Aetolia

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Aetolia map.jpg

Aetolia ( modern Greek Αιτωλία Etolia also Aitolia, ancient Greek Αἰτωλία Aitōlia ) is a landscape in Greece that borders Acarnania in the west , from which it is separated by the Acheloos River , in the north with Epirus and Thessaly , in the east with the regional districts Evrytania and Fokida (in antiquity the Ozolian Lokrians ), and to the south at the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth .

Ancient Aetolia

Aetolia (in the province of Achaia - marked in green) - Map from the time of Emperor Augustus

The region consists of two parts: Old Aetolia from Acheloos to Evenos and Kalydon, also called Kuretis, and New Aetolia (or the acquired Aetolia ), which extends from Evinos and Kalydon to the Lokrians. On the coast the land is flat and fertile, but in the interior it is mountainous and barren. Wild animals lived in the mountains, and in Greek mythology they were celebrated with the hunt for the Calydonian boar .

The land was originally inhabited by the Curetes and Lelegs , but was colonized in the early days by the Greeks from Elis , led by the mythical Etolus . The participation of the Aetolians under their King Thoas in the Trojan War is also mythical .

The Aetolians did not have any major urban settlements. They seem to have been united by a kind of league early on, but it was not until the middle of the 3rd century BC. Acquired political importance and became an extraordinary rival for the Macedonian kings and the Achaean League . The Aetolians repeatedly plundered Greek cities. They stood in the fight against the Roman Republic on the side of Antiochus III. and were after its defeat in 189 BC. Practically Roman subjects. After the submission of the Achaeans in 146 BC Aetolia was incorporated into the province of Achaea .

Today's Aetolia

In today's Greece, Aetolia belongs to the region of Western Greece and is part of the Nomos (administrative district) Aitolo-Akarnania . The most important cities are Messolongi (administrative capital), Nafpaktos (Lepanto), Aitoliko , Agrinio , Astakos , Amfilochia . In the southwest of the Nomos the Acheloos river flows into the Ionian Sea and forms the Mesolongi Delta. Part of this delta is the Mesolongi Lagoon, one of the largest lagoons in the Mediterranean.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Britannica.com on Aetolia
  2. ↑ a b c Aetolia its Geography, Topography, and Antiquities at google books
  3. ↑ infoplease.com about Aetolia
  4. ↑ evrytan.gr on Aetolia ( Memento from December 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ factolex.com on Aetolia
  6. ↑ grhomeboy.wordpress.com on the Mesolongi Lagoon . Accessed February 7, 2017.