Olenus (Achaea)

Olenus (Ancient Greek: Ὤλενος, romanized: Olenos) or Olenum[1] was a polis (city-state)[2] in ancient Achaea, Greece. It was an original member of the Achaean League, one of the 12 Achaean cities, situated on the coast, and on the left bank of the river Peirus, 40 stadia from Dyme, and 80 stadia from Patrae. On the revival of the Achaean League in 280 BCE, it appears that Olenus was still in existence, as Strabo says that it did not join the league; but the inhabitants subsequently abandoned the town, and retired to the neighbouring villages of Peirae (Πειραί), and Euryteiae (Εὐρυτειαί), and to Dyme. In the time of Polybius, however, Olenus was no longer inhabited; and in the time of Pausanias (2nd century) it was in ruins, and its territory belonged to Dyme.[3][4][5][6]

Map of ancient Achaea (with place names in Greek)

Its site is located near the modern Tsoukalaiika/Kamenitsa.[7][8]

References

1. Pliny. Naturalis Historia. 4.6.
2. Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen (2004). "Achaia". An inventory of archaic and classical poleis. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 483. ISBN 0-19-814099-1.
3. Herodotus. Histories. 1.145.
4. Polybius. The Histories. 2.41.
5. Strabo. Geographica. viii. pp. 384, 386, 388. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
6. Pausanias. Description of Greece. 7.18.1. , 7.22.1
7. Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
8. Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 58, and directory notes accompanying.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Olenus". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.