More Info on ElisSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Other usesInfobox Regions Ancient Greece|name = Elis|name_polytonic = ????|image = Olympie Temple Zeus.JPG|caption = Ruins of the Temple of Zeus , Olympia, Greece|Olympia |Location = Peloponnesus|Peloponnese |Major cities = Elis, Olympia, Greece|Olympia |Dialects = Doric Greek|Doric |Key periods =|image_map =Elis ancient.png|caption_map = Map of ancient Elis Elis , or Eleia ( Greek language|Greek , Modern: ???da Ilida , Ancient: lang|grc|???? Elis ; Doric Greek|Doric : lang|grc|???? Alis ; Doric Greek#Northwest Greek|Elean : lang|grc|?a??? Walis , ethnonym : ?a?e???) is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis (regional unit)|Elis regional unit . It is in southern Greece on the Peloponnesos peninsula , bounded on the north by Achaea , east by Arcadia , south by Messenia , and west by the Ionian Sea . Over the course of the archaic and classical periods, the polis of Elis controlled much of the region of Elis, most probably through unequal treaties with other cities, which will have had perioikoi|perioikic status.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. 282-32
The first Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic festival was organized in Elean land, Olympia, Greece by the authorities of Elis in the 8th century BCE - with tradition dating the first games at 776 BCE. The Hellanodikai , the judges of the Games, were of Elean origin.Citation needed|date=November 2011 The local form of the name was Valis, or Valeia, and its meaning, in all probability, “the lowland” (compare with the word "valley").Citation needed|date=November 2011 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.Citation needed|date=November 2011 According to Strabo ,Strabo Geographica Book 8.3.30 the first settlement was created by Oxylus the Aetolian who invaded there and subjugated the residents. The city of Elis underwent synoikism —as Strabo notes—in 471 BC.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 Elis held authority over the site of Olympia, Greece|Olympia and the Olympic games .
The spirit of the games had influenced the formation of the market: apart from the bouleuterion , which was housed in one of the gymnasiums|gymnasia , most of the other buildings were related to the games, including two gymnasia, a palaestrum, and the House of the Hellanodikai .Citation needed|date=November 2011
Districts
As described by Strabo,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|url= http://books.google.com/books? id=YMZfAAAAMAAJ& pg=PA7 Elis was divided into three districts:
Coele (????? Koile "hollow") or Lowland Elis,
Pisatis (??s?t?? Pisatis ), or the territory of Pisa (Greece)|Pisa , and
Triphylia (???f???a Triphulia "the country of the three tribes").
Coele 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 Coele Elis to the right bank of the river Alfeios River|Alpheus , and was divided into eight departments named after as many towns. Triphylia stretches south from the Alpheus to the river Neda.Citation needed|date=November 2011 Nowadays Elis is a small village of 150 citizens, located 14& nbsp;km NE of Amaliada , built over the ruins of the ancient town. It has a museum that contains treasures, discovered in various excavations. It also has one of the most well-preserved ancient theaters in Greece. Built in the 4th century BC, the theater had a capacity of 8,000 people; below it Protoelladic and sub-Mycenaean graves have been found.Citation needed|date=November 2011 Elis is well known for breeding horses and its hosting of the Olympic games.
List of Eleans
Athletes
Coroebus of Elis , the first Ancient Olympic Games|Ancient Olympic gold-medalist
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 Labour of Heracles
Amphimachus , king of Elis and leader of Eleans in Trojan War
Thalpius, leader of Eleans in Trojan War
Oxylus , king of Elis
Intellectuals
Alexinus (c. 339-265 BC), philosopher
Hippias of Elis, Greek sophist
Phaedo of Elis , founder of the Elean School http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2563.html Smith, William. Ancient Library .
Pyrrho , philosopher
Troilus of Elis|Troilus (4th century BC) athlete
Eleans as barbarians
Eleans were labelled as the greatest barbarians barbarotatoi by musician Stratonicus of Athens Athenaeus . Deipnosophistae , VIII 350a.
cquote|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 tae were the worst in the whole world.” And when he was asked again, according to the account given by Hegesander, which were the greatest barbarians , the Boeotians or the Thessalians he said, ” The Eleans.” In Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius (s.v. lang|grc|ßa?ßa??f????) and other ancient lexica http://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. 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. 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.
Gallery
References
reflist
Sources
Cite EB1911|wstitle=Elis (district)
Cite EB1911|wstitle=Elis (city)
Cite EB1911|wstitle=Elis, Philosophical School of
External links
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/maps/pelop/ilia/ilia.html Map from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
http://www.greek-thesaurus.gr/Ancient-Elis.html Elis - the city of the Olympic games
