The
Peloponnese or Peloponnesos, is a large peninsula at the southern tip of the
Balkans, and part of the traditional heartland of Greece. It is joined to the Greek 'mainland' by the
Isthmus of Corinth. The Peloponnese is conventionally divided into seven regions, which remain in use as regional units of modern Greece. Most of these regions are directly named in the "catalogue of ships" in the
Iliad, suggesting that this geographic division of the Peloponnese is very ancient, and stretches back to
Mycenaean Greece.
Achaea Geographically, Achaea was (and is) the northernmost region of the Peloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north of
Arcadia. To the south, it bordered Arcadia along the ridge of high ground running from
Mount Erymanthos to
Mount Cyllene. To the east, it bordered
Corinthia near to the city of
Sicyon, and to the west the
Larissos river and western ridge of Erymanthos formed the border with
Elis. Apart from the plain around
Dyme, to the west, Achaea was generally a mountainous region.
Arcadia Geographically, ancient Arcadia occupied the highlands at the centre of the Peloponnese. To the north, it bordered
Achaea along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Erymanthos to Mount Cyllene; most of
Mount Aroania lay within Arcadia. To the east, it had borders with
Argolis and
Corinthia along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Cyllene round to
Mount Oligyrtus and then south
Mount Parthenius. To the south, the border
Laconia and
Messenia ran through the foothills of the
Parnon and
Taygetos mountain ranges, such that Arcadia contained all the headwaters of the
Alpheios river, but none of the
Eurotas river. To the south-west, the border with Messania ran along the tops of
Mount Nomia, and
Mount Elaeum, and from there the border with
Elis ran along the valleys of the
Erymanthos and
Diagon rivers. Most of the region of Arcardia was mountainous, apart from the plains around
Tegea and
Megalopolis, and the valleys of the Alpheios and
Ladon rivers. Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia seems to have been a cultural refuge. When, during the
Greek Dark Age,
Doric Greek dialects were introduced to the Peloponnese, the older language apparently survived in Arcadia, and formed part of the
Arcado-Cypriot group of Greek languages. Herodotus says that the inhabitants of Arcadia were
Pelasgians, the Greek name for the supposed 'indigenous' inhabitants of Greece, who dwelt there before the arrival of the 'Hellenic' tribes. Whilst Herodotus seems to have found the idea that the Pelasgians were not 'Greek' far-fetched, it is clear that the Arcadians were considered as the original inhabitants of the region. Arcadia is one of the regions described in the "
catalogue of ships" in the
Iliad.
Agamemnon himself gave Arcadia the ships for the Trojan war because Arcadia did not have a navy. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of the
same name, which is more extensive than the ancient region.
Argolis Ancient Argolis, sometimes called 'the Argolid' and taking its name from the city of
Argos, occupied the eastern part of the Peloponnesus, primarily the
Argolid peninsula, together with the coastal region to the east of
Arcadia, and north of
Laconia. To the north, the boundary with the
territory of Corinth was rather more fluid, and these territories have sometimes been considered together. For instance, Pausanias discussed Argolis and Corinthia together in one book of his
Description of Greece; similarly, in modern Greece, a prefecture of "
Argolidocorinthia" has existed at various times. Argolis is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of the
Iliad, without being given that explicit name, but the major cities of the region are listed together under the leadership of
Diomedes. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of the
same name, occupying a smaller area than the ancient region. The
Pyramids of Argolis are found within this territory.
Corinthia The territory associated with the city of
ancient Corinth in ancient Greece lay on either side of the isthmus of Corinth. On the northern side of the Isthmus, it was bounded by
Mount Geraneia, which separated it from
Megaris. On the Peloponnesian side of the Isthmus, Corinthia was bounded by
Achaea to the west, and to the south by the territory of Argolis. As discussed above, the boundary between Argolis and Corinthia was rather fluid, and in both ancient and modern times, the regions have been considered together. Corinthia is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of the Iliad, without being given that explicit name, but the major cities of the region are listed together under the leadership of
Agamemnon. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of the
same name.
Elis Elis occupied the western, and flattest part of the Peloponnese. To the north-east, it bordered
Achaea along the Larissos river and western spur of Erymanthos, and the east the border with Arcadia ran along the Erymanthos and Diagon rivers to Mount Elaeum. From the Elaeum, its border with
Messenia ran along the
Neda river to the sea. Elis is discussed in the "catalogue of ships" of the Iliad, without being given that explicit name (Elis is only used for the name of the city), but the major cities of the region are listed together. There is a modern regional unit of Greece with the
same name.
Laconia Laconia (also called Lacedaemon; ,
Lakedaimōn), occupied the south-eastern part of the Peloponnese. Its principal boundaries were formed by the Parnon and Taygetos mountain ranges. Its western boundary, adjoining
Messenia, ran along the Koskaraka (or Rema Mili) River from just south of the city of
Abia, up into the Taygetos range, and then north along the Taygetos ridge. The northern border with
Arcadia ran amongst the foothills of Taygetos and Parnon, such that up Laconia included all the headwaters of the
Eurotas river. To the north-east of the Parnon range was the coastal area of
Cynuria; this was originally part of the Argolid, but by the Classical period had become part of Laconia. The land between the Taygetos and Parnon ranges formed the heart of Laconia; the coastal region east of Parnon, and south of Cynuria was also part of Laconia. Lacedaemon is one of the regions described in the "catalogue of ships" in the Iliad. In the Archaic and Classical periods, the Laconians were members of the
Delphian
Amphictyonic League, and shared the two
Dorian votes on the Amphictyonic council with the Dorians from
Doris. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of the
same name. During the
Classical period, Laconia was dominated by the city of Sparta. There were other settlements in the region, and most inhabitants were not full Spartan citizens (
Spartiates), but Lacedaemonians or
Perioeci ("about-dwellers"). However, all these citizens and towns were part of the Spartan state. Only after the final eclipse of Spartan power after the
War against Nabis did the rest of Laconia become free from Spartan domination. However, Laconia instead fell under the domination of the
Achaean League until the whole of the Peloponnese was conquered by the Romans in 146 BC.
Messenia Messenia occupied the south-western part of the Peloponnese. To the north it had a border with
Elis along the
Neda river, from whence the border with
Arcadia ran along the tops of Mount Elaeum and Mount Nomia. The northern border with Arcadia then ran amongst the foothills of Taygetos, but all the headwater of the Alpheios river lay outside Messenia. The eastern border with
Laconia ran along the Taygetos ridge up to the Koskaraka river, and then along that river to the sea, near the city of Abia. There is a modern regional unit of Greece of the
same name. ==Thessalia==