Ethnic Identity in the Archaic Arcadian Mountains

Abstract The Arcadians were a people allegedly older than the moon, with strong claims to primordiality as an autochthonous group on the Peloponnesian peninsula. They claimed their heritage from Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, providing them with a myth-history reaching into time immemorial. This article examines the development of the Arcadian regional ethnic group in the Archaic period of Greek history and proposes that the identity group originated in the eastern part of Arcadia. It will be argued that the regional Arcadian ethnic group formed through merging with two other groups, namely the Parrhasians and the Azanians. Based on these three groups, this article argues for a tripartite distribution of identity groups that came to form the Arcadians in the Archaic period. The article will be divided into three main sections, focusing on the three groups, beginning with the eastern Arcadians and then discussing the Azanians and the Parrhasians. The argument will be constructed by analysing genealogical connections, mythical stories, and cultural elements within these regions. The conclusion suggests why these groups merged in the Archaic period by referring to developments in Sparta, Elis, and Argos.