit at night causing Helike to subside and then a massivetsunami rushed in from theCorinthian Gulf to inundate the city. All the inhabitants perished. The city ofBoura, further inland, was also destroyed in the earthquake.[14]
In 367 BC, duringEpaminondas' third invasion of the Peloponnese, the Achaean cities agreed to an alliance withThebes. But soon when oligarchs retook the cities of Achaea they allied with Sparta against Epaminondas. At theBattle of Mantinea in 362 BC the Achaeans were allied to Sparta, Athens and Mantinea against Thebes.
The Achaeans were part of the Greek alliance led by Thebes and Athens which was defeated by KingPhilip II of Macedon at theBattle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. Subsequently, Achaea was part of the Macedonian dominatedCorinthian League.
Achaea was conquered by the Romans in the year 146 BC. EmperorAugustus established Achaea as a senatorial province; generally speaking, the region benefited from the enlightened attitude of Roman emperors such as Augustus. This was because Achaea was geographically closer to Rome than other provinces, and so it was given political advantages and greater status in order for the Roman court to maintain a political equilibrium within the empire.[15]
The rule of Achaea in Roman times was placed under the Senate while a proconsul ofPraetorian rank was appointed as its governor with the administrative seat inCorinth.[15] However, Rome exercised fairly light control over Achaea: no Roman garrisons were posted there, native religious and social groups were widely tolerated by the Romans, and a general sense of free determination amongst the Greeks was commonplace. After the reign of Augustus the province of Achaea was combined withMacedonia from the years 15 until 44, coinciding with the frontier troubles. This combined imperial province was overseen by a governor placed atMoesia along theDanube River. In the year 67, EmperorNero declaredGreece to be politically free from the Roman Empire, and the Greeks began their own autonomous rule. However, Roman authority over Greece was reestablished soon after with EmperorVespasian, who placed the province once again in the hands of the Roman Senate.
38°05′12″N21°51′35″E / 38.0868°N 21.8598°E /38.0868; 21.8598