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Listed 9 sub titles with search on: Mythology for destination: "AKARNANIA Ancient area ETOLOAKARNANIA".


Mythology (9)

Historic figures

Acarnan

Acarnan (Akarnan), one of the Epigones, was a son of Alemaeon and Calirrhoe, and brother of Amphoterus. Their father was murdered by Phegeus, when they were yet very young, and Calirrhoe prayed to Zeus to make her sons grow quickly, that they might be able to avenge the death of their father. The prayer was granted, and Acarnan with his brother slew Phegeus, his wife, and his two sons. The inhabitants of Psophis, where the sons had been slain, pursued the murderers as far as Tegea, where however they were received and rescued. At the request of Achelous they carried the necklace and peplus of Harmonia to Delphi, and from thence they went to Epirus, where Acarnan founded the state called after him Acarnania. (Apollod. iii. 7.5-7; Ov. Met. ix. 413, &c.; Thuc. ii. 102; Strab. x.)

   Acarnan and Amphoterus. The sons of Alcmaeon and Callirrhoe. Their mother, hearing of her husband's murder by Phegeus and his sons, prayed Zeus, who loved her, to let her sons grow up into men at once, so as to avenge their father. This done, they slew the sons of Phegeus at Tegea and himself at Psophis, offered up at Delphi the jewels of Harmonia, which they thus acquired, and then founded a kingdom called after the elder of them Acarnania.

This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks


Settlers

Amphoterus & Acarnan

Lacedaemon settled in Acarnania

  It appears that also a colony from Lacedaemon settled in Acarnania, I mean Icarius, father of Penelope, and his followers; for in the Odyssey the poet represents both Icarius and the brothers of Penelope as living:
" who shrink from going to the house of her father, Icarius, that he himself may exact the bride-gifts for his daughter", and, concerning her brothers,"for already her father and her brothers bid her marry Eurymachus";
for, in the first place, it is improbable that they were living in Lacedaemon, since in that case Telemachus would not have lodged at the home of Menelaus when he went to Lacedaemon, and, secondly, we have no tradition of their having lived elsewhere. But they say that Tyndareus and his brother Icarius, after being banished by Hippocoon from their homeland, went to Thestius, the ruler of the Pleuronians, and helped him to acquire possession of much of the country on the far side of the Achelous on condition that they should receive a share of it; that Tyndareus, however, went back home, having married Leda, the daughter of Thestius, whereas Icarius stayed on, keeping a portion of Acarnania, and by Polycaste, the daughter of Lygaeus, begot both Penelope and her brothers.

This extract is from: The Geography of Strabo (ed. H. L. Jones, 1924), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Apr 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.


Population movements

Lacedaemon - Acarnania

It appears that also a colony from Lacedaemon settled in Acarnania, I mean Icarius, father of Penelope, and his followers, for in the Odyssey the poet represents both Icarius and the brothers of Penelope as living.. in Lacedaemon, since in that case Telemachus would not have lodged at the home of Menelaus when he went to Lacedaemon, and, secondly, we have no tradition of their having lived elsewhere. But they say that Tyndareus and his brother Icarius, after being banished by Hippocoon from their homeland, went to Thestius, the ruler of the Pleuronians, and helped him to acquire possession of much of the country on the far side of the Achelous on condition that they should receive a share of it; that Tyndareus, however, went back home, having married Leda, the daughter of Thestius, whereas Icarius stayed on, keeping a portion of Acarnania, and by Polycaste, the daughter of Lygaeus, begot both Penelope and her brothers.

Argos - Acarnania

Ephorus.. says that Alcmaeon, the son of Amphiaraus, made an expedition with Diomedes and the other Epigoni, and had brought to a successful issue the war against the Thebans, and then joined Diomedes and with him took vengeance upon the enemies of Oeneus, after which he himself, first giving over Aetolia to them, passed into Acarnania and subdued it; and meanwhile Agamemnon attacked the Argives and easily prevailed over them, since the most of them had accompanied the army of Diomedes.

Argos - Acarnania

Ephorus makes Acarnania subject to Alcmaeon even before the Trojan War; and he not only declares that the Amphilochian Argos was founded by him, but also says that Acarnania was named after Alcmaeon's son Acarnan, and the Amphilochians after Alcmaeon's brother Amphilochus; therefore his account is to be cast out amongst those contrary to Homeric history. But Thucydides and others say that Amphilochus, on his return from the Trojan expedition, was displeased with the state of affairs at Argos, and took up his abode in this country, some saying that he came by right of succession to the domain of his brother, others giving a different account.

Acarnan with Epirots colonize Acarnania

Acarnan, the sons of Alcmaeon; and the sons of Alcmaeon ..they journeyed to Epirus, collected settlers, and colonized Acarnania. (Perseus Project - Apollodorus, Library and Epitome (ed. Sir James George Frazer))

Kings

The author of the Alcmaeonis says that Icarius, the father of Penelope, had two sons, Alyzeus and Leucadius, and that these two reigned over Acarnania with their father; accordingly, Ephorus thinks that the cities were named after these.

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