Editing Elymians

{{Short description|Ancient tribal people in western Sicily}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
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[[Image:Sicily prehellenic topographic map.svg|right|thumb|250px|Approximate locations of the Elymians and their neighbors, the [[Sicani]] and the [[Sicels]], in [[Sicily]] around 11th century BC (before the arrival of the [[Phoenicians]] and the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]]).]]
The '''Elymians''' ({{langx|la|Elymī}}) were an ancient [[tribe|tribal]] people who inhabited the western part of [[Sicily]] during the [[Bronze Age]] and [[Classical antiquity]].

==Origins==
According to [[Thucydides]], the Elymians were refugees coming from the destroyed [[Troy]]. Instead for [[Hellanicus of Lesbos]] they arrived in Sicily coming from Italy, driven out by the [[Oenotrians]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Gli Elimi: storia e archeologia di Segesta, Erice, Entella|url=http://www.arkeomania.com/origineelimi.html|access-date=2021-12-26|website=www.arkeomania.com}}</ref> Furthermore for the Greek historian, the Elymians would also have contributed to the formation of the [[Sicels]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Aloni|first1=Antonio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4E1gh8J_iiEC|title=Tra panellenismo e tradizioni locali: nuovi contributi|last2=Ornaghi|first2=Massimiliano|date=2011|publisher=Claudio Meliadò|isbn=978-88-8268-029-9|language=it}}</ref> 

The [[Elymian language]] is considered to have been a part of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] language family. While an ancient tradition that the Elymians came from [[Troy]] – and were originally an [[Anatolian peoples|Anatolian]] people – is corroborated by archeological data, the more generally supported opinion is that Elymian was an [[Italic language]], with similarities to [[Classical Latin|Latin]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tribulato|first=Olga|date=2015|title=Interferenza grafemica ed interferenza linguistica nella Sicilia antica|url=https://iris.unive.it/retrieve/handle/10278/3663571/56765/FMM_9_002_Tribulato.pdf|journal=Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Italia}}</ref> Hence an [[Italic peoples|Italic]] origin for the Elymians is considered to be more likely.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Elimo|url=http://lila.sns.it/mnamon/index.php?page=Lingua&id=59|access-date=2021-12-26|website=lila.sns.it|language=it}}</ref> 

Greek historian [[Philistus]] refers to the presence of a people of [[Ligures|Ligurian]] origin, although he does not identify it with the Elymians.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Braccesi|first=Lorenzo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uiTac40XVNEC|title=Hesperìa: studi sulla grecità di occidente|date=1993|publisher=L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER|isbn=978-88-7062-809-8|language=it}}</ref> In modern times, historians such as [[Heinrich Nissen]] and [[Karl Julius Beloch]] investigated the possibilities of a Ligurian origin following the numerous common [[epigraphic]] and [[toponymic]] references, still found in the cities of [[Lerici]], [[Segesta]] and [[Entella]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=ELIMI in "Enciclopedia Italiana"|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/elimi_res-6d24550d-8bae-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)|access-date=2021-12-26|website=www.treccani.it|language=it-IT}}</ref>

Apart from mythological tales, there is little known about the identity and culture of the Elymians. They are indistinguishable from their Sicani neighbours in the archaeological record of the early [[Iron Age]] (c. 1100–c. 700 BC). Thereafter they appear to have adopted many aspects of the culture of the Greek colonists of Sicily, erecting the temple at [[Segesta]] and using the [[Greek alphabet]] to write their own language. As yet, no one has succeeded in deciphering the [[Elymian language]].<ref name=":0" />
[[Image:Segesta, Tempio greco.jpg|right|thumb|The Elymian temple at [[Segesta]], [[Sicily]].]]

==History==

The Elymians maintained friendly relations (and alliances) with [[Carthage]] but came into frequent conflict with the expansionist Greek colonies of western Sicily, especially [[Selinus]]. Boundary disputes with Selinus broke out into open warfare on several occasions after 580 BC. They sought to ally first with [[Athens]] against Selinus, provoking the disastrous [[Sicilian expedition]] of 415–413 BC. Following this failure they encouraged the Carthaginians to attack Selinus in 409 BC and succeeded in obtaining the destruction of their rivals.

However, they turned on Carthage during the [[First Punic War]] and allied with [[Roman Republic|Rome]] instead. The Elymians were granted a privileged status under Roman rule and were  exempted from taxes. This was said to have been in recognition of the Elymians' claim of Trojan ancestry, which was seen as making them cousins of the Roman people, who also claimed to have been descended from the Trojans. The Elymians appear to have largely disappeared from view under Roman rule, presumably becoming assimilated into the general Sicilian population.

==Areas of settlement==
[[Image:Sicily elymians.png|right|thumb|Map of approximate area of Elymian settlement, showing major cities.]]
The Elymi shared western Sicily with the Sicani, the [[Phoenicia]]ns, and later the Greeks. Their three most important cities were [[Segesta]], the political centre; [[Eryx (Sicily)|Eryx]] (the modern Erice), a religious centre; and [[Entella]]. Other cities were Elima, [[Halyciae]] (referred to as ''Alicia'' in modern Italian sources), [[Iaitas]], [[Hypana]], and [[Drepanon]].

==See also==
*[[Ancient peoples of Italy]]
*[[Prehistoric Italy]]
*[[Monte Polizzo]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*Giulia Falco: Elymoi. In: ''Der Neue Pauly (DNP)'' vol. 3, Metzler, Stuttgart 1997, {{ISBN|3-476-01473-8}}, Sp. 1003.
*Simona Marchesini: "The Elymian language"' in Olga Tribulato (ed..): ''Language and Linguistic Contact in Ancient Sicily''. Cambridge University Press, 2012:95–114.

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal |last=Cohen-Skalli |first=Aude |title=Le témoignage de Diodore de Sicile sur deux cités élymes: Ségeste et Éryx (VIe et Ve siècles av. J.-C.) |trans-title=The evidence of Diodorus of Sicily on two Elymian cities: Segesta and Eryx (6th and 5th century BC) |journal=Dialogues d'histoire ancienne |volume=Supplément n° 6: Diodore d’Agyrion et l’histoire de la Sicile |date=2011 |pages=137–153 |doi=10.3406/dha.2011.3571}}

==External links==
* ''Sicilian Peoples: The Elymians'' by Vincenzo Salerno [http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art144.htm]


{{coord missing|Italy}}

[[Category:Elymians| ]]
[[Category:Ancient peoples of Sicily]]
[[Category:Pre-Indo-Europeans]]
[[Category:Socii]]