Messenians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ancient Greek people who inhabited the region of Messenia in the southwestern Peloponnese and were known for their conflicts with Sparta during classical antiquity
2. Inhabitants of a historical district in Greece famous for their role in the Messenian Wars against Spartan domination in the 8th to 4th centuries BCE
3. A group from a geographic area in ancient Greece, recognized primarily for their historical resistance to Spartan control and their contribution to regional Greek culture and history

Etymology: "Messenians" is the plural of "Messenian," which comes from the Greek "Messēnioi," the people of Messēnē (Messene), the fertile region in the southwestern Peloponnese. The Greek name of the region is tied to the legendary figure Messene, and the Messenian people were later absorbed into Sparta's control and dispersed for centuries before they returned to independence in 369 BCE, when Theban general Epaminondas helped refound their capital.

Synonyms: people of Messenia, Messenian tribe