T
he Aeolians were one of the four Greek tribes during the classical era. They were descended from Aeolus, the son of Hellen, and they originated in Thessaly. The Aeolians were the most numerous of the Greek tribes of the time, and the Boeotians, a subrgoup of the Aeolians, were driven from Thessaly by the Thessalians and forced to resettle in Boeotia. The Aeolians went on to spread to Aetolia, Locris, Corinth, Elis, and Messenia, and the invasion of the Dorians led to the Aeolians fleeing to the island of Lesbos and to Asia Minor, where they settled in Aeolis.