Editing Aetolia (section)

===Ancient era===
{{main|Aetolian league}}
{{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical |width=240px
 |image1=Calydon Aetolia 2010.JPG |caption1=Ruins of the ancient [[Calydon]]
 |image2=Etolia.png |caption2=The Aetolian League, [[3rd century B.C.]]
}}

Tribes known as [[Curetes (tribe)|Curetes]] – named after the nearby mountain Kourion, or just to stand out from the Acarnanians, who were called so because they were unshorn – and [[Leleges]] originally inhabited the country, but at an early period [[Greeks]] from [[ancient Elis|Elis]], led by the mythical [[eponym]] [[Aetolus, son of Endymion|Aetolus]], set up colonies. [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] mentions that Curetes was the old name of the Aetolians and Leleges the old name of the [[Locrians]].<ref>{{citation |author=Dionysius of Halicarnassus |title=Roman Antiquities, Book 1, 1 |publisher=LacusCurtius |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/1B*.html}}</ref> The Aetolians took part in the [[Trojan War]], under their king [[Thoas (king of Aetoila)|Thoas]].

The mountain tribes of Aetolia were the Ophioneis,<ref name=A>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9AVWMt1ciJoC&dq=apodotoi&pg=PA33 John D. Grainger, The League of the Aitolians, 1999, p. 33.]</ref> the Apodotoi,<ref name=A/> the Agraeis, the Aperantoi<ref>John D. Grainger, The League of the Aitolians, 1999, p. 40.</ref> and the Eurytanians.<ref name=A/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hellas.teipir.gr/prefectures/greek/Euritanias/Genika.htm |title=Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus - Γενικά Στοιχεία. |access-date=2015-04-02 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150403090413/http://hellas.teipir.gr/prefectures/greek/Euritanias/Genika.htm |archive-date=2015-04-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The primitive lifestyle of those tribes made an impression on ancient historians. [[Polybius]] doubted their Greek heritage, while Livy reports that they spoke a language similar to the Macedonians. On the other hand, [[Thucydides]] claims that Eurytanians spoke a very difficult language and ate their food completely raw. They were semi-barbaric, warlike and predatory. They worshiped [[Apollo]] as god of tame nature and [[Artemis]] as goddess of wilderness. They also worshiped [[Athena]], not as goddess of wisdom, but emphasizing the element of war – i.e. a goddess that was a counterbalance to the god [[Ares]]. They called Apollo and Artemis "Laphrios gods," i.e. patrons of the spoils and loot of war. In addition, they worshiped Hercules, the river Achelous and Bacchus. In Thermos, an area north of Trichonis lake, there was after the 7th century a shrine of Apollo “Thermios,” which became a significant religious center during the time of the [[Aetolian League]].

The Aetolians refused to participate in the [[Persian Wars]]. In 426 BC, led by Aegitios, they defeated the Athenians and their allies, who had turned against Apodotia and Ophioneia under the general command of Demosthenes.<ref>Istoriai, Thoucydides pages 243-246.</ref> However, they failed to regain [[Naupaktos]], which had meanwhile been conquered by the Corinthians with the aid of the Athenians. At the end of the [[Archidamian War]], the Aetolians took part as mercenaries of the Athenians in the expedition against Syracuse. Then the Achaeans occupied [[Calydon]], but the Aetolians recovered it in 361 BC. In 338 BC, Naupaktos was again taken by the Aetolians, with the help of Philip II. During the [[Lamian War]], the Aetolians helped the Athenian general [[Leosthenes]] defeat [[Antipater]]. As a result, they came into conflict with Antipater and [[Craterus]], taking great risks, but were eventually saved by the disagreement between the two Macedonian generals and Perdiccas. The Acarnanians then attempted to invade their land, but the Aetolians were able to force them to flee.{{cn|date=April 2019}}

The Aetolians set up a united league, the [[Aetolian League]], in early times. It soon became a powerful confederation (''[[sympoliteia]]'') and by c. 340 BC it became one of the leading military powers in ancient Greece.<ref name="Aetolian League">{{cite web|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7644/Aetolian-League |title= Aetolian League.|publisher= www.britannica.com |access-date=2010-09-10|quote= Aetolian League,  federal state or “sympolity” of Aetolia, in ancient Greece. Probably based on a looser tribal community, it was well-enough organized to conduct negotiations with Athens in 367 BC. It became by c. 340 one of the leading military powers in Greece. Having successfully resisted invasions by Macedonia in 322 and 314–311, the league rapidly grew in strength during the ensuing period of Macedonian weakness, expanding into Delphi (centre of the Amphictyonic Council) and allying with Boeotia (c. 300). It was mainly responsible for driving out a major Gallic invasion of Greece in 279.}}</ref> It had originally been organized during the reign of [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] by the cities of Aetolia for their mutual benefit and protection and became a formidable rival to the [[Macedon]]ian monarchs and the [[Achaean League]].

The great courage shown by the Aetolians during the fighting against the Macedonians increased their glamour and fame, especially after winning the last [[Amphictyonic League|Amphictyonic]] war and even more after repulsing the [[Celtic settlement of Eastern Europe|Gallic invasion]] under [[Brennus (3rd century BC)|Brennus]] and rescuing the sanctuary of [[Delphi]]. Subsequently, the Sotiria Games were established by the Aetolians, in honour of [[Zeus]] the Saviour.<ref name="Aetolian League"/><ref>John D. Grainger, The League of the Aitolians, 1999, p. 103 - 104.</ref>

In 232 BC, the Illyrians under Agron attacked the Aetolians, and managed to take many prisoners and booty.<ref>Polybius 2.3</ref>

In 229 BC, the Aetolians participated in a [[Battle of Paxos|naval battle off the island of Paxos]] in a coalition with [[Korkyra (polis)|Korkyra]] and the [[Achaean League]], and were defeated by a coalition of [[Illyrians]]  and [[Acarnania]]ns; as a result, the Korkyreans were forced to accept an Illyrian garrison in their city, which was put under the command of Demetrius of Pharos.<ref>Polybius, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+2.10 2.10]; Wilkes, p. 160.</ref>

The Aetolians’ power increasingly magnified with the occupation of the lands of Ozoloi, Locrians and Phocians, as well as Boeotia. They then united under the power of their League in the areas of Tegea, Mantinea, Orchomenus, Psophida and Phigaleia. Between 220 and 217 BC, the [[Social War (220–217 BC)|Social War]] broke out between the Achaean and Aetolian Leagues. The war was first started by the Aetolians with the help of the Spartans and Eleans. Allies of the Achaeans were the Macedonians, the Boeotians, the Phocians, the Epirotes, the Acarnanians and the Messenians. 

The Aetolians allied with the Romans, while [[Philip V of Macedon|Philip V]] destroyed the temple of Apollo Thermios and allied with the Carthaginians. The Aetolians continued to fight on the side of the Romans even in the [[Battle of Cynoscephalae]] (196 BC), ignoring the great dangers looming for Greece as a result of this alliance. The Aetolians took the side of [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus III]] against the [[Roman Republic]], and on the defeat of that monarch in 189 BC, they became virtually the subjects of [[Rome]]. Following the conquest of the Achaeans by [[Lucius Mummius Achaicus]] in 146 BC, Aetolia became part of the Roman province of [[Achaea (Roman province)|Achaea]]. When the Roman garrisons were withdrawn because of the civil wars in Rome, the Aetolians, too, began to fight each other. Following Octavius’ victory at the [[Battle of Actium]], the Aetolians who had sided with Antony disbanded completely. Octavius handed Calydon over to the Achaeans, who devastated it entirely and moved the statue of Artemis Laphria to [[Patras]]. There were subsequent invasions by [[Goths]], [[Huns]], and [[Vandals]] several centuries later at the end of the [[Roman Empire]].

Aetolia's reputation has suffered from a rather hostile treatment in the sources. [[Polybius]] is considered now to have a heavy anti-Aetolian bias due to his having relied on Aetolia's opponent [[Aratus]] of Achaea, but mainly because of his origin in [[Megalopolis, Greece|Megalopolis]], a major centre of the rival Achaean League.{{cn|date=April 2019}}