Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A league of neighboring ancient Greek states sharing a common religious center or shrine, especially the one at Delphi.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Greek history, a league of peoples inhabiting neighboring territories or drawn together by community of origin or interests, for mutual protection and the guardianship in common of a central sanctuary and its rites.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Grecian Hist.) A league of states of ancient Greece; esp. the celebrated confederation known as the Amphictyonic Council. Its object was to maintain the common interests of Greece.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A religious foundation or co-operative shared between Greek city states during the classical period, typically to support the temple or cult of a deity shared by the city states. Also used academically to refer to similar arrangements in non-Greek cultures.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an association of neighboring states or tribes in ancient Greece; established originally to defend a common religious center
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Greek Amphiktuonia, from amphiktuones, variant of amphiktiones, neighbors : amphi-, on the periphery; see amphi– + ktizein, to settle; see tkei- in Indo-European roots.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Ancient Greek ἀμφικτυονία (amphiktuonia), from ἀμφί (amphi, "around, near") + κτίζω (ktizō, "I found, people")
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Examples
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There is not much room in the Bible for the notions of amphictyony and divine kingship which modern scholars have tried to introduce into ancient Hebrew thinking.
Dictionary of the History of Ideas ARNALDO MOMIGLIANO 1968
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Explain the following terms: oracle; amphictyony; helot; Hellas;
Early European History Hutton Webster
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The Delphic amphictyony was the most noteworthy of these local unions.
Early European History Hutton Webster
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