Achaia, Ancient Greek Region

Achaia is a mountainous region in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese in Greece, with peaks exceeding 2,000 meters. These mountains are the source of numerous rivers and torrents, which carve deep valleys but tend to dry up in the summer. In ancient times, the slopes were ideal for agriculture, while the highest elevations were densely forested. Consequently, the Achaeans worshipped deities like Dionysus (god of wine and ecstasy), Demeter (mother earth, fertility) and Artemis (goddess of hunting and wild nature) together with Zeus (the king of all gods) and Poseidon (god of the sea), reflecting the land’s fertile and wild nature.

The territory of Achaia to c. 500 BCE

According to ancient Greek tradition, Achaia was initially settled by an Aeolian people. Later, the Achaeans, fleeing Dorian invasions from the eastern and southern Peloponnese, conquered the region under the leadership of Tisamenus of Orestis. He drove the defeated Ionians from their city of Helike, forcing many to migrate to Attica. Despite this upheaval, the Achaeans preserved the Ionian-established league of twelve districts, though they fortified their cities and established monarchical rule.

Orestes and Pylades in Tauris. Detail from a Campanian red-figure krater, ca. 330 BC–320 BCE. From Italy.
Thisamenus, king of Sparta, was the son of Orestes and Hermione. He inherited the throne of Sparta from Menelaus. He was attacked and killed by the Heraclids or deposed by them, he died fighting against the Ionians, in the victorious conquest by his people of the region of the Ionians then called Achaia.

Historically, the Achaeans are thought to be descendants of the Peloponnese's pre-Dorian population, contributing to the spread of Minoan civilization during the Mycenaean period. Following the fall of monarchy in Achaia, a democratic confederation of twelve districts emerged, centered in Helike with regular gatherings at Poseidon’s sanctuary. For centuries, Achaia remained isolated from Greek politics but played a significant role in colonizing southern Italy. However, when conflict divided Greece between Athens and Sparta, Achaia became involved.

Excavations of a temple 2,800 years old, a center of worship of the god Poseidon in the ancient Achaean city of Eliki, or Helike, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, destroyed by an earthquake and swept away by a subsequent flood in 375 BCE. The ancient city, located 7.5 kilometers east of the modern city of Aigio, was submerged and its ruins remained visible under the waters of the Gulf of Corinth for centuries, being a tourist destination for Roman travelers who traveled along the roads by boat.

Between 454 and 446 BCE, Achaia joined the Athenian alliance. Later, its cities aligned with either Athens or Sparta, depending on the situation. Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, Achaia fell under Spartan influence, supporting Sparta in battles like the bloody Battle of Nemea in 394 BCE. A major tragedy struck in 373 BCE when Helike, the capital, was destroyed by an earthquake and submerged by the sea. In 367 BCE, under Theban general Epaminondas, Achaia came under Theban control, which attempted to replace the region’s oligarchic governments with democratic ones. However, these struggles led to the eventual collapse of the original Achaean League.

The death bed of Epaminondas, commander of the Theban army in the battle against Sparta. Epaminondas was mortally wounded by a Spartan, and died shortly thereafter.

The Achaeans resisted Macedonian rule, fighting at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. Yet, over time, many Achaean cities fell under the influence of Macedonian generals, who installed minor tyrants aligned with Macedonian interests. This oppression led to the formation of a renewed Achaean League in the 3rd century BCE. The league’s history intertwined with Greece’s, ending with the Roman destruction of Corinth in 146 BCE and the subsequent disbanding of the league. After the Roman conquest, Achaia initially did not form a distinct province but was united with Macedonia as Macedonia et Achaia. In 27 BCE, Emperor Augustus established Achaia as an autonomous senatorial province under a proconsul.

This structure had two main interruptions: from 15 to 44 CE, when it was administered with Macedonia by imperial legates, until Emperor Claudius returned it to senatorial rule; and during Nero’s rule, when he granted Greek cities full independence, although Achaia was later restored as a province under Vespasian around 74 CE. In the Diocletian reforms, Achaia became part of the diocese of Macedonia, headquartered in Corinth. The region retained its cultural identity with the use of the Achaean dialect.

Throughout the Roman period up to Diocletian’s rule, notable political events included Emperor Caracalla’s edict granting Roman citizenship to many provincials. During the Diocletian-Constantinian administrative reforms, Achaia became part of the Illyricum prefecture, while Corinth remained its capital. Proconsuls governed Achaia into the 6th century under Emperor Justinian, overseeing a province containing 78 cities.

The exact boundaries of Achaia as a Roman province remain uncertain. Some Greek cities retained privileged statuses as civitates liberae et immunes, enjoying autonomy and sometimes expanding at the expense of neighboring cities. Athens, for example, held this status based on ancient treaties with Rome, preserving its independence and immunity. These cities retained their constitutions, often transforming democracies into timocracies (governments led by property owners).

The two most famous cities, Athens and Sparta, along with a few others, kept this privileged status, while most Greek cities became stipendiariae, paying tribute to Rome. These cities, although not individually governed by specific treaties, operated under general provincial law but retained their local institutions.

In Achaia, Roman colonies like Corinth and Patrae played significant roles. Corinth was rebuilt by Julius Caesar as Colonia Laus Julia Corinthus, and Patrae became Colonia Augusta Aroe Patrae under Augustus, populated by both Greeks and Roman legionnaires. While most Greek leagues were disbanded by the Romans, federal assemblies with sacrificial rather than political functions eventually reappeared.

Roman taxation in Achaia remained consistent with pre-existing systems, though Roman rule imposed heavier burdens and clear class distinctions. Public lands and mines, considered imperial property, generated income for the treasury. The agri vectigales, public lands seized from conquered cities, were leased by the state to either publicans or former owners paying rent.

Located far from the empire’s frontiers, Achaia was spared the need for permanent garrisons, enjoying peace under Augustus and his successors. Greek cities maintained local military organizations, but these became largely ceremonial. The Roman era brought stability to Achaia, allowing its cities to flourish once more, until later invasions began in the 3rd century. By the late 4th century, the Visigoths under Alaric raided Greece without resistance. Later, in the 5th century, Vandals targeted Greece’s coasts, marking the end of its peaceful period. For the next millennium, Greece would endure numerous invasions and successive rulers.

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Last update: November 4, 2024

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