Listed 100 (total found 110) sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "THIVES Province VIOTIA" .
TIFA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
. . .At the E end of the bay of Domvraina is the port of Siphai (Aliki) whose fortress, built on a steep rock, is well preserved. At the summit (Mavrovouni) of the coastal chain, on the road from Thespiai to Siphai, is a square 4th c. tower; close by, inside a surrounding wall of partly polygonal masonry are the remains of an archaic temple, possibly dedicated to Artemis Agrotera. . . . From 447 to 423 Thespiai headed two of the 11 Boiotian districts; they included the Sanctuary of the Muses, Eutresis, Leuktra, Kreusis, and three independent cities from 338: Thisbe and the ports of Siphai and Chorsiai.
This extract is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites, Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Oct 2002 from Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
AKREFNION (Ancient city) THIVES
Akraiphia (Steph. B. s. v.; Herod. viii. 135), Acraephia (Liv. xxxiii. 29; Plin.
iv. 7. s. 12), Akraiphiai (Strab. p. 410), Akraiphion (Strab. p. 413), Akraiphnion
(Paus. ix. 23. § 5: Ta Akaiphnia, Theopomp. ap. Steph. B. s. v.), Eth. Akraiphiaios,
Akraiphios, Akraiphnios, Akraiphniotes, Akraiphnieus, (Steph. B. s. v.), Akraiphieus
(Bockh, Inscr. 1587: nr. Kardhitza). A town of Boeotia on the slope of Mt. Ptoum
(Ptoon) and on the eastern bank of the lake Copais, which was here called Akraiphis
limne from the town. Acraephia is said to have been founded by Athamas or Acraepheus,
son of Apollo; and according to some writers it was the same as the Homeric Arne.
Here the Thebans took refuge, when their city was destroyed by Alexander. It contained
a temple of Dionysus. (Steph. B. s. v.; Strab. p. 413; Paus. l. c.) At the distance
of 15 stadia from the town, on the right of the road, and upon Mt. Ptoum, was
a celebrated sanctuary and oracle of Apollo Ptous. This oracle was consulted by
Mardonius before the battle of Plataea, and is said to have answered his emissary,
who was a Carian, in the language of the latter. The name of the mountain was
derived by some from Ptous, a son of Apollo and Euxippe, and by others from Leto
having been frightened ptoeo by a boar, when she was about to bring forth in this
place. Both Acraephia and the oracle belonged to Thebes. There was no temple of
the Ptoan Apollo, properly so called; Plutarch (Gryllus, 7) mentions a tholos,
but other writers speak only of a temenos, hieron, Chresterion or manteion. (Steph.
B. s. v.; /Strab. l. c.; Paus. l. c., iv. 32. § 5; Herod. viii. 135; Plut. Pelop.
16.) According to Pausanias the oracle ceased after the capture of Thebes by Alexander;
but the sanctuary still continued to retain its celebrity, as we see from the
great Acraephian inscription, which Bockh places in the time of M. Aurelius and
his son Commodus after A.D. 177. It appears from this inscription that a festival
was celebrated in honour of the Ptoan Apollo every four years. (Bockh, Inscr.
No. 1625.) The ruins of Acraephia are situated at a short distance to the S. of
Kardhitza. The remains of the acropolis are visible on an isolated hill, a spur
of Mt. Ptoum, above the Copaic sea, and at its foot on the N. and W. are traces
of the ancient town. Here stands the church of St. George built out of the stones
of the old town, and containing many fragments of antiquity. In this church Leake
discovered the great inscription alluded to above, which is in honour of one of
the citizens of the place called Epaminondas. The ruins near the fountain, which
is now called Perdikobrysis, probably belong to the sanctuary of the Ptoan Apollo.
The poet Alcaeus (ap. Strab. p. 413) gave the epithet trikaranon to Mt. Ptoum,
and the three summits now bear the names of Palea, Strutzina, and Skroponeri respectively.
These form the central part of Mt. Ptoum, which in a wider signification extended
from the Tenerian plain as far as Larymna and the Euboean sea, separating the
Copaic lake on the E. from the lakes of Hylae and Harma.
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ARMA (Ancient city) TANAGRA
Harma (Harma: Eth. Harmateus). An ancient town of Boeotia, mentioned
by Homer, which is said to have been so called, either because the chariot of
Adrastus broke down here, or because the chariot of Amphiaraus disappeared in
the earth at this place. (Didym. and Eustath. ad Il. l. c.; Strab. ix. p. 404;
Paus. ix. 19. § 4, comp. i. 34. § 2; Steph. B. s. v.) Strabo describes it as a
deserted village in the territory of Tanagra near Mycalessus; and Pausanias speaks
of the ruins of Harma and Mycalessus as situated on the road from Thebes to Chalcis.
Aelian (V. H. iii. 45) speaks of a lake called Harma, which is probably the one
now called Moritzi or Paralimni, to the east of Hylica. The exact site of Harma
is uncertain. It is supposed by Leake to have occupied the important pass on the
road from Thebes to Chalcis, leading into the maritime plain. (Leake, Northern
Greece, vol. ii. p. 251.) is said to have been so called, either because the chariot
of Adrastus broke down here, or because the chariot of Amphiaraus disappeared
in the earth at this place. (Didym. and Eustath. ad Il. l. c.; Strab. ix. p. 404;
Paus. ix. 19. § 4, comp. i. 34. § 2; Steph. B. s. v.) Strabo describes it as a
deserted village in the territory of Tanagra near Mycalessus; and Pausanias speaks
of the ruins of Harma and Mycalessus as situated on the road from Thebes to Chalcis.
Aelian (V. H. iii. 45) speaks of a lake called Harma, which is probably the one
now called Moritzi or Paralimni, to the east of Hylica. The exact site of Harma
is uncertain. It is supposed by Leake to have occupied the important pass on the
road from Thebes to Chalcis, leading into the maritime plain.
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ASKRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Ascra (Askra: Eth. Askraios). A town of Boeotia on Mount Helicon, and in the
territory of Thespiae, from which it was 40 stadia distant. (Strab. ix. p. 409.)
It is celebrated as the residence of Hesiod, whose father settled here after leaving
Cyme in Aeolis. Hesiod complains of it as a disagreeable residence both in summer
and winter. (Hes. Op. 638, seq.); and Eudoxus found still more fault with it.
(Strab. ix. p. 413.) But other writers speak of it as abounding in corn (poluleios,
Paus. ix. 38. § 4), and in wine. (Zenod. ap. Strab. p. 413.) According to the
poet Hegesinus, who is quoted by Pausanias, Ascra was founded by Ephialtes and
Otus, the sons of Aloeus. In the time of Pausanias a single tower was all that
remained of the town. (Paus. ix. 29. § § 1, 2.) The remains of Ascra are found
on the summit of a high conical hill, or rather rock, which is connected to the
NW. with Mount Zagara, and more to the westward with the proper Helicon. The distance
of these ruins from Lefka corresponds exactly to the 40 stades which Strabo places
between Thespiae and Ascra; and it is further remarkable, that a single tower
is the only portion of the ruins conspicuously preserved, just as Pausanias describes
Ascra in his time, though there are also some vestiges of the walls surrounding
the summit of the hill, and inclosing a space of no great extent. The place is
now called Pyrgaki from the tower, which is formed of equal and regular layers
of masonry, and is uncommonly large. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 491.)
The Roman poets frequently use the adjective Ascraeus in the sense of Hesiodic.
Hence we find Ascraeum carmen (Virg. Georg. ii. 176), and similar phrases.
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DELION (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Delium (Delion: Eth. Delieus), a small place with a celebrated temple
of Apollo, situated upon the sea-coast in the territory of Tanagra in Boeotia,
and at the distance of about a mile from the territory of Oropus. This temple,
which took its name from the island of Delos, is described by Livy (xxxv. 51)
as overhanging the sea, and distant five miles from Tanagra, at the spot where
the passage to the nearest parts of Euboea is less than four miles. Strabo (ix.
p. 403) speaks of Delium as a temple of Apollo and a small town (polichnion) of
the Tanagraei, distant 40 stadia from Aulis. It was here that the Athenians suffered
a signal defeat from the Boeotians in the eighth year of the Peloponnesian War,
B.C. 424. Hippocrates, the Athenian commander, had seized the temple at Delium,
which he converted into a fortress by some temporary works, and after leaving
there a garrison, was on his march homewards, and had already reached the territory
of Oropus at the distance of 10 stadia from Delium, when he met the Boeotian army
advancing to cut off his retreat. In the battle which ensued the Athenians were
defeated with great loss; and on the seventeenth day after the battle the Boeotians
retook the temple. (Thuc. iv. 90.) Socrates fought at this battle among the hoplites,
and, according to one account, saved the life of Xenophon (Strab. ix. p. 403;
Diog. Laert. ii. 22), while, according to another, his own retreat was protected
by Alcibiades, who was serving in the cavalry (Plut. Alc. 7). A detachment of
the Roman army was likewise defeated at Delium by the troops of Antiochus, B.C.
192. (Liv. xxxv. 51.) (Comp. Strab. viii. p. 368; Paus. ix. 20. § 1; Ptol. iii.
15. § 20; Liv. xxxi. 45.)
The modern village of Dhilissi, which has taken its name from Delium,
is at some little distance from the sea. It is clear, however, from the testimony
of Livy already referred to, that the temple of Apollo was upon the coast; and
hence the modern village of Dhilissi may, as Leake suggests, be the site of the
polichnion, a small town of Delium. A few Hellenic fragments have been found at
the village. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 449, seq.)
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EFTRISSIS (Ancient city) PLATEES
Eth. Eutresites. An ancient town of Boeotia, mentioned by Homer, and
said to have been the residence of Zethus and Amphion before they ruled over Thebes.
(Hom. II. ii. 502; Eustath. ad loc.; Strab. ix.). In the time of Strabo it was
a village in the territory of Thespiae. Stephanus B. places it on the road from
Thespiae to Plataea; but Leake conjectures that there is an error in the text,
and that for Thespion we ought to read Thisbon, since there is only one spot in
the ten miles between Plataea and Thespiae where any town is likely to have stood,
and that was occupied by Leuctra. We learn from Stephanus that Eutresis possessed
a celebrated temple and oracle of Apollo, who was hence surnamed Eutresites.
Scylax, in his description of the coast of Boeotia, speaks of ho limen
Eutretos kai teichos ton Boioton, and Leake is disposed to identify these places
with Eutresia, which would thus be represented by the ruins at Aliki; but we should
rather conclude, from the words of both Strabo and Stephanus, that Eutresia was
not so far from Thespiae.
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ELEON (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Heleon (Plin.). A town in Boeotia, mentioned by Homer in the same line with Hyle
and Peteon, is said by Strabo to have been one of the smaller places in the territory
of Tanagra, and to have derived its name from its marshy situation. Its site is
uncertain: Leake places it on the shore of the lake Paralimni, but Muller and
Kiepert near Tanagra on the right bank of the Asopus.
ETEONOS (Ancient city) THIVES
Eteonos: Eth. Eteonios. A town of Boeotia, mentioned by Homer, who gives it the
epithet of poluknemos, lay to the right of the Asopus. Strabo says that it was
afterwards called Scarphe. It probably lay between Scolus and the frontier of
the territory of Tanagra.
GLISSAS (Ancient city) THIVES
Glissas: Eth. Glisantios. An ancient town of Boeotia, mentioned by
Homer in the same line with Plataea (Il. ii. 504), and celebrated in mythology
as the place where the Epigoni fought against the Thebans, and where the Argive
chiefs were buried who fell in the battle. (Paus. i. 44. § 4, ix. 5. § 13, ix.
8. § 6, ix. 9. § 4, ix. 19. § 2.) Pausanias, in his description of the road from
Thebes to Chalcis, says that Glisas was situated beyond Teumessus, at the distance
of seven stadia from the latter place; that above Glisas rose Mount Hypatus, from
which flowed the torrent Thermodon. (Paus. ix. 19. §2.) Strabo (ix.) places it
on Mt. Hypatus, and Herodotus (ix. 43) describes the Thermodon as flowing between
Glisas and Tanagra. Leake identifies Glisas with the ruins on the bank of the
torrent of Platanaki, above which rises. the mountain of Siamata, the ancient
Hypatus.
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ILESSION (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Eilesium (Eilesion), a town of Boeotia, of uncertain site, mentioned by Homer, the name of which, according to Strabo, indicates a marshy position. (Hom. Il. ii. 499; Strab. ix. p. 406; Steph. B. s v.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 469.)
KERISSOS (Acropolis) VIOTIA
Ceressus (Keressos), a strong fortress in Boeotia, in the neighbourhood
of, and belonging to Thespiae. The inhabitants of Ceressus retreated to this fortress
after the battle of Leuctra. It was probably situated at Paleopananhia. (Paus.
ix. 14. § 2; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. pp. 490, 450.)
KITHERON (Mountain) VIOTIA
Cithaeron (Kithairon), a range of mountains, separating Boeotia from
Megaris and Attica, of which a description is given elsewhere. It is said to have
derived its name from Cithaeron, a mythical king of Plataeae, who assisted Zeus
with his advice when Hera was angry with him. Hence the summit was sacred to the
Cithaeronian Zeus, and here was celebrated the festival called Daedala. (Paus.
ix. 2. § 4, 3. § 1, seq.; Diet. of Ant. art. Daedala.) Cithaeron was also sacred
to Dionysus, and was the scene of several celebrated legends, such as the metamorphosis
of Actaeon, the death of Pentheus, and the exposure of Oedipus. The forest, which
covered Cithaeron, abounded in game; and at a very early period, lions and wolves
are said to have been found there. The Cithaeronian lion, slain by Alcathous,
was celebrated in mythology. (Paus. i. 41. § 3.)
KOPES (Ancient city) THIVES
Kopai: Eth. Kopaieus, (Thuc.Kopa+tes, Steph. B.: Topolia). A town
of Boeotia, and a member of the Boeotian confederacy, was situated upon the northern
extremity of the lake Copais, which derived its name from this town. It is mentioned
by Homer; but it was a small place, and its name rarely occurs in Grecian history.
It was still in existence in the time of Pausanias, who mentions here the temples
of Demeter, Dionysus and Sarapis. The modern village of Topolia occupies the site
of Copae. It stands upon a promontory in the lake which is connected with the
mainland by only a narrow causeway.
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KORSIES (Ancient city) THISVI
Corseia (Korseia),
1. A town of Boeotia, sometimes included in Opuntian
Locris, was the first place which the traveller reached after crossing Mt. Khlomo
from Cyrtones. In the Sacred War it was taken by the Phocians, along with Orchomenus
and Coroneia. In the plain below, the river Platanius joined the sea. Its site
is probably represented by the village Proskyna, on the heights above which are
the remains of an ancient acropolis. (Paus. ix. 24. § 5; Diod. xvi. 58; Dem. de
Fals. Leg. p. 385; called Chorsia by Steph. B. s. v.; Leake, Northern Greece,
vol. ii. p. 184; Forchhammer, Hellenika, p. 179.)
2. Scylax mentions Korsiai as aport of Boeotia on the Corinthian gulf. It appears from Pliny that there was a second town of this name in the western part of Boeotia, and that it was distinguished from the other by the name of Thebae Corsicae. ( Thebis quae Corsicae cognominatae sunt juxta Heliconem, Plin. iv. 3. s. 4.) It is probably represented by the modern Khosia. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. P. 521.)
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KREFSIS (Ancient city) THISVI
Kreousa, Kreousia, Creusa, Kreusis, Eth. Kreusios. A town of Boeotia,
at the head of a small bay in the Corinthian gulf, described by ancient writers
as the port of Thespiae. (Strab. ix.; Paus. ix. 32. § 1; Creusa, Thespiensium
emporium, in intimo sinu Corinthiaco retractum, Liv. xxxvi. 21.) The navigation
from Peloponnesus to Creusis is described by Pausanias as insecure, on account
of the many headlands which it was necessary to double, and of the violent gusts
of wind rushing down from the mountains. Creusis was on the borders of Megaris.
One of the highest points of Mt. Cithaeron projects into the sea between Creusis
and Aegosthenae, the frontier town in Megaris, leaving no passage along the shore
except a narrow path on the side of the mountain. In confirmation of Pausanias,
Leake remarks that this termination of Mt. Cithaeron, as well as all the adjoining
part of the Alcyonic sea, is subject to sudden gusts of wind, by which the passage
of such a cornice is sometimes rendered dangerous. On two occasions the Lacedaemonians
retreated from Boeotia by this route, in order to avoid the more direct roads
across Mt. Cithaeron. On the first of these occasions, in B.C. 378, the Lacedaemonian
army under Cleombrotus was overtaken by such a violent storm, that the shields
of the soldiers were wrested from their hands by the wind, and many of the beasts
of burden were blown over the precipices. (Xen. Hell. v. 4. 16, seq.) The second
time that they took this route was after the fatal battle of Leuctra, in B.C.
371. (Xen. Hell. vi. 4 § 25, seq.) The exact site of Creusis is uncertain, but
there can be no doubt that it must be placed with Leake somewhere in the bay of
Livadhostra.
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LEFKTRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
ta Leuktra. A village of Boeotia, situated on the road from Thespiae
to Plataea (Strab. ix.), and in the territory of the former city. (Xen. Hell.
vi. 4. 4). Its name only occurs in history on account of the celebrated battle
fought in its neighbourhood between the Spartans and Thebans, B.C. 371, by which
the supremacy of Sparta was for ever overthrown. In the plain of Leuctra, was
the tomb of the two daughters of Scedasus, a Leuctrian, who had been violated
by two Spartans, and had afterwards slain themselves; this tomb was crowned with
wreaths by Epaminondas before the battle, since an oracle had predicted that the
Spartans would be defeated at this spot (Xen. Hell. vi. 4. 7; Diod. xv. 54; Paus.
ix. 13. § 3; Plut. Pelop. cc. 20, 21). The city of Leuctra, is sometimes supposed
to be represented by the extensive ruins at Lefka (Leuka), which are situated
immediately below the modern village of Rimokastro. But these ruins are clearly
those of Thespiae, as appears from the inscriptions found there, as well as from
their importance; for Leuctra was never anything more than a village in the territory
of Thespiae, and had apparently ceased to exist in the time of Strabo, who calls
it simply a topos. The real site of Leuctra, is very clearly marked by a tumulus
and some artificial ground on the summit of the ridge which borders the southern
side of the valley of Thespiae. The battle of Leuctra was fought probably in the
valley on the northern side of the tumulus, about midway between Thespiae, and
the western extremity of the plain of Plataea. Cleombrotus, in order to avoid
the Boeotians, who were expecting him by the direct route from Phocis, marched
by Thisbe and the valleys on the southern side of Mount Helicon; and having thus
made his appearance suddenly at Creusis, the port of Thespiae, captured that fortress.
From thence, he moved upon Leuctra, where he intrenched himself on a rising ground;
after which the Thebans encamped on an opposite hill, at no great distance. The
position of the latter, therefore, seems to have been on the eastern prolongation
of the height of Rimokastro. The tumulus is probably the place of sepulture of
the 1000 Lacedaemonians who fell in the battle. For a full account of this celebrated
contest, see Grote, Hist. of Greece. In ancient times, the neighbourhood of Leuctra
appears to have been well wooded, as we may infer from the epithet of shady bestowed
upon it by the oracle of Delphi (Leuktra skioenta, Paus. ix. 14. § 3); but at
present there is scarcely a shrub or a tree to be seen in the surrounding country.
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OGCHISTOS (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Eth. Onchestios. An ancient town of Boeotia in the territory of Haliartus,
said to have been founded by Onchestus, a son of Poseidon. (Paus. ix. 26. § 5;
Steph. B. s. v.) It possessed a celebrated temple and grove of Poseidon, which
is mentioned by Homer (Ophcheston th, <* >eron Posideion, aglaon alsos,
Il. ii. 506), and subsequent poets. (Pind. Isthm. i. 44, iv. 32; Lycophr. 645.)
Here an Amphictyonic council of the Boeotians used to assemble. (Strab. ix. p.
412.) Pausanias says that Onchestus was 15 stadia from the mountain of the Sphinx,
the modern Faga; and its position is still more accurately defined by Strabo.
The latter writer, who censures Alcaeus for placing Onchestus at the foot of Mt.
Helicon, says that it was in the Haliartia, on a naked hill near the Teneric plain
and the Copaic lake. He further maintains that the grove of Poseidon existed only
in the imagination of the poets; but Pausanias, who visited the place, mentions
the grove as still existing. The site of Onchestus is probably marked by the Hellenic
remains situated upon the low ridge which separates the two great Boeotian basins,
those of lake Copais and of Thebes, and which connects Mount Fay with the roots
of Helicon. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 213, seq.; Gell, Itiner. p. 125.)
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OLMONES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Eth. Olmoneus. A village in Boeotia, situated 12 stadia to the left of Copae,
and 7 stadia from Hyettus. It derived its name from Olmus, the son of Sisyphus,
but contained nothing worthy of notice in the time of Pausanias. Forchhammer places
Olmones in the small island in the lake Copais, SW. of Copae, now called Trelo-Yani.
PANAKTON (Ancient city) THIVES
The position of these places cannot be fixed with certainty; but we
think Leake's opinion is, upon the whole, the most probable. Muller, Kiepert,
and others suppose the ruins of Ghyfto - kastro to be those of Panactum described
by Thucydides as a fortress of the Athenians, on the confines of Boeotia, which
was betrayed to the Boeotians in B.C. 420, and subsequently destroyed by them.
(Thuc. v. 3, 42; comp. Paus. i. 25. § 6; Dem. de Fals. Leg. p. 446; Steph. B.)
Leake places Panactum on the Boeotian side of the pass of Phyle; but Ross thinks
that he has discovered its ruins in the plain of Eleutherae, west of Skurta. Ross,
moreover, thinks that Eleutherae stood to the east of Ghyfto - kastro, near the
convent of St. Meletius, where are ruins of an ancient place; while other modern
writers suppose Eleutherae to have stood more to the west, near the modern village
of Kundara.
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PETEON (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Eth. Peteonios. A town of Boeotia, mentioned by Homer (Il. ii. 500),
was situated near the road from Thebes to Anthedon. (Strab. ix. p. 410.) Strabo
contradicts himself in the course of the same page, in one passage placing Peteon
in the Thebais, and in another in the Haliartia. (Comp. Plut. Narr. Am. 4; Plin.
iv. 7. s. 12; Steph. B. s. v.) The position of Peteon is uncertain. Leake supposes
it may be represented by some ancient remains at the southern extremity of the
lake Paralimni. (Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 320.)
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PLATEES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Plataeae (Plataia, Plataiai, Eth. Plataieus, Plataeensis). An ancient
city of Boeotia, was situated upon the frontiers of Attica at the foot of Mt.
Cithaeron, and between that mountain and the river Asopus, which divided its territory
from that of Thebes. (Strab. ix. p. 411.) The two cities were about 6 1/2 miles
apart by the road, but the direct distance was little more than 5 geographical
miles. According to the Thebans Plataea was founded by them (Thuc. iii. 61); but
Pausanias represents the Plataeans as indigenous, and according to their own account
they derived their name from Plataea, a daughter of Asopus. (Paus. ix. 1. § 1.)
Plataea is mentioned in Homer among the other Boeotian cities. (Il. ii. 504.)
In B.C. 519 Plataea, unwilling to submit to the supremacy of Thebes, and unable
to resist her powerful neighbour with her own unaided resources, formed a close
alliance with Athens, to which she continued faithful during the whole of her
subsequent history. (Herod. vi. 108; Thuc. iii. 68.) She sent 1000 men to the
assistance of Athens at Marathon, and shared in the glories of that victory. (Herod,
l. c.) The Plataeans also fought at Artemisium, but were not present at Salamis,
as they had to leave the fleet in order to remove their families and property
from the city, in consequence of the approach of the Persian army. (Herod. viii.
44.) Upon the arrival of the Persians shortly afterwards their city was burnt
to the ground. (Herod. viii. 50.) In the following year (B.C. 479) their territory
was the scene of the memorable battle, which delivered Greece from the Persian
invaders. The history of this battle illustrates so completely the topography
of the Plataean territory, that it is necessary to give an account of the different
positions taken by the contending forces (See accompanying Map). Mardonius proceeded
from Attica into Boeotia across Mount Parnes by the pass of Deceleia, and took
up a position on the bank of the Asopus, where he caused a fortified camp to be
constructed of 10 stadia square. The situation was well selected, since he had
the friendly city of Thebes in his rear, and was thus in no danger of falling
short of provisions. (Herod. ix. 15.) The Grecian army crossed over from Attica
by Mt. Cithaeron; but as Pausanias did not choose to expose his troops to the
attacks of the Persian cavalry on the plain, he stationed them on the slopes of
the mountain, near Erythrae, where the ground was rugged and uneven. This position
did not, however, altogether preserve them; but, in an attack made by the Persian
cavalry, a body of 300 Athenians repulsed them, and killed their leader Masistius.
This success encouraged Pausanias to descend into the territory of Plataea, more
especially as it was better supplied with water than his present position. Marching
from Erythrae in a westerly position along the roots of Mt. Cithaeron, and passing
by Hysiae, he drew up his army along the right bank of the Asopus, partly upon
hills of no great height and partly upon a lofty plain, the right wing being near
the fountain Gargaphia, and the left near the chapel of the Plataean hero Androcrates.
(Herod. ix. 25 - 30.) Mardonius drew up his army opposite to them on the other
side of the Asopus. The two armies remained in this position for some days, neither
party being willing to begin the attack. The Persians assailed the Greeks at a
distance with their missiles, and prevented them altogether from watering at the
Asopus. Meantime the Persian cavalry intercepted the convoys of provisions proceeding
to the Grecian camp, and on one occasion drove away the Lacedaemonians, who occupied
the right wing from the fountain Gargaphia, and succeeded in choking it up. This
fountain had been of late the only watering-place of the Greeks; and as their
ground was now untenable, Pausanias resolved to retreat in the night to a place
called the Island (nesos), about 10 stadia in the rear of their present position,
and halfway between the latter and the town of Plataea. The spot selected, improperly
called an island, was, in fact, a level meadow, comprised between two branches
of the river Oeroe, which, rising from distinct sources in Mt. Cithaeron, and
running for some space nearly parallel with one another, at length unite and flow
in a westerly direction into the gulf of Corinth. (Herod. ix. 51.) The nature
of the ground would thus afford to the Greeks abundance of water, and protection
from the enemy's cavalry. The retreat, however, though for so short a distance,
was effected in disorder and confusion. The Greek centre, chiefly composed of
Megarians and Corinthians, probably fearing that the island would not afford them
sufficient protection against the enemy's cavalry, did not halt till they reached
the temple of Hera, which was in front of the town of Plataea. The Lacedaemonians
on the right wing were delayed till the day began to dawn, by the obstinacy of
Amompharetus, and then began to march across the hills which separated them from
the island. The Athenians on the left wing began their march at the same time,
and got round the hills to the plain on the other side on their way to the island.
After marching 10 stadia, Pausanias halted on the bank of the Moloeis, at a place
called Agriopius, where stood a temple of the Eleusinian Demeter. Here he was
joined by Amompharetus, and here he had to sustain the attack of the Persians,
who had rushed across the Asopus and up the hill after the retreating foe. As
soon as Pausanias was overtaken by the Persians, he sent to the Athenians to entreat
them to hasten to his aid; but the coming up of the Boeotians prevented them from
doing so. Accordingly the Lacedaemonians and Tegeatans had to encounter the Persians
alone without any assistance from the other Greeks, and to them alone belongs
the glory of the victory. The Persians were defeated with great slaughter, nor
did they stop in their flight till they had again crossed the Asopus and reached
their fortified camp. The Thebans also were repulsed by the Athenians, but they
retreated in good order to Thebes, being covered by their cavalry from the pursuit
of the Athenians. The Greek centre, which was nearly 10 stadia distant, had no
share in the battle; but hearing that the Lacedaemonians were gaining the victory,
they hastened to the scene of action, and, coining up in confusion, as many as
600 were cut to pieces by the Theban force. Meantime the Lacedaemonians pursued
the Persians to the fortified camp, which, however, they were unable to take until
the Athenians, more skilled in that species of warfare, came to their assistance.
The barricades were then carried, and a dreadful carnage ensued. With the exception
of 40,000 who retreated with Artabazus, only 3000 of the original 300,000 are
said to have escaped. (Herod. ix. 50 - 70.)
As this signal victory had been gained on the soil of Plataea, its
citizens received especial honour and rewards from the confederate Greeks. Not
only was the large sum of 80 talents granted to them, which they employed in erecting
a temple to Athena, but they were charged with the duty of rendering every year
religious honours to the tombs of the warriors who had fallen in the battle, and
of celebrating every five years the festival of the Eleutheria in commemoration
of the deliverance of the Greeks from the Persian yoke. The festival was sacred
to Zeus Eleutherius, to whom a temple was now erected at Plataea. In return for
these services Pausanias and the other Greeks swore to guarantee the independence
and inviolability of the city and its territory (Thuc. ii. 71; Plut. Arist. c.
19 - 21; Strab. ix. p. 412; Paus. ix. 2. § 4.)
Plataea was of course now rebuilt, and its in.. habitants continued
unmolested till the commencement of the Peloponnesian War. In the spring of B.C.
431, before any actual declaration of war, a party of 300 Thebans attempted to
surprise Plataea. They were admitted within the walls in the night time by an
oligarchical party of the citizens; but the Plataeans soon recovered from their
surprise, and put to death 180 of the assailants. (Thuc. ii. 1, seq.) In the third
year of the war (B.C. 429) the Peloponnesian army under the command of Archidamus
laid siege to Plataea. This siege is one of the most memorable in the annals of
Grecian warfare, and has been narrated at great length by Thucydides. The Plataeans
had previously deposited at Athens their old men, women, and children; and the
garrison of the city consisted of only 400 citizens and 80 Athenians, together
with 110 women to manage their household affairs. Yet this small force set at
defiance the whole army of the Peloponnesians, who, after many fruitless attempts
to take the city by assault, converted the siege into a blockade, and raised a
circumvallation round the city, consisting of two parallel walls, 16 feet asunder,
with a ditch on either side. In the second year of the blockade 212 of the besieged
during a tempestuous winter's night succeeded in scaling the walls of circumvallation
and reaching Athens in safety. In the course of the ensuing summer (B.C. 427)
the remainder of the garrison were obliged, through failure of provisions, to
surrender to the Peloponnesians. They were all put to death; and all the private
buildings rased to the ground by the Thebans, who with the materials erected a
sort of vast barrack round the temple of Hera, both for the accommodation of visitors,
and to serve as an abode for those to whom they let out the land. A new temple,
of 100 feet in length (neos hekatompedos), was also built by the Thebans in honour
of Hera. (Thuc. ii. 71, seq., iii. 20, seq., 52, seq., 68.)
The surviving Plataeans were kindly received by the Athenians. They
would appear even before this time to have enjoyed the right of citizenship at
Athens (Athenaion xummachoi kai politai, Thuc. iii. 63). The exact nature of this
citizenship is uncertain ; but that it was not the full citizenship, possessed
by Athenian citizens, appears from a line of Aristophanes, who speaks of certain
slaves, who had been engaged in sea-fights, being made Plataeans (kai Plataias
euthus einai kanai doulon despotas, Ran. 706; comp. Schol. ad Aristoph. Ran. 33;
Bockh, Public Econ. of Athens, p. 262, 2nd ed.). Diodorus, in relating their return
to Athens at a subsequent time, says (xv. 46) that they received the isopoliteia;
but that some of them at any rate enjoyed nearly the full privileges of Athenian
citizens appears from the decree of the people quoted by Demosthenes (c. Neaer.
p. 1380).
In B.C. 420 the Athenians gave the Plataeans the town of Scione as
a residence. (Thuc. v. 32 ; Isocr. Paneg. § 109; Diodor. xii. 76.) At the close
of the Peloponnesian War, they were compelled to evacuate Scione (Plut. Lysand.
14), and again found a hospitable welcome at Athens. Here they were living at
the time of the peace of Antalcidas (B.C. 387), which guaranteed the autonomy
of the Grecian cities; and the Lacedaemonians, who were now anxious to humble
the power of Thebes, took advantage of it to restore the Plataeans to their native
city. (Paus. ix. 1. § 4; Isocrat. Plataic. § 13, seq.) But the Plataeans did not
long retain possession of their city, for in B.C. 372 it was surprised by the
Thebans and again destroyed. The Plataeans were compelled once more to seek refuge
at Athens. (Paus. ix. 1. § § 5 - 8; Diodor. xv. 46.) The wrongs done to the Plataeans
by Thebes are set forth in a speech of Isocrates, entitled Plataicus, which was
perhaps actually delivered at this time by a Plataean speaker before the public
assembly at Athens. (Grote's Greece, vol. x. p. 220.) After the battle of Chaeroneia
(B.C. 338) the Plataeans were once more restored to their city by Philip. (Paus.
ix. 1. § 8, iv. 27. § 11.) It was shortly after this time that Plataea was visited
by Dicaearchus, who calls the Plataeans Athenaioi Boiotoi, and remarks that they
have nothing to say for themselves, except that they are colonists of the Athenians,
and that the battle between the Greeks and the Persians took place near their
town. (Descript. Graec. p. 14, Hudson.)
After its restoration by Philip, the city continued to be inhabited
till the latest times. It was visited by Pausanias, who mentions three temples,
one of Hera, another of Athena Areia, and a third of Demeter Eleusinia. Pausanias
speaks of only one temple of Hera, which he describes as situated within the city,
and worthy of admiration on account of its magnitude and of the offerings with
which it was adorned (ix. 2. § 7). This was apparently the temple built by the
Thebans after the destruction of Plataea. (Thuc. iii. 68.) It is probable that
the old temple of Hera mentioned by Herodotus, and which he describes as outside
the city (ix. 52), was no longer repaired after the erection of the new one, and
had disappeared before the visit of Pausanias. The temple of Athena Areia was
built according to Pausanias (ix. 4. § 1) out of a share of the spoils of Marathon,
but according to Plutarch (Arist. 20) with the 80 talents out of the spoils of
Plataea, as mentioned above. The temple was adorned with pictures by Polygnotus
and Onatas, and with a statue of the goddess by Pheidias. Of the temple of Demeter
Eleusinia we have no details, but it was probably erected in consequence of the
battle having been fought near a temple of Demeter Eleusinia at Argiopius. (Herod.
ix. 57.) The temple of Zeus Eleutherius (Strab. ix. p. 412) seems to have been
reduced in the time of Pausanias to an altar and a statue. It was situated outside
the city. (Paus. ix. 2. § § 5 - 7.)
Plataea is mentioned in the sixth century by Hierocles (p. 645, Wesseling)
among the cities of Boeotia; and its walls were restored by Justinian. (Procop.
de Aedif. iv. 2.)
The ruins of Plataea are situated near the small village of Kokela.
The circuit of the walls may still be traced in great part. They are about two
miles and a half in circumference; but this was the size of the city restored
by Philip, for not only is the earlier city, before its destruction by the Thebans,
described by Thucydides (ii. 77) as small, but we find at the southern extremity
of the existing remains more ancient masonry than in any other part of the ruins.
Hence Leake supposes that the ancient city was confined to this part. He observes
that the masonry in general, both of the Acropolis and of the town, has the appearance
of not being so old as the time of the battle. The greater part is of the fourth
order, but mixed with portions of a less regular kind, and with some pieces of
polygonal masonry. The Acropolis, if an interior inclosure can be so called, which
is not on the highest part of the site, is constructed in part of stones which
have evidently been taken from earlier buildings. The towers of this citadel are
so formed as to present flanks to the inner as well as to the outer face of the
intermediate walls, whereas the town walls have towers, like those of the Turks,
open to the interior. Above the southern wall of the city are foundations of a
third inclosure; which is evidently more ancient than the rest, and is probably
the only part as old as the Persian War, when it may have been the Acropolis of
the Plataea of that age. It surrounds a rocky height, and terminates to the S.
in an acute angle, which is only separated by a level of a few yards from the
foot of the great rocky slope of Cithaeron. This inclosure is in a situation higher
than any other part of the ancient site, and higher than the village of Kokela,
from which it is 500 yards distant to the E. Its walls are traceable on the eastern
side along a torrent, a branch of the Oeroe, nearly as far as the south-eastern
angle of the main inclosure of the city. In a church within this upper inclosure
are some fragments of an inscribed marble. (Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 325.)
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POTNIES (Ancient city) THIVA
Potniai Eth. Potnieus, fem. Potnias. a village of Boeotia, on the
road from Thebes to Plataea, distant 10 stadia from the former city. It was in
ruins in the time of Pausanias, and contained a grove sacred to Demeter and Cora
(Proserpine). Potniae is celebrated in mythology as the residence of Glaucus,
who was torn to pieces by his infuriated mares. According to Strabo some authorities
regarded Potniae as the Hypothebae of Homer (Il. ii. 505). Gell places Potniae
in the neighbourhood of the modern village of Taki.
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SCHINOS (Ancient city) THIVES
Schoinous. The name of several towns, from the reeds or rushes growing
in their neighbourhood (usually Schoinos). A town in Boeotia, mentioned by Homer
(Il. ii. 497), and placed by Stabo upon a river of the same name in the territory
of Thebes, upon the road to Anthedon, and at the distance of 50 stadia from Thebes.
(Strab. ix. p. 408; Eustath. ad loc.; Steph. B. s. v.; Nicander, Theriac. 887;
Plin. iv. 7. s. 12.) This river is probably the stream flowing into the lake of
Hylica from the valley of Moriki, and which near its mouth is covered with rushes.
Nicander is clearly wrong, who makes the Schoenus flow into the lake Copais. (Ulrichs,
Reisen, p. 258; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 320.) Schoenus was the birthplace
of the celebrated Atalanta, the daughter of Schoenus (Paus. viii. 35. § 10); and
hence Statius gives to Schoenus the epithet of Atalantaeus.
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SKOLOS (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Skolos. A town of Chalcidice near Olynthus, mentioned together with Spartolus,
in the treaty between Athens and Sparta in the tenth year of the Peloponnesian
War.
TANAGRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Eth. Tanagraios: the territory Tanagraia, Paus. ix. 22. § 1, and Tanagraike
or Tanagrike, Strab. ix. p. 404: Adj. Tanagrikos: Grimadha or Grimala), a town
of Boeotia, situated upon the left bank of the Asopus, in a fertile plain, at
the distance of 130 stadia from Oropus and 200 from Plataeae (Dicaearch. Stat.
Gr. pp. 12, 14, ed. Hudson). Several ancient writers identified Tanagra with the
Homeric Graea (Graia. Hom. Il. ii. 498; Lycophr. 644); but others supposed them
to be distinct places, and Aristotle regarded Oropus as the ancient Graea. (Steph.
B. s. v. Tanagra; Strab. ix. p. 404; Paus. ix. 20. § 2.) It is possible, as Leake
has remarked, that Tanagra, sometimes written Tanagraea, may be connected with
the ancient name Graea, Tana, being an Aeolic suffix, and that the modern name
Grimadhla or Grimala may retain traces of the Homeric name. Tanagra was also called
Poemandria, and its territory Poemandris, from the fertile meadows which surrounded
the city. (Steph. B. s. v.; Strab. ix. p. 404.) The most ancient inhabitants of
Tanagra are said to have been the Gephyraei, who came from Phoenicia with Cadmus,
and from thence emigrated to Athens. (Herod. v. 57; Strab. ix. p. 404). From its
vicinity to Attica the territory of Tanagra was the scene of more than one battle.
In B.C. 457 the Lacedaemonians on their return from an expedition to Doris, took
up a position at Tanagra, near the borders of Attica, with the view of assisting
the oligarchical party at Athens to overthrow the democracy. The Athenians, with
a thousand Argeians and some Thessalian horse, crossed Mount Parnes and advanced,
against the Lacedaemonians. Both sides fought with great bravery; but the Lacedaemonians
gained the victory, chiefly through the treacherous desertion of the Thessalians
in the very heat of the engagement. (Thuc. i. 107, 108; Diod. xi. 80.) At the
begining of the following year (B.C. 456), and only sixty-two days after their
defeat at Tanagra, the Athenians under Myronides again invaded Boeotia, and gained
at Oenophyta, in the territory of Tanagra, a brilliant and decisive victory over
the Boeotians, which made them masters of the whole country. The walls of Tanagra
were now razed to the ground. (Thuc. i. 108; Diod. xi. 81, 82.) In B.C. 426 the
Athenians made an incursion into the territory of Tanagra, and on their return
defeated the Tanagraeans and Boeotians. (Thuc. iii. 91.) Dicaearchus, who visited
Tanagra in the time of Cassander, says that the city stands on a rugged and lofty
height, and has a white chalky appearance. The houses are adorned with handsome
porticoes and encaustic paintings. The surrounding country does not grow much.
corn, but produces the best wine in Boeotia. Dicaearchus adds that the inhabitants
are wealthy but frugal, being for the most part landholders, not manufacturers;
and he praises them for their justice, good faith, and hospitality. In the time
of Augustus, Tanagra and Thespiae were the two most prosperous cities in Boeotia.
(Strab. ix. p. 403.) Tanagra is called by Pliny (iv. 7. s. 12) a free state; it
is mentioned by Ptolemy (iii. 15. § 20); and it continued to flourish in the sixth
century. (Hierocl. p. 645.) Its public buildings are described at some length
by Pausanias (ix. 20. § 3, seq.). The principal temple was that of Dionysus, which
contained a celebrated statue of Parian marble, by Calamis, and a remarkable Triton.
Near it were temples of Themis, Aphrodite and Apollo, and two of Hermes, in one
of which he was worshipped as Criophorus, and in the other as Promachus. Near
the latter was the theatre, and probably at no great distance the gymnasium, which
contained a picture of Corinna, who was a native of Tanagra. There was also a
monument of this poetess in a conspicuous part of the city. Pausanias remarks
as a peculiarity in Tanagra, that all their sacred buildings were placed by themselves,
apart from the houses of the town (ix. 22. § 2.) He likewise notices (ix. 22.
§ 4) that Tanagra was famous for its breed of fighting-cocks, a circumstance which
is mentioned by other writers. (Varr. de Re Rust. iii. 9. § 6; Hesych. s. v. Koloiphrux;
Suidas, s. v. Tanagraioi alektoriskoi.) Tanagra possessed a considerable territory;
and Strabo (ix. p. 405) mentions four villages belonging to it, Eleon or Heleon,
Harma, Mycalessus, and Pharae. (Pherae, Plin. iv. 7. s. 12).
The ruins of Tanagra are situated at an uninhabited spot, called Grimadha
or Grimala, situated 3 miles south of the village of Skimatari. The site is a
large bill nearly circular, rising from the north bank of the Asopus. The upper
part of the site is rocky and abrupt, looking down upon the town beneath; and
it was probably upon this upper height that the sacred edifices stood apart from
the other buildings of the town. The walls of the city which embraced a circuit
of about two miles, may still be traced, but they are a mere heap of ruins. About
100 yards below the height already described are the remains of the theatre, hollowed
out of the slope. On the terrace below the theatre to the NE. are the foundations
of a public building, formed of marble of a very dark colour with a green cast.
The ground is thickly strewn in every direction with remains of earthenware, betokening
the existence of a numerous population in former times.
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TEFMISSOS (Ancient city) THIVES
Teumessos: Eth. Teumessios. A village in Boeotia, situated in the
plain of Thebes, upon a low rocky hill of the same name. The name of this hill
appears to have been also given to the range of mountains separating the plain
of Thebes from the valley of the Asopus. Teumessus was upon the road from Thebes
to Chalcis (Paus. ix. 19. § 1), at the distance of 100 stadia from the former.
(Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 1105.) It is mentioned in one of the Homeric hymns (Hymn.
in Apoll. 228) with the epithet lechepoie or grassy, an epithet justified by the
rich plain which surrounds the town. Teumessus is celebrated in the epic legends,
especially on account of the Teumessian fox, which ravaged the territory of Thebes.
(Paus. l. c.; Anton. Lib. 41; Palaeph. de Incrsedib. 8.) The only building at
Teumessus mentioned by Pausanias was a, temple of Athena Telchinia, without any
statue.
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THESPIES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Thespiai (also Thespeia or Thespia, Eth. Thespieus, Thespiensis, fern.
Thespias, Thespis: Adj. Thespiakos, Thespius, Thespiacus). An ancient city of
Boeotia, situated at the foot of Mt. Helicon, looking towards the south and the
Crissaean gulf, where stood its port-town Creusa or Creusis. (Strab. ix. p. 409;
Paus. ix. 26. § 6; Steph. B. s. v.) Thespiae was said to have derived its name
from Thespia, a daughter of Asopus, or from Thespius, a son of Erechtheus, who
migrated from Athens. (Paus. l. c.; Diod. iv. 29.) The city is mentioned in the
catalogue of Homer. (Il. ii. 498.) Thespiae, like Plataea, was one of the Boeotian
cities inimical to Thebes, which circumstance affected its whole history. Thus
Thespiae and Plataea were the only two Boeotian cities that refused to give earth
and water to the heralds of Xerxes. (Herod. vii. 132.) Seven hundred Thespians
joined Leonidas at Thermopylae; and they remained to perish with the 300 Spartans,
when the other Greeks retired. (Herod. vii. 202, 222.) Their city was burnt by
Xerxes, when he overran Boeotia, and the inhabitants withdrew to Peloponnesus.
(Herod. viii. 50.) The survivors, to the number of 1800, fought at the battle
of Plataea in the following year, but they were reduced to such distress that
they had no heavy armour. (Herod. ix. 30.) After the expulsion of the Persians
from Greece, Thespiae was rebuilt, and the inhabitants recruited their numbers
by the admission of strangers as citizens. (Herod. viii. 75.) At. the battle of
Delium (B.C. 424) the Thespians fought on the left wing against the Athenians,
and were almost all slain at their post. (Thuc. iv. 93, seq.) In the following
year (B.C. 423), the Thebans destroyed the walls of Thespiae, on the charge of
Atticism, the Thespians being unable to offer any resistance in consequence of
the heavy loss they had sustained while fighting upon the side of the Thebans.
(Thuc. iv. 133.) In B.C. 414 the democratical party at Thespiae attempted to overthrow
the existing government; but the latter receiving assistance from Thebes, many
of the conspirators withdrew to Athens. (Thuc. vi. 95.) In B.C. 372 the walls
of Thespiae were again destroyed by the Thebans. According to Diodorus (xv.46)
and Xenophon (Hell. vi. 3. § 1) Thespiae was at this time destroyed by the Thebans,
and the inhabitants driven out of Boeotia; but this happened after the battle
of Leuctra, and Mr. Grote (Hist, of Greece, vol. x. p. 219) justly infers from
a passage in Isocrates that the fortifications of the city were alone demolished
at this period. Pausanias expressly states that a contingent of Thespians was
present in the Theban army at the time of the battle of Leuctra, and availed themselves
of the permission of Epaminondas to retire before the battle. (Paus. ix. 13. §
8, ix. 14. § 1.) Shortly afterwards the Thespians were expelled from Boeotia by
the Thebans. (Paus. ix. 14. § 2.) Thespiae was afterwards rebuilt, and is mentioned
in the Roman wars in Greece. (Polyb. xxvii. 1; Liv. xlii. 43.) In the time of
Strabo, Thespiae and Tanagra were the only places in Boeotia that deserved the
name of cities. (Strab. ix. p. 410.) Pliny calls Thespiae a free town ( liberum
oppidum, iv. 7. s. 12). It is also mentioned by Ptolemy (iii. 15. § 20) and in
the Antonine Itinerary (p. 326, ed. Wess.), and it was still in existence in the
sixth century (Hierocl. p. 645, ed. Wess.).
Eros or Love was the deity chiefly worshipped at Thespiae; and the
earliest representation of the god in the form of a rude stone still existed in
the city in the time of Pausanias (ix. 27. § 1). The courtesan Phryne, who was
born at Thespiae, presented to her native city the celebrated statue of Love by
Praxiteles, which added greatly to the prosperity of the place in consequence
of the great numbers of strangers who visited the city for the purpose of seeing
it. (Dicaearch. § 25, ed. Muller; Cic. Verr. iv. 2; Strab. ix. p. 410, who erroneously
calls the courtesan Glycera; Paus. ix. 27. § 3.) In the time of Pausanias there
was only an imitation of it at Thespiae by Menodorus. Among the other works of
art in this city Pausanias noticed a statue of Eros by Lysippus, statues of Aphrodite
and Phryne by Praxiteles; the agora, containing a statue of Hesiod; the theatre,
a temple of Aphrodite Melaenis, a temple of the Muses, containing their figures
in stone of small size, and an ancient temple of Hercules. (Paus. ix. 27.) Next
to Eros, the Muses were specially honoured at Thespiae; and the festivals of the
Erotidia and Mouseia celebrated by the Thespians on Mt. Helicon, at the end of
every four years, are mentioned by several ancient writers. (Paus. ix. 31. § 3;
Plut. Amat. 1; Athen. xiii. p. 561; K. F. Hermann, Lehrbuch der gottesd. Alterth.
§ 63, n. 4.) Hence the Muses are frequently called Thespiades by the Latin writers.
(Varr. L. L. vii. 2; Cic. Verr. ii. 4; Ov. Met. v. 310; Plin. xxxvi. 5. s. 4,
§ 39, ed. Sillig.)
The remains of Thespiae are situated at a place called Lefka from
a deserted village of that name near the village of Erimokastro or Rimokastro.
Unlike most other Greek cities, it stands in a plain surrounded by hills on either
side, and its founders appear to have chosen the site in consequence of its abundant
supply of water, the sources of the river Kanavari rising here. Leake noticed
the foundations of an oblong or oval enclosure, built of very solid masonry of
a regular kind, about half a mile in circumference; but he observes that all the
adjacent ground to the SE. is covered, like the interior of the fortress, with
ancient foundations, squared stones, and other remains, proving that if the enclosure
was the only fortified part of the city, many of the public and private edifices
stood without the walls. The site of some of the ancient temples is probably marked
by the churches, which contain fragments of architraves, columns, and other ancient
remains.
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THISVI (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Thisbai, Eth. Thisbaios. A town of Boeotia, described by Strabo as
situated at a short distance from the sea, under the southern side of Helicon,
bordering upon the confines of Thespiae and Coroneia. (Strab. ix. p. 411.) Thisbe
is mentioned by Homer, who says that it abounds in wild pigeons (polutretrona
te Thisben, Il. ii. 502); and both Strabo and Stephlanus B. remark that this epithet
was given to the city from the abundance of wild pigeons at the harbour of Thisbe.
Xenophon remarks that Cleombrotus marched through the territory of Thisbe on his
way to Creusis before the battle of Leuctra. (Hell. vi. 4. § 3.) The only public
building at Thisbe mentioned by Pausanias (ix. 32. § 3) was a temple of Hercules,
to whom a festival was celebrated. The same writer adds that between the mountain
on the sea-side and the mountain at the foot of which the town stood, there is
a plain which would be inundated by the water flowing into it, were it not for
a mole or causeway constructed through the middle, by means of which the water
is diverted every year into the part of the plain lying on one side of the causeway,
while that on the other is cultivated. The ruins of Thisbe are found at Kakosia.
The position is between two great summits of the mountain, now called Karamunghi
and Paleovuna, which rise majestically above the vale, clothed with trees, in
the upper part, and covered with snow at the top. The modern village lies in a
little hollow surrounded on all sides by low cliffs connected with the last falls
of the mountain. The walls of Thisbe were about a mile in circuit, following the
crest of the cliffs which surround the village; they are chiefly preserved on
the side towards Dobrena and the south-east. The masonry is for the most part
of the fourth order, or faced with equal layers of large, oblong, quadrangular
stones on the outside, the interior as usual being filled with loose rubble. On
the principal height which lies towards the mountain, and which is an entire mass
of rock, appear some reparations of a later date than the rest of the walls, and
there are many Hellenic foundations on the face of this rock towards the village.
In the cliffs outside the walls, to the northwest and south, there are many sepulchral
excavations. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 506.) Leake observed the mole
or causeway which Pausanias describes, and which serves for a road across the
marsh to the port. The same writer remarks that, as the plain of Thisbe is completely
surrounded by heights, there is no issue for the river which rises in the Ascraea
and here terminates. The river crosses the causeway into the marsh by two openings,
the closing of which in the winter or spring would at any time cause the upper
part of the plain to be inundated, and leave the lower fit for cultivation in
the summer; but as the river is now allowed to flow constantly through them, the
western side is always in a state of marsh, and the ground has become much higher
on the eastern side.
The port of Thisbe is now called Vathy. The shore is very rocky, and
abounds in wild pigeons, as Strabo and Stephanus have observed; but there is also
a considerable number at Kakosia itself. The Roman poets also allude to the pigeons
of Thisbe. Hence Ovid (Met. xi. 300) speaks of the Thisbaeae columbae, and Statius
(Theb. vii. 261) describes Thisbe as Dionaeis avibus circumsona. Thisbe is mentioned
both by Pliny (iv. 7. s. 12) and Ptolemy (iii. 15. § 20).
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TIFA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Siphai, Tipha, Eth. Giphaios, Tiphaieus. A town of Boeotia, upon the
Corinthian gulf, which was said to have derived its name from Tiphys, the pilot
of the Argonauts. In the time of Pausanias the inhabitants of Siphae pointed out
the spot where the ship Argo anchored on its return from its celebrated voyage.
The same writer mentions a temple of Hercules at Siphae, in whose honour an annual
festival was celebrated. (Paus. ix. 32. § 4) Thucydides (Thuc. iv. 76), Apollonius
Rhodius (i. 105), and Stephanus B. describe Siphae as a dependency of Thespiae;
and it is accordingly placed by Muller and Kiepert at Alikes. But Leake draws
attention to the fact that Pausanias describes it as lying W. of Thisbe; and he
therefore places it at port Sarandi, near the monastery dedicated to St. Taxiarches,
where are the remains of a small Hellenic city. On this supposition the whole
of the territory of Thisbe would lie between Thespiae and Siphae, which Leake
accounts for by the superiority of Thespiae over all the places in this angle
of Boeotia, whence the whole country lying upon this part of the Corinthian gulf
may have often, in common acceptation, been called the Thespice.
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AKREFNION (Ancient city) THIVES
(Akraiphia) or Acraephiae (Akraiphiai). A town in Boeotia at Lake Copais, in which the Thebans took refuge after their town had been destroyed by Alexander. It contained a temple of Dionysus.
ARMA (Ancient city) TANAGRA
A small place in Boeotia, near Tanagra. It got its name traditionally from the chariot (harma) of Adrastus, which broke down at this place; or, according to others, from the fact that the chariot of Amphiaraus was here swallowed up by the earth.
DELION (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A town on the coast of Boeotia, in the territory of Tanagra, near the Attic frontier, named after a temple of Apollo similar to that at Delos. Here the Athenians were defeated by the Boeotians, B.C. 424.
EFTRISSIS (Ancient city) PLATEES
A small town in Boeotia between Thespiae and Plataea with a temple and oracle of Apollo, who had therein the name Eutresites. It was said to have once been the home of Zethus and Amphion.
KITHERON (Mountain) VIOTIA
A lofty range of mountains, separating Boeotia from Megaris and Attica. It was sacred to Dionysus and the Muses, and was celebrated for the death of Pentheus (q.v.) and Actaeon (q.v.). Here was celebrated the festival called Daedala (q.v.).
KOPES (Ancient city) THIVES
An ancient town in Boeotia, on the north side of the lake Copais, which derived its name from this place.
LEFKTRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A small town in Boeotia, on the road from Plataeae to Thespiae, memorable for the victory of Epaminondas and the Thebans over the Spartans in B.C. 371.
OGCHISTOS (Ancient city) VIOTIA
An ancient town of Boeotia, situated a little south of Lake Copais, near Haliartus, said to have been founded by Onchestus, son of Poseidon.
PANAKTON (Ancient city) THIVES
(Panakton). A town on the frontiers of Attica and Boeotia, originally belonged to Boeotia, and after being a frequent object of contention between the Athenians and Boeotians, at length became permanently annexed to Attica.
PLATEES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
(Plataia), more commonly Plataeae (Plataiai). An ancient city
of Boeotia, on the northern slope of Mount Cithaeron, not far from the sources
of the Asopus, and on the frontiers of Attica. It was said to have derived its
name from Plataea, a daughter of Asopus. At an early period the Plataeans deserted
the Boeotian Confederacy and placed themselves under the protection of Athens;
and when the Persians invaded Attica, B.C. 490, they sent 1000 men to the assistance
of the Athenians, and fought on their side at the battle of Marathon. Ten years
afterward (480) their city was destroyed by the Persian army under Xerxes at the
instigation of the Thebans; and the place was still in ruins in the following
year (479), when the memorable battle was fought in their territory in which Mardonius
was defeated, and the independence of Greece secured. In consequence of this victory,
the territory of Plataea was declared inviolable. It now enjoyed a prosperity
of fifty years; but in the third year of the Peloponnesian War (429) the Thebans
persuaded the Spartans to attack the town, and after a siege of two years at length
succeeded in obtaining possession of the place (427). Plataea was now razed to
the ground, but was again rebuilt after the peace of Antalcidas (387). It was
destroyed the third time by its inveterate enemies the Thebans in 374. It was
once more restored under the Macedonian supremacy, and continued in existence
till a very late period.
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POTNIES (Ancient city) THIVA
A small town in Boeotia, on the Asopus. The adjective Potniades is an epithet frequently given to the mares which tore to death Glaucus of Potniae.
TANAGRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Now Grimadha or Grimala; a celebrated town of Boeotia, situated
on a steep ascent on the left bank of the Asopus, thirteen stadia from Oropus,
and 200 stadia from Plataeae, in the district Tanagraea, which was also called
Poemandris. Tanagra was supposed to be the same town as the Homeric Graea. Being
near the frontiers of Attica, it was frequently exposed to the attacks of the
Athenians; and near it the Athenians sustained a celebrated defeat, B.C. 457.
Here was a temple to Dionysus, and minor temples erected to Themis, Aphrodite,
Hermes Criophorus, and Hermes Promachus. Recent excavations at Tanagra have discovered
the line of the walls, the site of many of the towers, and of the theatre. In
1873 the Necropolis was explored and yielded many terra-cotta statuettes and "figurines".
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TEFMISSOS (Ancient city) THIVES
A mountain in Boeotia, near Hypatus, and close to Thebes, on the road from the latter place to Chalcis.
THERAPNES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A town in Boeotia.
THESPIES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
(Thespeiai and Thespiai), or Thespea (Thespeia, Thespia). Now
Eremo or Rimokastro; an ancient town in Boeotia on the southeastern slope of Mount
Helicon, at no great distance from the Crissaean Gulf. It was burned to the ground
by the Persians, but subsequently rebuilt. At Thespiae was preserved the celebrated
marble statue of Eros by Praxiteles, who had given it to Phryne, by whom it was
presented to her native town. From the vicinity of Thespiae to Mount Helicon the
Muses are called Thespiades, and Helicon itself is named the Thespia rupes.
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THISVI (Ancient city) VIOTIA
afterwards Thisbae (Thisbai). Now Kakosia. A town of Boeotia, on the borders of Phocis, and between Mount Helicon and the Corinthian Gulf.
Thebai, in poetry Thebe (Thebe, Dor. Theba). Now Thion;
the chief city in Boeotia. It was situated in a plain southeast of Lake Helice
and northeast of Plataeae. Its acropolis, which was an oval eminence of no great
height, was called Cadmea (Kadmeia), because it was said to have been founded
by Cadmus, the leader of a Phoenician colony. On each side of this acropolis
is a small valley, running up from the Theban plain into the low ridge of hills
by which it is separated from that of Plataeae. Of these valleys, the one to
the west is watered by the Dirce, and the one to the east by the Ismenus, both
of which, however, are insignificant little streams, though so celebrated in
ancient story. The greater part of the city stood in these valleys, and was
built some time after the acropolis. It is said that the fortifications of the
city were constructed by Amphion and his brother Zethus; and that, when Amphion
played his lyre, the stones moved of their own accord and formed the wall. The
territory of Thebes was called Thebais (Thebais), and extended eastward as far
as the Euboean Sea. No city is more celebrated in the mythical ages of Greece
than Thebes. It was here that the use of letters was first introduced from Phoenicia
into western Europe. It was the reputed birthplace of the two great divinities,
Dionysus and Heracles. It was also the native city of the great seer Tiresias,
as well as of the great musician Amphion. It was the scene of the tragic fate
of Oedipus, and of one of the most celebrated wars in the mythical annals of
Greece. Polynices, who had been expelled from Thebes by his brother Eteocles,
induced six other heroes to espouse his cause, and marched against the city;
but they were all defeated and slain by the Thebans, with the exception of Adrastus,
Polynices, and Eteocles falling by each other's hands. This is usually called
the war of the Seven against Thebes. A few years afterwards the Epigoni, or
descendants of the seven heroes, marched against Thebes to avenge their fathers'
death; they took the city and razed it to the ground. Thebes is not mentioned
by Homer in the catalogue of the Greek cities which fought against Troy, as
it was probably supposed not yet to have recovered from its devastation by the
Epigoni. It appears, however, at the earliest historical period as a large and
flourishing city; and it is represented as possessing seven gates (heptapulos),
the number assigned to it in the ancient legends. Its government, after the
abolition of monarchy, was an aristocracy, or rather an oligarchy, which continued
to be the prevailing form of government for a long time, although occasionally
exchanged for that of a democracy. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian War,
however, the oligarchy finally disappears; and Thebes appears under a democratical
form of government from this time, till it became with the rest of Greece subject
to the Romans.
The Thebans were from an early period inveterate enemies
of their neighbours, the Athenians. Their hatred of the latter people was probably
one of the reasons which induced them to desert the cause of Grecian liberty
in the great struggle against the Persian power. In the Peloponnesian War the
Thebans naturally espoused the Spartan side, and contributed not a little to
the downfall of Athens. But, in common with the other Greek States, they soon
became disgnsted with the Spartan supremacy, and joined the confederacy formed
against Sparta in B.C. 394. The peace of Antalcidas in 387 put an end to hostilities
in Greece; but the treacherous seizure of the Cadmea by the Lacedaemonian general
Phoebidas in 382, and its recovery by the Theban exiles in 379, led to a war
between Thebes and Sparta, in which the former not only recovered its independence,
but forever destroyed the Lacedaemonian supremacy. This was the most glorious
period in the Theban annals; and the decisive defeat of the Spartans at the
battle of Leuctra in 371 made Thebes the first power in Greece. Her greatness,
however, was mainly due to the preeminent abilities of her citizens, Epaminondas
and Pelopidas; and with the death of the former at the battle of Mantinea in
362, she lost the supremacy which she had so recently gained. Soon afterwards
Philip of Macedon began to exercise a paramount influence over the greater part
of Greece. The Thebans were induced, by the eloquence of Demosthenes, to forget
their old animosities against the Athenians, and to join the latter in protecting
the liberties of Greece; but their united forces were defeated by Philip, at
the battle of Chaeronea, in 338. Soon after the death of Philip and the accession
of Alexander, the Thebans made a last attempt to recover their liberty, but
were cruelly punished by the young king. The city was taken by Alexander in
336, and was entirely destroyed, with the exception of the temples, and the
house of the poet Pindar; 6000 inhabitants were slain, and 30,000 sold as slaves.
In 316 the city was rebuilt by Cassander, with the assistance of the Athenians.
In 290 it was taken by Demetrius Poliorcetes, and again suffered greatly. Dicaearchus,
who flourished about this time, has left us an interesting account of the city.
He describes it as about seventy stadia (nearly nine miles) in circumference,
in form nearly circular, and in appearance somewhat gloomy. He says that it
is plentifully provided with water, and contains better gardens than any other
city in Greece; that it is most agreeable in summer, on account of its plentiful
supply of cool and fresh water, and its large gardens; but that in winter it
is very unpleasant, being destitute of fuel, exposed to floods and cold winds,
and frequently visited by heavy falls of snow. He further represents the people
as proud and insolent, and always ready to settle disputes by fighting, rather
than by the ordinary course of justice. It is supposed that the population of
the city at this time may have been between 50,000 and 60,000 souls.
After the Macedonian period Thebes rapidly declined in importance;
and it received its last blow from Sulla , who gave half of its territory to
the Delphians. Strabo describes it as only a village in his time; and Pausanias,
who visited it in the second century of the Christian era, says that the Cadmea
alone was then inhabited. The modern town is also confined to this spot, and
the surrounding country is covered with a confused heap of ruins.
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DELION (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Greek city of Boeotia
north of Athens, along the
coast facing the island of Euboea,
not far from the border between Boeotia
and Attica.
Delium was the location of a sanctuary to Apollo in Boeotia.
During the Peloponnesian war, it played a key role in a failed attempt by Athens,
led by two generals, Hippocrates, son of Ariphron, and Demosthenes, son of Alcisthenes,
to restore democracy in Boeotia
and weaken Thebes.
During the winter 424-423, the Athenians, going along with a plan
devised with the complicity of Boeotian democrats, entered Delium and other cities
of Boeotia that were supposed
to side with them. But poor synchronization and denunciation of the conspiracy
ruined the attempt. The Boeotian troops led by the Thebans defeated the Athenians
near Delium and set the siege of the city, that was still occupied by the Athenians.
The city fell seventeen days later and more than one thousand Athenian hoplites
were killed in the operation, including Hippocrates, one of the two generals who
had devised it.
According to Plato, Socrates took part in the battle of Delium.
Bernard Suzanne (page last updated 1998), ed.
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THESPIES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Thespiae. City of Boeotia,
west of Thebes.
Thespiae was said to have been founded by Thespius, a son of Erechtheus,
king of Athens. It is at
the court of Thespius that Heracles undertook the first of his wondrous deeds
(though not one of the 12 labors), the killing of the lion of Cithaeron.
Thespiae was also linked to one version of the story of Narcissus.
In that version, Narcissus was an extremely beautiful young man from Thespiae
who despised the pleasures of love. He was loved by another young man of the neighborhood
whom he kept turning down until one day, he offered the importunate lover a sword
that the young man used to kill himself at Narcissus' front door, but not without
cursing him before dying. And so it happened that, a little while later, Narcissus
saw his reflection on the surface of a pond near a spring and fell in love with
himself to the point that he too killed himself in despair. Where his blood fell
on the grass, a flower grew that was called narcissus. After that, the people
of Thespiae instituted a cult to Eros, the god of love, whose power had been so
manifested.
Thespiae was located next to Mount
Helicon, the mountain of the Muses, where a temple was dedicated to them.
The Muses were said to be daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (the Greek word for
“memory”), herself the daughter of Uranus (“heaven” in
Greek) and Gea (“earth” in Greek), and were conceived during nine
consecutive nights of love between them in Pieria,
a region of Macedon close
to Mount Olympus. Under the
leadership of Apollo, whose temple at Delphi
was not far away from Mount Helicon,
they presided, not only over music in the usual sense, but over all activities
of the mind. In the list that became classic over time, they were;
•Calliope, first in dignity, muse of epic poetry;
•Clio, muse of history;
•Polyhymnia, muse of lyric poetry, mime, learning and rhetoric;
•Euterpe, muse of flute music;
•Terpsichore, muse of dance and choral singing;
•Erato, muse of lyric poetry;
•Melpomene, muse of tragedy;
•Thalia, muse of comedy and pastoral poetry;
•Urania, muse of astronomy.
Bernard Suzanne (page last updated 1998), ed.
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OLMONES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
Old form of Olmones.
GLAS (Acropolis) THIVES
Gla is the site of a stupendous Mycenaean fortress. Gla lies at the northeastern end of the Copais plain, and is encircled by massive walls 5.70 m thick and 3 km long. These walls gained Gla the title of the largest stronghold of its period.
OGCHISTOS (Ancient city) VIOTIA
THESPIES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
THISVI PORT (Ancient port) VIOTIA
TANAGRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A titular see in Hellas,
suffragan of Corinth; it was
a town of Boeotia, in a fertile
plain on the right bank of the Aesopus.
It was also called Poemandria and its territory Poemandris.
In 457 B. C. the Athenians were defeated near Tanagra by the Lacedaemonians,
but early in the following year they in turn defeated the Boeotians, thereby becoming
masters of Boeotia. The city walls were destroyed. In 426 the Athenians invaded
the territory of Tanagra and defeated the Tanagrians and Boeotians. The people
of Tanagra were noted for their frugality, loyalty, and hospitality. Their land
yielded little wheat, but the best wine in Boeotia, and the town was also noted
for its fighting-cocks.
Under Augustus Tanagra and Thespiae
were the chief towns of Boeotia.
It had numerous temples, one of Dionysius with a famous statue by Calanus and
a remarkable Triton, other temples of Themis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hermes Criophorus,
and Hermes Promaclius. The gymnasium contained a portrait of the poetess, Corinna,
who was born at Tanagra and commemorated there by a monument.
Pliny calls Tanagra a free state. It was still important in the sixth
century, but must soon after have been destroyed by Slavic invasions. A station
on the railway between Athens
and Thebes is now called Tanagra;
it connects with the village of Skimatari,
about eight miles south of which are the ruins of the ancient town including the
acropolis, necropolis etc. Excavations have made the tombs famous for the pretty
little terra-cotta figurines which they contain.
Only one bishop is known, Hesychius, who in 458 signed the letter
from the provincial synod to the Emperor Leo.
S. Petrides, ed.
Transcribed by: Douglas J. Potter
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
THIVES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A metropolitan titular see of Achaia
Secunda.
The city was founded by the Phoenician Cadmus in the sixteenth century
B.C., afterwards made illustrious by the legends of Laius, OEdipus, and of Antigone,
the rivalry of Eteocles and Polynices, and the unfortunate siege by the seven
chiefs of Argos. After the
taking of Troy, Thebes became
the capital of Boeotia, but
did not succeed in imposing its hegemony, for Athens
supported certain towns in their opposition. Thebes allied itself to the Persians
against the Greeks, but was conquered with them and submitted to Sparta,
until its two generals Pelopidas and Epaminondas restored it to the first rank.
The death of the latter before Mantinea
in 363 B.C., opened a new series of misfortunes for the city. Conquered by Philip
of Macedonia, in 338 B.C.,
it revolted two years after and drew on itself the vengeance of Alexander who
killed or sold all the inhabitants and destroyed all the houses save that of the
poet Pindar. Rebuilt in 316 B.C., by Cassander, it was taken and retaken again.
In the second century B.C., the acropolis alone was inhabited. In
the Middle Ages the city was repeopled through the silk industry. In 1040 the
Bulgarians took possession of it; six years after the Normans sacked it. In 1205
it was taken by Boniface III of Montferrat and assigned with Athens
to Othon de la Roche. In 1364 the Turks took it in behalf of Frederick III of
Sicily and later on their
own account, but its neighbour, Livadia,
soon supplanted it.
At first a suffragan, Thebes was an autocephalous archbishopric at
the beginning of the tenth century and until 970; about 1080 it was a metropolitan
see; and about 1170 it numbered five suffragan sees. In 1833 Thebes was reduced
to the rank of bishopric with the title of Boeotia;
since 1882 the diocese has had the title of Thebes and Livadia.
The bishop resides at Livadia
and exercises his jurisdiction over the entire district of Boeotia.
Since 1210 it has had a Latin metropolis which became by degrees a titular.
S. Vailhe, ed.
Transcribed by: Thomas M. Barrett
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
AKREFNION (Ancient city) THIVES
A city on the site of the modern village, E of the ancient Lake Kopais.
lt lies at the foot of a tall hill linked to Mt. Ptoos to the E by a long rocky
ridge.
The site does not seem to have been occupied until the Geometric age.
The earliest finds, on the W slope of the acropolis, are Geometric terracottas,
particularly some small horses (now in the Thebes Museum)--a reminder that the
Kopais region was noted for horse-breeding. The city enjoyed a certain autonomy
in the 6th and 5th c. B.C., minted its coins, and. made a number of dedications
to the Ptoios Hero (cf. Ptoion). From 447 to 387 and from 378 to 338 it joined
Kopai and Chaironeia to form one of the 11 Boiotian districts. Independent in
the Boiotian Koinon, the city was untouched by the invasions and was responsible
for administering the Sanctuary of Ptoan Apollo. Even in the 1st c. A.D. it still
had some prestige, thanks to the influential Epaminondas, son of Epaminondas (IG
VII 2711-13).
The city of Akraiphia has not yet been excavated. The lower city was
on the N foothills of the Kriaria ridge; foundations dating from the Classical
and Hellenistic eras could still be seen at the end of the 19th c. An altar dedicated
to Zeus Soter, the city's chief divinity, stood on the agora; in his honor the
city organized the Soteria festivals, with their gymnastic and musical contests.
The Haghios Georgios Church, on the foothills of the mountain, seems to have been
erected on the site of the Temple of Dionysos; it is built largely with ancient
materials: monumental stone blocks, Ionic capitals and inscriptions, notably two
large stelai honoring Epaminondas of Akraiphia, and one stele bearing the text
of a speech delivered by Nero on November 28, A.D. 67 (in the Thebes Museum).
The acropolis, on the top of the hill, is built into the city ramparts.
A wall climbs straight from the lower city to the summit; it has no towers or
gates and is built of large rectangular blocks placed in regular courses. At the
top of the hill, the wall tums at an angle and starts to run SW along the wide
flat crest of the ridge; then it joins the narrow pass leading to Akraiphia from
the S (there is a gate in the rampart here), spans it, and climbs N again. After
that it disappears. In the most uneven parts of the wall a curious polygonal masonry
of nearly regular courses, slightly convex in surface is combined, at the wall
base, with regular masonry of horizontal courses with vertical or oblique facing
joints (SW and W section of the wall). The rampart, of gray limestone, is ca.
2 m thick. Despite the differences in masonry it dates from no earlier than the
4th c. B.C.d
A number of necropoleis have been discovered: W of the acropolis (late
and proto-Corinthian Geometric ware), E of it (Roman period), and in the plain
now crossed by the new national highway, between the Kopaic basin and Lake Iliki
(7th-4th c. B.C.).
P. Roesch, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
Ptoion belonged to Thebes up to 335 except in the two periods when Akraiphia was autonomous (550-480 and 456-446); after the cities were made independent it became part of the territory of Akraiphia.
ASKRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
N of Mt. Helikon and 7 km NW of Thespiai, the site is on the N bank
of the Permessos, the stream that runs through the Valley of the Muses. Legend
has it that Askra was founded by Oikles and the sons of Poseidon, Otos and Ephialtes;
it is the birthplace of the poet Hesiod. At some unknown date the Thespians were
said to have destroyed the city, which thereafter became merely a kome of Thespiai,
uninhabited in Plutarch's time. Pausanias saw there nothing but the tower that
still stands on top of the rocky peak called Pyrgaki (cf. Keressos).
Some travelers have placed Askra near the village of Neochori, 4 km
W of Thespiai, on the slopes of Mt. Marandali (Pouqueville, Dodwell), others at
Xironomi, a village 10 km SW of Thespiai (Kirsten). The limestone peak of Pyrgaki
(633 m) dominates the Sanctuary of the Muses to the S from a height of 250 m;
to the E the Haghios Christos valley separates it from the chain of hills running
to Thespiai and Thebes; to the N it descends abruptly to the Kopaic basin, and
to the W a narrow pass links it to Mt. Koursara (900 m). Exposed to the N wind
and barred from the sea breezes by Mt. Helikon, Askra was, in Hesiod's words,
a wretched village, bad in winter, disagreeable in summer, good at no time (Works
and Days, 639-40). Where was the village? The slopes of this mountain are steep
on all sides, its summit narrow and windswept and completely taken up by a small
fort. Perhaps we should look for it toward the base of the slope, near cultivable
land, on the S or SE flank. At the spot known as Episkopi, near the confluence
of the Permessos and the Haghios Christos stream, are some ruins of mediaeval
houses containing many ancient stones; nearby are a great quantity of archaic,
Classical, and Hellenistic potsherds. However, up to now this area has never been
dug.
The little fort on the mountain top consists of an elliptical surrounding
wall (approximately 150 x 30 m) that links the Tower of Askra, mentioned by Pausanias.
To the E a postern gate 1.45 m wide opened onto the old pathway. The wall is of
rough polygonal rubblework; 4.5 m thick, it very probably was topped with a palisade
of stakes. At the highest point is a 7.7 m square tower, still with its 13 courses,
very carefully built in isodomic masonry. The blocks, which were quarried on the
spot, have a convex surface. The four corners of the tower are carefully grooved.
To the E is a gate, 2 x 0.88 m, that leads to a narrow guard house (2 x 6 m),
from which a stairway runs to the upper floor. The rest of the surface is filled
with large blocks of stone divided into two lots by a cross-wall. A floor covered
the whole surface (6 sq. m). In spite of the differences in masonry, the surrounding
wall and tower may have been built together in the 4th c. B.C., either shortly
before the battle of Leuktra (371) with the aid of the Spartans, or in the second
half of the century.
P. Roesch, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
KERISSOS (Acropolis) VIOTIA
NW of Thespiai, a fortified post in the Valley of the Muses N of Mt.
Helikon. About the middle of the 6th c. B.C. the Thespians withdrew to the site
at the time of the Thessalian invasion; the victory of the Boiotians liberated
Greece. After the battle of Leuktra (371 B.C.) the Thespians again took refuge
in Keressos, which Epaminondas succeeded in capturing. There is no further mention
of the site.
Keressos has been placed, variously, on the hill of Erimokastro immediately
above Thespiai (Ulrichs), in the village of Neochori 4 km W of Thespiai (Leake,
Boelte), on Mt. Marandali above Neochori (Fimmen) and even on the hill of Listi,
2 km N of Mavromati (Buck). It is most commonly identified with the limestone
hill of Palaeopyrgos (493 m) ca. 2 km NW of Palaeopanagia, at the entrance to
the Valley of the Muses. On top of this hill is a ruined mediaeval tower; the
W slope of the hill bears traces of mediaeval houses. However, this hill with
its gentle, never steep slopes is not a natural fortress; there are no traces
of ancient buildings, and the few potsherds that have been found are late Roman
or Byzantine (author's observations). Perhaps the fortress should be placed on
the mountain of Askra, which has a 4th c. fort on its summit; this steep, strongly
fortified hilltop could have served as an acropolis retreat to the citizens of
Askra as well as to the inhabitants of the Valley of the Muses and Thespiai. The
abandonment of the site would account for Pausanias' and Plutarch's silence on
the subject of Keressos, according to Papahadjis.
P. Roesch, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
KOPES (Ancient city) THIVES
A city on the N bank of the former Lake Kopais, now Topolia, to the
NW of the Mycenaean fortress of Gla.
A small town living on the rich pasture lands of the Kopais and eel-fishing
in the Melas river, Kopai made up one of the 11 Boiotian districts from 447 to
387 and 378 to 338, together with Akraiphia and Chaironeia. Thereafter it was
autonomous in the Boiotian League. Its territory consisted of all the NE section
of the Kopais up to Cape Phtelio at the foot of Akraiphia, where an inscription
engraved in the rock marks the boundary of the two territories. At the end of
the 4th c. Krates of Chalkis attempted to drive a tunnel to carry off the waters
of the Kopais to the sea; the beginnings of galleries and a line of well-shafts
are still extant. The hill of Kopai, broken off from the shore of the ancient
lake, is linked to it by a raised causeway some 100 m long; it formed a peninsula
in the dry season and an island in times of flood. Made of large stone blocks,
the causeway was joined to a surrounding wall, part of which is preserved to the
N. To the E of the road, Frazer saw a broken bit of wall built of rough and rather
small stones; to the W the wall was polygonal, made of roughly bonded stones of
different sizes. Nothing can be seen of it today. The acropolis, on the hilltop,
was Underneath the modern village; the walls of the latter contain many ancient
stones, architectural blocks, and inscriptions, especially the Church of the Panagia.
A 6th c. B.C. relief of an Amazon and a metric epitaph of the 5th c. are in the
Thebes Museum. Kopai had a Sanctuary to Demeter Tauropolos (the bull is represented
on its coins), one to Dionysos, and one to Sarapis. The necropolis is N of the
causeway, on the mainland side. No excavations have been carried out at Kopai.
P. Roesch, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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