Arkadia and its poleis in the archaic and classical periods

This study sets out to identify the poleis (city-states) of ancient Arkadia. After a brief research report, the author addresses the question: what was Arkadia? by discussing the ethnic, geographical, and political aspects of the concept of Arkadia. The study goes on to demonstrate that poleis had emerged in Arkadia by the sixth century, when they appear as templebuilders, belligerents etc. A separate chapter is devoted to Triphylia, an area which was not originally a part of Arkadia, but gradually merged with Arkadia in the Classical period, and perhaps drew a good deal of inspiration from the so-called ‘tribal states’ of Arkadia. These were small federal states comprising a number of minor Arkadian poleis which all shared a common subregional identity. The study furthermore explores the hierarchy of the Arkadian poleis, their relations with foreign powers, especially Sparta, and ends by tracing the transformation of the Arkadian polis structure caused by the foundation of the Arkadian Confederacy, the synoecism of Megalopolis, and the dissolution of the Peloponnesian League. Two appendices give minute descriptions of every polis of Arkadia and Triphylia.