The Making of Aitolia beyond the Ethnos Borders: Some Reflections Revolving around the tele of Stratos and Lokris

Despite the many recent studies on the Aitolian federation, there are still unresolved aspects and points of debate concerning its organizational structure. Unlike the well-documented Boeotian koinon described by the Oxyrhynchus Historian, the Aitolian koinon lacks a comparable general description of its federal institutions. In particular, there is no definitive consensus on whether the tele of Lokris and Stratos were part of a comprehensive district system covering the whole of ‘Greater Aitolia’, or whether they were locally created structures for the administration and integration of border territories.

What is certain is that the institutional structuring of the Aitolian federal state and its sympoliteia can be interpreted in the light of, and as an adaptive response to, Aitolian expansion across ethnos boundaries from the late 4th century onwards, towards Western Lokris, Akarnania, Phokis, and beyond.

Consequently, a ‘centralized’ perspective seeking to reconstruct a general organizational structure of the koinon becomes less important than an analysis focused on local contexts and emerging data from sources detailing interactions between Aitolians and annexed territories within the federation. These reflections will, therefore, focus on the ‘local level’, providing insights into the interrelationships of various annexed communities of Ozolian Lokris, Acarnania, Opuntian Lokris, Phocis, Doris, Boeotia, and Thessalian Periochis with the Aitolians.

In light of the emerging data, the discussion will return to the consideration of the potential role and significance of the Aitolian tele.

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Scientific responsibility and organization: Elena Franchi