Editing Ancient Elis (section)

==History==
===Early history===
The original inhabitants of Elis were called [[Caucones]] and Paroreatae. They are mentioned by [[Homer]]<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D2%3Acard%3D615 Iliad 2.615]</ref> for the first time in Greek history under the title of Epeians (Epeii), as setting out for the Trojan War, and they are described by him as living in a state of constant hostility with their neighbours the Pylians. At the close of the 11th century BC the [[Dorians]] invaded the [[Peloponnese]], and Elis fell to the share of [[Oxylus]] and the [[Aetolia]]ns.<ref name="EB1911"/>

These people, amalgamating with the Epeians, formed a powerful kingdom in the north of Elis. After this many changes took place in the political distribution of the country, till at length it came to acknowledge only three tribes, each independent of the others. These tribes were the Epeians, [[Minyans|Minyae]] and Eleans. Before the end of the 8th century BC, however, the Eleans had vanquished both their rivals, and established their supremacy over the whole country. Among the other advantages which they thus gained was the right of celebrating the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic games]], which had formerly been the prerogative of the [[Pisa, Greece|Pisatans]].<ref name="EB1911"/> [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]] was in Elean land, and tradition dates the first recorded games to 776 BC.<!--not 1st games--> The [[Hellanodikai]], the judges of the Games, were of Elean origin.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} The attempts which the Pisatans made to recover their lost privilege, during a period of nearly two hundred years, ended at length in the total destruction of their city by the Eleans. From the time of this event in 572 BC until the [[Peloponnesian War]], the peace of Elis remained undisturbed.<ref name="EB1911"/>

===Peloponnesian War and later===
In the war, Elis sided at first with [[Sparta]]. But Sparta, jealous of the increasing prosperity of its ally, availed itself of the first pretext to pick a quarrel. At the [[Battle of Mantinea (418 BC)]], the Eleans fought against the Spartans, who later took vengeance upon them by depriving them of [[Triphylia]] and the towns of the [[Acroreia]].
The Eleans made no attempt to re-establish their authority over these places until Thebes rose in importance after the [[Battle of Leuctra]] (371 BC). However, the [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadian confederacy]] came to the assistance of the Triphylians. In 366 BC, hostilities broke out between them, and though the Eleans were at first successful, they were soon overpowered; their capital very nearly fell into the hands of the enemy,<ref name="EB1911"/> and the territory of Triphylia was permanently ceded to Arcadia in 369 BC.<ref>{{cite book |title=Oxford Classical Dictionary |edition=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=5 |year=1996}}</ref> Unable to make headway against their opponents, they applied for assistance to the Spartans, who invaded Arcadia and forced the Arcadians to recall their troops from Elis. The general result of this war was the restoration of their territory to the Eleans, who were also again invested with the right of holding the Olympic games.<ref name="EB1911"/>

During the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] supremacy in Greece they sided with the victors, but refused to fight against their countrymen. After the death of [[Alexander the Great]] in 323 BC they renounced the Macedonian alliance. At a subsequent period they joined the [[Aetolian League]]. When the whole of Greece fell to Rome, the sanctity of Olympia secured for the Eleans a certain amount of indulgence. The games still continued to attract large numbers of visitors, until they were finally ended by [[Theodosius I|Theodosius]] in 394 AD, two years before the utter destruction of the country by the [[Visigoths|Gothic]] invasion under [[Alaric I]].<ref name="EB1911"/>

===Democracy in Elis===
Elis was a traditional ally of [[Sparta]], but the city state joined [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]] and [[Classical Athens|Athens]] in an alliance against Sparta around 420 BC during the [[Peloponnesian War]]. This was due to Spartan support for the independence of [[Lepreum]]. As punishment following the surrender of Athens, Elis was forced to surrender Triphylia in 399 BC
[[Eric W. Robinson]] has argued that Elis was a democracy by around 500 BC, on the basis of early inscriptions which suggest that the people (the ''[[glossary of rhetorical terms#Demos|dāmos]]'') could make and change laws.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Eric W.|title=The First Democracies: Early Popular Government Outside Athens|place=Stuttgart|publisher=Steiner|date=1997|pages=108–111|isbn=3-515-06951-8}}</ref> Robinson further believes that literary sources imply that Elis continued to be democratic until 365, when an oligarchic faction seems to have taken control (Xen. ''Hell.'' 7.4.16, 26).<ref name="Robinson 2011">{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Eric W.|title=Democracy Beyond Athens: Popular Government in the Greek Classical Age|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2011|isbn=978-0-521-84331-7}}</ref>{{rp|29–31}} At some point in the mid-fourth century, democracy may have been restored; at least, we hear that a particularly narrow oligarchy was replaced by a new constitution designed by Phormio of Elis, a student of [[Plato]] (Arist. ''Pol.'' 1306a12-16; Plut. ''Mor.'' 805d, 1126c).

The classical democracy at Elis seems to have functioned mainly through a popular Assembly and a Council, the two main institutions of most ''poleis''. The Council initially had 500 members, but grew to 600 members by the end of the fifth century (Thuc. 5.47.9). There was also a range of public officials such as the ''demiourgoi'' who regularly submitted to public audits.<ref name="Robinson 2011"/>{{rp|32}}