Edoni
|
Coin of an Edonian King, Getas, 470-465 BC. |
The
Edoni (also
Edones,
Edonians,
Edonides) were a
Thracian people who dwelt mostly between the
Nestus and the
Strymon rivers in southern
Thrace, but also once dwelt west of the Strymon at least as far as the
Axios. They inhabited the region of
Mygdonia before the
Macedonians drove them out (
Thuc.,
Pelop. 2.99). There were a number of Edonian towns, including
Drabescus and
Myrcinus.
Lycurgus was a mythical king of the Edoni, who was destroyed by
Bacchus for opposing the worship of the new god. The Edoni were celebrated for their orgiastic worship of Bacchus (
Dionysus). In the Latin poets, the term
Edonis signified a female
Bacchanal.
See also:
Lycurgus (Thrace).
