Agrarian and Power Landscapes in Epeiros during the Late Classical and Hellenistic Periods

Abstract

As was frequently the case in other parts of Greece, agrarian landscapes were the result and, to some extent, a reflection of the political structures in existence at the time. In the case of Epeiros, this also appears to have been the case. In this chapter we shall analyse the main characteristics of the agrarian landscape that made up the different territories of Epeiros and we shall highlight the key transformative role played by the monarchic system of the time, in the first instance in Molossia, which is where the Aeacid monarchy originated, and subsequently after the end of the fourth century BC, with the establishment of the Epeirote state throughout Epeiros as a whole. In this respect, the agrarian landscape throughout this territory could be considered to be a realm that was shaped by the power of the monarchy.