- Gymnesian Islands
The collective name of the Gymnesian Islands (Catalan: "Illes Gimnèsies"; Spanish: "Islas Gimnesias") distinguishes the two largest (and eastern-most)
Balearic islands (Majorca andMinorca ), from thePine Islands (Catalan "Illes Pitiüses"; Spanish "Islas Pitiusas":Ibiza andFormentera ).Etymology
The word "Gymnesian" (from the Greek γυμνήτες "gymnetes") means "naked". The Ancient Greeks recruited the local inhabitants of these islands, the
Talayot ics, as slingers. This does not mean that they fought naked, but that they used much lighter armament than thehoplites .Name usage
Later the
Phoenicians referred to both Majorca and Minorca as the "Baliarides". After the wholearchipelago (the "Pitiusas" and "Gymnesias") came under Roman rule, the islands gained the overallLatin name "insulae baliares" or "Baleares insulae"; and the collective concept has continued in use in modern languages, hence ultimately the English name "Balearic islands ".In recent years the Catalan terms "Illes Gimnesias" and "Illes Pitiuses" have come back to use in academic and scientific circles, because of the use of Greek-language sources for
neologism s.References
*
Strabo "Geography" Book III, Chapter 2
* Belenguer, E. "Història de les illes Balears". Barcelona: Edicions 62, 2004. 525 p. ISBN 84-297-5506-3 (volume I)
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