Athamanians

Epirus and environs.

Athamanians or Athamanes (Greek: Ἀθαμάνες, Athamanes) were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited south-eastern Epirus and west Thessaly. Today, the municipal unit of Athamania in Central Tzoumerka and the community of Athamania in Pyli are named after them.

History

Although they were regarded as "barbarians" by Strabo and Hecataeus of Miletus, the Athamanians affirmed that they were Greeks and they were also seen as Greeks by Plato who stated “the descendants of Athamas are Greek, of course” (Οι έκγονοι του Αθάμαντος, Έλληνες γάρ).^[1] In addition, modern scholarship considers the Athamanians to have been a Greek tribe.^[2] The existence of Greek myths about Athamas and Ino in Achaean Phthiotis suggests that the Athamanians were settled there before 1600 BC.^[2] They were an independent tribe (except during their subjugation by Pyrrhus of Epirus in 281–272 BC and by the Macedonians in 191 BC),^[3] and were occasionally allies of the Aetolians.^[4] Amynander and Theodorus of Athamania are reported kings of the Athamanians.^[4]

Timeline

See also

• Aetolians
• List of Ancient Greek tribes
• Molossians
• Northwest Greek

References

1. Rigsby 1996, "Teos", p. 297; Christopoulos & Bastias 1974, p. 385.
2. Christopoulos & Bastias 1974, p. 386.
3. Cross 1932, p. 34; Diodorus Siculus. Bibliotheca Historica, XIV.82.7 and XVI.29.1.
4. Rigsby 1996, "Teos", p. 297.

Sources

• Christopoulos, George A.; Bastias, John C. (1974) [1970]. "Athamanians". History of the Hellenic World: Prehistory and Protohistory. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 385–386. ISBN 0-271-01199-8.
• Cross, Geoffrey Neale (1932). Epirus: A Study in Greek Constitutional Development. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
• Rigsby, Kent J. (1996). Asylia: Territorial Inviolability in the Hellenistic World. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0520200985.