Acharnae or Acharnai (/əˈkɑːr.niː/; Ancient Greek: Ἀχαρναί)[1] was a deme of ancient Athens. It was part of the phyle Oineis.[2]
Ἀχαρναί | |
.jpg) Acharnian Scenery | |
  Acharnai Shown within Attica |
Acharnae, according to Thucydides, was the largest deme in Attica.[3] In the fourth century BCE, 22 of the 500 members of the Athenian council came from Acharnae, more than from any other deme.[4]
Name
editThe place-name of Acharnae is most likely pre-Greek in origin, similar to other place-names throughout Attica. During antiquity it was believed that the name originated from the word acharna (ἀχάρνα) or acharnos (ἀχαρνός), meaning seabass, due to the shape of the plain that Acharnae was in looking like a fish. Another view was that the name originated from Acharnas, one of the mythical heroes from Attica and the supposed founder of the city.[5]
Location
editAcharnae was located in the west-northwest part of the Attic plain, 60 stadia north of Athens, south of Mount Parnes. The site of Acharnae is located at and southwest of Menidi (renamed to modern Acharnes).[6][7] It was from the woods of this mountain that the Acharnians were enabled to carry on that traffic in charcoal for which they were noted among the Athenians.[8][9] Their land was fertile; their population was rough and warlike; and they furnished at the commencement of the Peloponnesian War 3,000 hoplites, or a tenth of the whole infantry of the republic. They possessed sanctuaries or altars of Apollo Aguieus, of Heracles, of Athena Hygieia, of Athena Hippia, of Dionysus Melpomenus, and of Dionysus Cissus, so called, because the Acharnians said that the ivy first grew in this deme. One of the plays of Aristophanes bears the name of the Acharnians.[10][9]
History
editThe oldest confirmed evidence of permanent inhabitation in the area dates from the Neolithic.
During the Mycenaean period in the Greek Bronze Age the area was continuously inhabited. Near the neighbourhood of Lykopetra a Mycenaean tholos tomb has been discovered, while traces of another Bronze Age tomb have been found in the area today called Nemesis. Many archaeological reports claim several tomb excavations across the entirety of the area, which all point to the possibility of Acharnae possibly being a politically independent region during the period.
The largest amount of archaeological evidence dates from the Classical and Hellenistic periods (5th - 2nd centuries BCE). It consists mostly of graveyards found throughout the entire area, parts of the ancient deme's road network, as well as parts of hydraulic infrastructure from the 4th century BCE. A lot of information is given about the public and private life of the locals during the period by the remnants of the road networks.[5]
In the first phase of the Peloponnesian War the Lacedaemonian (Spartan) army invaded the Athenian home-region of Attica under the command of king Archidamos II, advancing up to Acharnae as the statesman Pericles gathered the citizens of Attica inside the walls of Athens.[11][12] The Spartan army ravaged the deme and its forestry, setting a series of camps within it, hoping to draw out the Athenians to a pitched battle where the Spartans would have the upper hand.[13] The total destruction of Acharnae and the abandonment of the temple of Ares, a sanctuary of great importance in the deme, led to the warlike depiction of its citizens. Notably, Aristophanes depicted the Acharnians in his work Lysistrata as violent raiders. According to Thucydides the deme offered an army of 3,000 hoplites, 1/10 of the total Athenian army, although this information is believed by historians to be mistaken - there was an analogy of 42 free citizens for every politician of a deme according to the Athenian constitution, thus the number of hoplites Acharnae could offer was only 1,000.
In the aftermath of the Peloponnesian war and during the Athenian civil war a large battle was commenced in the area between the democratic rebels of Thrasybulus and the forces of the Thirty Tyrants imposed by Sparta. Thrasybulus clashed with all of the city's Spartan guard with a force of only 700 men and 2 cavalry divisions attempting to cut off supplies. The battle was victorious for the democrats, who drove away the enemy and slew about 120 of them.
Economy
editThe Acharnians chiefly grew cereals, grapes, and olives. Acharnae was the centre of the Athenian charcoal-burning industry, and the chorus of Aristophanes' comedy The Acharnians is made up of charcoal-burners.[14] Pindar characterizes them as notably brave. A tholos tomb at Menidi suggests Acharnae was once an independent entity; a temple to Ares was later moved to the Athenian Agora.
Donkeys from Acharnae were noted for their large size, perhaps in humor. Peisander the oligarch (fl. 429-411 BCE), a native of the deme, was nicknamed ὔνος κανθήλιος ("donkey") for at least that reason.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica. Vol. s.v.
- ^ Dow, Sterling (1961). "Thucydides and the Number of Acharnian Hoplitai". Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 92: 72. doi:10.2307/283803. JSTOR 283803.
- ^ Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Vol. 2.13, 19–21.
- ^ Dow, Sterling (1961). "Thucydides and the Number of Acharnian Hoplitai". Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 92: 70. doi:10.2307/283803. JSTOR 283803.
- ^ a b "Ιστορία της Πόλης". Δήμος Αχαρνών / Municipality of Acharnes. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015.
- ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 59, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
- ^ Aristophanes, Ach. 332.
- ^ a b
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Acharnae". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "31.6". Description of Greece. Vol. 1. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ Θουκυδίδης, “Ιστορία
τ ο υ Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου”, Βιβλίο Β΄, 13: [...] "῎Ε τ ι δ ὲτ ῶν Πελοποννησίων ξυλλεγομένωντ ε ἐςτ ὸν ᾿Ισθμὸν κ α ὶ ἐν ὁδ ῷ ὄντων,π ρ ὶν ἐσβαλεῖν ἐςτ ὴν ᾿Αττικήν, Περικλῆς ὁ Ξανθίππου στρατηγὸς ὢν ᾿Αθηναίων δέκατοςα ὐτός, ὡς ἔγ ν ω τ ὴν ἐσβολὴν ἐσομένην, ὑποτοπήσας, ὅτ ι ᾿Αρχίδαμοςα ὐτ ῷ ξένος ὢν ἐτύγχανε,μ ὴ πολλάκις ἢα ὐτ ὸς ἰδίᾳ βουλόμενος χαρίζεσθαιτ ο ὺς ἀγροὺςα ὐτ ο ῦ παραλίπῃκ α ὶμ ὴδ ῃώσῃ, ἢκ α ὶ Λακεδαιμονίων κελευσάντων ἐπ ὶ διαβολῇτ ῇ ἑαυτοῦ γένηταιτ ο ῦτ ο , ὥσπερκ α ὶτ ὰ ἄγ η ἐλαύνεινπ ρ ο ε ῖπον ἕνεκα ἐκείνου, προηγόρευετ ο ῖς ᾿Αθηναίοις ἐν τ ῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὅτ ι ᾿Αρχίδαμος μένο ἱ ξένοςε ἴη ,ο ὐ μέντοι ἐπ ὶ κακῷγ ε τ ῆς πόλεως γένοιτο,τ ο ὺςδ ὲ ἀγροὺςτ ο ὺς ἑαυτοῦκ α ὶο ἰκίας ἢν ἄρ α μ ὴδ ῃώσωσινο ἱ πολέμιοι ὥσπερκ α ὶτ ὰτ ῶν ἄλλων, ἀφίησινα ὐτ ὰ δημόσιαε ἶν α ι κ α ὶ μηδεμίανο ἱ ὑποψίανκ α τ ὰτ α ῦτ α γίγνεσθαι.π α ρ ῄν ε ι δ ὲκ α ὶ περὶτ ῶν παρόντων ἅπερκ α ὶ πρότερον, παρασκευάζεσθαίτ ε ἐςτ ὸν πόλεμονκ α ὶτ ὰ ἐκ τ ῶν ἀγ ρ ῶν ἐσκομίζεσθαι, ἔςτ ε μάχηνμ ὴ ἐπεξιέναι, ἀλ λ ὰτ ὴν πόλιν ἐσελθόντας φυλάσσειν,κ α ὶτ ὸ ναυτικόν, ᾗπερ ἰσχύουσιν, ἐξαρτύεσθαι, τάτ ε τ ῶν ξυμμάχωνδ ι ὰ χειρὸς ἔχειν, λέγωντ ὴν ἰσ χ ὺν α ὐτ ο ῖς ἀπ ὸ τούτωνε ἶν α ι τ ῶν χρημάτωντ ῆς προσόδου,τ ὰδ ὲ πολλὰτ ο ῦ πολέμου γνώμῃκ α ὶ χρημάτων περιουσίᾳ κρατεῖσθαι. θαρσεῖν τ ε ἐκέλευε προσιόντωνμ ὲν ἑξακοσίων ταλάντων ὡς ἐπ ὶτ ὸ πολὺ φόρουκ α τ ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἀπ ὸτ ῶν ξυμμάχωντ ῇ πόλει ἄν ε υ τ ῆς ἄλλης προσόδου, ὑπαρχόντωνδ ὲ ἐν τ ῇ ἀκροπόλει ἔτ ι τότε ἀργυρίου ἐπισήμου ἑξακισχιλίων ταλάντων (τ ὰγ ὰρ π λ ε ῖσ τ α τριακοσίων ἀποδέοντα μύρια ἐγένετο, ἀφ ' ὧν ἔςτ ε τ ὰ προπύλαιατ ῆς ἀκροπόλεωςκ α ὶτ ἆλ λ α ο ἰκοδομήματακ α ὶ ἐς Ποτείδαιαν ἀπανηλώθη),χ ω ρ ὶςδ ὲ χρυσίου ἀσήμουκ α ὶ ἀργυρίου ἔν τ ε ἀναθήμασιν ἰδίοιςκ α ὶ δημοσίοιςκ α ὶ ὅσ α ἱε ρ ὰ σκεύη περίτ ε τ ὰςπ ο μ π ὰςκ α ὶτ ο ὺς ἀγ ῶναςκ α ὶσ κ ῦλ α Μηδικὰκ α ὶε ἴτ ι τοιουτότροπον,ο ὐκ ἐλάσσονος [ἦν ] ἢ πεντακοσίων ταλάντων. ἔτ ι δ ὲκ α ὶτ ὰ ἐκ τ ῶν ἄλλων ἱε ρ ῶν προσετίθει χρήματαο ὐκ ὀλίγα,ο ἷς χρήσεσθαια ὐτούς,κ α ὶ ἢν πάνυ ἐξείργωνται πάντων,κ α ὶα ὐτ ῆςτ ῆςθ ε ο ῦτ ο ῖς περικειμένοις χρυσίοις• ἀπέφαινεδ ' ἔχ ο ν τ ὸ ἄγαλμα τεσσαράκοντα τάλαντασ τ α θ μ ὸν χρυσίου ἀπέφθου,κ α ὶ περιαιρετὸν ε ἶν α ι ἅπ α ν . χρησαμένουςτ ε ἐπ ὶ σωτηρίᾳ ἔφ η χ ρ ῆν α ι μ ὴ ἐλάσσω ἀντικαταστῆσ α ι πάλιν. χρήμασιμ ὲν ο ὖν ο ὕτως ἐθάρσυνενα ὐτούς, ὁπλίταςδ ὲ τρισχιλίουςκ α ὶ μυρίουςε ἶν α ι ἄν ε υ τ ῶν ἐν τ ο ῖς φρουρίοιςκ α ὶτ ῶν π α ρ ' ἔπαλξιν ἑξακισχιλίωνκ α ὶ μυρίων. τοσοῦτ ο ι γ ὰρ ἐφύλασσοντ ὸπ ρ ῶτ ο ν ὁπότεο ἱ πολέμιοι ἐσβάλοιεν, ἀπότ ε τ ῶν πρεσβυτάτωνκ α ὶτ ῶν νεωτάτων,κ α ὶ μετοίκων ὅσοι ὁπ λ ῖται ἦσ α ν .τ ο ῦτ ε γ ὰρ Φαληρικοῦ τείχους στάδιοι ἦσ α ν πέντεκ α ὶ τριάκονταπ ρ ὸςτ ὸν κύκλοντ ο ῦ ἄστεως,κ α ὶα ὐτ ο ῦτ ο ῦ κύκλουτ ὸ φυλασσόμενοντ ρ ε ῖςκ α ὶ τεσσαράκοντα (ἔσ τ ι δ ὲα ὐτ ο ῦ ὃκ α ὶ ἀφύλακτον ἦν ,τ ὸ μεταξὺτ ο ῦτ ε μακροῦκ α ὶτ ο ῦ Φαληρικοῦ),τ ὰδ ὲ μακρὰ τείχηπ ρ ὸςτ ὸν Πειραιᾶ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίων, ὧν τ ὸ ἔξωθεν ἐτηρεῖτ ο •κ α ὶτ ο ῦ Πειραιῶςξ ὺν Μουνιχίᾳ ἑξήκονταμ ὲν σταδίων ὁ ἅπας περίβολος,τ ὸδ ' ἐν φυλακῇ ὂν ἥμισυ τούτου. ἱππέαςδ ὲ ἀπέφαινε διακοσίουςκ α ὶ χιλίουςξ ὺν ἱπποτοξόταις, ἑξακοσίουςδ ὲκ α ὶ χιλίους τοξότας,κ α ὶ τριήρειςτ ὰς πλωίμους τριακοσίας.τ α ῦτ α γ ὰρ ὑπ ῆρχεν ᾿Αθηναίοιςκ α ὶο ὐκ ἐλάσσω ἕκαστα τούτων, ὅτ ε ἡ ἐσβολὴτ ὸπ ρ ῶτ ο ν ἔμελλε Πελοποννησίων ἔσεσθαικ α ὶ ἐςτ ὸν πόλεμον καθίσταντο. ἔλεγεδ ὲκ α ὶ ἄλ λ α ο ἷάπερε ἰώθει Περικλῆς ἐς ἀπόδειξιντ ο ῦ περιέσεσθαιτ ῷ πολέμῳ". [...] - ^ Πλούταρχος, "Βίοι Παράλληλοι", "Περικλής" 33.3: [...] "ἐμβάλλουσιν
ο ὖν ε ἰςτ ὴν Ἀττικὴν στρατῷ μεγάλῳ Λακεδαιμόνιοιμ ε τ ὰτ ῶν συμμάχων, Ἀρχιδάμουτ ο ῦ βασιλέως ἡγουμένου.κ α ὶδ ῃο ῦντεςτ ὴν χώρανπ ρ ο ῆλθονε ἰς Ἀχαρνὰςκ α ὶ κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, ὡςτ ῶν Ἀθηναίωνο ὐκ ἀνεξομένων, ἀλ λ ' ὑπ ' ὀρ γ ῆςκ α ὶ φρονήματος διαμαχουμένωνπ ρ ὸςα ὐτούς". [...] - ^ Θουκυδίδης, “Ιστορία
τ ο υ Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου”, Βιβλίο Β΄, 19-20: [...] "[19] ἐπειδὴ μέντοι προσβαλόντεςτ ῇΟ ἰνόῃκ α ὶπ ᾶσ α ν ἰδέαν πειράσαντεςο ὐκ ἐδύναντο ἑλ ε ῖν ,ο ἵτ ε ᾿Αθηναῖο ι ο ὐδ ὲν ἐπεκηρυκεύοντο,ο ὕτ ω δ ὴ ὁρμήσαντες ἀπ 'α ὐτ ῆςμ ε τ ὰτ ὰ ἐν Πλαταίᾳ [τ ῶν ἐσελθόντων Θηβαίων] γενόμενα ἡμέρᾳ ὀγδοηκοστῇ μάλιστα, θέρουςκ α ὶτ ο ῦ σίτου ἀκμάζοντος, ἐσέβαλον ἐςτ ὴν ᾿Αττικήν• ἡγ ε ῖτ ο δ ὲ ᾿Αρχίδαμος ὁ Ζευξιδάμου, Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεύς.κ α ὶ καθεζόμενοι ἔτεμνονπ ρ ῶτ ο ν μ ὲν ᾿Ελευσῖν α κ α ὶτ ὸ Θριάσιον πεδίονκ α ὶ τροπήντ ι ν α τ ῶν ᾿Αθηναίων ἱππέωνπ ε ρ ὶτ ο ὺς Ῥείτους καλουμένους ἐποιήσαντο• ἔπειτα προυχώρουν ἐν δ ε ξ ι ᾷ ἔχοντεςτ ὸΑ ἰγάλεων ὄροςδ ι ὰ Κρωπιᾶς, ἕως ἀφίκοντο ἐς ᾿Αχαρνάς, χωρίον μέγιστοντ ῆς ᾿Αττικῆςτ ῶν δήμων καλουμένων,κ α ὶ καθεζόμενοι ἐςα ὐτ ὸ στρατόπεδόντ ε ἐποιήσαντο χρόνοντ ε π ο λ ὺν ἐμμείναντες ἔτεμνον. [20] γνώμῃδ ὲ τοιᾷδ ε λέγεταιτ ὸν ᾿Αρχίδαμον περίτ ε τ ὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς ὡς ἐς μάχην ταξάμενονμ ε ῖν α ι κ α ὶ ἐςτ ὸ πεδίον ἐκείνῃτ ῇ ἐσβολῇο ὐ καταβῆν α ι •τ ο ὺςγ ὰρ ᾿Αθηναίους ἤλπιζεν, ἀκμάζοντάςτ ε νεότητιπ ο λ λ ῇκ α ὶ παρεσκευασμένους ἐς πόλεμον ὡςο ὔπ ω πρότερον, ἴσως ἂν ἐπεξελθεῖν κ α ὶτ ὴν γ ῆν ο ὐκ ἂν περιιδεῖν τ μ η θ ῆν α ι . ἐπειδὴο ὖν α ὐτ ῷ ἐς ᾿Ελευσῖν α κ α ὶτ ὸ Θριάσιον πεδίονο ὐκ ἀπήντησαν,π ε ῖραν ἐποιεῖτ ο π ε ρ ὶτ ὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς καθήμενοςε ἰ ἐπεξίασιν• ἅμ α μ ὲν γ ὰρ α ὐτ ῷ ὁχ ῶρος ἐπιτήδειος ἐφαίνετο ἐνστρατοπεδεῦσ α ι , ἅμ α δ ὲκ α ὶο ἱ ᾿Αχαρνῆς μέγα μέρος ὄντεςτ ῆς πόλεως (τρισχίλιοιγ ὰρ ὁπ λ ῖται ἐγένοντο)ο ὐ περιόψεσθαι ἐδόκουντ ὰ σφέτερα διαφθαρέντα, ἀλ λ ' ὁρμήσεινκ α ὶτ ο ὺς πάντας ἐς μάχην.ε ἴτ ε κ α ὶμ ὴ ἐπεξέλθοιεν ἐκείνῃτ ῇ ἐσβολῇο ἱ ᾿Αθηναῖο ι , ἀδεέστερον ἤδ η ἐςτ ὸ ὕστερον τότ ε πεδίοντ ε μ ε ῖν κ α ὶπ ρ ὸςα ὐτ ὴν τ ὴν πόλιν χωρήσεσθαι•τ ο ὺςγ ὰρ ᾿Αχαρνέας ἐστερημένουςτ ῶν σφετέρωνο ὐχ ὁμοίως προθύμους ἔσεσθαι ὑπ ὲρ τ ῆςτ ῶν ἄλλων κινδυνεύειν, στάσινδ ' ἐνέσεσθαιτ ῇ γνώμῃ. τοιαύτῃμ ὲν διανοίᾳ ὁ ᾿Αρχίδαμοςπ ε ρ ὶτ ὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς ἦν ". [...] - ^ van Hook, LaRue (1934). "Charcoal in Ancient Greece". The Classical Weekly. 27 (24): 188–189. doi:10.2307/4339395. JSTOR 4339395.
- ^ Smith, William (1870). "Peisander 1". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 3. p. 167.
External links
edit
- Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: C.W.J. Eliot, "Acharnai (Menidi), Attica, Greece"