TheEchinades (/ɪˈkɪnədiːz/;Greek:αἱ Ἐχινάδες νῆσοι perHerodotus,Thucydides, andStrabo, perHomerEchinae (αἱ Ἐχῖναι νῆσοι,Italian:Curzolari) are a group of islands in theIonian Sea, off the coast ofAcarnania,Greece. The archipelago is commonly subdivided into three groups: the Drakoneres in the north, the Modia in the middle and the Ouniades in the south. Administratively, the Echinades form part of two regional units:Ithaca andCephalonia. Six of the islands, includingOxeia, one of the largest, are owned bySheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, theemir of Qatar, who purchased them for a reported £7.3 million sterling.[1] TheBattle of the Echinades in 1427 and theBattle of Lepanto in 1571 were fought at or near the islands.
Several of the islands have been joined to the mainland by alluvial deposits. Herodotus says that half of the islands had been already united to the mainland in his time (ii. 10); and Thucydides expected that this would be the case with all of them before long, since they lay so close together as to be easily connected by the alluvium brought down by theAchelous River (ii. 102.). This expectation, however, has not been fulfilled, whichPausanias attributed (viii. 24. § 11) to the Achelous bringing down less alluvium in consequence of the uncultivated condition ofAetolia; but there can be little doubt that it is owing to the increasing depth of the sea, which prevents any perceptible progress being made.[citation needed]
The Echinades are mentioned by Homer, who, in theIliad, says thatMeges, son ofPhyleus, led 40 ships toTroy fromDulichium and the sacred islandsEchinae, which are situated beyond the sea, oppositeElis.[2] Phyleus was the son ofAugeas, king of theEpeians in Elis, who emigrated to Dulichium because he had incurred his father's anger. In theOdyssey, Dulichium (which may be an island in the Echniades) is frequently mentioned along with Same (Kefalonia),Zacynthus, andIthaca as one of the islands subject toUlysses, and is celebrated for its fertility.[3] Strabo, and most modern writers, place Dulichium among the Echinades, most identifying it with the island ofMakri.Euripides (inIphigeneia at Aulis) identifies the Echinades with the islands ofTaphos (Taphiae Insulae). However, most modern scholars, including the editors of theBarrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, place the island of Taphos atMeganisi east ofLefkada, quite northwest of the Echinades; hence, the islands of Taphos would include Meganisi,Kalamos,Kastos, and surrounding islands.
Homer, as we have already seen, describes the Echinades as inhabited; but both Thucydides andScylax represent them as deserted.[4] Strabo simply says that they were barren and rugged (x. p. 458).Stephanus of Byzantium names a townApollonia situated in one of the islands (s. v.Ἀπολλωνία).Pliny the Elder gives us the names of nine of these islands —Aegialia,Cotonis,Thyatira,Geoaris,Dionysia,Cyrnus,Chalcis,Pinara,Mystus.[5] Another of the Echinades was Artemita (Ἀρτεμίτα), which became united to the mainland.[6]Artemidorus spoke of Artemita as a peninsula near the mouth of the Achelous, andRhianus connected it with theOxeiae (Oxeias, Oxiés, or Scrofés) islands. (Steph. B. s. v.Ἀπτεμίτα) The Oxeiae (αἱ Ὀξεῖαι) are sometimes spoken of as a separate group of islands to the west or south of the Echinades,[7] but are included by Strabo under the general name of Echinades (x. p. 458). The Oxeiae, according to Strabo, are mentioned by Homer under the synonymous name of Thoae or Thoai.[8]
The Echinades derived their name from theechinus or thesea urchin, in consequence of their sharp and prickly outlines. For the same reason they were calledOxeiae, or the Sharp Islands, a name which one of them still retains under the slightly altered form ofOxeia (Oxiés, Oxiá, or Oxia). Leake remarks that the Echinades are divided into two clusters, besidesPetalas (Petalá), which, being, quite barren and close to the mainland, is not claimed, or at least is not occupied by the Ithacans, though anciently it was undoubtedly one of the Echinades. The northern cluster is commonly called theDrakoneres, fromDrakonera, the principal island; and the southern, theOuniades or Oxeiae. By the Venetians they were known as the islands ofKurtzolári, which name belongs properly to a peninsula to the left of the mouth of the Achelous, near Oxeia. Seventeen of the islands have names, besides the fourModia (Stamodio or Módi Islands), two of which are mere rocks, and nine of the seventeen are cultivated. These are, beginning from the south — Oxeia (Oxiá), Makri (Makrí),Vrómonas (Vromotas or Vrómona),Pontikos (Pondikónisi),Karlonísi (Karlónísi),Prováti,Lampriní (Lambrinó),Sofía (Sofiá), also known as Gaia, Drakonera (Dhragonára). Oxeia alone is lofty (421 meters). Makri and Vrómonas are the two islands next in importance.[9]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.38°18′13″N21°6′39″E / 38.30361°N 21.11083°E /38.30361; 21.11083
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
