The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 03 : $b Greece to the Peloponnesian War
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 03 : $b Greece to the Peloponnesian War
World history
Since, now, in Homer the name Achæan includes all the Grecian tribes
under Agamemnon’s command, it could no longer be used to designate the
inhabitants of one single region. Consequently in the epic the name
Achaia is not used for the northern coast of the Peloponnesus, but this
region is simply called “coast-land,” or Ægialea. This then gave rise to
the tradition--if we still call such combinations tradition--that the
Achæans who were driven out of Laconia by the Dorians had settled in
Ægialea and given their name to the country. Ionians were said to have
lived there previously, a theory which was supported by the existence of
a sanctuary of the Heliconian Poseidon on the promontory of Mycale.
Furthermore Homer mentions various peoples upon the Grecian peninsula
and the surrounding islands, which in historic times no longer existed
there; for example, the Abantes, who appear in the catalogue of ships
as inhabitants of Eubœa, whereas in the rest of the _Iliad_ they are
not localised. It is possible that there has here been a preservation
of the old tribal name of the Eubœans, which later must have been lost;
but it is also just as possible, and more probable, that the Abantes
had originally nothing whatever to do with Eubœa, but that they were
the inhabitants of Abæ in Phocis, whose name then, for the sake of
some theory, was transferred to the neighbouring island. The Caucones
according to the _Telemachus_ must have dwelt in the western part of
the Peloponnesus, not far from Pylus, whereas the _Iliad_ calls them
allies of the Trojans; and in reality even in historic times Caucones
are said to have been found on the Paphlagonian coast. The name was thus
evidently transferred from Asia Minor to the Peloponnesus, for which the
river Caucon near Dyme in Achaia may have given a reason. A comparatively
late part of the _Iliad_ tells of a war between the Curetes and the
inhabitants of Calydon in Ætolia. In Hesiod, on the other hand, the
Curetes are divine beings, related to the nymphs and satyrs. They appear
also as beneficent dæmons in the Cretan folk-lore; they are said to have
taught mankind all sorts of useful arts and also to have brought up the
infant Zeus. They belong thus to mythology, not to history. They were
probably located in Ætolia only because there was a mountain there called
Curion; and as a matter of course it was said that they had immigrated
from Crete. Since on the Ætolian coast at the foot of the Curion there
was a city called Chalcis, they were further transferred to the Eubœan
Chalcis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account