Aetolia
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197521795
2008-03-11T18:07:43Z
Catalographer
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/* List of Aetolians */ + Pyrrhias
[[Image: Aetolia map.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The ancient Region of Aetolia, [[Greece]]]]
'''Aetolia''' is a mountainous region of [[Greece]] on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern [[prefectures of Greece|prefecture]] of [[Aetolia-Acarnania]].
==Geography==
The river [[Achelous]] separates Aetolia from [[Acarnania]] to the west; on the north it had boundaries with [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]] and [[Thessaly]]; on the east with the Ozolian [[Locris | Locrians]]; and on the south the entrance to the [[Corinthian Gulf]] defined the limits of Aetolia.
In classical times Aetolia comprised two parts: '''Old Aetolia''' in the west, from the Achelous to the [[Evenus]] and [[Calydon]]; and '''New 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 in [[Greek mythology]] as the scene of the hunt for the [[Calydonian Boar]].
==History==
The peoples known as the [[Curetes (tribe) | Curetes]] and the [[Leleges]] originally inhabited the country, but at an early period Greeks from [[Elis]], led by the mythical [[eponym]] [[Aetolus, son of Endymion|Aetolus]], set up colonies. [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] mentions that Curetes was the old name of the Aetolians and Leleges the old name of the [[Locrians]].<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities, Book 1, 1'' at LacusCurtius [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/1B*.html]</ref> The Aetolians took part in the [[Trojan War]], under their king [[Thoas]].
The Aetolians set up a united league, the [[Aetolian League]], in early times. It soon became a powerful military confederation; it had originally been organized during the reign of Philip II by the cities of Aetolia for their mutual benefit and protection, and became a formidable rival to the [[Macedon|Macedonian]] monarchs and the [[Achaean League]]. The League was one of the more effective political institutions that was produced in its time.
Unlike Achaea, there was a division between full members of the League and allies over which Aetolia maintained a [[hegemony]]. This did however allow Aetolia to maintain a much more genuine democracy and the bi-annual meetings of the League assembly coincided with games so that a far higher proportion of the citizens would have attended in person. The Aetolians took the side of [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus III]] against the [[Roman Republic]], and on the defeat of that monarch in [[189 BC]], they became virtually the subjects of [[Rome]]. Following the conquest of the Achaeans by [[Lucius Mummius Achaicus]] in [[146 BC]], Aetolia became part of the Roman province of [[Achaea]].
Aetolia's reputation has suffered from a rather hostile treatment in the sources. [[Polybius]] is considered now to have a heavy anti Aetolian bias due to his having relied on Aetolia's opponent [[Aratus]] of Achaea.
During the Middle Ages, Aetolia was part of the Byzantine Empire and later passed to the [[Ottoman Empire | Turk]]s : after a relatively unsuccessful attempt at colonization they took a token amount of slaves and resources from the region, then departed. See [[Ottoman Greece]].
Aetolia was mentioned in Francisco Baltazar's Florante at Laura.
In modern times, Iron Realms Entertainment, a gaming company specializing in MUDS, created a text-based [[Online text-based role-playing game|RPG]] named after Aetolia and vaguely based on its geography (www.aetolia.com). However, the game has its own history, politics, religion etc., and bears little resemblance to historical Aetolia.
(This article incorporates material from Harry Thurston Peck's ''[[Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898)]]''.)
==List of Aetolians==
*[[Aitolos]] mythology
*[[Andraemon]]
*[[Thoas]] in [[Trojan War]]
*[[Titormus]], wrestler
*[[Alexander Aetolus]] (ca.280 BC) poet
*Damocritus, general of [[Aetolian War]]
*Dorimachus, Aetolian general[http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1073.html]
*[[Nicolaus of Aetolia]] Hellenistic general
*[[Theodotus of Aetolia]] Hellenistic general
*Pyrrhias [[Stadion (ancient sports)|stadion]] race Olympics 200 B.C<ref>[[Chronicon (Eusebius)]] 145th Olympiad</ref> and [[Pyrrhias]] Aetolian general in [[Elis]] 218 BC<ref>Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2941.html Pyrrhias]</ref>
*[[First Macedonian War#Philip makes peace with Aetolia|Agelaus of Naupactus]] 2th c.BC
*[[Cosmas of Aetolia]] (1714 - 1779) monk
==See also==
*[[Aetolian League]]
*[[List of traditional Greek place names]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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