Achaean Greeks Discussion

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The Achaeans were one of the four major tribes into which Herodotus divided the Greeks. They populated the region of Achaea in the northern Peloponnese and played an active role in the colonization of Italy. They also founded the city of Croton located in Calabria in southern Italy - Croton was famous for producing generations of winners in the Ancient Olympic games and other Panhellenic Games. Pythagoras founded his school, the Pythagoreans, in Croton in 530 BC. Unlike other major Greek tribes, the Achaeans did not have a separate dialect, but spoke a form of Doric. Over time the Achaeans cemented their common identity in response to rising power of Sparta to the south and Sicyon to the east. Achaea became a league of 12 city states and after the fall of Macedon was able to take over the whole of the Peloponnese. However the Romans had other plans and eventually defeated the Achaeans at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC who dissolved the league.