Molossians: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Map of ancient Epirus and environs.png|right|thumb|235px|Tribes of Epirus in antiquity.]] |
[[Image:Map of ancient Epirus and environs.png|right|thumb|235px|Tribes of Epirus in antiquity.]] |
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The '''Molossians''' ({{Lang-el|Μολοσσοί, [[English language|English]]: Molossoi}}) were an |
The '''Molossians''' ({{Lang-el|Μολοσσοί, [[English language|English]]: Molossoi}}) were an Illyrian tribe that inhabited [[Epirus (region)|the region of Epirus]] since the [[Mycenean]] era.<ref>Boardman, John. ''The Cambridge Ancient History'' (Volume 6). Cambridge University Press, 1982, pp. 433-434.<br/>*Wilkes, John. ''The Illyrians''. Wiley-Blackwell, 1995, ISBN 0631198075, p. 104.<br/>*Errington, Robert Malcolm. ''A History of Macedonia''. University of California Press, 1993, ISBN 0520063198, p. 43.<br/>*Borza, Eugene N. ''In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon'' (Revised Edition). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992, ISBN 0691008809, pp. 62, 78, 98.<br/>*John Boardman and Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond. ''The Cambridge Ancient History - The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C., Part 3: Volume 3'' (Second Edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1982, ISBN 0521234476, p. 284.<br/>*Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière. ''Philip of Macedon''. London, UK: Duckworth, 1994, ISBN 0801849276.</ref> On their northeast frontier they had the [[Chaonians]] and to their southern frontier the kingdom of the [[Thesprotians]], to their north were other [[Illyrians]]. The Molossians were part of the League of Epirus until they sided against Rome in the [[Third Macedonian War]] (171 BC-168 BC). The result was disastrous with the vengeful Romans enslaving 150,000 of its inhabitants and annexing the region into the [[Roman Empire]]. |
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==Mythology== |
==Mythology== |
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[[Image:Epirus.jpg|right|thumb|185px|The League of Epirus, 234 BC.]] |
[[Image:Epirus.jpg|right|thumb|185px|The League of Epirus, 234 BC.]] |
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[[Strabo]] tells us that the Molossians, along with the [[Chaonians]] and [[Thesprotians]], were the most famous among the fourteen tribes of Epirus, who once ruled over the whole [[Epirus (region)|region]]. The [[Chaonians]] ruled Epirus at an earlier time and afterwards the [[Thesprotians]] and Molossians controlled the region. [[Plutarch]]<ref>[http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pyrrhus.html The Internet Classics Archive - Pyrrhus by Plutarch]</ref> tells us that the Thesprotians, the [[Chaonians]] and the Molossians were the three principal clusters of Greek-speaking tribes that had emerged from Epirus and were the most powerful among all other tribes. |
[[Strabo]] tells us that the Molossians, along with the [[Chaonians]] and [[Thesprotians]], were the most famous among the fourteen tribes of Epirus, who once ruled over the whole [[Epirus (region)|region]]. The [[Chaonians]] ruled Epirus at an earlier time and afterwards the [[Thesprotians]] and Molossians controlled the region. [[Plutarch]]<ref>[http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pyrrhus.html The Internet Classics Archive - Pyrrhus by Plutarch]</ref> tells us that the Thesprotians, the [[Chaonians]] and the Molossians were the three principal clusters of Greek-speaking Illyrian tribes that had emerged from Epirus and were the most powerful among all other tribes. |
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The Molossians were also renowned for their vicious hounds, which were used by shepherds to guard their flocks. This is where the canine breed [[Molossus (dog)|Molossoid]], native to Greece, got its name. [[Virgil]] tells us that in ancient [[Greece]] the heavier Molossian dogs were often used by the [[Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] for hunting (canis venaticus) and to watch over the house and livestock (canis pastoralis). ''"Never, with them on guard,"'' says Virgil, ''"need you fear for your stalls a midnight thief, or onslaught of wolves, or [[Iberians|Iberian]] brigands at your back."'' |
The Molossians were also renowned for their vicious hounds, which were used by shepherds to guard their flocks. This is where the canine breed [[Molossus (dog)|Molossoid]], native to Greece, got its name. [[Virgil]] tells us that in ancient [[Greece]] the heavier Molossian dogs were often used by the [[Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] for hunting (canis venaticus) and to watch over the house and livestock (canis pastoralis). ''"Never, with them on guard,"'' says Virgil, ''"need you fear for your stalls a midnight thief, or onslaught of wolves, or [[Iberians|Iberian]] brigands at your back."'' |
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Revision as of 16:29, 21 May 2010
The Molossians (Greek: Μολοσσοί, English: Molossoi) were an Illyrian tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus since the Mycenean era.[1] On their northeast frontier they had the Chaonians and to their southern frontier the kingdom of the Thesprotians, to their north were other Illyrians. The Molossians were part of the League of Epirus until they sided against Rome in the Third Macedonian War (171 BC-168 BC). The result was disastrous with the vengeful Romans enslaving 150,000 of its inhabitants and annexing the region into the Roman Empire.
Mythology
According to Greek mythology, the Molossians were the descendants of Molossus, one of the three sons of Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and Deidamia. Following the sack of Troy, Neoptolemus and his armies settled in Epirus where they joined with the local population. Molossus inherited the kingdom of Epirus after the death of Helenus, son of Priam and Hecuba of Troy, who had married his erstwhile sister-in-law Andromache after Neoptolemus' death. Plutarch tells us that according to some historians their first king was Phaethon, one of those who came into Epirus with Pelasgus. Plutarch also says, that Deucalion and Pyrrha, having set up the worship of Zeus at Dodona, settled there among the Molossians.[2]
Ancient sources
Strabo tells us that the Molossians, along with the Chaonians and Thesprotians, were the most famous among the fourteen tribes of Epirus, who once ruled over the whole region. The Chaonians ruled Epirus at an earlier time and afterwards the Thesprotians and Molossians controlled the region. Plutarch[3] tells us that the Thesprotians, the Chaonians and the Molossians were the three principal clusters of Greek-speaking Illyrian tribes that had emerged from Epirus and were the most powerful among all other tribes.
The Molossians were also renowned for their vicious hounds, which were used by shepherds to guard their flocks. This is where the canine breed Molossoid, native to Greece, got its name. Virgil tells us that in ancient Greece the heavier Molossian dogs were often used by the Greeks and Romans for hunting (canis venaticus) and to watch over the house and livestock (canis pastoralis). "Never, with them on guard," says Virgil, "need you fear for your stalls a midnight thief, or onslaught of wolves, or Iberian brigands at your back."
Strabo records that the Thesprotians, Molossians, and Macedonians referred to old men as pelioi and old women as peliai (<PIE *pel-, 'grey'). Cf. Ancient Greek peleia, "pigeon", so-called because of its dusky grey color. Ancient Greek pelos meant "grey".[4]. Their senators were called Peligones, similar to Macedonian Peliganes.
Royal House of Molossis
The most famed member of the Molossian dynasty was Pyrrhus, who became famous for his Pyrrhic victory over the Romans. According to Plutarch, Pyrrhus was the son of Aeacides of Epirus and a Greek woman from Thessaly named Phthia, the daughter of a war hero in the Lamian War. Pyrrhus was a second cousin of Alexander the Great. In the 4th century BC, they had adopted the term for office of prostates (Greek: Προστάτες)[5][6] literally meaning "protectors" like most Greek tribal states at the time. Other terms for office were grammateus (Greek: Γραμματέυς) meaning "secretary", demiourgoi (Greek: Δημιουργοί) literally meaning "creators", hieromnemones (Greek: Ιερομνήμονες) literally meaning "of the sacred memory" and synarchontes (Greek: Συνάρχοντες) literally meaning "co-rulers"[7] An inscription from the 4th century[8] stated (referring to Alexander I of Epirus);
When King was Alexandros when of Molossoi prostatas was Aristomachos Omphalas secretary was Menedamos Omphalas resolved by the assembly of the Molossoi; Kreston is benefactor hence to give citizenship to Kteson and descent line
Dodona was used for the display of public decisions.[9] Despite having a monarchy, the Molossians sent princes[10] to Athens to learn of democracy as they did not consider monarchy and certain aspects of democracy as opposite concepts.[11]
Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, was a member of this celebrated sovereign house.
War
In 385 BC, the Molossians were attacked by Illyrians instigated and aided by Dionysius of Syracuse to place Alcetas that was a refugee in his court to the throne.[12] Dionysius planned to control all the Ionian Sea. Sparta intervened[13] as soon as the events became known and expelled[14] the Illyrians who were led by Bardyllis.[15] Despite being aided by 2000 Greek hoplites and five hundred suits of Greek armour the Illyrians were defeated by the Spartans led by Agesilaus but not before ravaging the region and killing 15,000 Molossians.
In another Illyrian attack in 360 BC, the Molossian king Arymbas evacuated his non-combatant population to Aetolia and let the Illyrians loot freely. The stratagem worked and the Molossians fell upon the Illyrians now encumbered with booty and defeated them.[16]
List of Molossians
- Neoptolemus son of Achilles and Deidamia (List of Ancient Epirotes#Aeacid dynasty till 231 BC)
- Molossus son of Neoptolemus and Andromache
- Alcon (6th c.BC) suitor of Agariste of Sicyon
- Admetus, who gave asylum to Themistocles
- Eidymmas prostates, secretary Amphikorios gave citizenship το Philista, wife of Antimachos from Arrhonos, under King Neoptolemos I 370-368 BC[17]
- Tharyps theorodokos in Epidauros 365 BC[18]
- Myrtale Olympias mother of Alexander the Great ca. 376–316 BC
- Arybbas winner in Tethrippon Olympics 344 BC[19]
- Aristomachos prostates , Menedamos secretary gave citizenship to Simias of Apollonia,resident at Theptinon, under King Alexander I 342-330/329 BC[20]
- Pyrrhus of Epirus (318-272 BC) most prominenent Epirote King.
- Deidamia II of Epirus (died c. 233 BC) last surviving representative of the royal Aeacid dynasty
- Kephalos, Antinoos sided with Perseus against the Romans (Third Macedonian War) ~ 170 BC[21]
See also
References
- ^ Boardman, John. The Cambridge Ancient History (Volume 6). Cambridge University Press, 1982, pp. 433-434.
*Wilkes, John. The Illyrians. Wiley-Blackwell, 1995, ISBN 0631198075, p. 104.
*Errington, Robert Malcolm. A History of Macedonia. University of California Press, 1993, ISBN 0520063198, p. 43.
*Borza, Eugene N. In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon (Revised Edition). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992, ISBN 0691008809, pp. 62, 78, 98.
*John Boardman and Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond. The Cambridge Ancient History - The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C., Part 3: Volume 3 (Second Edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1982, ISBN 0521234476, p. 284.
*Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière. Philip of Macedon. London, UK: Duckworth, 1994, ISBN 0801849276. - ^ Pyrrhus by Plutarch.
- ^ The Internet Classics Archive - Pyrrhus by Plutarch
- ^ Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott - An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon
- ^ Horsley, G. H. R. New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1987, ISBN 0858375990, p. 243.
- ^ Hornblower, Simon. The Greek World, 479-323 BC. Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0415163269, p. 199.
- ^ Boardman, John. The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press, 1923, ISBN 0521233488, p. 431.
- ^ Brock, Roger and Hodkinson, Stephen. Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization. Oxford University Press, 2000, ISBN 0198152205, p. 250.
- ^ Brock, Roger and Hodkinson, Stephen. Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization. Oxford University Press, 2000, ISBN 0198152205, p. 257.
- ^ Alcock, Susan E. and Osborne, Robin. Classical Archaeology. Blackwell Publishing, 2007, ISBN 0631234187, p. 392.
- ^ Brock, Roger and Hodkinson, Stephen. Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization. Oxford University, 2000, ISBN 0198152205, p. 256.
- ^ Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière. A History of Greece to 322 B.C. Clarendon Press, 1986, ISBN 0198730969, p. 479.
- ^ Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière. A History of Greece to 322 B.C.. Clarendon Press, 1986, ISBN 0198730969, p. 470.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Library, Book 15.13.1.
- ^ Boardman, John. The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press, 1923, ISBN 0521233488, p. 428.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Library. Books 14.92, 15.2, 16.2.
- ^ Cabanes, L'Épire 534,1.
- ^ IG IV²,1 95 line 31
- ^ JSTOR: Neoptolemus at Delphi: Pindar, "Nem." 7.30 ff
- ^ Cabanes, L'Épire 540,4.
- ^ Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Little Brown, 1859, p. 191. "ANTI'NOUS (Άντίνους), a chief among the Molossians in Epeirus, who became involved, against his own will, in the war of Perseus, king of Macedonia, against the Romans."