Chaonia or Chaon ( Greek Χαονία or Χάων) was the name of the northwestern part of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinric ...

, the homeland of the

Epirote Epirus (; el, Ήπειρος, translit=Ípiros, ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region in northwestern Greece.Π.Δ. 51/87 “Καθορισμός των Περιφερειών της Χώρας για το σχεδια ...

Greek tribe of the

Chaonians The Chaonians ( grc, Χάονες, Cháones) were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus currently part of north-western Greece and southern Albania.; ; ; ; ; . Together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians, they formed ...

. Its main town was called Phoenice. In Virgil's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the ...

'',

Chaon Chaon ( el, Χάων, gen.: Χάονος) was a Trojan hero and the eponymous ancestor of the Chaonians in Virgil's ''Aeneid''. The story is unclear as to whether he was the friend or the brother of Helenus, but in either case, he accompanied h ...

was the eponymous ancestor of the Chaonians.

Name

According to mythology, the eponymous ancestor of the Chaonians was

. Etymologically, both the region of Χαονία 'Chaonia', and the name of its inhabitants Χάονες 'Chaones,

', derive from Χάων 'Chaon', which in turn derives from the Greek *χαϝ-ών 'place with abysses';

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

Χάον ὄρος 'Chaon mountain' in

Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( el, Αργολίδα , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula and part of the tri ...

, χάος 'chaos, space, abyss', χάσκω 'to yawn', χάσμα 'chasm, gorge'.

Geography

Strabo in his ''Geography'', places Chaonia between the

Ceraunian mountains The Ceraunian Mountains ( sq, Malet e Vetëtimës, "Thunderbolt mountains"; el, Κεραύνια Όρη, ''Keravnia ori''; la, Cerauni Montes), also commonly Akroceraunian Mountains ( grc, Ἀκροκεραύνια, sq, Malet Akrokeraune "male ...

in the north and the

River Thyamis The Thyamis ( el, Θύαμις), also known as Glykys (Γλυκύς) or Kalamas (Καλαμάς), is a river in the Epirus region of Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. I ...

in the south. The Roman historian,

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Hadr ...

, mentions Chaonia as the southern border in his description and geography of Illyria.Appian. ''The Foreign Wars, III.1'' (ed. Horace White). Important cities in Chaonia included Cestrine (modern

Filiates Filiates ( el, Φιλιάτες; ) is a town and a municipality in Thesprotia, Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the regional unit, bordering western Ioannina regional unit and southern Albania. Name The region of Filiates was kno ...

), Chimaera (modern

Himarë Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; el, Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'' or Χιμάρα, ''Chimara'') is a municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative units of H ...

Buthrotum Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differen ...

, Phoenice,

Cassiope Cascade, Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE), is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) multi-mission satellite operated by the University of Calgary. The mission development and operations from launch to February 2018 was funded through CS ...

(Modern

Kassiopi Kassiopi ( el, Κασσιόπη) is a fishing village on the affluent northeast coast of Corfu, Greece. It is in the municipal unit of Kassopaia. Historically a small traditional fishing village, its surroundings have largely been developed with l ...

) Panormos, Ilium (moder
Despotiko
Onchesmus (modern

Sarandë Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; el, Άγιοι Σαράντα, Ágioi Saránta) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Medi ...

) and Antigonia.

Mythology

In Vigil's ''Aeneid'', Aeneas visits Chaonia and meets

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler' o ...

and

Helenus In Greek mythology, Helenus (; grc, Ἕλενος, ''Helenos'', la, Helenus) was a gentle and clever seer. He was also a Trojan prince as the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, and the twin brother of the prophetess Cassandra. He was a ...

. He is told he must continue on to Italy, and instructed to meet the Sibyl concerning a more specific prophecy as to Aeneas's destiny.

References

External links

Plutarch - Pyrrhus
{{Coord, 39.8778, N, 20.0000, E, source:wikidata, display=title

Name

Geography

Mythology

See also

References

External links