Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/77

 818 ELIS. ELI& Aooordmg to the 1 die name pointe to the ooftntiy biing iidmbitBd "hy to derive all their three diflferent tribes, — an explaoatioa given by ih€ andento themselTes. These three tribea, aocordinip to Stnbo, were the Epeians, the Hinjae, and the Ekaaitt. (StnOi. tuL p. 337.) eimneoted with the Aetolians. oommon prutioe of the Greeks tribes from eponTmona anceston, the two brothers Epeins and Aetolos, the sons of Endjmion, lived in the ooantiy afterwards called Elis. Aetolos crossed over to Northern Qreeoe, and became the ancestor of the Aetolians. (Pans. v. 1 ; Scynin. Ch. 475.) The name of Eleians, according to the oadition, was derived from Eleins, a son of Poseidon and Eniyoyda, the daughter of Endymion. The Epeiana were more widely spread than the Eleians. We find Epeians not only in Elis Proper, but also in Triphylia and in the islands of the Echinades at the month of the Acheloos; while the Eleians were confined to EUs Proper. In Homer the name of Eleians does not occur; and though the country is called Elis, its in- habitants are always the Epeians. * Eleius was succeeded in the kingdom by his son Angelas, against whom Hercules made war, because he refused to give the hero the promised roward for cleansing his stablea. [For details see IHet, of Biogr, voL iu p. 396.] The kingdom of the Epeians afterwards became divided into four states. The Epeians sailed to the Trojan War in 40 ships, led by fonr chiefs, of whom Polyzenus, the grandson of Augeias, was one. (Houl IL ii 615, seq.) The Epeians and the PyUans appear in Homer as the two powerfod nations on the western coast of Pelopon* nesus, the fonner extending from the CorinlJiian gulf southwards, and the b^ frnm the soathem point of the pemnsnla northwards ; but the boundaries which separated the two cannot be determined. [PriiOa.] They were frequently engaged in wars with one another, of which a vivid picture is given in a well-known passage of Homer (Jl zi. 670, seq.; Strab. viii. pp. 336, 351). Polyzenua waa the only one of the four chieft who retuned from Troy. In the time of his grandson the Dorians invaded Pel»> pcnnesus; and, according to the legend, Ozylns and his Aetolian followers obtained Elis as their share of the conqnest (JDusL ofBiogr, art HeradidM), Great changes now followed. In conseque n ce of the affinity of the Epeians and Aetolians, they easily coalesced into one people, who henceforth appear nnder the name of Eleians, forming a powerful Ungdom in the northern part of the country in the phun of the Peneius. Some modem writers suppose that an Ae- tolian colony was also settled at Pisa, which again comes into notice as an independent state. Pisa is represented in the earliest times as the residence of Oenomaus and Pelops, who left his name to the pe- ninsula ; but subsequently Pisa altogether disappears, and is not mentioned in the Homeric poems. It was probably absorbed in the great Pylian monarchy,and upon tiie overthrow of the latter was again enabled to recover its independence; but whether it was peo- pled by Aetolian ccmquerors must remain undecided. From this time Haa appears as the head of a con- federacy of eight states. About the same time a change of population took place in TriphyKa, which had hitherto formed part of the dominions of the Pylian monarchy. The Minyae, who had been ex- pelled from Laconia by the conquering Dorians, took possession of Triphylia, driving out £be original in- - habitants of the country, the Paroreatae and Can- cones. (Herod, iv. 148.) Here they founded a state, consisting of six cities, and were sufficiently strong A maintain their independence agamst the Messe- nian Dorians. The name of Triphylia was sonie- times derived from an eponymous Triphylus, an Ar- cadian chief (Polyl^. iv. 77 ; Pons. x. ». § 5) ; but The territoiy of Elis was thus divided between the three independent states of Elis Proper, the Pisatio, andTriphyUa. How long this stats of things lasted we do not know ; but even in the eighth oentoij B. a the Eleians had extended their dominions as fiir as the Neda, bringing under their rule the citaes of the Pisatis and Triphylia During the lustorical period we read only oif Eleians and t^ir subjects the Perioed: the Gauoones, Pisatans, and Triphyfiam entirely disappear as independent races. The celebration of the festival of Zeus at Olympift had originally belonged to the Pisatans. in the neigb- bonriiood of whotte city Olympia was situated. Upon the conquest of Pisa, the presidency of the festival passed over to their conquerors ; but the Pisatans never foi^ot their ancient privilege, and made man j attempts to recover it In the eighth Olympiad, B. G. 747, they succeeded in depriving the Eleiana of the presidency by calling in the assistance of Pheidon^ tyrant of Argos, in conjunotion with whom they cde* brated the fertivaL But almost hnmediately after- wards the power of Phcidon was destroyed by tlM Spartans, who not only restored to the Eldans th* presidency, but are said even to have oonfinned them in the possession of the Pisatis and Triphylia. (Pans. vi. 22. §8 ; Strab. viii. p. 354, seq. ; Hen4^ vi.127.) In theSecondHessenianWar the Pisatans and Triphylians revolted from Elis and assisted ths Messenians, while the Eleians aided with the Spar- tans. In this war the Pisatans were commanded hy their king Pantaloon, who also succeeded in making himself master of Olympia by fisroe, during the 34th Olympiad (B.a 644), and in celebrating the games to the exdusion of the Elriana. (Pans. vL 21. § 1» vi. 22. § 2 ; Strab. viii. p. 362 ; respecting the coo* flicting statements in the ancient authorities aa to thia period, see Grote, HitL of Greece^ voLiL p. 574.) The conqnest of the Messenians by the Spartana most also have been attended by the submimon of the Pi- satans to their fiormer masters. In the 48th Oiym« piad (b.o. 588) the Eleians, suspecting the fidell^ of Damophon, the son of Psntaleon, imnided the Pi* satis, bnt were persuaded by Damophon to return home without committing any further acts of boa* titity. But in the 52nd Olympiad (B.a 572)^ Pyrrhus, who had succeeded Us brother Damophon in the sovereignty of Pisa, invaded Elis, assintfd by the E^spontii in the Pisatia, and by the Madstii and Scilluntii in Triphylia. This attempt ended m the ruin of these towns, which were rased to the groond by the Eleians. (Pans, vl 22. §3, seq.) From this time Pisa disappears from histoiy ; and so complete was its destruction that the foot of its ever having existed was disputed in later times. (Stnb. viii. p. 356.) After the destruction of these cities we rrad of no further attempt at revolt till the time of the Peloponnesian War. The Ekians now enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity. The Eleians remained faithful allies of Sparta in the Peloponnesian War down to the peace of Midas, B. €7. 421 ; but in this year a serious quarrel arose between them. It was a settled policy of the Spar- tans to prevent the growth of any power in Pdopoo- nesus, whidi might profve formidable to thcnnselTeo; and accordingly they were always ready to aqvport I the iadepende;ice of the nnalkr states in the peniH J