Sicani
TheSicaniorSicanianswere one of threeancient peoplesofSicilypresent at the time ofPhoenicianandGreekcolonization.The Sicani dwelt east of theElymiansand west of theSicels,having, according toDiodorus Siculus,[1]the boundary with the last in the ancient Himera river (Salso) after a series of battles between these tribes.
History[edit]
The Sicani are the oldest inhabitants of Sicily with a recorded name. In the 5th century BCE, the Greek historianThucydides,[2]claims that the Sicani originated on theIberian Peninsula,from around a river they called "Sicanus" and had migrated to Sicily following an invasion by theLigurians.[3][4](The name Sicanus has been linked to the modern river known inSpanishas theJúcar.) Thucydides' source is unknown, although he often draws on the Sicilian historianAntiochus of Syracuse.[5]Conversely,TimaeusofTauromenium(writing c. 300 BCE) considers the Sicani to be indigenous to Sicily.[6]A third theory, put forward by some modern scholars, suggests that the Sicani were immigrants, who gained control of areas previously inhabited by native tribes.[7]The testimony of a Sicanian migration by land is supported byGreekgeographerPausanias,who does not seem to depend on Thucydides when he asserts that three peoples arrived in Sicily: Sicani,SicelsandPhrygians:the first two came from Italy, while the third came fromTroy.[8]Pliny the ElderandGaius Julius Solinusalso mention the Sicani, among the peoples of the Mount Albanus league in theOld Latium.[9][10]The Sicans are mentioned inVirgil'sAeneidas allies of theRutuli,Aurunciand Sacrani of Old Latium.[11]Aulus GelliusandMacrobiusremember them with the Aurunci and the.[12][13]Archaeological research suggests that the Sicani were influenced at an early stage by theMycenaeans(prior to the Greek colonisation of Sicily).[14]
It is generally agreed by scholars that the Sicani preceded other inhabitants of Sicily in prehistory, namely theElymiansandSicels.The former are thought to be the next recorded people to settle Sicily. According toHellanicus of Lesbos,Elymians were a population ofItalicorigin, who arrived in Sicily after having fought a war with theOenotrians.[15]They settled in the north-west corner of the island, forcing the Sicanians to move across eastward. The Sicels were the next to arrive, from mainlandItaly,and settled in the east. The arrival of the Sicels is thought to have occurred during the thirteenth or eleventh century BCE. The Sicanians area after this became limited to the south-western part of the island with settlements in the area ofGelaandAgrigentum.[16]
The Sicani enter the historical record with the Phoenicians, who established colonies during the 11th century BCE – preceding the Greeks, who founded the colony ofSyracuse.While many other Greek colonies were established around the island, by734 BCESyracuse had become the largest city in the Greek-speaking world. The Sicani were gradually absorbed by these colonizing peoples. They disappeared as a distinct people following the annexation of Sicily by the Roman Republic.
Herodotus and King Minos[edit]
Minos,according to tradition, went to Sicania, or Sicily, as it is now called, in search ofDaedalus,and there perished by a violent death.[17]
Language[edit]
| Sicanian | |
|---|---|
| Sicana | |
| Region | Sicily |
| Extinct | approximately 300 BCE[citation needed] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sxc |
sxc | |
| Glottolog | sica1234 |
 Approximate locations of the Sicani and their neighbors, theElymiansand theSicels,inSicilyaround 11th century BC (before the arrival of thePhoeniciansand theGreeks). | |
 Tribes of Hellenic Sicily | |
A few short inscriptions using theGreek Alpha bethave been found in the extinct Sicanian language.[18]Except for names, they have not been translated, and the language isunclassifieddue to lack of data.[19]Due to the lack of clear linguistic or cultural boundaries between Sicani and Sicel areas to the east, the existence of Sicanian as a distinct language is open to question; it is also unclear whether Sicanian survived as a language as late as the classical period, even in spoken form. On the other hand, the termSicanianremains useful as a means of identifying the older, possibly non-Indo-European linguistic substrate, geographically overlaid by later arrivals such as Sicel and Elymian.[20]Recurring suffixes like -ina,-ana,-ara,-ssusand -ssaare often found in Sicanian place names (e.g. Camarina, Telmissus and Cimissa), and are thus proposed as a good starting point for identifying Sicanian towns. These tentatively-identified "Sicanian" toponyms seem to display similarities with other non-Indo-European substratal languages within the proposedAegean language family,although these proposed connections remain nebulous.[20]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Diod., v.6.3-4
- ^Thucydides,His.VI,2,3,4.
- ^"Sicily: Encyclopedia II – Sicily – History".Experience Festival. 7 October 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 31 December 2013.
- ^"Aapologetico de la literatura española contra los opiniones".Ensayo historico. 7 October 2007.
- ^Shefton, Brian Benjamin; Lomas, Kathryn (2004)."Greek Identity in the Western Mediterranean".BRILL.ISBN9004133003.
- ^As reported inDiodorus SiculusV,6,1-3.
- ^Fine, John (1985).The ancient Greeks: a critical history.Harvard University Press. p. 72.ISBN0-674-03314-0.
- ^"Pausanias, Description of Greece, Elis 1, chapter 25, section 6".perseus.tufts.edu.Retrieved2021-12-26.
- ^Pliny the Elder,Naturalis Historia,III, 56; III, 69.
- ^Arias, Paolo Enrico (1943).Problemi sui Siculi e sugli Etruschi(in Italian). Crisafulli.
- ^Virgil,Aeneid,VII, 795; VIII, 328; XI, 317;
- ^Aulus Gellius,Attic Nights,I, 10.
- ^Macrobius,Saturnalia,I, 5.
- ^Fine, p.72
- ^"Gli Elimi: storia e archeologia di Segesta, Erice, Entella".arkeomania.Retrieved2021-12-26.
- ^Le Glay, Marcel (2009).A history of Rome.Wiley-Blackwell.ISBN978-1-4051-8327-7.OCLC760889060.[page needed]
- ^Herodotus,The History,George Rawlinson, trans., (New York: Dutton & Co., 1862
- ^The World's Writing Systems.1996:301.
- ^"'Sicanian' at Linguist List ".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-01.Retrieved2008-07-28.
- ^abTribulato, Olga (29 November 2012).Language and Linguistic Contact in Ancient Sicily.Cambridge University Press. p. 164-166.ISBN9781139851930.
External links[edit]
- The death of Minos in Sicily
- Sicilian Peoples: The Sicaniansby Vincenzo Salerno