Ainis

The region takes its name from the tribe of the Ainianians, who dwelt in the area. The name Ainis first occurs in Roman times; the only known earlier name of the region was "land of the Aenianians", Ainianōn khōra (Theopompus). ==Geography==

Ainis is located in the upper Spercheios valley, bordering with Dolopia in the west, Oitaia in the south, Malis in the east and Achaia Phthiotis in the north. The exact borders with Oitaia and Malis have never been established. The river Spercheios flows through the region on its way down to the Maliac Gulf, and is joined in Ainis by its chief tributary the Inachos. The area is limited to the north by the Othrys mountains, and to the west by a spur of the Pindus mountains, with the peak of Tymphrestus visible from most of the region. To the south lie the peaks of Mount Goulinas and Mount Oiti, separated by the river Inachos. Most of Ainis consists today of a fertile river plain; whether this was the case during Antiquity does however remain uncertain. As with Greece in general, there is some seismic activity with hot springs close to the village of Platystomo. After the introduction of modern heating, the previously bald foothills of the surrounding mountains are now covered with dense thickets of ivy and prickly pear. ==History==

Plutarch writes (Quest. Graec. 12) that the Ainianians were once expelled from Thessaly by the Lapiths to wander the Greek peninsula until they finally settled in the upper Valley of Spercheios. According to Plutarch, when the Ainianians finally settled in what would become Ainis, the land was already occupied by the Inachians and the Achaeans. Phemios, king of the Ainianians, however, killed Hyparochos king of the Inachians with a stone while the latter had his head turned, thus winning the region for his people. The Ainianians struck coins in Hypata with the head of Zeus on the obverse and the legendary king Phemios on the reverse. ==Settlements==

Very little is known of the settlements in ancient Ainis apart from the city of Hypata. Several poleis (Kapheleis, Korophaioi, Phyrrhagioi and Talana) are mentioned in inscriptions at Delphi, but apart from Hypate, none has yet been convincingly identified. Most of Apuleius' The Golden Ass takes place in and about Hypata, which at the time of the novel was a thriving Roman city. After the introduction of Christianity, Hypata became a Metropolitan bishopric in the Roman province of Achaea. In Late Antiquity, Hypata became the refuge of citizens of Patras who fled the Slavic invasion of Greece; as a consequence, the town changed its name to Neopatras ("New Patras"), which it kept until the establishment of the modern Greek state in the 19th century. Kastrorachi An elongated hill near the village of Vitoli (Βίτολη) bears the name 'astrorachi (Καστρόραχη, "castle ridge"), and on its top there are remains of a wall with many towers as well as an impressive gate. The wall encompasses the whole hill, which bears the shape of a skewed "T", and is only preserved to a limited degree. No remains of structures other than the circuit wall has been noted. The strategic importance of the fortifications are not to be underestimated since the location dominates the upper plain of the valley as well as the confluence of the Spercheios with its tributary, the Papagourna. The location is often associated with the ancient polis of Spercheiai, but the identification remains uncertain. The remains at Ano Fteri, as is also the case of Kastrorakhi, has been linked with the ancient polis of Spercheiai, but this theory has yet to be proven. The body of a female statue in tufa was found here in around 1973, no other finds have been published. Béquignon interpreted the site as a mere observation post and not a position of defense. Roux and most other scholars of the early 20th century interpreted the remains at Profitis Ilias as the remains of Makra Kōmē (Μακρὰ Κώμη), This has been contested by some local authors who claim that the hill is the location of the semi-mythical Phthia, home of Achilles. This is, however, based on philological readings and not supported by any archaeological evidence. The site at Profitis Ilias is currently the subject of an archaeological survey conducted by the 14th Ephorate at Lamia and the Swedish Institute at Athens. == References ==