Ainis in the context of "Regions of ancient Greece"

The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League (Ancient Greek: Κοινὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν) was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in Central Greece. It was probably established during the late Classical or the early Hellenistic era. Two annual meetings were held at Thermon and Panaetolika. The league occupied Delphi and steadily gained territory after its victory there against the Gauls in 279 BC. By the end of the 3rd century BC, it controlled the whole of central Greece with the exception of Attica, Euboea, Boeotia and northwestern Acarnania. At its peak, the league's territory included Locris, Phocis, Doris, Malis, Dolopia, Achaia Phthiotis, Ainis, Oetaea, Ambracia and parts of Acarnania. In the latter part of its power, certain Greek city-states out of central Greece joined the Aetolian League such as the Arcadian cities of Mantineia, Tegea, Phigalia and Kydonia on Crete.

During the classical period the Aetolians were not highly regarded by other Greeks, who considered them to be semi-barbaric and reckless. However, during the Hellenistic period, they emerged as a dominant state in central Greece and expanded by annexing several Greek city-states to the League after their victory against the Gauls in 279 BC. Their League had a complex political and administrative structure. The Aetolian League fought against Macedon and the Achaean League in the Social War (220-217 BC), allied with Rome in the First Macedonian War and Second Macedonian War, but then fought against the Romans in an alliance with the Seleucid empire in the Aetolian War before losing its independence to Rome.

The Spercheios (Greek: Σπερχειός, Sperkheiós), also known as the Spercheus from its Latin name, is a river in Phthiotis in central Greece. It is 80 km (50 mi) long, and its drainage area is 1,830 km (710 sq mi). It was worshipped as a god in the ancient Greek religion and appears in some collections of Greek mythology. In antiquity, its upper valley was known as Ainis. In AD 997, its valley was the site of the Battle of Spercheios, which ended Bulgarian incursions into the Byzantine Empire.

It is referenced in a surviving fragment of Aeschylus' play Philoctetes, quoted in The Frogs, as a place for cattle.

In Greek mythology, the name Guneus or Gouneus (/ˈɡjuːniːəs/; Ancient Greek: Γουνεὐς derived from gounos "fruitful land") may refer to:

• Guneus, a man from Pheneus and father of Laonome, wife of Alcaeus. Through his daughter, he was the grandfather of Amphitryon, Anaxo and Perimede.
• Guneus, leader of the Aenianes and Perrhaebians during the Trojan War. According to Homer, "Guneus brought two and twenty ships from Cyphus, and he was followed by the Enienes and the valiant Peraebi, who dwelt about wintry Dodona." Guneus survived the war, and went to Libya where he settled near the Cinyps River. Guneus was an obscure character, though his tribal followers (Aenienians and Perrhaebians) are usually placed in northwestern Greece. Homer does not record his pedigree, but elsewhere his parents were called Ocytus and Aurophyte or Tauropoleia (or Hippodameia). In a rare account, his father was called Cyphos, the eponym of Cyphus, with no mention of a mother.

38°55′22″N 22°01′58″E / 38.922808°N 22.03278°E / 38.922808; 22.03278Sperchiae or Sperchiai (Ancient Greek: Σπέρχεια) or Spercheiae or Spercheiai (Σπερχείαι) was a fortress in Ainis in ancient Thessaly, which, according to the description of Livy, would seem to have been situated at no great distance from the sources of the Spercheius. Ptolemy mentions a place Spercheia between Echinus and Thebes in Phthiotis; and Pliny the Elder places Sperchios in Doris. William Smith concludes it probable that these three names indicate the same place. Livy relates that the place was destroyed by the Aetolians in 198 BCE.

Sperchiae's site is at a place called Kastrorakhi.

38°57′29″N 22°06′47″E / 38.95814°N 22.11292°E / 38.95814; 22.11292Macra Come or Makra Kome (Ancient Greek: Μακρά κώμη) was a fortress mentioned by Livy along with Sperchiae in Ainis, in ancient Thessaly. It may have been a town of the Aenianes.

Its site is at a place called Varybopi in modern-day Makrakomi.