The Abantes or Abantians (
Greek: Ἄβαντες, Ábantes) were an ancient
Greek tribe. Their home was
Euboea.
History
The Abantes were a
Proto-Greek tribe. Aristotle considered them to be
Thracian and from the
Phocian city of
Abae.[1][2] They migrated to the island of
Euboea.[1] Afterwards, it became known as Abantia or Abantis.[3][4] They also lived in
Argos,
Chalcis,
Histiaea,
Sikion,
Cerinthus,
Dios,
Styra, Phocis,
Epirus, and
Illyria.[5][6]Arethousa, daughter of
Hyperes, is said to have mothered Abas with
Poseidon. According to myth Abas became the first king of the Abantes.[7][8] Abas had a son named Chalkodon who became the second king of the Abantes. He was killed by
Amphitryon whilst besieging
Thebes. His son was
Elephenor, who became the third king of the Abantes.[9][10] In the
Iliad,
Homer mentions the Abantes among the
Greek allies in the
Trojan War.[11][12] Their leader was Elephenor. The Trojan warrior
Agenor killed Elephenor.[13] According to
Homer they fought on the Greek side in the
Trojan War with 40 warships. The Abantes had a reputation for being fierce spearmen and a warlike people.[14][15] When the
Trojan War concluded, the Abantes wandered around for a while, and finally settled in the region of
Thesprotia.[1]Herodotus states that many Abantes from Euboea had established colonies in
Chios and
Asia Minor.[1][2] Homer described the Abantes wearing their hair short in the front and long in the back.[16] This style of haircut was designed to prevent enemy warriors from grabbing their hair.[17][18][19]
Colonies
Pausanias writes that they contributed to a colony from
Thronium in
Thesprotis. The local area became known as Abantis. Eventually it was conquered by
Apollonia with the help of
Corinth.[20] Another colony was sent to
Chios, but eventually it was defeated and the survivors forced to flee.[21]
^
abChios: a conference at the Homereion in Chios, 1984, page 180 by John Boardman, C. E. Vaphopoulou-Richardson - 1986 "... made war upon the Abantes and Carians dwelling in Chios in his time, ...than this. Unlike the Carians the Abantes seem to have been Greeks"