Definition: In ancient Greece there were two regions called Achaea, one in southeastern Thessaly (Phthiotan Achaea), home of Achilles, and the other in the Peloponnesian Argolis between Elis and Sicyon. The Peloponnesian Achaea consisted of a confederacy of 12 towns. Homer usually referred to the Greeks as Achaeans. Some scholars refer to Mycenaean Greeks as Achaeans.
Source: "Achaea" The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Ed. M.C. Howatson and Ian Chilvers. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Also Known As: Achaia
Examples: The Achaeans were the Greek-speaking people from either location of Achaea or the Greeks, in general.
