The population of Epirus by the fifth…
501 BCE to 490 BCE
The population of Epirus by the fifth century BCE consists of three principal clusters of Greek-speaking tribes: the Chaonians in northwestern Epirus, the Molossians in the center and the Thesprotians in the south.
The Thesprotians (along with the Chaonians and the Molossians), according to Strabo were the most famous among the fourteen tribes of Epirus, as they once ruled over the whole region.
The Chaonians ruled Epirus first while the Thesprotians and Molossians ruled afterwards.
Epirus remains on the periphery of the Greek world: and is far from peaceful; “barbarians” in the words of the fifth-century historian Thucydides.
The Epirotes continue to live in clusters of small villages, in contrast to most other Greeks, who live in or around city-states.
The only Epirotes regarded as Greek are the Aeacidae, who are members of the Molossian royal house and claim descent from Achilles.
It remains a frontier area contested with the Illyrian peoples to the north.
Epirus, given its geographical remoteness, has a far greater religious significance than might have been expected, however, due to the presence of the shrine and oracle at Dodona—regarded as second only to the more famous oracle at Delphi.