Abantes
Euboea was held by the great-hearted Abantes, furious fighters. They wore their hair long at the back and bore long ashen spears to rip the corselets from the chests of their enemies (Iliad, 2.2.536-2.544). The Abantes and their leader Elephenor play an inconspicuous role in the poem. The Abantes sailed for Troy in 40 ships (Iliad, 2.545), but they returned in just eight after the Greek fleet had been scattered. They were driven onto the coast near the Ceraunian mountains where they founded the city of Thronium which was renamed Abantis (Pausanias 5.22.4). Later they were expelled. Some made their way back to Euboea where they constituted just part of Chalcis. The seven place names held by the Abantes according to Homer were all known in the historical period. The Archaeological Museum of Chalkis contains objects from the Early to the Late Bronze Age, though there are some gaps in the archaeological evidence for continuity. Important sites known today as Amarynthos and Lefkandi may not have been known to Homer. The latter may have been the Old Eretria.
Chalcis
Chalcis (Iliad, 2.537) was "in a way," Strabo wrote, "the metropolis of the island, being situated on the Euripus itself" (10.1.8). The renown of the area probably goes back to the Bronze Age (chalkos = copper), as Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki has written. "The founding of the city of Chalkis goes back to the Geometric Period (ca. 800 BC) [when] scattered groups came together, combined and formed a single unified settlement...." Chalkis – History, Topography and Museum (Athens: Ministry of Culture, 1995), pp. 19, 22. One reason was the strategic location of the Strait of Euripus and the narrow channel connectng the island to the mainland. Another reason was the copious fresh water spring about 200 metres from the seashore. Known as the Spring of Arethusa, it rises beneath a pond and flows through a park into the sea. (There were no signposts in 2023.) Although no significant Mycenaean habitation centres have been found at Chalcis (Sapouna-Sakellaraki, p. 22), excavations in cemeteries in the area show that it was once a flourishing centre of Mycenaean culture. There were also several significant settlements south of Chalcis. They included Xeropolis at Lefkandi (9 km away) and Amarynthos (30 km). Neither is mentioned by Homer. Mycenaean pottery from cemeteries around Chalcis is on display in the Archaeological Museum of Chalkida. Findings from Lefkandi are on display in the newer Archaeological Museum of Chalkida "Arethousa".
Locations:38°28'09.7"N 23°37'50.3"E (Chalcis), 38°27'22.7"N 23°36'38.6"E (Spring of Arethusa), 38°23'12.0"N 23°54'38.0"E (Amarynthos), 38°24'45.0"N 23°40'31.0"E (Xeropolis, Lefkandi)
Eritrea
The acropolis of Eritrea (Iliad, 2.537) commanded the plain of Eritrea and its harbour about 1 kilometre away. It lies mid-way between two imortant Mycenaean sites, Amarynthos and Lefkandi. Strabo referred to an "Old Eretria" (9.2.6, 10.1.10) and it is an unresolved question whether he was referring to one of these sites. The Eritrea of today has been occupied since earliest times. There are no traces of Mycenaean structures on the acropolis. Archaeologists have found pre-historic remains, however. The visible remains on top, like the sanctuaries of Athena and Demeter, are of a later period.
38°24'04.6"N 23°47'40.0"E (acropolis of Eritrea)
Histiaea
Histiaea "rich in vines" (Iliad, 2.537) is presumed to be on the site of the Castle of Oreus, a mound above the coastal town of Oreoi in the north of Euboea, and its surrounding slopes. The mound has been much built on and its buildings destroyed over the centuries. Early excavations (1939?, 1959?, fenced and now covered in brambles) found sherds from the Mycenaean and other pre-historic periods.
38°57'06.3"N 23°05'46.6"E (Castle of Oreus)
Cerinthus
Cerinthus (Iliad 2.538) was, as Strabo noted, "a small city by the sea" near the Voudrous River (10.1.5) in the north-east of Euboea. It is a horseshoe shaped ridge separated by a field that may once have been a harbour extending from the Voudrous River. There is evidence of prehistoric settlement on the inland ridge, on the summit of which is situated the Church of Profitis Ilias. The ridge is flattened, sherds are strewn about, there is a geo marker, and bushes partly obscure ruins. The seaward ridge (sometimes referred to as Kastri or Peleki) has evidence of more extensive settlement, cliffs that offered protection against attack from sea, and the remains of 4th to 6th century B.C. walls that led down to the Voudrous River. Today on the other side of the river is the small hamlet of Kria Vrisi. For a drone view of the area, mostly the historical settlement see here.
Locations: 38°49'40"N 23°28'24"E (Church of Profitis Ilias), 38°49'57.9"N 23°28'06.7"E (Voudrous River/Voúdhoros Potamós), 38°50'05.5"N 23°28'20.5"E (Archaeological site of Kirinthos) 38°50'13.3"N 23°27'54.9"E (Kria Vrisi).
Dion
The whereabouts of Homer's Dion, "the steep citadel" (Iliad, 2.538), are uncertain. One location favoured by some scholars is a hill, Likhas Kastri, about two kilometres west of the village of Lichada overlooking the North Euboean Gulf. The hill is difficult to access and impenetrable in parts owing to overgrowth. There nevertheless remain traces of ancient walling half buried in the hillside, and some stones that have been arranged in a circle under giant pine trees. Many sherds from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman have been found on the slopes. This may have been the Dion Homer referred to and that Strabo said was near Kenaion (10.1.5). The other location, Kastelli, is a small natural acropolis about 10 kilometres east near Loutrá Giáltron. This may have been, as Strabo said, Athenae Diades "founded by the Athenians and lying above that part of the strait where passage is taken across to Cynus" (10.1.5). In 427/6 BC, an earthquake caused parts of this area to disappear into the sea, so what is discoverable today may not be Homeric.
Locations: 38°51'21.0"N 22°50'45.9"E (Likhas Kastri, the hill on the coast near Lichada), 38°50'59.6"N 22°51'53.7"E (Lichada/Likhás), 38°50'39.4"N 22°58'18.4"E (Kastelli near Loutrá Giáltron).
Carystus
The area around Carystus (Karystos) (Iliad, 2.539) is of great antiquity. According to mythology it was settled by the Dropes, a pre-Greek people seeking refuge (Diodorus Siculus, Library 4.37.1). Its name appeared on a Linear B tablet from Thebes. Strabo noted its fame as a source of marble (10.1.6). However, the archaeological findings from the Karystos Plain have been scanty, and settlements in set locations have not been located. As the local museum notes in its information: "no traces of habitation of the Late Helladic (Mycenaean) period (1550-1050 BC) have been discovered yet in southern Karystia." The archaeological record is broken. Final Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Classical and Hellenistic finds predominate. The video shows scenes around modern Karystos, including sherds washed up onto the beach near the Rigia River, not flowing into the sea, and the hilltop of Plakari. It was a good place for habitation: water from the river, hunting in the swamp, fields to cultivate, and a view to see any enemy approaching.
Locations: 38°00'58.3"N 24°25'10.9"E (modern Karystos), 38°02'09.5"N 24°25'52.9"E (Castello Rosso).
Styra
The mythological origins of the people of Styra (Iliad, 2.539) were the Dryopes (Pausanias 4.34.11). Strabo makes passing mention of them in the historical period, and of their marble quarries (10.1.6). They do not make the Homeric connection. Archaeologists have found little from the Late Bronze Age in the area. About 500 metres south of Nea Styra (modern Styra is a couple of kilometres inland) good evidence has been discovered of a Bronze Age settlement. The video, taken mainly on the beach south of Nea Styra, shows undiagnostic sherds washed up on the beach.
Locations: 38°10'24.5"N 24°12'32.7"E (Nea Styra), 38°10'11.6"N 24°09'46.5"E (Stouronisi).
End of Abantes contingent
7 localities, one leader, 40 ships, unspecified number of men.