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Greek coin of the Akarnanian League in Akarnania
Bronze 20mm (5.82 grams) Struck circa 250-167 B.C.
Reference: HGC 4, 738; Sear 2314
Pedigree / Provenance: Ex Coin Galleries 6/1/1979 No. 641
Head of Athena left, in crested Attic helmet.
Bearded head of river-god Achelous left; trident right above.
The rugged region in north-western Greece, according to Greek mythology derived it’s name from Akarnan, son of the Argive king Amphiarios who settled at the mouth of the Achelous river. The myth goes that the river-god Archelous and Hercules had a competition for the hand in marriage of Deianaira, an Aitolian princess. When wrestling Hercules, Archelous transformed first into a serpent and then into a man-headed bull, with the ultimate victory going to Hercules. While wrestling, Hercules tore one of the the horns of Archelous off. The power the river-god had was to water the land fruitful, and in correlation his horn became the cornucopia (“full horn” or “horn of plenty”) with the amazing power to always refill itself.
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 Athena or Athene (Latin: Minerva), also referred to as Pallas Athena, is the goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill in Greek mythology. Minerva, Athena’s Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patron of Athens. The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena Parthenos). Athena’s cult as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliest times and was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias (“Athena of the city”). Athens and Athena bear etymologically connected names.
In Greek mythology, Achelous was the patron deity of the “silver-swirling” Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. His name is pre-Greek, its meaning unknown. The Greeks invented etymologies to associate it with Greek word roots (one such popular etymology translates the name as “he who washes away care”). However, these are etymologically unsound and of much later origin than the name itself.
Achelous was often reduced to a bearded mask, an inspiration for the medieval Green Mann. Floor mosaic, Zeugma, Turkey.
Acarnania (Greek: Ακαρνανία) is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of the regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. The capital and principal city in ancient times was Stratos. The north side of Acarnania of the Corinthian Gulf was considered part of the region of Epirus.
Acarnania’s foundation in Greek mythology was traditionally ascribed to Acarnan, son of Alcmaeon.
History
Classical
In the 7th century BC, Greek influence in the region became prominent when Corinth settled Anactorium, Sollium and Leucas, and Kefalonia settled Astacus. Settlements in Alyzeia, Coronta, Limnaia, Medion, Oeniadae, Palaerus, Phoitiai and Stratus are also mentioned by Thucydides, this latter city being the seat of a loose confederation of Acarnanian powers that was maintained until the late 1st century BC.
Because it is located strategically on the maritime route to Italy, Acarnania was involved in many wars. In the 5th century BC, the Corinthians were forced out of their Acarnanian settlements by Athens. The Acarnanian League came into existence as a loose federation of the Acarnanian cities. In the 4th century BC, c.390 BC, the cities of Acarnania surrendered to the Spartans under King Agesilaus, and continued to be Spartan allies until joining the Second Athenian Empire in 375 BC. The Acarnanians later sided with the Boeotians in their fight against Sparta, and with Athens against Philip II of Macedon at Chaeronea.
Acarnania thereafter came under Macedonian rule. In 314 BC, at the behest of the Macedonian king Cassander, the settlements of Acarnania lying near the Aetolian border were conglomerated into fewer, larger settlements. Still, border conflicts with the Aetolians were frequent, and led to Acarnania’s territory being partitioned between Aetolia and Epirus, c.250 BC. After the fall of the king of Epirus, the Acarnanian territory that had been given to Epirus regained its independence, and Leucas became the capital of the region.
Acarnania allied itself with Philip V of Macedon against Rome in 200 BC, although it lost Leucas because of this, and the city of Thyrreion was appointed the new capital.
In the 1st century BC, Acarnania suffered greatly at the hands of pirates, and in Rome’s civil wars. Afterwards, the towns and settlements of Acarnania fell under the rule of Nicopolis.
Byzantine
Main article: Nicopolis (theme)
When the Byzantine Empire broke up (1204), Acarnania passed to the Despotate of Epirus and in 1348 it was conquered by Serbia. Then in 1480 it fell to the Ottoman Empire. Since 1832 it has been part of Greece.
Modern
Main article: Aetolia-Acarnania
Geography
Acarnania is composed of three main regions: 1) a rocky coastline, 2) a rugged strip of mountain range that follows the coastline, and 3) plains lying between these mountains and the Achelous River.
List of Acarnanians
- Carnus, seer of Apollo who established the cult of Apollo Carneus among the Dorians; see also Carnea.
- Amphilytus, seer of Peisistratos (Athens).
- Megistias, seer at the battle of Thermopylae.
- Lysimachus of Acarnania one of the tutors of Alexander the Great
- Philip of Acarnania, one of the physicians of Alexander the Great
- Machatas (sculptor)
- Aristomenes of Acarnania, guardian and regent of Ptolemy III Euergetes
- Alexander of Acarnania, general of Antiochus the Great
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