Editing Epirus (section)

===Epirus in the Classical and Hellenistic periods===
[[File:D70-0404-dodona.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|The theater of [[Dodona]] with [[Tomaros|Mt. Tomarus]] in the background]]
[[File:Ancient Regions Mainland Greece-es.svg|right|thumb|250px|Regions of mainland Greece and environments in antiquity]]
{{Main|Epirus (ancient state)}}

Geographically on the edge of the Greek world, Epirus remained for the most part outside the limelight of Greek history until relatively late, much like the neighbouring Greek regions of  Macedonia, Aetolia, and Acarnania, with which Epirus had political, cultural, linguistic and economic connections.{{Sfn|Filos|2018|loc=p. 215: "Epirus [...] was geographically placed on the fringe of the Greek world and remained almost until the (early) Hellenistic period on the sidelines of the political, socio-economic and cultural characteristics that characterized the southern Greek city-states and their overseas colonies from as early as the Archaic period. In that respect, Epirus shows clear similarities to neighboring Greek regions, such as Macedonia, Aetolia and Acarnania, which also stayed out of the limelight of Greek history until a relatively late period; [...] Epirus was closely related to those areas, and in fact not only in political and economic terms, but also in a cultural and linguistic manner"}} Unlike most other Greeks of this time, who lived in or around [[city-state]]s, the inhabitants of Epirus lived in small villages and their way of life was foreign to that of the [[polis|poleis]] of southern Greece.<ref name=Britannica/><ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1967}}.</ref> Their region lay on the periphery of the Greek world<ref name=Britannica/> and was far from peaceful; for many centuries, it remained a [[frontier]] area contested with the [[Illyrian peoples]] to the north. However, Epirus had a far greater religious significance than might have been expected given its geographical remoteness, due to the presence of the shrine and oracle at [[Dodona]] – regarded as second only to the more famous oracle at [[Delphi]].

The Epirotes, speakers of a [[Northwest Greek]] dialect, different from the Doric of the Greek colonies on the Ionian islands, and bearers of mostly Greek names, as evidenced by epigraphy, seem to have been regarded with some disdain by some classical writers. The 5th-century BC Athenian historian [[Thucydides]] describes them as "[[Barbarian#Origin of the term|barbarians]]" in his ''History of the Peloponnesian War'',<ref>Thucydides. ''The History of the Peloponnesian War'', [http://classics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.mb.txt 1.8] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805021537/http://classics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.mb.txt |date=5 August 2011 }}.</ref> as does [[Strabo]] in his ''Geography'',<ref>Strabo. ''Geography'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/7G*.html 7.7.1].</ref> although the latter clearly distinguishes them from the neighboring [[Illyrians]].<ref>Strabo. ''Geography'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0198%3Abook%3D7%3Achapter%3Dfragments%3Asection%3D11 7.11]</ref> Other writers, such as [[Herodotus]],<ref>Herodotus. ''Histories'', 6.127.</ref> [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]],<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus. ''Roman Antiquities'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/20*.html 20.10 (19.11)].</ref> [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]],<ref>Pausanias. ''Description of Greece'', [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias1A.html 1.11.7–1.12.2].</ref> and [[Eutropius (historian)|Eutropius]],<ref>Eutropius. ''Abridgment of Roman History'' (Historiae Romanae Breviarium), [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eutropius_breviarium_2_text.htm 2.11.13].</ref> describe them as Greeks. Similarly, Epirote tribes/states are included in the [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argive]] and [[Epidaurus|Epidaurian]] lists of the Greek Thearodokoi (hosts of sacred envoys).{{sfn|Davies|2002|pp=234–258}} [[Plutarch]] mentions an interesting element of Epirote folklore regarding Achilles: In his biography of King [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]], he claims that Achilles "had a divine status in Epirus and in the local dialect he was called Aspetos" (meaning ''unspeakable'', ''unspeakably great'', in [[Homeric Greek]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Cameron|2004|p=141}}: "As for Aspestos, Achilles was honored in Epirus under that name, and the patronymic [Ἀ]σπετίδης is found in a fragmentary poem found on papyrus."</ref><ref>cf. Athenian secretary: Aspetos, son of Demostratos from [[Kytheros (deme)|Kytheros]] c. 340 BC.</ref>

[[File:Greek_Marble_Muse_Terpsichore,_Late_4th_to_Mid_2nd_BC_(10451853483).jpg|thumb|[[Terpsichore statuette from Dodona|Terpsichore of Dodona]], 2nd-century BC Hellenistic statue from Epirus]]

Beginning in 370 BC, the [[Molossian]] [[Aeacidae]] dynasty built a [[Epirus (ancient state)|centralized state in Epirus]] and began expanding their power at the expense of rival tribes.<ref name=Britannica/> The Aeacids allied themselves with the increasingly powerful kingdom of [[Macedon]], in part against the common threat of [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] raids,<ref name="Companion">{{harvnb|Anson|2010|p=5}}.</ref> and in 359 BC the Molossian princess [[Olympias]], niece of [[Arybbas of Epirus]], married King [[Philip II of Macedon]].<ref name=Britannica/> She was to become the mother of [[Alexander the Great]].

On the death of Arybbas, [[Alexander of Epirus]] succeeded to the throne and the title [[Epirus (ancient state)|King of Epirus]] in 334 BC. He invaded Italy, but was killed in battle by a [[Lucania]]n in the [[Battle of Pandosia]] against several [[Italic tribes]] 331 BC.<ref name=Britannica/><ref>Livy (1926), 8.24.8–14</ref> [[Aeacides of Epirus]], who succeeded Alexander, espoused the cause of Olympias against [[Cassander]], but was dethroned in 313 BC. The struggle between [[Macedon]]ia and [[Epirus (ancient state)|Epirus]] involved the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] [[Taulantii]], when the Illyrian king [[Glaukias]] offered asylum to Aeacides' son, [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]], after his father was expelled from his kingdom among the [[Molossians]].{{sfn|Zimi|2006|p=377}} In 306 BC Glaukias invaded Epirus and established Pyrrhus on the Epirote throne, where he ruled with Illyrian help until he attended the wedding of one of his adoptive brothers (son of Glaukias) in 302 BC. In Pyrrhus' absence Molossians replaced him with [[Neoptolemus II of Epirus|Neoptolemus]], another member of the Aeacides. Pyrrhus managed to murder Neoptolemus and eventually regained the throne.{{sfn|Greenwalt|2011|p=296}} As king of Epirus, Pyrrhus strengthened his links with the Illyrian tribes by marriage alliances.{{sfn|Zimi|2006|p=377}}{{sfn|Greenwalt|2011|pp=296–297}} For six years Pyrrhus fought against the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] and [[Carthage (state)|Carthaginians]] in southern [[Italy]] and [[Sicily]]. The high cost of his victories against the Romans gave Epirus a new, but brief, importance, as well as a lasting contribution to the Greek language with the concept of a "[[Pyrrhic victory]]". Pyrrhus nonetheless brought great prosperity to Epirus, building the great theater of [[Dodona]] and a new suburb at [[Ambracia]] (now modern [[Arta, Greece|Arta]]), which he made his capital.<ref name=Britannica/>

The Aeacid dynasty ended in 232 BC, but Epirus remained a substantial power, unified under the auspices of the Epirote League as a federal state with its own parliament, or ''synedrion''.<ref name=Britannica/> However, it was faced with the growing threat of the expansionist [[Roman Republic]], which fought a series of wars against [[Macedon]]. The League steered an uneasy neutral course in the first two Macedonian Wars but split in the [[Third Macedonian War]] (171–168 BC), with the Molossians siding with the Macedonians and the Chaonians and Thesprotians siding with Rome.<ref name=Britannica/> The outcome was disastrous for Epirus; Molossia fell to Rome in 167 BC and 150,000 of its inhabitants were enslaved.<ref name=Britannica/>