Danaans

Danaans is an ancient Greek ethnonym used in classical literature to refer to the Greek forces that fought the Trojans in the Iliad and other Homeric works. In English, Danaans is one of several Homeric terms for the Greeks, alongside Achaeans and Argives, and it is often used to evoke antiquity and mythic origins. The term derives from Danaus, a legendary king of Libya who was the progenitor of the Danaoi; in Greek, the corresponding ethnonym is Danai (Danaoi), and Danaans is the Anglicized plural form.

In Homer, Danaans typically describe the Greeks as a collective in the context of the Trojan War, emphasizing lineage and shared tradition rather than a political entity. The usage is largely literary and epic rather than ethnographic; later classical writers also employ Danaans to refer to the Greek coalition, sometimes to distinguish the Greek side from the Trojans.

Scholarly discussion notes that Danaans is one of several interchangeable epithets for the Greek people in epic poetry, reflecting the fluidity of identity in ancient mythic narratives. While not a term used in modern demography or politics, Danaans remains a recognizable literary label in studies of Homeric diction and Greek epic tradition.

See also: Achaeans; Danaus; Danai; Homeric epithets; Trojan War.