1 Introduction
In 1750 BC, a great flood occurred in the upper reaches of the Cephisus River, north of Mount Parnassus.
The Ectenes, led by Ogygus, migrated downstream of the Cephisus River and settled southeast of Lake Copais. [1]
In 1580 BC, a group of Ectenes, led by the grandfather of Hellen's father, Deucalion, migrated north from Boeotia due to pressure from other tribes, including the Hyantes. Deucalion founded Pyrrha (later Melitaea) near the source of the Enipeus River, which flows from the south into the Peneius River in northern Thessaly. [2]
Deucalion had two sons, Hellen and Amphictyon. [3]
Hellen ruled Phthiotis, and the people of that region were called Hellenes or Hellas. [4]
Hellen had three sons: Aeolus, Xuthus, and Dorus. [5]
In 1460 BC, Dorus moved from Melitaea down the Enipeus River, north of its confluence with the Peneius River. The region became known as Doris, and its inhabitants as Dorians. [6]
In 1420 BC, a large group led by Cadmus traveled south from Thracia and invaded Thessaly. Dorus, who lived in Doris, led the Dorians south and settled between Mount Oeta and Mount Parnassus. [7]
The region became known as Doris. [8]
2 Dryops, the Progenitor
2.1 Dryops, son of the River God Peneius
The progenitor of the Dryopians (or Dryopes) was Dryops, the son of the river god Peneius and Polydore, daughter of Danaus. He lived near the River Spercheius. [9]
When Danaus' daughter Polydore reached marriageable age, the Dorians, descended from Dorus, son of Hellen, lived near the Peneius River in Thessaly.
Dorus had a daughter, Iphthime, who had three sons: Pherespondos, Lycos, and Pronomos. [10]
Iphthime's sons were contemporaries of Polydore, and one of them is likely the river god Peneius, who married Polydore.
Polydore's marriage occurred after Dorus, son of Hellen, migrated to Mount Parnassus. It is believed that Dorus' daughter, Iphthime, did not join her father's migration and remained near the Peneius River.
2.2 Polydore's Long-Distance Marriage
In 1407 BC, Iphthime's son married Polydore, daughter of Danaus. They had a son, Dryops. [11]
It is presumed that the following circumstances made possible the long-distance marriage between Iphthime's son, who lived in northern Thessaly, and Polydore, who lived in Argos.
In 1435 BC, Achaeus, son of Xuthus, returned to Melitaea in Thessaly from Aegialus, north of the Peloponnesus. [12]
In 1420 BC, under pressure from the migration of a large group led by Cadmus, Achaeus's two sons, Archander and Architeles, returned to Aegialus. Archander and Architeles subsequently married Scaea and Automate, daughters of Danaus of Argos. [13]
Their marriage presumably united Scaea's sister, Polydore, with the son of Iphthime, who lived in Thessaly.
2.3 Migration near Spercheius
In 1390 BC, the Pelasgians living in Thessaly were driven from their homeland by the sons of Deucalion, son of Dorus. Dryops, son of Polydore, migrated to the Spercheius River near Mount Parnassus, where his grandmother Iphthime's father, Dorus, had migrated. [14]
Then, the people living near the Spercheius River came to be called Dryopians after Dryops. [15]
3 Dryope, daughter of Dryops
Dryops had a daughter, Dryope. [16]
In 1362 BC, Dryope married Andraemon. They had a son, Amphissus. [17]
Andraemon was the son of Phytius (or Oxylus), son of Orestheus (or Oreius), who lived in Amphissa, Ozolian Locris. [18]
Orestheus was the son of Deucalion, the son of Dorus, the son of Hellen. [19]
Dryope and Andraemon were therefore third cousins, sharing a common ancestor, Dorus, the son of Hellen.
4 Amphissus, son of Dryope
In 1340 BC, Amphissus founded Oeta near Mount Oeta. [20]
The Dryopians, who lived near the Spercheius River, participated in the construction of Oeta.
5 Battle against the Malians
In 1230 BC, the Dryopians were defeated in a battle against the Malians led by Heracles and migrated from Dryopis to various places. [21]
The Dryopians were led by Phylas, son of Cragaleus, son of Dryops, son of Amphissus. [22]
5.1 Cause of the Battle
Diodorus writes that the Dryopians' disrespect for the temple at Delphi was the cause of the battle. [23]
However, the following facts suggest that the battle was between the Dryopians and the Malians.
1) The legends of the battle with the Dryopians do not mention the Delphians or Phocians, who defended the sanctuary at Delphi.
2) The Malians took over the land after the Dryopians were expelled. [24]
5.2 Outcome of the Battle
Phylas was killed in the battle, and his two daughters, Meda and Polymere, were taken prisoner. [25]
Meda bore Heracles a son, Antiochus. [26]
Antiochus became one of the eponymous families of Athens, and his descendant, Aletes, became the first king of Corinth, the Dorian city. [27]
Polymele also bore a son, Eudorus, to Echecles, son of Actor. [28]
Heracles' friend, Menoetius, son of Actor, is believed to have also participated in the battle from Opus. [29]
Echecles was Menoetius' brother, and it is believed that he also participated in the battle and supported Heracles from Phthia.
5.3 Destinations of the Dryopians
Some Dryopians migrated to Cythnos and Cyprus. [30]
Some Dryopians fled to Eurystheus in Mycenae, where they were given land and founded Asine, Hermione, and Eion in Argolis. [31]
Some Dryopians migrated to Styra in Euboea. [32]
Some Dryopians migrated to Carystus in Euboea. [33]
Some Dryopians migrated near Cirrha in Phocis and were called the Cragalidae. [34]
The Cragalidae are presumably descendants of Cragaleus, son of Dryops, son of Amphissus. [35]
5.3.1 Dryopians of Lemnos
Some Dryopians also migrated to Lemnos. [36]
Among them was Euphemus, ancestor of Battus, who migrated from Thera to Libya in 630 BC and founded Cyrene. [37]
The Dryopians, who lived in Lemnos, migrated to Thera via Laconia in 1099 BC.
5.3.2 Dryopians of Asine
In 745 BC, the Dryopians, who lived in Asine in Argolis, were attacked by King Eratus of Argos, and their city was destroyed. [38]
This was the result of the Dryopians joining the Spartans in a war between the Argives and the Spartans. [39]
The Dryopians, who lived in Asine in Argolis, fled to Lacedaemon. [40]
In 724 BC, the Spartans, victorious over the Messenians, granted the Dryopians lands along the coast of Messenia. [41]
The Dryopians founded Asine on the western side of the entrance to the Gulf of Messenia. [42]
6 Location of Dryopis
6.1 Herodotus's Account
Herodotus writes as follows.
The Dorians migrated from Pindus to Dryopis, and from Dryopis to Peloponnesus. [43]
Doris, the birthplace of the Dorians, is located between Malis and Phocis and was formerly called Dryopis. [44]
The Dorians migrated from Erineus, Pindus, and Dryopis to Peloponnesus. [45]
In other words, Herodotus considered Dryopis and Doris to be part of the same region, and Pindus not to be a town within that region.
However, Pindus was a town within Tetrapolis, the Dorians' home city, and Herodotus misunderstood Dryopis. [46]
6.2 Other accounts besides Herodotus
Strabo lists Dryopis as one of the fourteen districts of the Oetaean country, along with Heracleia. [47]
Antoninus Liberalis reports that Dryopis was near the Baths of Heracles. [48]
According to Strabo, the Baths of Heracles were located near Thermopylae. [49]
Antoninus Liberalis writes that Dryops, son of Polydore, daughter of Danaus, who ruled the area around Mount Oeta, founded a sanctuary of Apollo in Dryopis. [50]
6.3 Estimated Location of Dryopis
From the above accounts, it is assumed that Dryopis was located between Trachis and Doris.
Like Doris, Dryopis consisted of Tetrapolis. [51]
7 The area between Oeta and Parnassus
7.1 Chronology
In 1420 BC, Dorus, son of Hellen, migrated from Histiaeotis near Mount Olympus to the area between Mounts Oeta and Parnassus and founded Pindus. [52]
At that time, Histiaeotis was called Doris. [53]
In 1390 BC, Dryops, son of Polydore, migrated from the area near the Peneius River to the area near the Spercheius River near Mount Parnassus. [54]
In 1250 BC, Ceyx, son of Actor, migrated from Phthia to the foot of Mount Oeta and founded Trachis. [55]
In 1246 BC, the Aeanianians were expelled from Dotium in Thessaly by the Lapiths, led by Ixion and his son Peirithous. [56]
Most of the Aeanianians migrated to the foot of Mount Oeta. [57]
In 1230 BC, the Dryopians were defeated in battle by the Malians and migrated from Dryopis to various places. [58]
7.2 History
Herodotus states that Dryopis is an ancient name for Doris. [59]
However, the two regions are thought to be separate, and Doris is likely older than Dryopis.
In other words, the Dorians arrived first between Mount Oeta and Mount Parnassus, and the Dryopians later migrated there.
In 1250 BC, the Myrmidons, a tribe of Dorians led by Ceyx, son of Actor, migrated from Phthia to the foot of Mount Oeta and founded Trachis. [60]
Ceyx married the daughter of a leader of the Malians, a tribe of Aeanianians who later migrated from Dotium to the vicinity of Mount Oeta. Consequently, many Malians lived in Trachis. [61]
With the help of Heracles, the Malians fought against the Dryopians living in Dryopis.
Shortly before, Heracles migrated from Calydon in Aetolia and lived in Trachis.
The Dryopians were expelled from their settlement, and the land between Mount Oeta and Mount Parnassus became the property of the Aeanianians, Malians, and Dorians.
8 Origin of the Dryopians
The mother of Dryops, the eponymous Dryopians, was Polydore, daughter of Danaus. Following Polydore's marriage, many Pelasgians migrated from Argos to the area near the Peneius River.
8.1 Tribe of Dryops' Paternal Grandfather
Dryops's father's mother, Iphthime, was a Dorian, but the tribe of Iphthime's husband is unknown.
There are two possible theories about the tribe of Iphthime's husband: Dorians or Pelasgians.
1) Dorians
If Iphthime's husband was a Dorian, Dryops would have joined the Dorians who inhabited the area between Mount Oeta and Mount Parnassus from near the Peneius River.
However, since there were more Pelasgians on his maternal side than Dorians on his paternal side among those who migrated with Dryops, he may not have been able to join the inhabitants.
2) Pelasgians
If Iphthime's husband was a Pelasgian, his marriage to Polydore, daughter of Danaus, who was also a Pelasgian, makes sense.
However, it is unlikely that the Pelasgians, who were driven out by the sons of Dorus' son Deucalion, would have settled near Mount Oeta and Mount Parnassus, where Dorus' descendants lived.
8.2 Dryopians, a Sub-Tribe of the Dorians
Since Dryops' daughter Dryope married Andraemon, a descendant of Dorus, it is assumed that Iphthime's husband was a Dorian and that the Dryopians were a tribe descended from the Dorians.
9 Spread of Dryopians Settlements
In 1390 BC, the Dryopians were born near the Spercheius River in southern Thessaly.
In 1230 BC, the Dryopians, who lived near the Spercheius River, migrated to Argolis, Phocis, Euboea, Cyprus, and Lemnos.
10 Greek Dark Ages
The Dryopians lived near Asine in Argolis, Styra in Euboea, and Cirrha in Phocis.
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