# Edoni

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{{Short description|Thracian tribe}}
thumb|right|Approximate location of the Edones|305x305px{{Thracian tribe series}}
The '''Edoni''' (also ''Edones'', ''Edonians'', ''Edonides'') ({{langx|el|Ἠδωνοί}}<ref>{{Citation |title=Edoni |date=2025-12-26 |work=Wiktionary, the free dictionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Edoni&oldid=88861503 |access-date=2026-01-07 |language=en}}</ref>) were a [Thracian](/source/Thracians) tribe<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kristiansen |first1=Kristian |title=Europe Before History |date=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0521552273 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zAY4we4LKQMC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hejduk |first1=Julia D. |title=Clodia: A Sourcebook |date=2014 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=9780806185736 |page=241 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yQgBQAAQBAJ&dq=Edoni+Thracian+tribe&pg=PA241}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Graninger |first1=Denver |last2=Nankov |first2=Emil |last3=Valeva |first3=Julia |title=A Companion to Ancient Thrace |date=2020 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |isbn=9781119016182 |page=325 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJQvCgAAQBAJ&dq=Edoni+Thracian+tribe&pg=PA325}}</ref> who dwelt mostly between the [Nestus](/source/Nestus) and the [Strymon](/source/Struma_(river)) rivers in southern [Thrace](/source/Thrace), but also once dwelt west of the Strymon at least as far as the [Axios](/source/Axios_River).<ref>[http://www.ems.gr/analytikos-katalogos-ekdoseon/makedoniki-vivliothiki/049-samsaris.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424003106/http://www.ems.gr/analytikos-katalogos-ekdoseon/makedoniki-vivliothiki/049-samsaris.html|date=2017-04-24}} D. C. Samsaris, Historical Geography of Eastern Macedonia during the Antiquity (in Greek), Thessaloniki 1976 (Society for Macedonian Studies), p. 62-65. {{ISBN|960-7265-16-5}}</ref> They inhabited the region of [Mygdonia](/source/Mygdonia_(Europe)) before the [Macedon](/source/Macedon)ians drove them out.<ref>[Thucydides](/source/Thucydides), ''[History of the Peloponnesian War](/source/History_of_the_Peloponnesian_War)'', 2.99.</ref> After that, they settled in the region of [Edonis](/source/Edonis_(region)) which was named after them. There were a number of Edonian cities in the Classical era, including [Drabeskos](/source/Drabeskos) and [Myrkinos](/source/Myrkinos).

==History==
The strategically important [Athenian](/source/Athenian) colony of Ennea Hodoi ("Nine Ways", later [Amphipolis](/source/Amphipolis)) was taken by the Edonians shortly after the [Persian Empire](/source/Persian_Empire) was driven from the area.<ref>Thuc. 4.102</ref>  The Edoni and the nearby Thracians defeated a massive [Ionian](/source/Ionians) invasion led by Athens 32 years later.  The Athenians and their allies advanced far up the Angitis valley toward Drabescus before they were cut off and completely destroyed, losing 10,000 killed in the disaster.<ref>Thuc. 1.100, 4.102.2</ref>  Athens wrested control of Amphipolis from the Edonians just prior to the [Peloponnesian War](/source/Peloponnesian_War).<ref>Thuc. 4.102.3</ref>  [Brasidas](/source/Brasidas) liberated the city during that conflict and after a pro-[Lacedaemon](/source/Lacedaemon)ian coup d'état the Edonians became his allies.<ref>Thuc. 4.107</ref>  They made up most of his army when he defeated [Cleon](/source/Cleon)'s offensive.<ref>Thuc. 5.8-10</ref>

==Mythology==
[Edonus](/source/Edonus), was the mythical ancestor of the Edones.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DE%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Dedonus-bio-1 A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Edonus]</ref>

[Lycurgus](/source/Lycurgus_of_Thrace), son of Dryas, was a mythical king of the Edoni, who drove [Dionysus](/source/Dionysus) into exile in the [Cyclades](/source/Cyclades) but was ultimately overthrown and killed by his own people.  The conflict began with Lycurgus' opposition to either the drinking of wine or the worship of the new god.  Lycurgus was based at the mouth of the Strymon River around Amphipolis.<ref>Apollodorus 3.5.1</ref>  According to one version of the story, he was imprisoned at Mt. [Pangaeum](/source/Pangaeum) by the Edoni and then torn apart by his horses on Dionysius' orders.<ref>Apollodorus 3.5.1</ref>  The Edoni were celebrated for their orgiastic worship of Bacchus ([Dionysus](/source/Dionysus)). In [Latin](/source/Latin) poems, the term ''Edonis'' signified a female [Bacchanal](/source/Bacchanal). The [Peresadyes](/source/Peresadyes),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vx251bK988gC&dq=peresadyes&pg=PA427 ''The Cambridge Ancient History'': The fourth century B.C.]</ref> forerunners of the dynasty of [Bardyllis](/source/Bardyllis) that ruled over the [Dardanii](/source/Dardanii), were most likely Edones.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[List of Thracian tribes](/source/List_of_Thracian_tribes)
*[Lycurgus (Thrace)](/source/Lycurgus_(Thrace))

Category:Ancient tribes in the Balkans
Category:Thracian tribes of Macedonia
Category:Thracian tribes

{{Ancient-Thrace-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edoni) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edoni?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.