Triphylia

Triphylia (Greek Triphylia Τριφυλία, land of the three tribes ') is the name of an ancient landscape on the west coast of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula. According to Polybius, the name is derived from Triphylos, a son of Arkas.

Triphylia bordered to the north by Elis, in the east Lykaion Mountains formed the boundary to Arcadia, in the southern handed Triphylia to Aulon Valley, where it bordered upon Messenia. In the west, the landscape opened to the Gulf of Kyparissia.

Important communities Triphylia were Samikon, Lepreon, Hypana, Typanai, Pyrgos, Aipion, Bolax, Stylangion and Phrixa.

The area was often contested between powerful neighbors. In the 3rd century BC Triphylia was owned by the Eleatic, who were allied with the Aetolian Federation. During the so-called Social War whose opponent who Achaiische federal government and the Macedonians under Philip V. moved before in the Peloponnese and captured a number Eleatic points. Triphylia came here under the direct rule of Macedonia, which thus gained a kind of enclave and hold until the arrival of the Romans were, the Triphylia eingliederten in their province of Achaia.

The modern Greek name Trifylia has been used since the founding of modern Greece for different authorities. Thus existed from 1899 to 1909 a prefecture Trifylia that the south of today's Elis ( province Olymbiada ) and the north of the Messenian West Coast ( province Trifylia ) included. The Trifylia province existed then in the prefecture of Messinia to 1997 on; since 2011 shows the area with some small changes, the community Trifylia.

Today, the original ancient landscape is part of the Regional District Elis region of Western Greece.

• Peloponnese
• Research project of the German Archaeological Institute