Listed 9 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "LEFKTRA Small town PLATEES" .
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.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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.
THERAPNES (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A town in Boeotia.
In antiquity, the market town for Thespiae. The site is on the N slope of Mt. Korombili, near the modern town of Livadhostro. The harbor, protected from the violent local storms by a mole in ancient times, had no importance of its own in the Classical period, but served as a port for Thebes, and maintained close relations with Corinth. During the war against Antiochos, the Romans used the town as a base of operations. Pausanias saw nothing there worth reporting; the site is now marked by the remains of walls with towers, and a gate 3 m wide. A bronze statue known as the Livadhostro Poseidon, now in the National Museum, was found in the sea off nearby Haghios Vasilios at the end of the 19th c.
M. H. Mc Allister, 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.
LEFKTRA (Ancient city) VIOTIA
A village 6 km SE of Thespiai. It is situated slightly N of a hill
(modern village of Parapoungia or Lefktra) overlooking the fertile plain bounded
by the Oeroe river to the S, the Permessos to the W, and the Thespios to the N.
To the E, on a hill, was the important Mycenaean city of Eutresis. Leuktra and
Butresis were komai in the Thespian territory; the former was situated on one
of the roads leading from Thespiai to the port of Kreusis, at the mouth of the
Oeroe. No trace of it has been found up to the present time.
In 371 B.C., to force Thebes to grant the Boiotian cities their independence
in accordance with the Peace of Antalkidas (386), Kleombrotos I, king of Sparta,
advanced his army from Phokis to Thebes. Held up near Koroneia, he walked across
Mt. Helikon, reached the shore of the Gulf of Corinth at Kreusis and once again
climbed up toward Thebes. With his 11,000 men he met 6,000 Boiotians under Epaminondas
in the plain of Leuktra. Epaminondas' victory ensured the hegemony of Thebes.
He had a trophy built on the spot. At the beginning of the 3d c. this trophy was
replaced by a monument that figured on silver Boiotian coins in the period 288-244
B.C. The Greek archaeologist A. Orlandos discovered some of the stones used in
this monument and rebuilt it on the original site. On a round base rebuilt of
Domvraina limestone he replaced the 0.68 mhigh frieze of triglyphs and metopai,
three fragments of which had been preserved; above a cornice 0.26 m high are the
eight trapezoidal blocks, placed in circular courses, each of which has a round
shield about one m in diameter carved in relief on the outer, parabolically curved
face. All these blocks were found in the vicinity of the trophy.
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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