What is "amphictyony"

Amphictyony \Am*phic"ty*o*ny\, n.; pl. Amphictyonies. [Gr. ?.] (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.

n. 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.

n. an association of neighboring states or tribes in ancient Greece; established originally to defend a common religious center