Editing Ancient Elis

{{Short description|City state in Ancient Greece}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{About|the ancient region and city state|the capital city|Elis (city)|the modern region|Elis (regional unit)}}
{{redirect|Eleans|the Greek colony Elea in Italy|Velia|the Greek colony Elaea in Asia|Elaea (Aeolis)}}
{{redirect|Ilida|the municipality in Elis regional unit|Ilida (municipality)}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Elis
| native_name             = Ἦλις
| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type         = Region of [[Ancient Greece]]
| image_skyline           = Olympie Temple Zeus.JPG
| image_caption           = Ruins of the [[Temple of Zeus, Olympia|Temple of Zeus]], [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]]
| coordinates             = <!-- {{coord|latitude|longitude|type:city|display=inline,title}} -->
| subdivision_type        = Country
| blank_name              = Location 
| blank_info              = [[Peloponnese]]
| blank1_name             = Major cities
| blank1_info             = Elis, [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]]
| blank2_name             = Dialects 
| blank2_info             = [[Doric Greek|Doric]]
}}
[[File:Ancient Regions Peloponnese.png|thumb|220px|Ancient regions of Peloponnese (southern mainland Greece)]]
[[File:Ancient peloponnese.svg|thumb|Ancient Peloponnese states]]
'''Elis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|iː|l|ɪ|s}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |url=https://archive.org/details/longman-pronunciation-dictionary/page/253/mode/2up |first=John C. |last= Wells |publisher=Longman |location=Harlow, England |year=2000 |orig-date=1990 |edition=new |isbn=978-0-582-36467-7 |page=254}}</ref>) or '''Eleia''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪ|ˈ|l|aɪ|.|ə}};  {{langx|grc-x-attic|Ἦλις|Ēlis}} {{IPA|grc|ɛ̂ːlis|}}; [[Doric Greek#Northwest Doric|Elean]]: {{lang|grc|Ϝᾶλις}} {{IPA|grc|wâːlis|}};<ref name="Miller2013">{{cite book|last=Miller|first=D. Gary|title=Ancient Greek Dialects and Early Authors: Introduction to the Dialect Mixture in Homer, with Notes on Lyric and Herodotus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5vPnBQAAQBAJ|year=2014|publisher=De Gruyter|isbn=978-1-61451-295-0|page=185}}<!--reconstructed from that the source gives: "Ϝᾱλείοις"--></ref> {{langx|el|Ήλιδα|Ilida}}) is an ancient district in [[Greece]] that corresponds to the modern [[Elis (regional unit)|regional unit of Elis]].

Elis is in southern [[Greece]] on the [[Peloponnese]], bounded on the north by [[Achaea]], east by [[Arcadia (regional unit)|Arcadia]], south by [[Messenia]], and west by the [[Ionian Sea]]. Over the course of the archaic and classical periods, the ''[[polis]]'' "city-state" of [[Elis (city)|Elis]] controlled much of the region of Elis, most probably through unequal treaties with other cities; many inhabitants of Elis were [[Perioeci]]—autonomous free non-citizens. Perioeci, unlike other Spartans, could travel freely between cities.<ref>Roy, J. "The Perioikoi of Elis." ''The Polis as an Urban Centre and as a Political Community''. Ed. M.H. Hansen. Acts of the Copenhagen Polis Centre 4. Copenhagen: Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Historisk-filosofiske Meddelelser 75, 1997. 282–232</ref> Thus the polis of Elis was formed.

The local form of the name was Valis, or Valeia, and its meaning, in all probability was, "the lowland" (compare with the word "valley").<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Elis | encyclopedia=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography | year=1854 | first=William | last=Smith | publisher=Perseus Digital Library | url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=elis-geo}}</ref> In its physical constitution Elis is similar to Achaea and Arcadia; its mountains are mere offshoots of the Arcadian highlands, and its principal rivers are fed by Arcadian springs.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Elis (district)|display=Elis|volume=9|page=278}}</ref>

According to [[Strabo]],<ref>Strabo ''[[Geographica]]'' Book 8.3.30</ref> the first settlement was created by [[Oxylus]] the [[Aetolia]]n who invaded there and subjugated the residents. The city of Elis underwent [[synoecism]]—as Strabo notes—in 471 BC.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roy |first=J. |chapter=The Synoikism of Elis |title=Even More Studies in the Ancient Greek Polis |editor-first=T. H. |editor-last=Nielsen |year=2002 |pages=249–264 |location=Stuttgart |publisher=Steiner |isbn=3-515-08102-X }}</ref> Elis held authority over the site of Olympia and the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic games]].

The spirit of the games had influenced the formation of the market: apart from the [[bouleuterion]], the place the [[boule (ancient Greece)|boule]] "citizen's council" met, which was in one of the [[gymnasium (ancient Greece)|gymnasia]], most of the other buildings were related to the games, including two gymnasia, a [[palaestra]], and the House of the [[Hellanodikai]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}

==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}}

==Geography==
===Districts===
As described by Strabo,<ref>{{cite book|title=Geography of Strabo|author=Strabo|author2=trans. by H. C. Hamilton & W. Falconer|chapter=Chapter III. GREECE. ELIS.|volume=II|year=1856|location=London|publisher=Henry G. Bohn|pages=7–34|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMZfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA7}}</ref> Elis was divided into three districts:
* Koilē ({{lang|grc|Κοίλη}} "Hollow", Latinised ''Coele''), or Lowland Elis
* Pisâtis (Πισᾶτις "[territory] of [[Pisa, Greece|Pisa]]")
* [[Triphylia]] (Τριφυλία ''Triphūlía'' "Country of the Three Tribes").

Koilē Elis, the largest and most northern of the three, was watered by the river Peneus and its tributary, the Ladon. The district was famous during antiquity for its cattle and horses. Pisatis extended south from Koilē Elis to the right bank of the river [[Alfeios River|Alpheios]], and was divided into eight departments named after as many towns. Triphylia stretched south from the Alpheios to the river Neda.<ref name="EB1911"/>

===City===
The city of Elis ({{langx|grc|Ἦλις}}) was the capital of the city state of Elis. It was located at the exit of the river [[Pineios (Peloponnese)|Peneios]] from the mountains into the plain in the area of today's [[Ilida (municipality)|Ilida Municipality]] north of Kalyvia. It is said to have been founded in 471 BC by [[synoecism]], however it is unclear what the ancient sources mean by this, the city already existed in the same place before and there were separate communities in the region of Elis before and after.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hansen |first=Mogens Herman |date=1997 |editor-last=Hansen |editor-first=Mogens Herman |title=The Polis as an Urban Centre and as a Political Community |publisher=The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters |page=39 |chapter=The Polis as an Urban Centre: The Literary and Epigraphical Evidence |isbn=9788773042915 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Ig1_BV6JEQC}}</ref>

The first excavations in Elis were carried out from 1910 to 1914 by the Austrian Archaeological Institute under the direction of [[Otto Walter (archaeologist)|Otto Walter]]. From 1960 to 1981 the [[Archaeological Society of Athens]] carried out further excavations under the direction of Nikolaos Yalouris with Austrian participation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Donati |first=Jamieson C. |date=2015 |editor1-last=Haggis |editor1-first=Donald |editor2-last=Antonaccio |editor2-first=Carla  |title=Classical Archaeology in Context: Theory and Practice in Excavation in the Greek World |publisher= |page=196 |chapter=8 The Greek Agora in its Peloponnesian Context(s) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278022149}}</ref> Some of the finds are exhibited in the local archaeological museum founded in 1981, for which a new building was built in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/1/eh151.jsp?obj_id=3314 |title=Archaeological Museum of Elis |last=Matzanas |first=Christos |date= |website=Odysseus |publisher=Ministry of Culture and Sports (Greece) |access-date=16 July 2021 |quote=}}</ref>

Nowadays Elis is a small village of 150 citizens located {{convert|14|km}} NE of [[Amaliada]], built over the ruins of the ancient town. It has one of the most well-preserved ancient theaters in Greece. Built in the fourth century BC, the theater had a capacity of 8,000 people; below it, [[Early Helladic]], [[Sub-Mycenaean pottery|sub-Mycenaean]] and [[Protogeometric]] graves have been found.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Koumouzelis |first=M. |date=1980 |title=The Early and Middle Helladic Periods in Elis |publisher=Brandeis University|pages=55–62}}</ref><ref>Eder B. 2001, "Die submykenischen und protogeometrischen Graber von Elis", Athens</ref>

==Notable Eleans==
Athletes
* [[Coroebus of Elis]], the first victor at the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]].
* [[Troilus of Elis]], 4th century BC equestrian
In mythology
* [[Salmoneus]], [[Aethlius]], [[Pelops]] mythological kings of Elis
*[[Endymion (mythology)|Endymion]]
* Sons of Endymion:
** [[Epeius]]
** [[Aetolus, son of Endymion|Aetolus]]
** [[Paeon (son of Endymion)|Paeon]]
* [[Augeas]], king of Elis related to the Fifth [[Labours of Hercules|Labour]] of [[Heracles]]
* [[Amphimachus I of Elis|Amphimachus]], king of Elis and leader of Eleans in the Trojan War
* Thalpius, leader of Eleans in the Trojan War
* [[Oxylus (son of Haemon)|Oxylus]], king of Elis
Intellectuals
* [[Alexinus]] ({{Circa|339}}–265 BC), philosopher
* [[Hippias]] of Elis, Greek [[sophist]]
* [[Phaedo of Elis]], founder of the [[Elean School]]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070919215148/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2563.html Smith, William. ''Ancient Library'']}}.</ref>
* [[Pyrrho]], founder of the [[pyrrhonism|Pyrrhonist]] school of [[Ancient Greek philosophy|philosophy]]

==Eleans as barbarians==
Eleans were labelled as the greatest [[barbarians]] ''barbarotatoi'' by musician [[Stratonicus of Athens]]<ref>[[Athenaeus]]. ''[[Deipnosophistae]]'', VIII 350a.</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=And when he was once asked by some one who were the wickedest people, he said, "That in [[Pamphylia]], the people of [[Phaselis]] were the worst; but that the [[Side, Turkey|Side]]tae were the worst in the whole world." And when he was asked again, according to the account given by [[Hegesander (historian)|Hegesander]], which were the greatest [[barbarians]], the [[Boeotians]] or the [[Thessalians]] he said, "The Eleans."}}

In [[Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius]] (s.v. {{lang|grc|βαρβαρόφωνοι}}) and other ancient lexica,<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.04.0092&query=section%3d%23159 Towle, James A. ''Commentary on Plato: Protagoras'', 341c].</ref> Eleans are also listed as ''barbarophones''. Indeed, the [[Doric Greek|North-West Doric]] dialect of Elis  is, after the [[Aeolic]] dialects, one of the most difficult for the modern reader of epigraphic texts.<ref>[http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2007/2007-11-07.html Sophie Minon. ''Les Inscriptions Éléennes Dialectales (VI-II siècle avant J.-C.). Volume I: Textes. Volume II: Grammaire et Vocabulaire Institutionnel. École Pratique des Hautes Études Sciences historiques et philogiques III. Hautes Études du Monde Gréco-Romain 38''. Genève:  Librairie Droz S.A., 2007.] {{ISBN|978-2-600-01130-3}}.</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ancient Elis}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051218090605/http://www.culture.gr/2/21/maps/pelop/ilia/ilia.html Map] from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture (archived 18 December 2005)
* [http://www.greek-thesaurus.gr/Ancient-Elis.html Elis – the city of the Olympic games]
* [http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/klio.2013.95.issue-2/klio.2013.95.2.315/klio.2013.95.2.315.xml Mait Kõiv, Early History of Elis and Pisa: Invented or Evolving Traditions?]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient Elis| ]]
[[Category:Dorian city-states]]