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{{Short description|Deme of ancient Athens, Greece}}
{{For|the modern suburb of Athens|Acharnes}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name           = Acharnae
| native_name    = Ἀχαρναί
| native_name_lang = Ancient Greek
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| map_caption    = Shown within Attica
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'''Acharnae''' or '''Acharnai''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|k|ɑr|.|n|iː}}; {{langx|grc|Ἀχαρναί}})<ref>{{Cite Stephanus|''s.v''}}</ref> was a ''[[deme]]'' of ancient [[Athens]]. It was part of the [[phyle]] [[Oineis]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dow|first=Sterling|year=1961|title=Thucydides and the Number of Acharnian Hoplitai|journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association|volume=92|page=72|doi=10.2307/283803|jstor=283803}}</ref>

Acharnae, according to [[Thucydides]], was the largest deme in Attica.<ref>{{Cite Thucydides|2.13, 19-21}}</ref>  In the fourth century&nbsp;BCE, 22 of the 500 members of the [[boule (ancient Greece)|Athenian council]] came from Acharnae, more than from any other deme.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dow|first=Sterling|year=1961|title=Thucydides and the Number of Acharnian Hoplitai|journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association|volume=92|page=70|doi=10.2307/283803|jstor=283803}}</ref>

==Name==
The place-name of Acharnae is most likely [[pre-Greek]] in origin, similar to other place-names throughout Attica. During antiquity it was believed that the name originated from the word {{transliteration|grc|acharna}} ({{wikt-lang|grc|ἀχάρνα}}) or {{transliteration|grc|acharnos}} ({{wikt-lang|grc|ἀχαρνός}}), meaning [[seabass]], due to the shape of the plain that Acharnae was in looking like a fish. Another view was that the name originated from Acharnas, one of the mythical heroes from Attica and the supposed founder of the city.<ref name="dim-aharn">{{cite web|url=http://www.acharnes.gr/el/category/content-200-54|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206093854/https://www.acharnes.gr/el/category/content-200-54|title=Ιστορία της Πόλης|website=Δήμος Αχαρνών / Municipality of Acharnes|archive-date=6 December 2015}}</ref>

==Location==
Acharnae was located in the west-northwest part of the Attic plain, 60 [[stadion (unit)|stadia]] north of Athens, south of [[Mount Parnes]]. The site of Acharnae is located at and southwest of Menidi (renamed to modern [[Acharnes]]).<ref>{{Cite DARE|22761}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Barrington|59}}</ref> It was from the woods of this mountain that the Acharnians were enabled to carry on that traffic in charcoal for which they were noted among the Athenians.<ref>[[Aristophanes]], ''Ach.'' 332.</ref><ref name=DGRG/> Their land was fertile; their population was rough and warlike; and they furnished at the commencement of the [[Peloponnesian War]] 3,000 [[hoplites]], or a tenth of the whole infantry of the republic. They possessed sanctuaries or altars of [[Apollo|Apollo Aguieus]], of [[Heracles]], of [[Athena |Athena Hygieia]], of Athena Hippia, of [[Dionysus|Dionysus Melpomenus]], and of Dionysus Cissus, so called, because the Acharnians said that the ivy first grew in this deme. One of the plays of [[Aristophanes]] bears the name of the Acharnians.<ref>{{Cite Pausanias|1|31|6}}</ref><ref name=DGRG>{{DGRG|title=Acharnae|inline=1}}</ref>

==History==
The oldest confirmed evidence of permanent inhabitation in the area dates from the [[Neolithic]].

During the [[Mycenaean period]] in the [[Aegean civilization|Greek Bronze Age]] the area was continuously inhabited. Near the neighbourhood of Lykopetra a Mycenaean [[tholos tomb]] has been discovered, while traces of another Bronze Age tomb have been found in the area today called Nemesis. Many archaeological reports claim several tomb excavations across the entirety of the area, which all point to the possibility of Acharnae possibly being a politically independent region during the period.

The largest amount of archaeological evidence dates from the Classical and Hellenistic periods (5th - 2nd centuries BCE). It consists mostly of graveyards found throughout the entire area, parts of the ancient deme's road network, as well as parts of hydraulic infrastructure from the 4th century BCE. A lot of information is given about the public and private life of the locals during the period by the remnants of the road networks.<ref name="dim-aharn"/>

In the first phase of the [[Peloponnesian War]] the [[Lacedaemonian]] (Spartan) army invaded the Athenian home-region of [[Attica]] under the command of king [[Archidamos II]], advancing up to Acharnae as the statesman [[Pericles]] gathered the citizens of Attica inside the walls of [[Athens]].<ref>[[Θουκυδίδης]], “Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου”, [[s:Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου/Β|Βιβλίο Β΄, 13]]: [...] "῎Ετι δὲ τῶν Πελοποννησίων ξυλλεγομένων τε ἐς τὸν ᾿Ισθμὸν καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ὄντων, πρὶν ἐσβαλεῖν ἐς τὴν ᾿Αττικήν, Περικλῆς ὁ Ξανθίππου στρατηγὸς ὢν ᾿Αθηναίων δέκατος αὐτός, ὡς ἔγνω τὴν ἐσβολὴν ἐσομένην, ὑποτοπήσας, ὅτι ᾿Αρχίδαμος αὐτῷ ξένος ὢν ἐτύγχανε, μὴ πολλάκις ἢ αὐτὸς ἰδίᾳ βουλόμενος χαρίζεσθαι τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτοῦ παραλίπῃ καὶ μὴ δῃώσῃ, ἢ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων κελευσάντων ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ γένηται τοῦτο, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄγη ἐλαύνειν προεῖπον ἕνεκα ἐκείνου, προηγόρευε τοῖς ᾿Αθηναίοις ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὅτι ᾿Αρχίδαμος μέν οἱ ξένος εἴη, οὐ μέντοι ἐπὶ κακῷ γε τῆς πόλεως γένοιτο, τοὺς δὲ ἀγροὺς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ οἰκίας ἢν ἄρα μὴ δῃώσωσιν οἱ πολέμιοι ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀφίησιν αὐτὰ δημόσια εἶναι καὶ μηδεμίαν οἱ ὑποψίαν κατὰ ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι. παρῄνει δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν παρόντων ἅπερ καὶ πρότερον, παρασκευάζεσθαί τε ἐς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἐσκομίζεσθαι, ἔς τε μάχην μὴ ἐπεξιέναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐσελθόντας φυλάσσειν, καὶ τὸ ναυτικόν, ᾗπερ ἰσχύουσιν, ἐξαρτύεσθαι, τά τε τῶν ξυμμάχων διὰ χειρὸς ἔχειν, λέγων τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τούτων εἶναι τῶν χρημάτων τῆς προσόδου, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ τοῦ πολέμου γνώμῃ καὶ χρημάτων περιουσίᾳ κρατεῖσθαι. θαρσεῖν τε ἐκέλευε προσιόντων μὲν ἑξακοσίων ταλάντων ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ φόρου κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ξυμμάχων τῇ πόλει ἄνευ τῆς ἄλλης προσόδου, ὑπαρχόντων δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει ἔτι τότε ἀργυρίου ἐπισήμου ἑξακισχιλίων ταλάντων (τὰ γὰρ πλεῖστα τριακοσίων ἀποδέοντα μύρια ἐγένετο, ἀφ' ὧν ἔς τε τὰ προπύλαια τῆς ἀκροπόλεως καὶ τἆλλα οἰκοδομήματα καὶ ἐς Ποτείδαιαν ἀπανηλώθη), χωρὶς δὲ χρυσίου ἀσήμου καὶ ἀργυρίου ἔν τε ἀναθήμασιν ἰδίοις καὶ δημοσίοις καὶ ὅσα ἱερὰ σκεύη περί τε τὰς πομπὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ σκῦλα Μηδικὰ καὶ εἴ τι τοιουτότροπον, οὐκ ἐλάσσονος [ἦν] ἢ πεντακοσίων ταλάντων. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερῶν προσετίθει χρήματα οὐκ ὀλίγα, οἷς χρήσεσθαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἢν πάνυ ἐξείργωνται πάντων, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς θεοῦ τοῖς περικειμένοις χρυσίοις• ἀπέφαινε δ' ἔχον τὸ ἄγαλμα τεσσαράκοντα τάλαντα σταθμὸν χρυσίου ἀπέφθου, καὶ περιαιρετὸν εἶναι ἅπαν. χρησαμένους τε ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ ἔφη χρῆναι μὴ ἐλάσσω ἀντικαταστῆσαι πάλιν. χρήμασι μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐθάρσυνεν αὐτούς, ὁπλίτας δὲ τρισχιλίους καὶ μυρίους εἶναι ἄνευ τῶν ἐν τοῖς φρουρίοις καὶ τῶν παρ' ἔπαλξιν ἑξακισχιλίων καὶ μυρίων. τοσοῦτοι γὰρ ἐφύλασσον τὸ πρῶτον ὁπότε οἱ πολέμιοι ἐσβάλοιεν, ἀπό τε τῶν πρεσβυτάτων καὶ τῶν νεωτάτων, καὶ μετοίκων ὅσοι ὁπλῖται ἦσαν. τοῦ τε γὰρ Φαληρικοῦ τείχους στάδιοι ἦσαν πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα πρὸς τὸν κύκλον τοῦ ἄστεως, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κύκλου τὸ φυλασσόμενον τρεῖς καὶ τεσσαράκοντα (ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ ὃ καὶ ἀφύλακτον ἦν, τὸ μεταξὺ τοῦ τε μακροῦ καὶ τοῦ Φαληρικοῦ), τὰ δὲ μακρὰ τείχη πρὸς τὸν Πειραιᾶ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίων, ὧν τὸ ἔξωθεν ἐτηρεῖτο• καὶ τοῦ Πειραιῶς ξὺν Μουνιχίᾳ ἑξήκοντα μὲν σταδίων ὁ ἅπας περίβολος, τὸ δ' ἐν φυλακῇ ὂν ἥμισυ τούτου. ἱππέας δὲ ἀπέφαινε διακοσίους καὶ χιλίους ξὺν ἱπποτοξόταις, ἑξακοσίους δὲ καὶ χιλίους τοξότας, καὶ τριήρεις τὰς πλωίμους τριακοσίας. ταῦτα γὰρ ὑπῆρχεν ᾿Αθηναίοις καὶ οὐκ ἐλάσσω ἕκαστα τούτων, ὅτε ἡ ἐσβολὴ τὸ πρῶτον ἔμελλε Πελοποννησίων ἔσεσθαι καὶ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον καθίσταντο. ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ ἄλλα οἷάπερ εἰώθει Περικλῆς ἐς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ περιέσεσθαι τῷ πολέμῳ". [...]</ref><ref>[[Πλούταρχος]], "[[Βίοι Παράλληλοι]]", "Περικλής" [[wikisource:Βίοι Παράλληλοι/Περικλής|33.3]]: [...] "ἐμβάλλουσιν οὖν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν στρατῷ μεγάλῳ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μετὰ τῶν συμμάχων, Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ βασιλέως ἡγουμένου. καὶ δῃοῦντες τὴν χώραν προῆλθον εἰς Ἀχαρνὰς καὶ κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, ὡς τῶν Ἀθηναίων οὐκ ἀνεξομένων, ἀλλ' ὑπ' ὀργῆς καὶ φρονήματος διαμαχουμένων πρὸς αὐτούς". [...]</ref> The Spartan army ravaged the deme and its forestry, setting a series of camps within it, hoping to draw out the Athenians to a pitched battle where the Spartans would have the upper hand.<ref>[[Θουκυδίδης]], “Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου”, [[s:Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου/Β|Βιβλίο Β΄, 19-20]]: [...] "[19] ἐπειδὴ μέντοι προσβαλόντες τῇ Οἰνόῃ καὶ πᾶσαν ἰδέαν πειράσαντες οὐκ ἐδύναντο ἑλεῖν, οἵ τε ᾿Αθηναῖοι οὐδὲν ἐπεκηρυκεύοντο, οὕτω δὴ ὁρμήσαντες ἀπ' αὐτῆς μετὰ τὰ ἐν Πλαταίᾳ [τῶν ἐσελθόντων Θηβαίων] γενόμενα ἡμέρᾳ ὀγδοηκοστῇ μάλιστα, θέρους καὶ τοῦ σίτου ἀκμάζοντος, ἐσέβαλον ἐς τὴν ᾿Αττικήν• ἡγεῖτο δὲ ᾿Αρχίδαμος ὁ Ζευξιδάμου, Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεύς. καὶ καθεζόμενοι ἔτεμνον πρῶτον μὲν ᾿Ελευσῖνα καὶ τὸ Θριάσιον πεδίον καὶ τροπήν τινα τῶν ᾿Αθηναίων ἱππέων περὶ τοὺς Ῥείτους καλουμένους ἐποιήσαντο• ἔπειτα προυχώρουν ἐν δεξιᾷ ἔχοντες τὸ Αἰγάλεων ὄρος διὰ Κρωπιᾶς, ἕως ἀφίκοντο ἐς ᾿Αχαρνάς, χωρίον μέγιστον τῆς ᾿Αττικῆς τῶν δήμων καλουμένων, καὶ καθεζόμενοι ἐς αὐτὸ στρατόπεδόν τε ἐποιήσαντο χρόνον τε πολὺν ἐμμείναντες ἔτεμνον. [20] γνώμῃ δὲ τοιᾷδε λέγεται τὸν ᾿Αρχίδαμον περί τε τὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς ὡς ἐς μάχην ταξάμενον μεῖναι καὶ ἐς τὸ πεδίον ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἐσβολῇ οὐ καταβῆναι• τοὺς γὰρ ᾿Αθηναίους ἤλπιζεν, ἀκμάζοντάς τε νεότητι πολλῇ καὶ παρεσκευασμένους ἐς πόλεμον ὡς οὔπω πρότερον, ἴσως ἂν ἐπεξελθεῖν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἂν περιιδεῖν τμηθῆναι. ἐπειδὴ οὖν αὐτῷ ἐς ᾿Ελευσῖνα καὶ τὸ Θριάσιον πεδίον οὐκ ἀπήντησαν, πεῖραν ἐποιεῖτο περὶ τὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς καθήμενος εἰ ἐπεξίασιν• ἅμα μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ χῶρος ἐπιτήδειος ἐφαίνετο ἐνστρατοπεδεῦσαι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ οἱ ᾿Αχαρνῆς μέγα μέρος ὄντες τῆς πόλεως (τρισχίλιοι γὰρ ὁπλῖται ἐγένοντο) οὐ περιόψεσθαι ἐδόκουν τὰ σφέτερα διαφθαρέντα, ἀλλ' ὁρμήσειν καὶ τοὺς πάντας ἐς μάχην. εἴ τε καὶ μὴ ἐπεξέλθοιεν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἐσβολῇ οἱ ᾿Αθηναῖοι, ἀδεέστερον ἤδη ἐς τὸ ὕστερον τό τε πεδίον τεμεῖν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν χωρήσεσθαι• τοὺς γὰρ ᾿Αχαρνέας ἐστερημένους τῶν σφετέρων οὐχ ὁμοίως προθύμους ἔσεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων κινδυνεύειν, στάσιν δ' ἐνέσεσθαι τῇ γνώμῃ. τοιαύτῃ μὲν διανοίᾳ ὁ ᾿Αρχίδαμος περὶ τὰς ᾿Αχαρνὰς ἦν". [...]</ref> The total destruction of Acharnae and the abandonment of the temple of Ares, a sanctuary of great importance in the deme, led to the warlike depiction of its citizens. Notably, [[Aristophanes]] depicted the Acharnians in his work [[Lysistrata]] as violent raiders. According to Thucydides the deme offered an army of 3,000 hoplites, 1/10 of the total Athenian army, although this information is believed by historians to be mistaken - there was an analogy of 42 free citizens for every politician of a deme according to the Athenian constitution, thus the number of hoplites Acharnae could offer was only 1,000.

In the aftermath of the Peloponnesian war and during the Athenian civil war, a large battle was commenced in the area between the democratic rebels of [[Thrasybulus]] and the forces of the [[Thirty Tyrants]] imposed by Sparta. Thrasybulus clashed with all the city's Spartan guard with a force of only 700 men and 2 cavalry divisions attempting to cut off supplies. The battle was victorious for the democrats, who drove away the enemy and slew about 120 of them.

==Economy==
The Acharnians chiefly grew [[cereal]]s, [[grape]]s, and [[olive]]s. Acharnae was the centre of the Athenian charcoal-burning industry, and the chorus of [[Aristophanes]]' comedy ''[[The Acharnians]]'' is made up of charcoal-burners.<ref>{{cite journal|last=van Hook|first=LaRue|title=Charcoal in Ancient Greece|journal=The Classical Weekly|volume=27|issue=24|year=1934|pages=188–189|doi=10.2307/4339395|jstor=4339395}}</ref> [[Pindar]] characterizes them as notably brave. A [[tholos tomb]] at [[Acharnes|Menidi]] suggests Acharnae was once an independent entity; a temple to [[Ares]] was later moved to the [[Athenian Agora]].

Donkeys from Acharnae were noted for their large size, perhaps in humor. [[Peisander (oligarch)|Peisander]] the oligarch ({{floruit|429-411 BCE}}), a native of the ''deme'', was nicknamed {{lang|grc|ὔνος κανθήλιος}} ("donkey") for at least that reason.<ref>{{cite DGRBM |author=WS |title=Peisander 1 |volume=3 |page=167 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofgree03smituoft/page/167/mode/1up}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of ancient Greek cities]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscatinline}}

*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0006%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Dacharnai Richard Stillwell, ed. ''Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'', 1976:] C.W.J. Eliot, "Acharnai (Menidi), Attica, Greece"

{{Coord|38.08194|N|23.73147|E|format=dms|display=title|source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/22761.html}}

{{Ancient Greece topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in ancient Attica]]
[[Category:Populated places in ancient Attica]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Greece]]
[[Category:Demoi]]
[[Category:Acharnes]]