Locris (; el, label=

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, , or , ''Kiní Neoellinikí Glóssa''), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the ...

, Λοκρίδα, Lokrída; grc, Λοκρίς, Lokrís) was a region of

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

, the homeland of the

Locrians The Locrians ( el, Λοκροί, ''Locri'') were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Locris in Central Greece, around Parnassus. They spoke the Locrian dialect, a Doric-Northwest dialect, and were closely related to their neighbour ...

, made up of three distinct districts.

Locrian tribe

The city of

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural centre on the Ion ...

in Calabria (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), also known in antiquity as "Epizephyrian Locris", was a colony founded by the Locrians in Magna Graecia. There is some disagreement over whether it was those from Opuntian Locris or from Ozolian Locris who were responsible.

Ancient Locris

The territory of the Locrians was divided into three by Doris and

Phocis Phocis ( el, Φωκίδα ; grc, Φωκίς) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Var ...

, perhaps due to an early invasion of a contiguous Locrian state. This fact, combined with the region's infertility, meant that the Locrians tended to be dominated by their neighbours, and played little part in Greek history. To the south-west of Phocis was

Ozolian Locris Ozolian Locris ( grc, Ὀζολία Λοκρίς) or Hesperian Locris ( grc, Λοκρίς Ἑσπερία, 3=Western Locris) was a region in Ancient Greece, inhabited by the Ozolian Locrians ( grc-gre, Ὀζολοὶ Λοκροί; la, Locri Ozoli ...

, situated on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, between

Naupactus Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos. It is named for Naupaktos (, Latini ...

and

Crisa Computadoras, Redes e Ingeniería, S.A. (CRISA) is a Spanish leading company in space Flight Electronics design and production. Established in 1985, Crisa has been working since its inception in the area of space qualified electronics with the succe ...

. The main cities of Ozolian Locris were Amphissa and Naupactus which was its

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

. To the north east of Phocis was

Opuntian Locris Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greek region inhabited by the eastern division of the Locrians, the so-called tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii ( el, ) or Locri Opuntii (Greek: ). Geography Opuntian Locris consisted of a narrow ...

, named after its main

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

. Finally, to the north of Phocis was Epicnemidian Locris, situated near the pass of

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: (''Thermopylai'') , Demotic Greek (Greek): , (''Thermopyles'') ; "hot gates") is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur ...

. The Opuntian Locris and the Epicnemidian Locris are often regarded as one people, separate in customs and integration to the

Hellenic culture The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Minoan and later in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, while influencing the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine Empire. Other cultu ...

from the Ozolian Locris, considered as the less civilised of the two. The territories of the Opuntian Locris and the Epicnemidian Locris were not a continuous unit but were separated from one another by

Ozolian Locris

The main towns of Ozolian Locris were Amphissa and

. Today, the area is part of

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania ( el, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and the administrative region of West Greece. A combination of the histor ...

and

Opuntian Locris

The main towns of Opuntia Locris were

and

Larymna Larymna ( el, Λάρυμνα) is a port town in Phthiotis, Greece. It is situated on the North Euboean Gulf. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is a part of the municipality Lokroi, of which it is a community. Larymna took its name from ...

. Today, Opuntian Locris is part of modern

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is borde ...

Epicnemidian Locris

The main towns of Epicnemidian Locris were

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...

and Thronium. Today, Epicnemidian Locris is part of modern Phthiotis.

Province

The province of Locris ( el, Επαρχία Λοκρίδας) was one of the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the Phthiotis Prefecture. Its capital was the town Atalanti. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities

Amfikleia-Elateia Amfikleia–Elateia ( el, Δήμος Αμφίκλειας-Ελάτειας) is a municipality in the Phthiotis regional unit, Central Greece, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Kato Tithorea. The municipality has an area of 533.32 ...

, Lokroi, and

Kamena Vourla Kamena Vourla ( el, Καμένα Βούρλα, lit=Burnt Rushes, ) is a town and a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. At the 2011 local government reform it became part of the municipality ''Molos-Agios Konstantinos'' (of which it became the sea ...

. It was abolished in 2006.

References

External links

*
Locris"Plato and His Dialogues" Website
{{Authority control Phthiotis Provinces of Greece