1 Introduction
In 1750 BC, people who were forced from their homes by the great floods of the Ogygus period migrated from the Cephisus River basin at the northern foot of Mount Parnassus to various locations. A people led by Aezeius (or Aegialeus), son of Inachus, settled on the northern coast of the Peloponnesus peninsula. [1]
Their main settlement was Aegialea (later Sicyon). [2]
Aegialea was the oldest town in Peloponnesus, founded by the Greeks, along with Phoroneus (later Argos), founded by Aezeius' brother Phoroneus.
The people who settled in Aegialea later expanded their settlements westward.
Western Achaia (Aroe and Olenus) before the Trojan War Era has a deep relationship with Eleia, so I wrote about it in “Bronze Age History of Eleia”.
2 First settlement of the Greeks
Stephanus of Byzantium tells us that Hyperetus, son of Lycaon, was the founder of Hyperesia (later Aegeira), located about 40 km west-northwest of Sicyon. [3]
This Lycaon may also be Lycaon, son of Pelasgus, the father of sons who founded many cities in Arcadia. [4]
However, Aezeius, the founder of Aegialea, also had a son named Lycaon. [5]
It would be better to think that the founders of Hyperesia migrated to a place about 40 km west-northwest of Aegialea, rather than about 100 km north-northeast from southern Arcadia.
In other words, the founder of Hyperesia was Hyperetus, son of Lycaon, son of Aezeius, and the town is estimated to have been founded around 1680 BC.
Hyperesia was the oldest town in Achaia.
Hyperesia later became known as Aegeira. [6]
3 Age of Xuthus son of Hellen
3.1 Emigration from Attica
In 1442 BC, Xuthus, son of Hellen, migrated from Attica to Aegialus (later east of Achaia) in the northern part of the Peloponnesus peninsula. [7]
3.1.1 Motives for Xuthus’ migration
Pausanias tells us that Xuthus was exiled by the Athenians. [8]
However, this tradition seems to be incorrect due to the following reasons.
1) The Athenians helped Achaeus, son of Xuthus, return to Thessaly. [9]
2) When Eumolpus invaded Attica, Ion, son of Xuthus, saved the Athenians. [10]
More than 20 years before this migration, Xuthus had built Tetrapolis (Oenoe, Marathon, Probalinthus, Tricorynthus) in northeastern Attica, but as the number of people living there increased, Xuthus sought a new land. It is presumed that he emigrated. [11]
3.1.2 Situation within Peloponnesus at the time
The migration of Xuthus occurred shortly before the migration of Danaus, son of Belus, from Egypt.
There were still no Greek settlements on the western side of the Peloponnesus peninsula.
Aegialeia (later Sicyon) was ruled by Orthopolis, son of Plemnaeus.
Argos was ruled by Gelanor, son of Sthenelas.
Arcadia was ruled by Tegeates, son of Lycaon.
3.1.3 Reasons for choosing Xuthus’ migration destination
Xuthus was an exile from Thessaly, and it seems that moving from Attica to Thessaly was not an option. [12]
In addition, Boeotia existed before the migration of Cadmus, and it is thought that the Hyantes, who later fought on equal terms with the large group led by Cadmus, were strong.
Before Xuthus, no descendants of Deucalion lived within Peloponnesus.
In other words, it is assumed that Xuthus did not emigrate relying on his relatives, but instead arrived at Aegialus in search of a new land.
3.1.4 Xuthus Settlement
Pausanias tells us that Xuthus migrated from Attica to Aegialus. [13]
Aegialus is a region name, and it is not clear where Xuthus settled.
However, the settlement of Xuthus is thought to be between Aegialea (later Sicyon) and Helice, and later near Gonussa. There was a deep connection between Gonussa and Attica. [14]
3.2 Marriage of Ion, son of Xuthus
In 1440 BC, Ion, son of Xuthus, married Helice, daughter of Selinus, king of the Aegialians. [15]
Selinus was a descendant of Hyperetus, the founder of Hyperesia, and was likely the king of Hyperesia. The inhabitants of Hyperesia were therefore called Aegialians, as well as Aegialea (later Sicyon). [16]
3.3 Founding of Helice
In 1430 BC, Ion, son of Xuthus, founded Helice, about 21 km west-northwest of Hyperesia. [17]
The people ruled by Ion, son of Xuthus, became known as the Ionians. [18]
4 Age of Achaeus son of Xuthus
4.1 Emigration to Thessaly
In 1435 BC, Achaeus, son of Xuthus, migrated from Aegialus to Melitaea in Thessaly. [19]
Thirty-five years earlier, Achaeus' father Xuthus had been exiled from Thessaly by his brothers, Aeolus and Dorus, after the death of his father Hellen. [20]
The core of Achaeus's expedition was made up of those who had been exiled from Thessaly with Xuthus, and their children. Aegialians and Athenians also participated in this expedition. [21]
It appears that this expedition was not the will of Achaeus, who was born in Attica, but the request of those who were exiled from Thessaly with Xuthus.
4.2 Emigration from Thessaly
In 1420 BC, Achaeus, son of Xuthus, returned to Aegialus from Melitaea in Thessaly. [22]
In this year, a large group of Cadmus and Thracians moved south from Thracia to Thessaly. Their migration threw the people who lived in Thessaly into turmoil. The descendants of Aeolus, son of Hellen, who had been chased out of town by Achaeus, seized the opportunity to drive Achaeus out of Melitaea. [23]
4.3 Emigration to Attica
In 1415 BC, a group led by Eumolpus invaded Attica. [24]
The Athenians temporarily took refuge with the Gephyraeans, who lived around Tanagra in Boeotia. [25]
Ion, the son of Xuthus, at the recommendation of the Athenians, became polemarchos and fought against Eumolpus, bringing about a truce. [26]
Ion's mother was Creusa, the daughter of Erechtheus, the fourth king of Athens, and Pandion, king of Athens at the time, was Ion's uncle.[27]
Ion migrated from Aegialus to Potami after the battle. [28]
4.4 Marriage from Argos
In 1408 BC, two sons of Achaeus, Archander and Architeles, took as their wives Scaea and Automate, two daughters of Danaus of Argos. [29]
In this year, after the death of Lynceus, successor of Danaus, Lamedon, son of Gelanor, captured Argos with the help of Orthopolis of Sicyon. [30]
Abas, son of Lynceus, migrated from Argos to Phocis and founded Abae. [31]
At this time Amphianax, son of Antimachus, son of Aegyptus and Midea, daughter of Danaus, also emigrated to Arcadia. [32]
The marriages of Danaus' daughters, Scaea and Automate, may also have been the result of their escape from Argos.
4.5 Emigration to Argos
In 1407 BC, the sons of Achaeus, Archander and Architeles, expelled Lamedon, son of Gelanor, who had occupied Argos. [33]
Archander and Architeles recalled Abas, the son of Lynceus, from Phocis to Argos and became guardians of Abas, and migrated from Aegialus to Argos. [34]
5 Age after Achaeus
It is assumed that after Achaeus' two sons, Archander and Architeles, left for Argos, there was also a son of Achaeus who continued to live in the settlement of Xuthus, succeeding Achaeus.
Furthermore, the status of Helice and Hyperesia after Xuthus's son Ion left for Attica is unknown.
Ion had four sons who lived in Attica: Geleon, Aegicores, Argades, and Hoples. [35]
However, it is assumed that Ion also had sons who continued to live in Aegialus and inherited Helice and Hyperesia.
5.1 Founding of Pellene
In 1300 BC, Pellen, son of Phorbas, son of Triopas, migrated from Argos to Achaia and founded Pellene, about 17 km west-northwest of Sicyon. [36]
Pellen's grandsons took part in the Argonauts' expeditions, and working backwards, Pellen's grandfather Triopas is contemporary with Proetus' son Megapenthes. Proetus, son of Abas, is known to have had only one son, Megapenthes, but it is assumed that he also had a son named Triopas. [37]
In 1375 BC, Proetus founded the temple of Hera near the coast of Sicyon. [38]
5.2 Founding of Gonussa
The wife of Pellen, son of Phorbas, is presumed to have been Gonussa, daughter of Sicyon, son of Marathon of Sicyon. [39]
In 1280 BC, the son of Pellen and Gonussa founded Gonussa near Pellene. [40]
5.3 Emigration from Argos
In 1247 BC, Polypheides, son of Abas, son of Melampus, migrated from Argos to Hyperesia. [41]
Nearby Pellene was a town founded by the Argives. [42]
The reason for Polypheides' emigration was the same as that for Adrastus, son of Talaus, who defected to Polybus of Sicyon. [43]
In other words, the cause was internal conflict at Argos.
5.4 Trojan War Era
According to Homer, during the Trojan War, Hyperesia, Gonoessa, Pellene, Aegium, and Helice of Aegialus were under the control of Mycenae. [44]
5.5 Emigration from Thessaly
In 1186 BC. Eurypylus, son of Euaemon, migrated to Aroe from Ormenium in Thessaly, which had been taken by the Thesprotians. [45]
The relationship between Eurypylus and Aroe is unknown, and they may have immigrated according to the oracle of Delphi, as legend has it. [46]
6 Age of the return of the Heracleidae
6.1 Invasion of Achaeans
In 1104 BC, the Achaeans, who lived in Argolis and Laconia, were chased by the Dorians led by Heracleidae and migrated to Aegialus, led by Tisamenus, son of Orestes. [47]
Aegialus was under the control of Mycenae during the time of Tisamenus' grandfather Agamemnon. [48]
Tisamenus offered the Ionians living in Aegialus to live together, but they rejected Tisamenus' proposal and a battle ensued. [49]
In this battle, Tisamenus was killed, but the Achaeans defeated the Ionians, who moved to Athens. [50]
6.2 Melas of Gonussa
In 1075 BC, Aletes, son of Hippotas, on his way from Argos to capture Corinth, added Melas, son of Antasus of Gonussa, to his expedition. [51]
Antiochus, father of Phylas, father of Hippotas, father of Aletes, was the son of Heracles and the founder of the tribe of Antiochis, one of the ten tribes of Athens. [52]
Melas was also a descendant of Gonussa, the daughter of Sicyon, whose mother was the daughter of Erechtheus, the sixth king of Athens. [53]
In other words, both Aletes and Melas had close ties to Athens.
In 657 BC, Cypselus, son of Eetion, a descendant of Melas, became tyrant of Corinth. [54]
6.2 Emigration to Elis
In 1101 BC, Agorius, son of Damasius, son of Penthilus, son of Orestes, was invited by Elis to migrate there and become co-ruler of Oxylus, son of Haemon. [55]
7 Age after invasion of Dorians
7.1 Founding of Patrae
7.1.1 Founder Patreus
Pausanias tells us that Preugenes, the father of Patreus, the founder of Patrae, was the son of Agenor, son of Areus, son of Ampyx, son of Pelias, son of Aeginetes, son of Dereites, son of Harpalus, son of Amyclas, son of Lacedaemon. [56]
However, Pausanias also says that Patrae was founded during the time of Agis, king of Sparta. [57]
If Patreus and Agis are contemporaries, the average age for one generation is 47 years. This lineage, like other Lacedaemon lines, appears to have been missing four generations. [58]
7.1.2 Founding year of Patrae
Agis, king of Sparta, according to his genealogy, was born around 970 BC.
Therefore, it is estimated that Patrae was founded around 930 BC.
7.1.3 Construction participants
The builders of Patrae were the Achaeans who lived in Lacedaemon. [59]
Patreus, the son of Preugenes, who led them, lived in the Mesoa district of Sparta. [60]
Even after the Dorians became rulers, Amyclae, Pharis, and Geranthrae remained towns ruled by the Achaeans. The Achaeans in those towns were driven out by the Dorians, but their destination is unknown. The inhabitants of Pharis reportedly left without fighting the Dorians, but are presumed to have participated in the construction of Patrae, led by Patreus. [61]
7.1.4 Reasons for choosing migration destination
Although no historical documents have been found regarding the founding of Pharis, its founder is presumed to be Icarius, son of Oebalus. Icarius took Dorodoche, daughter of Ortilochus, as his wife from Pharae in Messenia. [62]
Ortilochus' grandfather Pharis was the son of Phylodameia, daughter of Danaus, and his father is presumed to be Eumelus, son of Aegyptus. Eumelus lived in Aroe (later Patrae). Pharis, the son of Eumelus, sought new territory south of his father and founded Pharae in the depths of the Gulf of Messenia. [63]
When Icarius got married, he moved south from Sparta, where his father Oebalus lived, and founded a town.
The people who immigrated from Pharae in Messenia with Icarius' wife Dorodoche also took part in the construction of the town. The town was first called Patrae, but later became known as Pharis. [64]
It is assumed that the inhabitants of Pharis, who were driven out by the Dorians, chose Aroe, the birthplace of their ancestors, as their destination. Later, during the Peloponnesian War, Patrae was the first to ally with Athens in Achaia, proving the above assumption to be correct. [65]
7.1.5 Why Achaeans were not colonized
Pursued by the Heracleidae, the Achaeans, led by Tisamenus, drove out the indigenous Ionians who migrated to Achaia. [66]
However, the Aroe residents were not evicted because they were of the same tribe. During the Trojan War, the inhabitants of the Ormenium of Thessaly, captured by the Thesprotians, settled in Aroe, led by Eurypylus, son of Euaemon. [67]
Euaemon's father and brothers were Lapiths who fought against Heracles. [68]
7.1.6 Why did Aroe accept the Patreus immigrant group?
It is possible that some members of the emigrant group led by Patreus had common ancestry with descendants of the inhabitants of Aroe during the time of Eumelus, son of Aegyptus. However, it is presumed that many of them were connected as Lapiths. [69]
The wife of Amyclas, the father of Cynortas, the father of Oebalus, the father of Icarius, the founder of Pharis, was Diomede, the daughter of Lapithus, the founder of the Lapiths. The Lapiths, who migrated from Thessaly with Diomede, appear to have also lived in Pharis via Amyclae. [70]
Also, the Lapiths, who lived in Tricca of Thessaly, had been chased by the Thesprotians and had migrated to Pharae in Messenia with Anticleia, the wife of Machaon, son of Aesculapius.
Dorodoche, wife of Icarius, was Anticleia's aunt, and there must have been some contact between Messenia and Laconia, towns of the same name (Pharae), which are only about 30 km apart in a straight line.
It is assumed that the Lapiths who fled from Thessaly also lived in Pharis. [71]
7.1.7 Battle with Gauls
In 279 BC, the Gauls invaded Greece, were blocked by Thermopylae, and invaded Aetolia with a detachment of 40,000 foot-soldiers and 800 horsemen, led by Orestorius and Combutis. [72]
Pausanias tells us that Pharae was close to the Aetolians, so the people of Pharae crossed the sea to Aetolia and fought against the Gauls. [73]
In 29 BC, the people of Pharae, on the side of Rome, fought some Aetolians to gain spoils from Calydon.
Therefore, the Aetolians who were “Friends” with the Pharae appear to have been primarily residents of Pleuron. [74]
Pleuron was the town where Tyndareus settled and where Dioscri was born and raised.
It had deep connections with Patrae, founded by the inhabitants of Pharis, the town of Tyndareus' brother Icarius. After the battle with the Gauls, Patrae's male population was drastically reduced, and the number of females doubled compared to males. [75]
7.1.8 Favor of Rome
In 31 BC, Lacedaemon sided with Augustus at the Battle of Actium. Augustus was friendly to Patrae, who was thought to be a colony of Lacedaemon. [76]
After the battle with the Gauls, the inhabitants of Patrae fell into poverty, leaving a few people behind to live in the surrounding areas of Mesatis, Antheia, Bolina, Argyra, and Arba.
Augustus gathered the Achaeans who lived in those towns and the Rhypes into Patrae, and gave them many privileges. [77]
7.2 Transition to democracy
The descendants of Tisamenus, son of Orestes, lived in Helice until the sons of Ogygus. Later, when the monarchy was abolished and democracy became a democracy, Achaia's system of government was highly praised, and those who rebelled against Pythagoras' sect also adopted its legal system. Achaia's transition to democracy is estimated to have occurred around the end of the 6th century BC, and the descendants of Tisamenus ruled Achaia for about 600 years. [78]
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