- Aeolis
:"Alternative meaning: the Aeolis region of
Mars ."Aeolis (
Ancient Greek Αιολίς "Aiolís") or Aeolia (IPAEng|iːˈoʊlɪə) (Ancient Greek Αιολία "Aiolía") was an area that comprised the west and northwestern region ofAsia Minor , mostly along the coast, and also several offshore islands (particularlyLesbos ), where the Aeolian Greek city-states were located. Aeolis incorporated the southern parts ofMysia which bounded it to the north,Ionia to the south, andLydia to the east.Geography
Aeolis was an ancient district on the western coast of
Asia Minor . It extended along theAegean Sea from the entrance of theHellespont (now theDardanelles ) south to the Hermus River (now the Gediz River). It was named for the Aeolians, some of whom migrated there fromGreece before 1000 BC. Aeolis was, however, an ethnological and linguistic enclave rather than a geographical unit. The district often was considered part of the larger northwest region ofMysia .History
According to Homer's description,
Odysseus , after his stay with the Cyclopes, reached the island ofAeolus , who provided him with the west wind Zephyr.In early times, by the 8th century BC, the Aeolians' twelve most important cities were independent, and formed a league (Dodecapolis):
Cyme (also calledPhriconis ),Larissae ,Neonteichos ,Temnus ,Cilla ,Notium ,Aegiroessa , Pitane,Aegae , Myrina,Gryneia , andSmyrna . [Herodotus . "The Histories:" 1.149.]The most celebrated of the cities was
Smyrna (modernIzmir, Turkey ), but in 699 BC, Smyrna became part of an Ionian confederacy. The remaining cities were conquered byCroesus , king ofLydia (reigned 560-546 BC). Later they were held successively by thePersians , Macedonians,Seleucids , and Pergamenes.Attalus III , the last king ofPergamum , bequeathed Aeolis to Rome in 133 BC. Shortly afterward, it was made part of the Roman province of Asia. At the partition of theRoman Empire (395 AD), Aeolis was assigned to the East Roman (Byzantine) empire and remained under Byzantine rule until the early 1400s, when theOttoman Turks occupied the area.Natives of Aeolis
*
Autolycus of Pitane
*Andriscus
*Elias Venezis Notes
References
*Pierluigi Bonanno, "Aiolis. Storia e archeologia di una regione dell’Asia Minore alla fine del II millennio a.C.", USA,
2006 External links
*http://www.caropepe.it/pubblicazioni.html
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