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Perkiraan letak keberadaan suku Kikones pada Zaman Perunggu.

Kikones (bahasa Yunani Kuno: Κίκονες, translit. Kíkones) adalah suatu kelompok suku Trakia^[1] yang bentengnya pada zaman Odisseus merupakan kota Ismara, yang terletak di kaki gunung Ismara,^[2] di pesisir selatan Trakia (kini Yunani bagian timur).^[3] Mereka disebutkan dalam kitab kedua dari Ilias, telah bergabung dalam perang di pihak Troya, dipimpin oleh Eufemos. Dalam kitab kesembilan Odisseia, Odisseus dan orang-orangnya mengejutkan Ismara dan membunuh sebagian besar pria Kikones yang mereka temui, mengambil wanita Kikones sebagai budak. Bala bantuan Kikones kemudian tiba dan menyerang penyerang Akhaia, membunuh begitu banyak dari mereka sehingga Odisseus dan orang-orangnya terpaksa melarikan diri dengan kapal mereka. Enam orang dari masing-masing kapal Odisseus tewas:

Ketika aku telah berlayar dari sana angin pertama-tama membawaku ke Ismara, yang merupakan kota para Kikones. Di sana aku menjarah kota dan membunuh orang-orang. Kami mengambil istri mereka untuk kesenangan birahi, pelayanan, dan barang rampasan yang kami bagi secara adil di antara kami, sehingga tidak ada yang punya alasan untuk mengeluh. Aku kemudian berkata bahwa sebaiknya kami segera pergi, tetapi orang-orangku dengan bodohnya tidak mau mematuhiku, jadi mereka tinggal di sana minum banyak anggur dan membunuh banyak domba dan lembu di tepi laut. Sementara itu Kikones berteriak minta tolong kepada Kikones lain yang tinggal di pedalaman. Ini lebih banyak jumlahnya, dan lebih kuat, dan mereka lebih terampil dalam seni perang, karena mereka dapat berperang, baik dari kereta atau berjalan kaki sesuai kesempatan; oleh karena itu, di pagi hari, mereka datang setebal daun dan mekar di musim panas, dan tangan surga melawan kami, sehingga kami sangat tertekan. Mereka mengatur pertempuran dalam barisan di dekat kapal, dan pasukan saling mengarahkan tombak bersepatu perunggu. Selama hari semakin siang dan masih pagi, kami bertahan melawan mereka, meskipun jumlah mereka lebih banyak dari kami; tetapi saat matahari terbenam, menjelang saat orang melepaskan lembu mereka, Kikones mengalahkan kami, dan kami kehilangan setengah lusin orang dari setiap kapal yang kami miliki; jadi kami lolos dengan yang tersisa.^[4]

Kikones juga disebut dalam kitab puisi Metamorphoses oleh Ovidius. Mereka disebutkan dalam kitab VI ketika dia menulis tentang Boreas dan Orithyia, ketika Ovidius menyatakan:

Dia membuatnya bosan; dan saat dia terbang dia merasakan api cinta semakin kuat; dia tidak mengekang jalurnya melintasi udara sampai dia mencapai daratan utara dan kota Kikones.^[5]

Orfeus, pemain kecapi bersuku Trakia yang mencari kekasihnya Eurydike di dunia bawah, dikatakan telah dicabik-cabik oleh wanita Kikones setelah dia menolak rayuan mereka, kemudian bereinkarnasi sebagai angsa,^[6] atau menurut Ovidius, miliknya kepala tanpa tubuh mengambang di laut sampai akhirnya terdampar di pulau Lesbos, di mana dia terus berbicara, mengucapkan ramalan.^[7]

Pada Zaman Klasik Yunani dan dalam konteks sejarah, mereka menjadi tidak dikenal. Contoh non-mitos dari mereka disebutkan oleh Herodotos (abad ke-5 SM) ketika dia menulis tentang tanah mereka yang dilewati pasukan Ahasyweros dari Persia.^[1] Kelompok ini sendiri diperkirakan telah menghilang setelah keruntuhan Zaman Perunggu Akhir.^[8]

Referensi

^ ^a ^b Herodotus, The Histories (Penguin Classics), edd. John M. Marincola and Aubery de Selincourt, 2003, p. 452 (I10): "The Thracian tribes lying along his route were the Paeti, Cicones, Bistones, Sapaei, Dersaei, Edoni, and Satrae; […]".
^ Mogens Herman Hansen, An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation, 2005, p. 878.
^ Webpage on Cicones Diarsipkan 2009-08-23 di Wayback Machine.: "The Ciconians or Cicones, who lived on the southwestern coast of Thrace, sided with Troy against the Achaean invaders during the Trojan War. On this occasion they were led by Euphemus 2 (son of Troezenus, son of Ceas), who may therefore be counted among the TROJAN LEADERS. Another Ciconian leader during the Trojan War was Mentes, in whose shape Apollo addressed Hector, encouraging him to fight for the arms of the dead Patroclus. The fate of these two leaders has not been reported. After the sack of Troy, Odysseus, on his homeward way, came with his twelve ships to the land of the Ciconians, where he pillaged the city of Ismarus, not sparing anyone except a priest of Apollo called Maron, son of Evanthes. This Evanthes, who reigned in Marioneia, is said to be the son of Oenopion (son of Ariadne, either by Theseus or by Dionysus), who is said to have blinded Orion.In the land of the Ciconians, the Achaeans gave themselves to plunder and murder, and when they had taken women and treasures, Odysseus said to his men that they ought to be off, but as his soldiers enjoyed the Ciconian wine and food, they kept drinking and butchering animals by the shore, refusing to leave. Meanwhile, the Ciconians received reinforcements from their up-country neighbours, who were well trained at fighting from chariots, or on foot. When they had grouped, they attacked the Achaeans by the ships and, after fighting for a whole day, they broke their ranks. This is why the Achaeans put to sea, and fled after suffering what may be considered as heavy losses; for more than seventy men belonging to Odysseus' army were killed."
^ The Odyssey by Homer, Book ix, continuation: "Thence we sailed onward with sorrow in our hearts, but glad to have escaped death though we had lost our comrades, nor did we leave till we had thrice invoked each one of the poor fellows who had perished by the hands of the Cicons. Then Jove raised the North wind against us till it blew a hurricane, so that land and sky were hidden in thick clouds, and night sprang forth out of the heavens. We let the ships run before the gale, but the force of the wind tore our sails to tatters, so we took them down for fear of shipwreck, and rowed our hardest towards the land. There we lay two days and two nights suffering much alike from toil and distress of mind, but on the morning of the third day we again raised our masts, set sail, and took our places, letting the wind and steersmen direct our ship. I should have got home at that time unharmed had not the North wind and the currents been against me as I was doubling Cape Malea, and set me off my course hard by the island of Cythera. […] When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, we admired the island and wandered all over it, while the nymphs Jove's daughters roused the wild goats that we might get some meat for our dinner. On this we fetched our spears and bows and arrows from the ships, and dividing ourselves into three bands began to shoot the goats. Heaven sent us excellent sport; I had twelve ships with me, and each ship got nine goats, while my own ship had ten; thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun we ate and drank our fill,- and we had plenty of wine left, for each one of us had taken many jars full when we sacked the city of the Cicons, and this had not yet run out. While we were feasting we kept turning our eyes towards the land of the Cyclopes, which was hard by, and saw the smoke of their stubble fires. We could almost fancy we heard their voices and the bleating of their sheep and goats, but when the sun went down and it came on dark, we camped down upon the beach, and next morning I called a council."
^ Ovid, The Metamorphoses, ed. Allen Mandelbaum, 1995, p. 205: "Then Boreas put on his dusty cloak; across the slopes and peaks, he trailed his mantle as he rushed across the earth; concealed by his dark cloud, he wrapped the terror stricken Orythia within his tawny wings.He bore her off; and as he flew he felt the flames of love gain force on force; he did not curbe his course across the air until he'd reach the northern lands and city of the Cicones."
^ Plato, Republic
^ Ovid, The Metamorphoses Book XI
^ Jan Bouzek, Greece, Anatolia, and Europe: Cultural Interrelations During the Early Iron Age, 1997, p. 208: "Some tribes, like the Homeric Kikones, disappeared soon […]".