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EpirusThe tribes were molded into a state under the hegemony of one of them (the Molossi), whose chiefs became the paramount rulers in the 4th cent. B.C. A Molossian ruler, Neoptolemus, married his daughter to Philip II of Macedon, who placed Neoptolemus' son Alexander on the throne of Molossia (most of Epirus). Alexander died on an invasion of Italy, but the kingdom persisted and grew. It reached its height in the 3d cent. B.C. under Pyrrhus, who achieved great renown. However, Pyrrhus' exploits and the unsuccessful attempts of his successor, Alexander II (d. 240 B.C.), to take Macedon ruined the state.
A republic was set up with its capital at Phoenice. The Epirotes sided with Macedon in the wars against Rome, and Epirus was sacked (167) by Aemilius Paullus, who took away many thousands of captives. The country passed under Roman dominion. Octavian (later Augustus) built (31 B.C.) a new capital at Nicopolis.
Epirus was a more-or-less-neglected portion of the Byzantine Empire. After the Crusaders had conquered Constantinople, the despotate of Epirus, larger than ancient Epirus, was set up. At the end of the 18th cent. Ali Pasha, the pasha of Yannina (see Ioánnina), set up an independent state in Epirus and Albania.
See study by N. G. L. Hammond (1967) of the geography and ancient remains of the area.
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- Epirus, despotate of
Epirus, despotate of. When, in 1204, the army of the Fourth Crusade set up the Latin Empire of Constantinople on the ruins of the Byzantine Empire, an independent Greek state emerged in Epirus...
- Pyrrhus, Molossian king of Epirus
Pyrrhus, c.318–272 B.C., Molossian king of Epirus. He fought at Ipsus in Asia Minor in the service of Demetrius Poliorcetes (later Demetrius I) of Macedon, and by the aid of Ptolemy I he becam...
- Ioánnina
Ioánnina, city (1991 pop. 56,699), capital of Ioánnina prefecture, NW Greece, in Epirus, on Lake Ioánnina. The chief city of Epirus, it is the commercial center for an agricultural region. Man...
- Nicopolis
Nicopolis [Gr.,=city of victory], ancient city, NW Greece, in Epirus. It was founded by Octavian (later Augustus) to celebrate the victory (31 B.C.) at Actium, which is nearby. The city largel...
- Suli
Suli or Souli, small mountainous district, N Greece, in Epirus. Its inhabitants, the Suliotes, who lived in fortlike villages in the mountains, remained independent during most of the occupati...
- Dorians
Dorians, people of ancient Greece. Their name was mythologically derived from Dorus, son of Hellen. Originating in the northwestern mountainous region of Epirus and SW Macedonia, they migrated...
- Macedonia, region, Europe
Macedonia, region, SE Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, divided among Greece, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Macedonia. Corresponding roughly with ancient Macedon, it extends from the Aegean Sea...
- Demetrius II, king of Macedon
Demetrius II, d. 229 B.C., king of Macedon (239–229 B.C.), son of Antigonus II. His reign was a confusion of wars and invasions, mostly concerned with possession of Epirus. The Aetolian League...
- Árta
Árta, formerly Ambracia, city (1991 pop. 21,286), capital of Árta prefecture, W Greece, in Epirus, near the mouth of the Arachtus River. It is a trading and shipping center for agricultural go...
- Botsaris, Markos
Botsaris, Markos, c.1788–1823, Greek patriot. Exiled from his native Epirus in 1803, he joined Ali Pasha in 1820 and later was prominent in the Greek War of Independence, notably in the defens...
