Epirus

Epirus (Greek, “mainland”), kingdom in the northwestern part of ancient Greece. It was bounded on the north by Illyria and Macedonia, on the east by Thessalia, on the south by the Ambracian Gulf and Aetolia, and on the west by the Ionian Sea. The chief city in Epirus was Dodona. Frequently warring with Rome and Macedonia, Epirus was devastated by the Romans in 168 bc for having entered into an alliance with Macedonia. In 146 bc Epirus was integrated into the Roman Empire. With the formation of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the region passed under its control. In the early 15th century, the Ottoman Empire came into possession of Epirus and later made it part of an Ottoman vilayet, or administrative division. The district east of the Arta River in Epirus was ceded by the Ottoman Empire to Greece in 1881. As a result of the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, the Ottoman Empire ceded the district west of the river to Greece, and Northern Epirus was incorporated into the new state of Albania.

The name Epirus is still used as a regional designation for the northwestern divisions of Greece. It is a predominantly agricultural region, the principal crops being wheat and other cereal grains, olives, fruits, vegetables, and tobacco. The chief city is Ioánnina.