The Locrians (Greek: Λοκροί) were an ancient Greek tribe in Greece. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Locrians spoke the Locrian dialect, a Doric-Northwest dialect, and this indicates that they must have been relatives of the Dorians. Locrian Greek ( Locrian dialect, Greek: Λοκρική διάλεκτος is one of the Ancient Greek dialects, which was spoken by the Locrians For the modern Doric dialect of Scotland see Doric dialect (Scotland Doric was a dialect of ancient Greek. The Dorians or Dorian Greeks ( Greek:, Dōrieis singular, Dōrieus were They inhabited the ancient region of Locris in Central Greece. Locris ( Greek, Modern Lokrida, Ancient Lokris) was a region of Ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of two districts Continental Greece ( Στερεά Ελλάδα - Stereá Elláda, earlier Χέρσος Ελλάς) or Central Greece ( Κεντρική Ελλάδα

The prehistoric residents of Locris were Leleges and the latter were replaced by Locrians, when the Greek tribes started to arrive in Southern Greece. The Leleges were one of the aboriginal peoples of southwest Anatolia (compare " Pelasgians quot who were already there when the Indo-European Hellenes However, Dionysius of Halicarnassus does not separate them, mentioning that Locrians is the later name of the Leleges^[1], in the way other ancient historians identify Hellenes with the peoples who preceded them in Greece. Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Halicarnassus c 60 BC–after 7 BC was a Greek historian and teacher of Rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Aristotle and other writers supposed the name of the Locrians to be derived from Locrus, an ancient king of the Leleges. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. In Greek mythology, Locrus was the son of Maera and Zeus. (Aristot. ; Hes. ap. Strabo vii. p. 322; Scymnus Ch. 590; Dicaearch. 71; Plin. iv. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author 7. s. 12. ) According to some traditions, Deucalion, the founder of the Hellenic race, is said to have lived in the Locrian town of Opus or Cynus. In Greek mythology, Deucalion (Δευκαλίων was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. Opus (also Opous, Ancient Greek:) in Ancient Greece, the chief city of Opuntian or Eastern Locris. (Pind. Ol. Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient ix. 63, seq. ; Strab. ix. p. 425. )

History and distribution

The Locrians are said to have arrived in southern Greece in the late 2nd millennium BC from their homeland on Pindus, when the Greek tribes moved southwards. The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. This article is about the mountain range called Pindus for other uses of these names see Pindus (disambiguation The Pindus (Πίνδος In historical times the Locrians were divided into two distinct tribes, differing from each other in customs, habits and civilization. Of these the eastern Locrians, called the Opuntian and Epicnemedian, dwelt upon the eastern coast of Greece, opposite the island of Euboea, while the western Locrians, called Ozolian or Esperian, dwelt upon the Corinthian gulf and were separated from the former by Mount Parnassus and the whole of Doris and Phocis. Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greek region inhabited by the tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii ( Greek:) or Locri Opuntii For the mythological figure see Euboea (mythology Euboea ( Modern Greek, Εύβοια - Évia &mdash Ozolian Locris or Esperian Locris (Οζολία Λοκρίς ή Εσπερία Λοκρίς was a district inhabited by the Ozolian Locrians a tribe of the Locrians The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. Mythology Mount Parnassus is named after Parnassos the son of the Nymph Kleodora and the man Kleopompus. Doris ( Greek:: Eth, pl,; Latin: Dores Dorienses is small mountainous district in ancient Greece, bounded by Aetolia Phocis ( Greek, Modern: Φωκίδα foˈkiða Ancient / Katharevousa: Φωκίς foˈkis is an ancient district and a modern prefecture (Strab. ix. p. 425. )

It is likely that the Locrians at one time extended from sea to sea, and were torn asunder by the immigration of the Phocians and Dorians. (Niebuhr, Lectures on Ancient Ethnography, vol. Barthold Georg Niebuhr ( August 27, 1776 &ndash January 2, 1831) was a German statesman and Historian. i. p. 123. ) The most famous colony of the Locrian tribe was the city of Epizephyrian Locri, founded in the 7th century BC in Magna Græcia, which exists until today as Locri. Colonies in antiquity were City-states founded from a mother- City Locri is a town and Comune (municipality in the Province of Reggio Calabria, The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC. According to Strabo the founders were the Ozolian Locrians, from the region of Amphissa. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. Amfissa ( Greek: Άμφισσα ˈaɱfisa is a municipality and the capital town of the prefecture of Phocis, in Greece.

In the 6th century BC, the Locrians had a series of conflicts with the neighbouring tribes. The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. Only the Opuntian Locrians are mentioned by Homer; they were the more ancient and the more civilized. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Ozolian Locrians, who are said to have been a colony of the former, are not mentioned in history until the time of the Peloponnesian War, and are even then represented as a semi-barbarous people. (Thuc. i. Thucydides ( C 460 BC &ndash C 395 BC) ( Greek Θουκυδίδης Thoukydídēs) was a Greek 5. ) That was the last mention of the Ozolian Locrians, as they suffered the defeat from Corinth later and they stopped having a distinct identity in the 4th century BC. Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek grc Κόρινθος was a City-state ( Polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. The Opuntian Locrians, who are mentioned to have taken part in the battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and the Persians, were attacked by various tribes which devastated their country and only some of their towns preserved the Locrian identity in the 3rd century BC. In the Battle of Thermopylae, which occurred in August 480 BC (and was detailed almost entirely by Herodotus) an alliance of Greek City-states fought The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC

Culture

The Locrians around Thermopylae were the first to have been called Hellenes and later the name expanded to the other Greek tribes through the Amphictionia of Delphi, to which they belonged, and their religion. Thermopylae (θɚˈmɒpəli (Ancient and Katharevousa Greek, Demotic Θερμοπύλες: "hot gateway" is a location in Greece The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western The most famous of their heroes were Ajax the Locrian, best known as Ajax the Lesser, son of Oileus, and Patroclus, son of Menoetius and best friend of Achilles. For other uses of this name see Ajax. Ajax ( Greek:) was a Greek mythological hero son of Oileus In Greek mythology, Oileus (or Oïleus (Ὀϊλεύς was the king of Locris. In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos (Gr In Greek mythology, Menoetius (Greek Menoitios) referred to several different people "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. Elements of Ajax worship have been found in Euboea, Pontus, the Aegean islands, Asia Minor, Peloponnesus, Kerkyra, Epirus, southern Italy and northern Africa, which means that the Locrian civilization was widely extended in the ancient Greek world. For the mythological figure see Euboea (mythology Euboea ( Modern Greek, Εύβοια - Évia &mdash Geography The Black Sea region loosely called Pontus by various scholars has a steep rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges The Aegean Islands (Νησιά Αιγαίου Nisiá Aigaíou; Ege Adaları are a group of Islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Corfu (Κέρκυρα Kérkyra, ˈkʲe̞ɾkʲiɾa Κέρκυρα or Κόρκυρα Corcyra Corfù is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In the Greek mythology, the Locrians are closely related to the Phocians and Eleans. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Phocis ( Greek, Modern: Φωκίδα foˈkiða Ancient / Katharevousa: Φωκίς foˈkis is an ancient district and a modern prefecture Elis, or Eleia ( Greek, Modern Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient Ēlis, Doric: Alis, Elean: Walis) is an ancient

James M. Redfield, professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, in his book The Locrian Maidens: Love and Death in Greek Italy, states that the Locrians of Epizephyrian Locri had a special way to treat the sex difference^[2]. James M Redfield is the Edward Olson Distinguished Service Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago. The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Although the Locrians hardly viewed men and women as equals, women held special religious rights, which men could gain access to only by marrying them. Locrian women became the vehicles for the transmission of status, and marriage maintained the social order of a traditional oligarchy. Oligarchy' ( Greek, Oligarkhía) is a Form of government where Political power effectively rests with a small elite segment

Ajax the Lesser

Ajax raping Cassandra from the Palladium. Side A of an Attic black-figure amphora, ca. 540 BC. From Vulci.

The national hero of the Locrians was Ajax the Locrian, who led the 40 Locrian ships to Troy^[3], to take part in the Trojan War. For other uses of this name see Ajax. Ajax ( Greek:) was a Greek mythological hero son of Oileus The Catalogue of Ships (νεῶν κατάλογος neōn katalogos) is a passage in Book Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her Locrians respected him so much, that after his death they kept a place for him in their phalanx, thinking that he will always fight with them. The phalanx (Ancient Greek φάλαγξ Modern Greek φάλαγγα phālanga (plural phalanxes or phalanges (Ancient and Modern Greek φάλαγγες On the other side, Ajax's actions resulted in his death according to Greek mythology, while the Locrian tribe suffered from the anger of the gods. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance After the fall of Troy, he raped Cassandra in the temple of Athena, where she had taken refuge as a supplicant. In Greek mythology, Cassandra ( Greek: Κασσάνδρα "she who entangles men" (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. For this crime, Poseidon wrecked the ship of Ajax on the coast of Euboea and Ajax was killed by a lightning bolt. In Greek mythology, Poseidon ( Greek:; Latin: Neptūnus) was the god of the Sea and as "Earth-Shaker"

The curse

According to Lycophron, in his work Alexandra, for this crime of their national hero, the Locrians had to send two unmarried maidens to the temple of Athena at Ilion of Athens for 1,000 years, where they should live until they died. Lycophron was a Greek Poet and Grammarian (although the Oxford Classical Dictionary regards these as two different men Ilion (ancient form Ilium) ( Greek, Ίλιον) previously named Nea Liossia ( Greek Νέα Λιόσια) is a suburb Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's After their death, they would not be given a decent burial, while for each maiden who died, another one must be sent into the temple by night, and she would be stoned to death if seen.

The goddess is referred to as "Athena Ilias", a name not necessarily derived from Ilion, but maybe from the family deity Oileus, the father of Ajax and the ancestral hero of the Locrians. In Greek mythology, Oileus (or Oïleus (Ὀϊλεύς was the king of Locris. She could have protected the maidens during their period of initiation

Callimachus mentions that the curse fell upon Locris three years after the Trojan war, which led to the beginning of the tribute at the command of the Delphic oracle. Callimachus ( Greek:, 310 BC/305 BC-240 BC was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. PYTHIA is a computer simulation program for particle collisions at very high energies (see Event (particle physics) in Particle accelerators According to Apollodorus, after the command of the Delphic oracle, two maidens were sent to Ilion, and their duty was to clean the temple. After their death, they were replaced, while the tribute ended after a thousand years with the end of the Phocian War, which destroyed Naryca, the town that supplied the maidens. Aelian says that the plague, fell upon Locris after the Locrians failed to send the yearly tribute that the oracle demanded. Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century CE resident at Rome is sometimes confused with Claudius Aelianus Demetrius of Scepsis knows that the maidens were sent for the first time "when the Persians were already in control", so after 547 BC. Demetrius of Scepsis was a Greek grammarian of the time of Aristarchus and Crates ( Strab Events and trends 546 BC — Croesus, Lydian king, is defeated by Cyrus of Persia near the River Halys

Locrian maidens had the appearance of a Greek mourner, as they went to Ilion barefoot, wearing only one garment and their hair was loose or cut. Cut hair symbolizes maturity for both sexes and plays a part in marriage rituals, while lossened or cut hair are required in other cults such as to Demeter and Dionysus, and bare feet in other as well. Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman In addition to these, lossened hair and bare feet are signs of a witch.

These maidens were not given proper burials, as most of them were burnt on a pyre of barren branches and the ashes were thrown to the sea. This kind of pyre was used in Greece to burn criminals and the barren trees were used to burn portents and prodigies, while criminals were hanged from these trees. Locrian maidens were seen as marginal beings and scapegoats, separated from normal life, a feature of rites of passage. The three stages of rites of passage are separation, marginalization and reincorporation, and according to this, the maidens left for Ilion, spent a year there and returned home. In Epizephyrian Locri, maidens were prostituted as a reminder and punishment for a certain act. Ancient basis for prostitution was that girls would marry earlier than their coevals and foreigners would complete the rites. The completion of the rites enhances the status of girls.

In the middle of the 6th century, this cult became more epic focused and centered on the expiation for the crimes of Ajax. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. As a result, later generations forgot its significance and put an end to this tribute.

See also

• Ozolian Locris
• Opuntian Locris
• Locri in Italy, Magna Graecia

References

External links

• Mara Dabrishus - Oxford Readings in Greek Religion, Locrian Maidens (by Fritz Graf)