ANCIENT COLONIES OF THE PELOPONNESE - PART 3

Text by Nikos Aivalis, research by Elpida Zografidou, translation by Eva Trombetas

In the third and last part of the feature to the colonies of the Peloponnese we will travel again to various parts of the Mediterranean, where Peloponnesians founded cities. Greek tribes such as the mighty Mycenaeans, Pelasgians, Arcadians, Achaeans, Dorians and Ionians have lived since ancient times. Powerful cities such as Sparta, Argos and Corinth developed there. As other Argonauts, we board the ships together with our courageous ancestors to get to know places far away where they traveled. You can take a look at our two previous features: Ancient colonies of the Peloponnese and Ancient colonies of the Peloponnese Part II.

To begin with, how many could have imagined that one of the largest and longest-lived empires the world has ever seen, the Roman empire, could have Greek and more specifically Arcadian roots? We will have to travel far back in time to find those roots. According to the legends, the Greek mythology but also the Roman one, the first inhabitant of Rome was Evander from Arcadia. Several years before the outbreak of the Trojan War, as the Romans themselves narrate, Evander from Pallantio in Arcadia, near present-day Tripoli, traveled to Rome where he settled on the Palatine Hill, the most central hill in Rome. According to Greek and Roman mythology, Evander was son of Hermes and Thetis, who was a Nereid. He introduced the Greek worship of the gods in Rome, as well as laws, while he invented the Latin alphabet, which is why after his death, he was worshiped as a god. The Romans erected an altar in his honor on the hill of Aventinos, while they also erected an altar for his mother, the nymph Thetis, whom they renamed Carmenta. All-wise Evander, according to Virgil in Aeneid, left Arcadia and arrived in Rome, on the left bank of the Tiber River. The important thing is that there he found Arcadians, descendants of Oinotros, who was the son of Lycaon. Oinotros left Arcadia for Italy. There he founded colonies and cities, from the region of Puglia, to Calabria and from there to Lazio. For this reason, according to the historians Cato and Marco Terentio Reatino Wario, the Savines, ancient inhabitants of Italy, were descendants of the Arcadians of Oinotros. So Evander met the descendants of these Arcadians, who had as their king Faunos, who welcomed him and allowed him to settle on one of the area's hills. Evander founded a settlement and gave it the name of his homeland, Pallantion and so the whole hill got this name with which it is known even today as Palatine Hill. He reigned peacefully and contributed to the civilization of the locals with the introduction of writing and music. The Romans recognized Arcadian Palladium as the metropolis of Rome, while honoring and deifying Evander. Many centuries later, when Greece was under Roman rule, the Roman emperor Titus Fulvus Aelius Hadrian Antoninus (Antoninus the Eusebius), when he visited Palladio in Arcadia, which at that time was abandoned, decided to honor it. He settled it and rebuilt it, while declaring the city independent and privileged, recognizing that there were the ancient roots of Rome.

Palatine Hill

Golgi, province of Larnaca, Cyprus, in the present-day area of Athienou. The city was founded by Golgos, who was from Sikyona in Achaea. According to mythology, Golgos was son of Aphrodite and Adonis, which is why the city especially honored the goddess Aphrodite.

the area of Athienou

Apollonia, present-day southwestern Albania, near the village of Pogian. Colony of the Corinthians, who founded the city around the 6th century BC. Strabo describes the city as very benevolent. In 312 BC the Apollonians fended off the army of Cassander the Macedonian, while later they allied with the king of Epirus, Pyrrhus.

Apollonia, ancient temple

Brindisi or Brindesi, southern Italy, Puglia region, harbor on the Adriatic Sea. The city was founded by Mycenaeans and Argives. The ancient name of the city was Vrentesion. South of the old town of Brindisi, in the necropolis of Tor Pisana, Corinthian jars from the 7th century BC have been found which shows that the inhabitants of the city maintained strong trade relations with the Greeks on the opposite side of the Adriatic. Nowadays Brindisi is one of the best natural harbors in the Mediterranean and a commercial center.

Brindisi

Aspendos, Asia Minor, in the region of Pamphylia, near the present-day city of Antalya, Turkey. The city was founded around 1,000 BC by Argeians, who left Argos to establish new cities and expand their trade. Aspendos was near the river Eurymedon, which was navigable. During the 5th century BC the city was a very important trade center in the region, with large exports of agricultural and livestock products. The ancient theater of Aspendos is one of the best preserved ancient Greek theaters in the world. It was built by the Greek architect Zeno in 155 AD and has a capacity of 7,000 people.

Aspendos, ancient theater

Poseidonia, southern Italy, Campania region, southeast of Naples, in the present-day province of Salerno. The city was founded in the 7th century BC from Achaeans originating from Eliki of Achaea. The metropolis was the city of Syvaris, also a colony of the Achaeans. The city developed rapidly, with streets, temples and great commercial activity. There were three large temples of Doric style, which were dedicated to Hera and Athena. The temple of Hera is the oldest, around the 6th century BC. Near the first temple there is a second temple, also dedicated to Hera, built in the 5th century BC which is believed to have been dedicated to Poseidon as well. At the highest point of the city is the temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BC.

Poseidonia, the second temple of Hera of the 5th centure BC

Εlche, community of Valencia, Spain. The city's ancient name was Eliki, as the city was founded around 600 BC from Achaeans, who went there from Eliki of Achaea and gave the city the name of their birthplace. The city flourished thanks to trade, until the Carthaginian general Hannibal destroyed the city during the Second Carthaginian War. But when the Romans conquered Spain, they rebuilt the city. It is remarkable that even today the inhabitants of Elche, remembering their Greek origin, celebrate the Greek Week, where hoplite parades, rhapsody recitations, performances in theaters, as well as dances are organized. The inhabitants call themselves Greek inhabitants (pobladores Griegos). From the Greek period is preserved the famous Lady of Eliki, a carved bust of a woman, of the 4th century BC which is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Madrid.

Lady of Eliki - Archaeological Museum Madrid

At this point our third and last feature to the ancient colonies of the Peloponnese, comes to the end. There are countless cities connected with Greece and the Peloponnese, which certainly do not fit in a single feature. We hope you enjoyed our travel with us back in time, where together with the Greek navigators, we got to know some faraway places.