Friday, November 21, 2014

Greeks overtake Elymians

The western portion of Sicily was populated by an early people called the Elymians (Elymi) who had established several settlements in the area by 1100 BCE, pushing aside the Sicanians who retreated more to the central area of the island. Greek historians postulated that the Elymians were descendants of those who escaped the destruction of Troy, although the theory is unsupported. Another theory is that they were connected to the Minoan society. Most likely the Greeks claimed a kinship with the Elymians for the sake of political propaganda justifying their occupation of western Sicily and ousting the Phoenician/Carthaginians. (No, nothing really changes in politics.) Regardless of their origins, by 500 BCS, the Elymians were amalgamated into the Greek civilization, as evidenced by the Greek temple (built c. 430 BCE) at Segesta, one of the 3 main Elymian settlements. Archaeology has been unable to clearly define an Elymian language or culture as separate from the Sicanians before the arrival of the Greeks, or from the Greeks after their Hellinization. Unlike other Sicilian groups, the Elymians apparently never engaged in open conflict with the Phoenicians and did not seek independence from Greece. Perhaps they were a peaceful and unusually adaptable people, but more likely, they saw the benefits of trade. Can anyone provide more un-to-date information?

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