Malians (Greek tribe)

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The Malians were a people in antiquity, who lived at the mouth of the river Spercheios in Greece. Their language was Indo-European. The Malian Gulf is named after them. In the western valley of the Spercheios their land was adjacent to the Ainians. Their main town was Trachis.

In the town of Anthele the Malians had an important temple of Demeter, an early centre of the delphinian Amphictiony.

In 426 B.C. the Malians asked Sparta for help in their war against the Oitaians. The Spartans then founded the town Herakleia Trachis in place of Trachis. In the following decades the Malians where under the hegemony of Sparta, until they revolted against them in the Corinthian war. In this war they lost their land south of the Spercheios, Herakleia Trachis was given to the Oitaians, and Lamia become the new capital of the Malians.

Together with the Oitaians and the Ainians the Malians became members of the Corinthian League, and since 235 B.C. of the league of Aetolia. In 189 B.C. they were joined to Achaia Phthiotis, and since this time the Malians were regarded as Thessalians.