Aeolians

The Aeolians (/iːˈoʊliənz/; Greek: Αἰολεῖς) were one of the four major tribes in which Greeks divided themselves in the ancient period (along with the Achaeans, Dorians and Ionians).[1][2]

Name

Their name mythologically derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolians and son of Hellen, the mythical patriarch of the Greek nation; it actually comes from Greek term aiolos (αίολος) meaning "quickly moving".[3] The dialect of ancient Greek they spoke is referred to as Aeolic.[2]

History

Originating in Thessaly, a part of which was called Aeolis, the Aeolians often appear as the most numerous amongst the other Hellenic tribes of early times.[2] The Boeotians, a subgroup of the Aeolians, were driven from Thessaly by the Thessalians and moved their location to Boeotia.[2] Aeolian peoples were spread in many other parts of Greece such as Aetolia, Locris, Corinth, Elis and Messinia.[2] During the Dorian invasion, Aeolians from Thessaly fled across the Aegean Sea to the island of Lesbos and the region of Aeolis, called as such after them, in Asia Minor.[2]

Early record

According to Herodotus, the Aeolians were previously called Pelasgians.[4]

References

Citations

Hard 2004, pp. 401–436.
Smith 1856, pp. 50–51.
Harper, Douglas (2001–2020). "Aeolian". Online Etymology Dictionary.
Herodotus, The Histories, 7.95: "The Aeolians furnished sixty ships and were equipped like Greeks; formerly they were called Pelasgian, as the Greek story goes."

Sources

Hard, Robin (2004). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. London and New York: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group). ISBN 0-415-18636-6.
Smith, William (1856). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: Walter and Maberly.

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[1] Hard 2004, pp. 401–436.

[Smith-2] Smith 1856, pp. 50–51.

[3] Harper, Douglas (2001–2020). "Aeolian". Online Etymology Dictionary.

[4] Herodotus, The Histories, 7.95: "The Aeolians furnished sixty ships and were equipped like Greeks; formerly they were called Pelasgian, as the Greek story goes."