ARCADIA (region in Western Arcadia)
Historical region of ancient Greece
- Also called
- Arcady
- Kind of place
- Region
- Region
- Western Arcadia
- Patron
- Pan
- Where
- 37.60° N, 22.20° E
The region is characterized by cold mountains. Aeneid 8.152 The area contains shady groves and fruitful fields. Ovid Met. 1.689-712 The region received its name from the hero Arcas, and the people living there were renamed Arcadians after him. Pausanias 10.9.5
Described in the sources
Tegea is located within the region of Arcadia. Apollodorus 2.7.3 +4 The river Ladon flows through the region of Arcadia. Athenaeus 8.6 +4 Orchomenus is a city located within the region of Arcadia, described as rich in flocks. Herodotus 7.202.1 +4 Arcadia is situated in the central interior of the Peloponnesus. Pausanias 8.1.1 +3 The city of Pallantium is located within the region of Arcadia. Pausanias 5.1.8 +2 The river Erymanthus flows through Arcadia and is said to mark its boundary. Pausanias 6.21.3 +2 The mountain Cyllene is the highest peak in Arcadia, and the Pleiades were born there. Apollodorus 3.10.1 +2 Megalopolis is a city in Arcadia, described as the youngest city in the region, with roads leading into its interior. Pausanias 7.7.4 +2 The region is described as being rich in flocks. Hymn XVIII to Hermes ll. 1-9 +1 The hill of Lycæus is located within this region. Ovid Met. 1.689-712 +1
Stories and history
Certain accounts state the fish lacks gills. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 9.34 ¶1 The local wine is said to make women fertile. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 14.22 ¶1 The local wine is said to cause madness in men. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 14.22 ¶1 Lycaon established gymnastic games in this region. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 7.57 ¶10 King Agapenor commanded the forces from this region. Iliad 2 ¶45 The river Ladon stopped flowing for a period of time. Strabo 1.3.19 Agamemnon provided the ships for them to cross the sea. Iliad 2 ¶45 Steps were once cut into the descent of the Ladder pass. Pausanias 8.6.4 Hermes tended sheep in Arcadia while serving a mortal man. Hymn XIX to Pan ll. 27-47 Orestes, the leader of the colonists, died in this region. Strabo 13.1.3
Myths set at Arcadia
In the age of the gods
Before the heroes. In Godsunder these are history: everyone in the world knows them.
- The Raising of Infant Hermes by Acacus. hook: "In Arcadian tradition, the infant god Hermes was taken in by Acacus, son of Lycaon." goal: "" outcome: "Hermes was nourished and raised under a wild strawberry-tree."} Pausanias 8.36.10 +1 Hermes
In the age of heroes
- The Sacrifice of the Infant and Transformation into a Wolf. Lycaon, a cruel king of Arcadia, plots to test the divinity of Zeus by serving him a murdered child. Zeus destroys Lycaon's house and transforms him into a wolf as punishment. Apollodorus 3.8.1 +5 Lycaon
- The Theft of the Cattle and the Death of Idas. hook: Idas and his brother Lynceus help the Dioscuri steal cattle from Arcadia, but Idas later kills Castor in a rage over his own stolen oxen. goal: Idas seeks vengeance for his brother Lynceus and his stolen cattle. outcome: Zeus strikes Idas with a thunderbolt, killing him and causing the stone he held to fall. Apollodorus 3.11.2 +5 Idas
- The Death of the Centaurs. Atalanta is attacked by centaurs while returning to Arcadia. She kills the attackers, and her blood flows down the mountain. Apollodorus 3.9.2 +2 Atalanta
- The Flight and Madness of Alcmaeon. Alcmaeon, driven mad, flees to Arcadia where his presence turns the land barren. He moves between hosts in the region while his illness persists, and in one version, fathers children by Manto during this time. Apollodorus 3.7.5 +2 Alcmaeon
- The Founding of Caphyae. Cepheus, King of Aethiopia, establishes his rule over Syria and founds the city of Caphyae in Arcadia. He secures the new city by receiving a lock of Medusa's hair from Athena to serve as its guardian. Pausanias 8.23.3 +2
- The Pursuit of Orestes. Clytemnestra demands the location of her son and threatens Electra with death if he is not brought back. The story ends with the Furies attacking Orestes in Arcadia before his trial. Euripides, Orestes 1-33 +2 Clytemnestra
- The Rescue from the Furies. Pylades rescues Orestes from the fury of Megaera, and a sanctuary protects him from his mother. Orestes dies while in the region of Arcadia. Statius, Thebaid 1.473-499 ¶1 +2 Orestes
- The Usurpation by the Sons of Agrius. The sons of Agrius plot to usurp Oeneus's throne. They ambush and kill him, or imprison and torment him, seizing his kingdom. Apollodorus 1.8.5 +2 Oeneus
- The Reign of Arcas in Arcadia. Arcas ascends to the throne after Nyctimus dies and learns agriculture and weaving from Triptolemus and Adristas. He introduces these skills to his people, leading to the land and its inhabitants being renamed Arcadia and Arcadians. Pausanias 8.4.1 Arcas