Thesprotis (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Θεσπρωτίς, ''Thesprōtís''), or Thesprotia (Θεσπρωτία, ''Thesprōtia''), was an ancient region in

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

in northwestern Greece. It encompassed the west-central part of Epirus, and it roughly included the territories of the present-day territorial units of

Thesprotia Thesprotia (; , ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital and largest town is Igoumenitsa. Thesprotia is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity. His ...

and

Preveza Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...

Geography

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

considered the Thesprotian territory to be part of Hellas (i.e. Greece).

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

puts the Thesprotians' territory, Thesprotis, on the coast of southwest Epirus. Thesprotis stretched between the

Ambracian Gulf The Ambracian Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as the Amvrakikos Gulf (), is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Greece. About long and wide, it is one of the largest enclosed gulfs ...

in the south to the River Thyamis (modern-day Kalamas) in the north, and between the

Pindus The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of (Smolikas, Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epiru ...

mountains and the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. The capital of Thesprotia was

Cichyrus Cichyrus (, ''Kichyros''), earlier called Ephyra (Ἐφύρα or Ἐφύρη), was the capital of ancient Thesprotia, according to the myth built by the Arcadian leader Thesprotos. Thucydides describes it as situated in the district Elaeatis ...

(also known as Ephyra). Other important cities of Thesprotia include Pandosia, Titani, Cheimerium, Toryne,

Phanote Phanote or Phanota (), or Phanoteia (), was a strongly fortified ancient Greek town of Chaonia located in the region of Epirus. The town's location was of military/strategic importance as it stood in the midst of a valley surrounded by an amphith ...

Cassope Kassope or ''Cassope'' ( - ''Kassōpē'', also Κασσωπία - ''Kassōpia'' and Κασσιόπη - ''Kassiopē'') was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek cityAn Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenh ...

, Photice, Boucheta and Batiai. There was a city called

sharing the same name with the tribe itself.

History

Thesprotis was inhabited by the tribe of the

Thesprotians The Thesprotians () were an ancient Greek tribe, akin to the Molossians, inhabiting the kingdom of Thesprotis in Epirus. Together with the Molossians and the Chaonians, they formed the main tribes of the northwestern Greek group. On their north ...

(''Thesprōtoí'', Θεσπρωτοί), one of the three most prominent tribes of

, along with the

Chaonians The Chaonians () were an Ancient Greeks, ancient Greek people that inhabited the historical Epirus, region of Epirus which today is part of northwestern Greece and southern Albania.; ; ; ; ; Together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians, the ...

and the

Molossians The Molossians () were a group of ancient Greek tribes which inhabited the region of Epirus in classical antiquity. Together with the Chaonians and the Thesprotians, they formed the main tribal groupings of the northwestern Greek group. On t ...

. The Thessalians who conquered

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

were considered to have originally come from Thesprotis. The Thesprotians are said to have been the strongest tribe in Epirus in the early times, before the power shifted during the

Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...

, going to the Chaonians, and later to the Molossians. The tribe originally had its own king, but according to Thucydides, the kingship had been abandoned in his time, just like in Molossia. During the fourth century BCE, Thesprotis became part of the Epriote League, which in 330 BCE became a more unified state, the Epirote Kingdom.Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1994). "CHAPTER 9d. ILLYRIANS AND NORTH-WEST GREEKS". In Lewis, David Malcolm; Boardman, John; Hornblower, Simon; Ostwald, M. (eds.). ''The Cambridge Ancient History: The Fourth Century B.C.'' Vol. VI (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 422–443. . In the Roman period,

Nicopolis Nicopolis () or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus (Roman province), Epirus. Its site, near Preveza, Greece, still contains impressive ruins. The city was founded in 29 BC by Octavian in commemoration of his ...

, founded by

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

in 31 BC, was the capital of the province of Epirus (and later Epirus Vetus), and it was located in Thesprotis.

Citations

References

*{{cite book, last1=Hansen, first1=Mogens Herman, last2=Nielsen, first2=Thomas Heine, title=An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis, location=Oxford, publisher=Oxford University Press, year=2004, isbn=0-19-814099-1 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22jupg3FqdYC Geography of Thesprotia Geography of ancient Epirus