1 Introduction
The 4th century BC historian Ephorus states that Boeotia was the only Greek region with ports to three seas: the sea to Italy and Sicily, the sea to Macedonia and Hellespont, and the sea to Cyprus and Egypt. [1]
The early 20th century English poet and archaeologist Stanley Casson wrote that Boeotia, centered around Lake Copais, into which the Cephisus River flows, was the birthplace of Greece, and that due to its fertile soil, it was a self-contained region that did not depend on other sources. [2]
This chapter describes the history of the following towns:
Alalcomenae, Anthedon, Ascra, Aspledon, Chaeroneia (Arne), Copae, Coroneia, Eleutherae, Eutresis, Haliartus, Hyria (Euboea), Hysiae, Lebadeia (Mideia), Leuctra, Medeon, Ocaleae, Onchestus, Orchomenus (Andreis), Plataea, Schoenus, Tanagra, Thespiae.
Acraephnium, Hyettus, Olmones (Almones) and Phlegyas will be described in Orchomenus.
2 Boeotia before the migration of Cadmus
2.1 Settlement of Ectenes
In 1750 BC, a long-lasting flood occurred in the upper reaches of the Cephisus River, which flows from west to east on the north side of Mount Parnassus. This was the Ogygus-era flood. [3]
The people who lived in the Cephisus River basin migrated to various places in search of new land.
The Ectenes, led by Ogygus, migrated to the south side of a large lake that formed near the mouth of the Cephisus River. [4]
The range of Ectenes' settlement extended from the northern foot of Mount Helicon in the west to the vicinity of the Strait of Euripus in the east. [5]
The oldest Ogygian gate in Thebes was named after Ogygus. [6]
2.2 Migration of Ectenes to various regions
In 1580 BC, the sixth generation after Ogygus, Ectenes migrated to various places due to pressure from Hyantes, Temmices, and Aones. Ectenes migrated to Attica, Thessaly, and across the sea to Egypt. [7]
The leader of the people who went to Thessaly was the father of Deucalion, the father of Hellen, who gave the name to Hellenes. Among those who went to Egypt was Cecrops, who became the first king of Athens.
The daughter of Cranaus, the second king of Athens, married Amphictyon, the son of Deucalion.
The daughter of Erichthonius, the fourth king of Athens, Creusa, married Xuthus, the son of Hellen, the son of Deucalion.
These marriages prove the kinship between the people who went to Thessaly and those who went to Egypt. [8]
The inhabitants of Boeotia, who were called Ectenes, became known after their departure as Hyantes, or Aonians.[9]
2.3 Resettlement of Ectenes
The descendants of Ogygus, who had migrated to Egypt, resettled in Attica under Cecrops as their leader.
Cranaus, who is thought to be the nephew of Cecrops, arrived from Egypt later than Cecrops.
Cranaus lived near the Triton River in Boeotia, where Ogygus had once lived. [10]
At that time, Cranaus' daughter Atthis was a young child, also known as Athena. [11]
Eleusis and Athens, which Cecrops had ordered Cranaus to build on the banks of the Triton River, were submerged in Lake Copais. [12]
However, in the 4th century BC, Crates, a miner from Chalcis, ordered by Alexander the Great, removed the blockage in the underground waterway. Athens emerged from the receding water level of Lake Copais. [13]
3 History of Alalcomenae
Homer gives Athena the name Alalcomenae, but Alalcomenae was the birthplace of Athena. [14]
Cecrops is said to have founded Athens and Eleusis on the Triton River near Alalcomenae, but it is believed that Cranaus actually lived there. [15]
Cranaus' daughter Atthis (also known as Athena) grew up on the Triton River. [16]
In 86 BC, the Roman general Sulla destroyed Alalcomenae and plundered the ivory statue of Athena from the temple of Athena. [17]
By the time of Pausanias, the ruined temple was covered with ivy. [18]
Alalcomenae was a small town on the steep slope of a mountain, with a temple of Athena on the plain below. [19]
4 History of Anthedon
Anthas, son of Alcyone, daughter of Atlas, founded Anthedon in 1420 BC. [20]
Alcyone had two sons, Hyrieus and Hyperenor. [21]
Hyrieus lived in Hyria, so Anthas of Anthedon was probably another name for Hyperenor. [22]
The father of Anthas (also known as Hyperenor) is thought to have been Megassares, who emigrated from Arcadia to Boeotia via Samothrace. Thus, the first Greeks to live in Anthedon were Arcadians. [23]
It is assumed that Aloeus, son of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, Aeolis, later emigrated to Anthedon from Sicyon.
One of the reasons for this is that the tombs of Otus and Ephialtes, the sons of Aloeus and Iphimedeia, are said to have been located in Anthedon. [24]
The other is that Aloeus' wife Iphimedeia and her daughter Pancratis were reportedly abducted by the Thracians from near Phthiotis in Thessaly.
The place where they were abducted is thought to be Anthedon, not Sicyon. [25]
At that time, Schoinos, founded by Schoenus, son of Athamas, was located about 12 km north-northeast of Thebes, and Anthedon was located about 12 km further northeast near the coast. [26]
Schoenus, son of Athamas, was a cousin of Aloeus, son of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus. [27]
Also, Aeetes, son of Sisyphus, brother of Aloeus' father, had emigrated to Colchis, and Anthedon was in a good position to sail to Colchis. [28]
5 History of Ascra
In 1320 BC, Oeoclus, son of Ascra, founded Ascra near the source of the Asopus River with the two sons of Aloeus, Otus and Ephialtes. [29]
Oeoclus' mother, Ascra, was the daughter of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, and Ascra's husband was probably Haliartus, son of Thersander, son of Sisyphus.
Haliartus was the adopted son of Athamas and the founder of Haliartus. [30]
Oeoclus migrated south from Haliartus and founded Ascra.
The sons of Aloeus, who cooperated with Oeoclus, are presumed to have been cousins, with Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, as their common grandfather.
6 History of Aspledon
In 1350 BC, Aspledon, son of Orchomenus, son of Athamas, founded Aspledon northeast of Lake Copaic. [31]
Pausanias reports that the inhabitants abandoned Aspledon due to lack of water, but Strabo reports that Aspledon was near a river and had a good climate. [32]
During the time of Hyrieus, father of Orion, Hymenaeus, probably Aspledon's grandson, lived in Aspledon. [33]
Also, Orchomenus and Aspledon participated in the expedition to Troy with 30 ships, while the Boeotians participated with 50 ships. It seems likely that Aspledon had a considerable population. [34]
Pliny, in the 1st century AD, also lists Aspledon as a town in Boeotia. [35]
7 History of Chaeroneia (Arne)
In 1186 BC, the Boeotians who lived in Arne in Thessaly migrated to Boeotia, driven by the Thesproteans who had invaded Thessaly from northwestern Greece.
The Boeotians, led by the seer Peripoltas and Opheltes, son of Peneleos, settled on the western border of Boeotia and called their town Arne. [36]
In 1126 BC, Damasichthon, son of Opheltes, expelled Autesion, a descendant of Cadmus, from Thebes, and annexed Orchomenus, bringing the whole of Boeotia under his control. [37]
At this time, some of the inhabitants of Orchomenus, led by Chaeron, son of Thero, migrated to Arne, where the Boeotians had left, and changed the name of their town to Chaeroneia. [38]
Chaeroneia was probably founded by the Orchomenians who returned from exile in Athens. Thero's grandfather Iolais (or Iolaus) was probably a descendant of Clymenus, son of Presbon. [39]
During the Trojan War, Orchomenus also participated in the expedition. Iolais was not yet old enough to fight, so he remained in Orchomenus. The Thracians invaded the city, leaving it vulnerable. Some of the Orchomenians, led by Athamas, a descendant of Athamas, son of Aeolus, emigrated to Teos in Ionia. [40]
Some of the Orchomenians were also accepted by Athens and lived in Munychia. [41]
Iolais' daughter Leipephilene (or Leipephile) married Phylas, son of Antiochus, and had a daughter Thero. [42]
Antiochus was the son of Heracles and Meda, daughter of Phylas of Dryopes, and one of the eponyms of Athens.[43]
Thus, the inhabitants who founded Chaeroneia together with Chaeron, son of Thero, were Orchomenians who had been living in exile in Athens for three generations.
However, in nearby Lebadeia and Stiris, there were settlers from Athens, and Chaeroneia was caught up in the conflict between Orchomenus and Athens. [44]
In 424 BC, Chaeroneia was under the jurisdiction of Orchomenus, a Boeotian state.
The Athenians tried to provoke a revolt from within Chaeroneia, but failed, and Chaeroneia was saved by the Boeotians. [45]
8 History of Copae
In 1256 BC, Orchomenus and Thebes fought in a battle, in which Orchomenus was defeated. [46]
Copaeus, son of Plataeus, son of Onchestus, was expelled from Onchestus and moved north of Lake Copais, where he founded Copae. [47]
9 History of Coroneia
9.1 Before the Trojan War
In 1371 BC, Coronus, son of Thersander, founded Coroneia southwest of Lake Copais. Coronus was adopted by Athamas and was given a share of the land. Athamas likely invited Coronus, son of Thersander, son of his brother Sisyphus, to settle there. [48]
In 1325 BC, the inhabitants of Coroneia, together with Itonus, son of Boeotus, participated in the siege of Thebes by Amphion and Zethus.
Locrus, the son of Physcius and Maera, also joined Thebes offensive through his relationship with his sister Thebe's husband Zethus. Maera's father Proetus was the brother of Coronus, the founder of Coroneia. [49]
Near Coroneia was the sanctuary of the Itonian Athena. [50]
The name Itonian Athena is derived from Itonus, son of Amphictyon, and was found not only in the vicinity of Coroneia, but also in Itonus in Thessaly, between Pheraea and Larisa, and near Arne. [51]
Arne was a town inherited by Boeotus from his grandfather Aeolus, and Itonus was founded by Itonus, father of Boeotus. [52]
The Leleges, led by Locrus, son of Physcius, son of Amphictyon, also participated in the attack on Thebes by Amphion and Zethus. [53]
After the battle, the Leleges of Locris probably became residents of Coroneia along with the Boeotians. Aristotle reports that the Leleges ruled over Boeotia. [54]
Dionysius of Halicarnassus writes that the Leleges were a mixed race of people who did not belong to any particular tribe. [55]
Argives, Thebans, Arcadians, Pisaeans, and Phthians founded Opus together with the Locrians and lived there together, and came to be called the Leleges. [56]
The Leleges described by Aristotle seems to refer to the Locrians and the Boeotians.
In 1188 BC, the Pelasgians invaded Coroneia, which was left vulnerable after the Troy expedition, and drove out the inhabitants, who fled to Arne in Thessaly, their ancestral home. [57]
Two years later, Arne was invaded by the Thesprotians, and some of the inhabitants returned to Boeotia with Opheltes, son of Peneleus. However, they were unable to recapture Coroneia, so they settled in what would later become Chaeroneia and founded Arne. [58]
Many of the inhabitants of Arne in Thessaly remained as slaves, called penestai, and continued to live there for three generations.[59]
9.2 After the Trojan War
60 years after the Trojan War, the remaining people of Arne in Thessaly were driven out of their town and fled to Boeotia. Together with those who had returned earlier, they expelled the Pelasgians who had occupied Coroneia under the leadership of Damasichthon, son of Opheltes, and annexed nearby Orchomenus. [60]
Furthermore, Damasichthon expelled Autesion, son of Tisamenus, from Thebes, and thereafter took control of the whole region called Boeotia. [61]
Damasichthon was a descendant of Boeotus, son of Melanippe, daughter of Aeolus, the eponym of the Boeotians, and was the governor of the Boeotians. The name of the region was changed to Boeotia after he became the ruler of Thebes. [62]
10 History of Eleutherae
In 1370 BC, Eleuther, son of Aethusa, migrated south from Hyria over Mount Cithaeron and founded Eleutherae. [63]
Eleutherae was a town in Boeotia, built by the descendants of those included in the Cadmus emigration group. [64]
Later, Poemander, son of Chaeresilaus, son of Iasius, son of Eleuthera, migrated eastward and founded Tanagra. [65]
Later, the rulers of Thebes became the Boeotians, descendants of Cadmus, but the inhabitants of Eleutherae do not seem to have followed them.
Homer's Catalogue of Ships does not mention Eleutherae and Tanagra.
During the siege of Thebes by the Argives under Adrastus, the bodies of the fallen soldiers were taken from Thebes by Theseus, who buried the officers in Eleusis and the soldiers in Eleutherae.[66]
Already at this time, Eleutherae was in the good graces of Athens, and later became the town of Attica.[67]
11 History of Eutresis
In 1345 BC, Amphion and Zethus emigrated from Eleutherae northward across Mt. Cithaeron.
They founded Eutresis about 14 km from Thebes through the Hypsistan gate toward Leuktra. [68]
12 History of Haliartus
12.1 Before the Trojan War
Dionysus, the son of Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, was said to have been born in the spring of Cissusa in Haliartus and washed by a wet nurse. [69]
Later, it was said that Thebans who were captured by the Thracians were rescued by the god Dionysus in Haliartus, giving credence to the theory that Dionysus was born there. [70]
However, at the time of Dionysus' birth, Haliartus had not been founded and the Hyantes lived there. [71]
Probably, the battle between Cadmus and the Hyantes was long, and Semele was taken prisoner by the Hyantes, giving birth to Dionysus. [72]
The founder of Haliartus was Haliartus, son of Thersander, who was adopted by Athamas. [73]
The date of the founding of Haliartus is estimated to be 1371 BC.
Cephalus, son of Deion (or Deioneus), living in Thoricus in Attica, who was entrusted by Thebes to fight against Alopekos, defeated Alopekos. Cephalus sent Minos' general Cynas against Alopekos. [74]
This Alopekos was probably the grandson of Haliartus, son of Thersander, and cousin of Megareus, son of Hippomenes (or Oncestus), who died in battle against Minos. [75]
12.2 After the Trojan War
Pausanias reports that Haliarthus sided with the Greeks in the Persian Wars, and was destroyed by the Persians. [76]
However, Herodotus reports that it was the Plataeans and the Thespians among the Boeotians who did not offer earth and water to the Persian king Xerxes. [77]
Herodotus reports that the Thebans had advised the Persian army that Plataea and Thespiae were the enemy. [78]
Herodotus also reports that when Xerxes led his main army in an attack on Boeotia, Alexander, the son of Amyntas, stationed Macedonian soldiers in each town to ensure that the towns were not put in danger.
Pausanias believes that the incidents surrounding Haliarthus may have occurred in Plataea or Thespiae.
In 424 BC, Haliartus fought alongside the Coronaeans and Copaeans in the center of the Boeotian line against the Athenians at the Battle of Delium. [79]
In 395 BC, the Spartans were in Haliartus, the site of a battle between the Spartans and Thebes.
After the Boeotians, who emigrated from Arne of Thessaly 60 years after the Trojan War, became the rulers of Thebes, Haliartus probably came under their control as well. [80]
In 171 BC, in the battle between Macedonia and Rome, Haliartus sided with Macedonia and the town was destroyed by Lucretius, the consul of Rome; about 2,500 inhabitants of Haliartus were sold as slaves and the territory of the town was given to Athens. [81]
Pausanias notes that Haliartus had a hero's mausoleum of Cecrops, son of Pandion, which was probably built after Haliartus became Athens' territory to make it look as if the town had been under Athens' control for a long time. [82]
Cecrops, however, is the son of Erechtheus in popular tradition. The builders of the Heroes' Mausoleum may have been referring to the 1st century BC Castor chronicle. [83]
Castor notes that Cecrops, the 7th Athenian king, was the brother of Erechtheus, the son of Pandion, the 5th Athenian king. [84]
13 History of Hyria (Euboea)
13.1 Foundation of Euboea
In Samothrace, where Cadmus stopped with his emigrant group, there were Pelasgians who had migrated from Arcadia not long before, led by Dardanus. Among them was the family of Megassares, who joined Cadmus' colony. Megassares' wife Alcyone was the sister of Electra, the mother of Cadmus' wife Harmonia. [85]
Megassares settled in Boeotia near the crossing to Euboea and founded a town called Euboea.
Apollodoros reports that Hyrieus' sons, Nycteus and Lycus, killed Phlegyas and fled from "Euboea" to "Hyria". [86]
The following suggests that "Euboea" is the old name of Hyria near Aulis, and that "Hyria" is Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron:
1) The sons of Hyrieus lived in Hyria, named after Hyrieus. [87]
2) Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron was also called Hyria. [88]
13.2 Foundation of Hyria
Hyrieus (or Chthonius), who is thought to be the son of Megassares, succeeded his father and founded Hyria, close to Euboea. [89]
Megassares is assumed to be the father of Hyrieus for the following reasons.
Regarding Megassares, only Apollodoros tells us that the father of Pharnace, wife of Sandocus, who migrated from Syria to Cilicia and founded Celenderis, was Megassares, king of Hyria.
Sandocus was the fifth generation descendant of Herse, daughter of Cecrops, the first king of Athens. [90]
Counting backwards from the reign of the kings of Athens, Cecrops is estimated to have been born in 1596 BC, and if one generation is 25 years for men and 20 years for women, Sandocus is estimated to have been born in 1445 BC.
Therefore, Megassares, the father of Sandocus' wife Pharnace, is presumed to have been born in 1465 BC.
On the other hand, Nycteus was the son of Hyrieus, and the husband of Nycteus' daughter Nycteis was Polydorus, the son of Cadmus. [91]
In other words, Nycteus was of the same generation as Cadmus, and Nycteus' father Hyrieus was one of the Sparti during Cadmus' time, also called Chthonius. [92]
Also, since Hysiae, which Nycteus founded, was a colony of Hyria, it is likely that Nycteus' father Hyrieus lived in Hyria. [93]
From the above, it is presumed that Hyrieus' father was Megassare, the father of Pharnace, who is reported by Apollodoros to have been the king of Hyria. [94]
13.3 Migration to Italy
In 1390 BC, Messapus emigrated from Hyria to the southeastern part of the Italian peninsula. [95]
Messapus is presumed to be the son of Hyrieus, the son of Megassares and Alcyone, daughter of Orchomenus. [96]
Peucetia, where Messapus settled, became known as Messapia. [97]
In Messapia was Hyria. Herodotus reports that the town was founded by Iapyx, son of Daedalus, but it is believed that Messapus founded the town. [98]
14 History of Hysiae
In 1390 BC, a large tsunami struck the towns near the Strait of Euripus, and Hyria was also affected. Hyrieus' two sons, Nycteus and Lycus, founded Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron, about 33 km southwest of Hyria, in search of a new land. [99]
There is a legend that Nycteus and Lycus killed Phlegyas and fled from Euboea to Hyria. [100]
It is also said that Hyria is the name of Hysiae, but Euboea is not an island, but a place name near Aulis, and is probably the old name of Hyria. [101]
15 History of Lebadeia (Mideia)
15.1 Foundation of Lebadeia
In 1340 BC, Aspledon, son of Orchomenus, son of Athamas, founded Mideia, named after his mother, on the eastern shore of Lake Copaic. [102]
Strabo states that Mideia was submerged in the lake, but there may have been another Mideia. [103]
In 1260 BC, Lebadus, who came from Athens, founded Lebadeia below Mideia, which was on high ground, and the inhabitants of Mideia moved to Lebadeia. [104]
Stiris in Phocis, 11 km west-southwest of Lebadeia, was founded by Peteus, son of Oeneus, who was pursued by Aegeus of Athens. Lebadus was Peteus' brother, and is presumed to have migrated there at the same time as Peteus, who was pursued by Aegeus. [105]
When Menestheus, son of Peteus, son of Orneus, became king of Athens in 1209 BC, expelling Theseus, son of Aegeus, the Athenians probably returned from Lebadeia to Athens. [106]
During the Trojan War, Lebadeia seems to have been inhabited by the Boeotians, who led the Boeotians in an expedition to Troy, where Arcesilaus, son of Archilycus, son of Itonus, son of Boeotus, was killed in battle. [107]
Leitus, son of Lacritus, a cousin of Arcesilaus, brought his remains back and buried them in Lebadeia.
It seems likely that Lebadeia, unlike Orchomenus and Coroneia, was not occupied by the Thracians or Pelasgians. [108]
15.2 Sanctuary of Trophonius
Lebadeia was a town dedicated to the god Trophonius. [109]
This Trophonius was the son of King Erginus of Orchomenus, and the brother of Agamedes. He is said to have been a master builder of the temple at Delphi. [110]
However, after the death of Erginus, the descendants of Erginus' brothers, not Trophonius or Agamedes, inherited the throne, so Erginus' sons are likely fictional characters. [111]
Trophonius had children, a daughter named Hercyna. [112]
It is unclear when the Sanctuary of Trophonius existed, but it is certain that it was already a famous sanctuary at least by the 7th century BC.
It is said that during the Second Messenian War, Aristomenes retrieved a lost shield from the sanctuary of Trophonius, and later donated it to Lebadeia. [113]
The oracle of Trophonius was also listed as one of the oracles to which Croesus, king of Lydia, sent emissaries in the 6th century BC to test the oracle. [114]
In the 1st century BC, the Roman general Sulla sacked Lebadeia and carried off the treasures from the oracle. [115]
If the wooden statue of Trophonius in Lebadeia, as reported by Pausanias, is indeed the work of Daedalus, a contemporary of Minos, Trophonius would have been worshipped as a god as early as the 13th century BC. [116]
16 History of Leuctra
Leuctra was named after Leuctrus, the father of a girl who became famous for her suicide after being raped by the Lacedaemonians there before the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. [117]
No other records remain of Leuctra before the Battle of Leuctra.
It was probably a small settlement inhabited by people from Eutresis, founded by Amphion and Zethus, or Thespiae. [118]
17 History of Medeon
In 1150 BC, Medon, son of Pylades, migrated east from Cirrha and founded Medeon at Phocis. [119]
Homer lists Medeon in Boeotia in his Catalogue of Ships, but the city did not exist in Agamemnon's time. [120]
Medeon in Boeotia was named after Medeon in Phocis. [121]
18 History of Ocaleae
In 1263 BC, Megareus of Haliartus was killed fighting for Megara in the battle between Minos and Athens. [122]
After this battle, Minos' brother Rhadamanthys moved to Ocaleae. [123]
The people who moved from Crete at this time were probably large.
Haliartus is said to have a colony of storax-shrub, which is native to Crete. [124]
In 1256 BC, Rhadamanthys joined the Thebans in the battle against the Minyans, and is thought to have contributed to the victory. This is also inferred from the fact that Alcmena, wife of Amphitryon who was killed in the battle, remarried Rhadamanthys. [125]
In the 4th century BC, King Agesilaus of Sparta reburied the tomb of Alcmena, wife of Rhadamanthys, in Sparta. At that time, he discovered a bronze tablet in the tomb of Alcmena, inscribed with an ancient script similar to Egyptian. [126]
Agesilaus entrusted a copy of the inscription to Eudoxus of Cnidos, who sent it to Nectanabis, king of Egypt, to decipher it. [127]
19 History of Onchestus
In ancient times, the Hyantes lived widely around the area that later became Onchestus, but were driven out by Cadmus. [128]
Onchestus is adjacent to Haliartus, and a genealogy shows that there is a gap of one generation between Haliartus, the founder of Haliartus, and Megareus, who lived in Onchestus.
The father of Megareus is said to be Hippomenes or Onchestus, but he is thought to have left Haliartus and founded Onchestus. [129]
In 1263 BC, Megareus, who succeeded Onchestus from his father, was killed in battle while rushing to Nisus in Megara as a reinforcement in the battle against Minos. Nisus was the father of Megareus' wife Iphinoe and the husband of Megareus' sister Habrote. [130]
In 1256 BC, Clymenus, king of the Minyans, was killed in Onchestus by Perieres, charioteer of Menoeceus, son of Creon of Thebes. [131]
Erginus, son of Clymenus, invaded Thebes and won, but was defeated in a subsequent battle by the Thebans. [132]
Hippomenes, who succeeded Onchestus from his father Megareus, emigrated to Arcadia, being oppressed by the Thebans or the Cretans who had migrated with Rhadamanthys. [133]
Copaeus, son of Plataeus, son of Onchestus, also emigrated to the opposite shore of Lake Copais and founded Copae. [134]
20 History of Orchomenus (Andreis)
20.1 Settlement of Athamas and Andreus
20.1.1 Settlement of Athamas
Aeolis settled in Boeotia 30 years after Cadmus.
The first Aeolis to settle in Boeotia was Athamas, son of Aeolus, son of Hellen. Athamas migrated from Arne in Thessaly to the western shore of the Pagasetic Gulf and founded Halus.
In 1390 BC, Halus was washed away by a tidal wave, and Athamas migrated to the vicinity of Lake Copais. [135]
20.1.2 Foundation of Acraephnium
Athamas founded Acraephnium on the eastern shore of Lake Copais, and his son Ptous left his name on a nearby mountain. [136]
Athamas lived in the Athamantian plain between Acraephnium and Lake Copais. [137]
At the time Athamas settled, the area around Lake Copais was inhabited by the Encheleans, who had migrated with Cadmus. [138]
20.1.3 Children of Athamas
Many traditions say that Athamas married Cadmus' daughter Ino and had two sons, Learchus and Melicertes, but this is a fiction. [139]
Athamas was estimated to be 55 years old when he emigrated to Boeotia and had many children.
Athamas' son Phrixus joined the expedition of Aeetes, son of Sisyphus of Ephyraea (later Corinth), who led the tsunami-stricken people to the New World. Aeetes was Phrixus's cousin.
Among the emigrants was Aeetes' daughter Chalciope, and Phrixus married Chalciope. [140]
Athamas' son Schoeneus emigrated between Thebes and Anthedon and founded Schoenus. [141]
20.1.4 Foundation of Andreis (later Orchomenus)
There are two legends about the founder of Orchomenus.
1) Orchomenus was founded by Andreus, the son of the river god Peneius, and the name of the town at that time was Andreis. [142]
2) From the region where Iolcus is located, where Deucalion lived long ago, Minyas, son of Aeolus, founded Orchomenus on the land bordering the land of Cadmus. [143]
From these legends, it is assumed that the founder of Orchomenus was Andreus, also known as Minyas, the son of Aeolus, who ruled over the area around the Peneius River flowing in northern Thessaly.
This Minyas is also believed to be the same person as Minyas, the father of Persephone, the mother of Amphion, the father of Chloris, the wife of Neleus, as described by the 5th century BC mythologist Pherecydes. [144]
Andreus, son of Aeolus, is thought to have emigrated from Arne in Thessaly and founded Andreis (later Orchomenus) in 1380 BC. [145]
20.1.5 Settlement Period of Athamas and Andreus
According to Pausanias, Andreus gave land to Athamas, who came later, but it seems that it was the other way around. It is more appropriate to understand that Athamas, who lived on the eastern shore of Lake Copais, gave land to Andreus, who came later. [146]
Athamas was the son of Aeolus, the son of Hellen, but it is impossible to say that Andreus' father was Athamas' father, that is, that Andreus and Athamas were brothers, because Andreus married Athamas' granddaughter. [147]
Andreus was the son of Aeolus, the son of Hippotes, the son of Mimas, the son of Aeolus, the son of Hellen, and Athamas was the brother of Andreus' great-grandfather Mimas.
Strangely enough, Andreus had only just come of age, while Athamas was an old man with grandchildren of marriageable age, so there was a difference of two generations between them.[148] Later, as Orchomenus's fame grew, the reverse story probably arose, with Andreus granting land to Athamas.
20.1.6 Location of Andreis
At the time Athamas settled around Lake Copais, the Encheleans and the Hyantes, who had been driven out by Cadmus, lived there. [149]
The Thracians also lived in Phocis. [150]
Aeolis gradually expanded his settlement from Acraephium, where Athamas had settled, to the west of Lake Copais. Andreus, who settled shortly after Athamas, founded Andreis, which was probably near Acraephium. [151]
Strabo reports that the old Orchomenus was submerged in Lake Copais, and they built a new town near Mount Acontius on the west side of Lake Copais.
Andreis is assumed to have been located to the north of Acraephium. [152]
20.2 Age of Eteocles, son of Andreus
20.2.1 Foundation of Olmones
In 1365 BC, Almus, son of Sisyphus, migrated from Corinth to the north of Lake Copais. [153]
Pausanias reports that Eteocles gave land to Almus. [154]
Pausanias, who wrote the opposite, that Andreus gave land to Athamas, writes it the other way around here.
Eteocles was the son of Andreus, son of Aeolus, son of Hippotes, son of Mimas, son of Aeolus, son of Hellen, and Almus was the son of Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, son of Hellen. Thus Almus was a cousin of Eteocles' great-grandfather Hippotes.
Athamas, on the other hand, was the son of Aeolus, son of Hellen, and the uncle of Almus.
It is more likely that Almus migrated to the area because of his uncle Athamas, rather than because of Eteocles.
The town that Almus founded was called Almones, but later became Olmones.
[155]
20.2.2 Foundation of Haliartus and Coroneia
Athamas adopted his nephew Thersander's two sons, Coronus and Haliartus, after his son Leucon, who was to be his heir, died of illness. [156]
In 1370 BC, Coronus founded Coroneia southwest of Lake Copais. [157]
Haliartus founded Haliartus near Thebes from Coroneia. [158]
20.2.3 Return of Presbon, son of Phrixus
In 1370 BC, Phrixus' son Presbon returned to his grandfather Athamas from his father Phrixus, who had moved to Colchis. [159]
Athamas adopted Haliartus and Coronus, but Presbon inherited all of Athamas' lands except those he had given to them. [160]
20.3 Age of Phlegyas, son of Chryse
When Eteocles, son of Andreus, died without an heir, Phlegyas, son of Chryse, daughter of Almus, succeeded him. [161]
20.3.1 Foundation of Phlegyas
Phlegyas founded Phlegyas and gathered warriors. They came to be called Phlegyans. [162]
The Phlegyans were Achaeans from Thessaly who had migrated to Boeotia from Corinth with Phlegyas' grandfather Almus.
Phlegyas probably gathered warriors to protect his harvest from the Hyantes, who still held sway nearby.
The construction of Phlegyas predated the building of the walls of Thiryns by more than a decade. [163]
The town seems to have been little more than a small storehouse for the harvest on a high hill with a fence around it to protect it from the outside world.
20.3.2 Site of Gla (or Glas)
It is said that Gla, the mysterious ancient site, appeared in the late 19th century when Lake Copais in Boeotia was reclaimed. However, on December 27, 1805, William Martin Leake, a Fellow of the Royal Society, passed by the ruins of Gla and saw a “fortified island” (the ruins of Gla). [164]
Leake presumed that the island was the site of the mansion of Athamas, son of Aeolus, which Pausanias describes. [165]
Pausanias, however, notes that Athamas' mansion was located on the Athamantian plain between Lake Copais and Acraephium. [166]
Athamas gave land to Andreus, a young man who had come from Arne of Thessaly to depend on him, and married Andreus to his granddaughter Euippe. [167]
Andreus founded Andreis, which was located in the lowlands north of Acraephium, but it was submerged in Lake Copais and a new town, Orchomenus, was built on the west side of the lake. [168]
Chryse's son Phlegyas built the town of Phlegyas when he was living in Andreis, and Phlegyas was presumably near Andreis.
In other words, the ancient name of Gla (fortified island) is presumed to be Phlegyas.
20.4 Age of Chryses, son of Chrysogeneia
Phlegyas was succeeded by Chryses, son of Chrysogeneia, daughter of Almus. [169]
During the reign of Chryses, the water level of Lake Copais rose and Andreis became uninhabitable.
In 1350 BC, the inhabitants of Andreis built a new town (later Orchomenus) on the west side of Lake Copais near Mount Acontius. [170]
20.5 Age of Minyas, son of Chryses
20.5.1 Drainage of Lake Copais
Minyas excavated an underground channel to drain the waters of Lake Copais into the sea. The natural entrance to the channel was near Copae, northeast of Lake Copais, and the excavation was made to improve the flow of the channel. [171]
An underground channel was also excavated in Cadmeia, where construction had already been carried out in the time of Cadmus. [172]
The Boeotian towns submerged in Lake Copais included Athens, Eleusis, and Andreis (old Orchomenus). [173]
Strabo also reports that Arne and Midea were submerged in Lake Copais. [174]
Alexander the Great ordered Crates, the miner of Chalcis, to remove the blockage that was blocking the underground channel that drained Lake Copais. [175]
As a result, Athens, which had been submerged in the lake, was revealed. [176]
20.5.2 Treasury of Minyans
During the reign of Minyans, the Minyans entered a golden age and the first treasury was built. [177]
It tells us how plentiful the harvests were from the lands around Lake Copais, where the Cephisus River flows into.
Herodotus tells us the story of the sons of the craftsmen who built the treasury for King Rhampsinitus of Egypt stealing the treasures from the treasury. [178]
Pausanias tells a similar story, but the owner of the treasury was Hyrieus, located near Lebadeia. [179]
Another version gives the king Augeas, which seems to incorporate the earlier ruler of the land into the story. [180]
Probably the story was born of the great wealth of the Minyans treasury and the nearby sanctuary of Trophonius. [181]
Herodotus relates the story in Egypt, without mentioning Trophonius.
20.5.3 Spread of the Minyans
The wealth of the Minyans was so widespread that Neleus, son of Cretheus, married Chloris, daughter of Amphion, son of Iasius, from the Minyans. [182]
In ancient Greece, it seems that dowries were provided for daughters when they married, and Homer gave his epic poem, "Cypria," to his son-in-law Stasinus in lieu of a dowry of his daughter. [183]
Neleus' twin brother Pelias of Iolcus in Thessaly also married Phylomache, daughter of Amphion, from Orchomenus. [184]
Pelias' brother Aeson also married Alcimede, daughter of Clymene, daughter of Minyas. Clymene, daughter of Minyas, was married to Phylacus of Phylace, near Iolcus. [185]
Furthermore, Pelias' brother Pheres married Periclymene, daughter of Minyas. [186]
Many Minyans migrated with the brides of Pelias, Phylacus, and Pheres, so that many Minyans came to live around Iolcus. [187]
The Minyans who accompanied Chloris, wife of Neleus, also lived in Eleia. [188]
20.6 Age of Orchomenus, son of Minyas
Minyas was succeeded by his son Orchomenus. Andreis became known as Orchomenus. [189]
20.6.1 Foundation of Hyettus
In 1275 BC, Hyettus of Argos killed Molurus, son of Arisbas, and emigrated to Boeotia. [190]
Hyettus founded the town of Hyettus after receiving land north of Lake Copais from Orchomenus, son of Minyas. [191]
Hyettus was probably the son of Bias, son of Amythaon, son of Tyro, daughter of Salmoneus, son of Aeolus, son of Hippotes, son of Mimas, son of Aeolus, son of Hellen. [192]
Orchomenus was the son of Minyas, the son of Chryses, the son of Chrysogeneia, the daughter of Almus, the son of Sisyphus, the son of Aeolus, the son of Hellen. [193]
Hyettus may have migrated to Boeotia with Orchomenus, who shared a common ancestor with him, Aeolus, the son of Hellen.
20.7 Age of Clymenus, son of Presbon
Pausanias reports that Orchomenus, son of Minyas, died childless, and the line of kings of Almus, son of Sisyphus, came to an end. [194]
But Orchomenus had a daughter, Elara (or Elare), and at least five sisters. [195]
Orchomenus also had a brother, Cyparissus, who founded Cyparissus in Phocis. [196]
But Orchomenus was succeeded by Clymenus, son of Presbon, son of Phrixus, son of Athamas, who lived in Acraephium. [197]
Clymenus was the son of Presbon, cousin of Euippe, wife of Andreus, the first king of Orchomenus. [198]
Clymenus succeeded Orchomenus not because the line of Minyas was extinct, but for other reasons.
As a result of the succession of Clymenus, a descendant of Athamas, Orchomenus came to control the area around Lake Copais, including the territory of Athamas.
As a result, Orchomenus became a rival force to Thebes.
Under these circumstances, an incident occurred that marked the beginning of armed conflict between the two.
At the sanctuary of Poseidon in Onchestus, Clymenus was killed by Perieres, the charioteer of Menoeceus, son of Creon of Thebes. [199]
20.8 Age of Erginus, son of Clymenus
20.8.1 Battle with the Thebans
After his father was killed, Erginus, son of Clymenus, attacked Thebes and imposed tribute on the Thebans. [200]
Then, led by Amphitryon, the Thebans attacked Orchomenus, and Erginus was defeated. [201]
As a result of this battle, the inhabitants of the towns who supported Orchomenus migrated to various places.
Hippomenes, son of Megareus, who lived in Onchestus, and Schoeneus, who lived in Schoinos, migrated to Arcadia. [202]
Copaeus, son of Plataeus, son of Onchestus, who lived in Onchestus, migrated to the opposite shore of Lake Copais and founded Copae. [203]
20.8.2 Sons of Erginus
In legend, after his defeat in battle with Amphitryon, Erginus had two sons, Trophonius and Agamedes. They became master builders of the temple at Delphi, and Trophonius was swallowed up in a hole in the earth of Lebadeia and became a god. [204]
However, it is also said that Trophonius had children, which contradicts the fact that Erginus was succeeded by the descendants of his brother Azeus. [205]
It is believed that Erginus' sons were invented to fit the story, and that he did not actually have any heirs.
20.9 Age of Ascalaphus and Ialmenus
Erginus was succeeded by Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, the two sons of Astyoche (or Pernis), daughter of Actor, son of his brother Azeus. [206]
20.9.1 Occupation by the Thracians
Ascalaphus and Ialmenus led the Orchomenians and Aspledonians in an expedition to Troy. [207]
The Thracians invaded Orchomenus, which had been deprived of its warriors, and occupied the city.
Some of the Orchomenians fled to Athens and lived in Munychia. [208]
The Orchomenians, led by Athamas, a descendant of Aeolus' son Athamas, migrated to Ionia and founded Teos. [209]
Colophon, just east of Teos, was settled some time ago by people taken captive by the Epigoni during their attack on Thebes. [210]
The descendants of the Orchomenians who had then settled in Teos were repatriated by Philip, son of Amyntas, in the 4th century BC. [211]
20.9.2 Migration to Sauromatae
Ascalaphus was killed in battle at Troy, but Ialmenus emigrated to Sauromatae. [212]
Ialmenus' mother Astyoche was the daughter of Actor, the son of Azeus, the son of Clymenus, the son of Presbon, the son of Phrixus, the son of Athamas. [213]
Presbon was born in Colchis and emigrated to Boeotia to succeed his grandfather Athamas.
Afterwards, there seems to have been contact between Colchis and Boeotia. [214]
Perses, the son of Perseis (or Perse), granddaughter of Phrixus, ruled over Tauric Chersonese (present-day Crimea). [215]
Perses' daughter Hecate (or Idyia) was married to the king of the Sauromatians. [216]
It was no coincidence that Ialmenus, a descendant of Presbon, emigrated to Sauromatae.
20.10 After the Trojan War
Orchomenus was occupied by the Thracians for over 60 years.
In 1126 BC, the Boeotians, returning from Arne in Thessaly, together with the Orchomenians returning from Munychia in Athens, expelled the Thracians from Orchomenus. [217]
At this time, many Boeotians also seem to have settled in Orchomenus, and Strabo reports that the Boeotians annexed Orchomenus. [218]
Afterwards, some of the Orchomenians, led by Chaeron, son of Thero, daughter of Phylas, son of Antiochus, son of Heracles, migrated to Arne (later Chaeroneia). [219]
Leipephilene (or Leipephile), daughter of Iolais (or Iolaus), wife of Phylas, is thought to have been one of the Orchomenians who fled to Athens when Orchomenus was occupied by the Thracians.
Orchomenus then became a town in Boeotia, centered around Thebes.
21 History of Plataea
21.1 Before the Trojan War
The founder of Plataea is presumed to be Damasistratus, king of Plataea, who buried the body of Laius, son of Labdacus, in Thebes. [220]
Plataea is said to have been named after Plataea, daughter of the river god Asopus. Plataea is thought to have been of the same age as Tanagra, who was also said to be the daughter of Asopus. [221]
Tanagra's husband was Poemander, son of Chaeresilaus, son of Iasius, son of Eleuther, son of Aethusa, who lived in Eleutherae, at the southern foot of Mount Cithaeron. [222]
Damasistratus was the younger brother of Chaeresilaus, and founded Plataea north of Eleutherae, across Mount Cithaeron.
Earlier, Amphion and Zethus, the sons of Eleuther, had crossed the Cithaeron mountain north from Eleutherae and founded Eutresis. [223]
Amphion was the guardian of Laius and the uncle of Damasistratus. Tradition has it that Damasistratus came across Laius' body by chance, and was probably traveling with him. [224]
Damasistratus' ancestor Aethusa was the sister of Hyrieus of Hyria, and the inhabitants of Plataea were Pelasgians, whose ancestors were from Arcadia. [225]
Plataea is said to have had rulers, at unknown times, including Androcrates, Leucon, Pisandrus, Damocrates, Hypsion, Actaeon, Polyidus, and Cylaeus. [226]
21.2 After the Trojan War
In 1126 BC, the Boeotians, who had migrated from Arne in Thessaly, captured Thebes. [227]
The Boeotians spread their settlement throughout Boeotia, but it is believed that the inhabitants of Plataea were not expelled by the Boeotians and remained there. [228]
In 517 BC, Plataea fought with Thebes over the border, but with the help of its ally Athens, the Asopus River was made the border between Plataea and Thebes. [229]
To repay this favor, in 490 BC, Arimnestus led 1,000 Plataeans to Athens and participated in the Battle of Marathon, defending the left wing of the Athenian army. [230]
Without the Plataeans, Miltiades of Athens would have had to wait for reinforcements from Sparta, and the outcome of the battle might have been unpredictable. [231]
In 480 BC, Plataea was burned by the Persians along with Thespiae, because the Thebans had informed the Persians that Plataea was on their side. [232]
In 479 BC, the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Plataea, and Pausanias, son of Cleombrotus, declared the territory of Plataea inviolable to commemorate the victory at Plataea. [233]
The Plataeans are believed to have been in the ranks of the Athenians at the Battle of Plataea. [234]
In 431 BC, Eurymachus, son of Leontiades, led the Thebans in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Plataea, and was captured and executed. [235]
In 429 BC, Plataea was besieged by forces allied with Peloponnesus. [236]
The besieged consisted of 400 Plataeans, 80 Athenians, and 110 women and children. [237]
In 427 BC, 212 Plataeans escaped the siege and fled to Athens, but the rest of the besieged surrendered when food ran out. Over 200 Plataeans and 25 Athenians were executed, and the women and children were sold into slavery. [238]
In 421 BC, the Plataeans who had taken refuge in Athens were given Scione on the Chalcidice peninsula, which Athens had taken. [239]
The Plataeans who lived in Scione were then driven out of the Chalcidice peninsula by Lysander of Sparta and returned to Athens. [240]
This event is estimated to have occurred between 404 BC, when Athens surrendered to the league of Peloponnesus, and 395 BC, when Lysander died.
In 387 BC, the Plataeans were able to return to Plataea under the Treaty of Antalcidas. [241]
In 374 BC, Plataea was occupied by Thebans and the inhabitants evacuated to Athens. [242]
In 338 BC, after the Battle of Chaeronea, Philip, king of Macedonia, allowed the Plataeans, who had been exiled by the Thebans and taken refuge in Athens, to return to their city. [243]
Alexander the Great, praising the Plataeans for donating their territory to the Greek army during the Battle of Plataea, proclaimed that he would restore it to the Plataeans. [244]
In 316 BC, Antipater's son Cassander rebuilt Thebes, which had been destroyed by Alexander the Great. The Thebans returned to Thebes and made peace with the Plataeans. [245]
Their persistent attacks on the Plataeans may have been motivated by jealousy, as was the reason for Argos' destruction of Mycenae. [246]
22 History of Schoenus
In 1380 BC, Schoeneus, the son of Athamas, founded the town of Schoenus between Thebes and Anthedon. [247]
There is no tradition that explicitly states that Schoenus was founded by Schoeneus, the son of Athamas.
It is inferred from the following:
1) The Schoenus River flowed through Schoenus. [248]
2) The Schoenus River was named after Schoeneus, the son of Athamas. [249]
In 1256 BC, Orchomenus and Thebes fought, and Orchomenus was defeated. [250]
The descendants of Schoeneus, the son of Athamas, were expelled from Schoenus and moved to Arcadia. [251]
23 History of Tanagra
23.1 Before the Trojan War
23.1.1 Migration from Phoenicia
The Gephyraeans who accompanied Cadmus from Phoenicia were assigned the area around Tanagra and settled there. [252]
The Gephyraeans' settlement was in the lower reaches of the Asopus River, which flows from west to east through Boeotia.
23.1.2 Hero-Mausoleum of Eunostus
A lyric poem written by the 6th century BC Anthedonian poetess Myrtis tells of Eunostus, son of Cephisus of Tanagra. [253]
Eunostus' father Cephisus is presumably the father of Diogenia, mother of Praxithea, wife of Erechtheus, the sixth king of Athens. In the time of Erechtheus, Tanagra had not yet been founded and was called Gephyra. [254]
Gephyra was inhabited by the Gephyraeans, a branch of the Phoenicians who had migrated to Boeotia with Cadmus. [255]
In 1415 BC, the Athenians, pursued by Eumolpus who had invaded Attica, took refuge near Gephyra and were received by the Gephyraeans. [256]
This flight probably resulted in the marriage of Erechtheus and Praxithea, whose father Cephisus was probably a leader of the Gephyraeans. [257]
The Gephyraeans, who accompanied Praxithea to Athens, brought the Phoenician letters to Athens. [258]
Then the Phoenician letters gave rise to the Pelasgic letters, which were used until the time of Homer's teacher Pronapis. [259]
The ancient Athenians were Pelasgians. [260]
There may have been a tablet inscribed in the Hero-Mausoleum of Eunostus at Tanagra during the time of Myrtis. [261]
23.1.3 Foundation of Tanagra
In 1270 BC, Poemander, son of Chaeresilaus, moved from Eleutherae, south of Mount Cithaeron, to the region called Gephyra, and founded Tanagra, named after his wife. [262]
23.1.4 Orion, son of Hyrieus
Orion, son of Hyrieus, was born in Hyria, near the Strait of Euripus. [263]
Dryas, son of Orion, led 1,000 archers from Tanagra to Thebes when Adrastus attacked Thebes. [264]
Hylas, one of the sons of Orion's daughter Mecionice (or Mecionica, Menodice) and Theiodamas, who lived in Dryopia, was a page of Heracles. Laonome, wife of Hylas' brother Euphemus, was Heracles' sister. [265]
Battus, son of Polymnestus, a descendant of Euphemus, founded Cyrene in Libya. [266]
The tomb of Orion was in Tanagra. [267]
Some traditions say that Orion, who gave the name to the constellation, was the son of Euryale, daughter of Minos of Crete, but Orion, son of Hyrieus, who was also associated with Tanagra, is more likely. [268]
The Phoenicians, who settled in Tanagra, probably conveyed the constellation "the heavenly hunter" that had been brought to them by the Babylonians to the Greeks, who then gave the constellation its name, Orion.
23.1.5 Migration to Athens
In 1200 BC, the Gephyraeans, who had settled around Tanagra, were driven out by Poemander, the grandson of Poemander, the son of Chaeresilaus, and migrated to Athens. [269]
The Epigoni's attack on Thebes caused the descendants of those who had migrated to Boeotia with Cadmus to emigrate elsewhere, upsetting the balance of power between them and the newcomers, the Boeotians.
The Athenians accepted the Gephyraeans as a way of repaying them for their kindness when they were driven out by Eumolpus. The Athenians and Gephyraeans had long been in contact with each other through the marriage ties of Erechtheus, the sixth king of Athens. [270]
23.1.6 Attack by the Achaeans
Plutarch reports that the Achaeans, led by Achilles, the son of Peleus, attacked Tanagra, which refused to join the expedition. [271]
This expedition seems to have been a different one from the one to Troy, and shows that the influence of Achilles, who lived in Phthia in Thessaly, extended into Boeotia.
23.1.7 Troy Expedition
Tanagra probably did not participate in the Troy Expedition.
Homer's Catalogue of Ships lists the name Graea among the troops from Boeotia, and there is a theory that the town is another name for Tanagra. [272]
In other words, the town was called Graea (old woman) because Tanagra, who lived a very long life, was called Graea for a time. [273]
However, Homer, who liked to use old names, is unlikely to have adopted a temporary name.
If Tanagra was called by an old name, Homer would have called it Gephyra, an earlier name than Tanagra. [274]
23.2 After the Trojan War
In 456 BC, the Tanagraeans participated in the battle between the Boeotians and the Athenians, but were defeated. The town's walls were destroyed, and Tanagra came under the control of Athens. [275]
In Boeotia, only Tanagra and Thespiae survived to the Roman period.[276]
24 History of Thespiae
24.1 Before the Trojan War
24.1.1 Migration from Athens
In 1275 BC, Teuthras, son of Pandion, the eighth king of Athens, fled from his brother-in-law Aegeus and emigrated to Boeotia, where he founded Thespiae. [277]
The area was inhabited by the Boeotians, whose leader was a descendant of Itonus, the son of Boeotus, who had emigrated to Boeotia from Thessaly in 1325 BC. Two sons of Areilycus, the son of Itonus, Arcesilaus and Prothoenor, joined the expedition to Troy from Thespiae. [278]
The Boeotians welcomed the Athenians, who had emigrated with Teuthras, as fellow residents, because they were in conflict with the Cadmeans of Thebes. However, this cohabitation later became a cause of conflict when the Boeotians replaced the Cadmeans as rulers of Thebes. Probably the Athenians outnumbered the Boeotians, and they were attacked by Thebes. [279]
24.1.2 Migration from Macedonia
In 1250 BC, Pierus, son of Linus, son of Pierus, emigrated to Thespiae from Pieria in Macedonia. [280]
Pierus was the father of Oeagrus, the father of the famous poet Orpheus. [281]
Strabo reports Pierus as a Thracian who made Mount Helicon a sanctuary for the Muses. [282]
24.1.3 Settlement in Sardinia
In 1236 BC, Heracles sent the grandsons of Thespius to colonize Sardinia, led by his nephew Iolaus. [283]
The Athenians also participated in this colony, founding Olbia in northeastern Sardinia. [284]
The Iolaus colony was the first to be sent out by Athens alone, and was the first official colony to be established by Athens, starting from Prytaneum. [285]
Heracles had been at a cattle station near Thespiae, and was on friendly terms with Thespius, son of Teuthras. [286]
In 1188 BC, two sons of Areilycus, son of Itonus, Arcesilaus and Prothoenor, joined the expedition to Troy from Thespiae. [287]
24.2 After the Trojan War
24.2.1 Invasion of the Thessalians
In 594 BC, the Thessalians led by Lattamyas invaded Boeotia.
Lattamyas was killed in battle with the Thebans near Thespiae. [288]
These Thessalians had been part of the Amphictyons and had participated in the capture of Cirrha by Phocis some time earlier.
The Thespians fled to Ceressus to escape. [289]
The Thessalians invaded Boeotia more than 200 years before the Battle of Leuctra. [290]
24.2.2 Invasion of the Persians
In 480 BC, the Plataeans and Thespians, among the Boeotians, did not give earth and water to Xerxes, the great king of Persia. [291]
At the Battle of Thermopylae, 700 Thespians participated, compared with 400 Thebans. [292]
The Thespians, led by Demophilus, son of Diadromes, shared the fate of the Spartans at Thermopylae, where Dithyrambos, son of Harmatides, became famous for his bravery. [293]
The Thespians, along with Plataea, were burned by the Persians because the Thebans had informed the Persians that Thespiae was an enemy. [294]
At this time, the Thespians had retreated to the Peloponnese Peninsula. [295]
24.2.3 Etcetera
In 479 BC, 1800 Thespians participated in the Battle of Plataea. [296]
In 424 BC, the Thespians fought against the Athenians in the Battle of Delium near Tanagra. The Thespians contributed to the victory of the battle, but were annihilated. [297]
In 423 BC, the Thebans demolished the walls of Thespiae, a city that had been friendly to the Athenians for some time. [298]
In 414 BC, a populist faction of Thespians failed to seize power, some of whom were captured by the Thebans and others fled to Athens. [299]
In 413 BC, Hegesander from Thespiae participated in the Lacedaemonians' expedition to Sicily. [300]
In 374 BC, the Thebans occupied Plataea and sacked Thespiae. [301]
In 371 BC, the Thespians deserted the battle of Leuctra and returned home, and were expelled from the town by the Thebans after the battle. [302]
However, in Boeotia, the two towns that survived until the Roman period were Tanagra and Thespiae. [303]
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