Thursday, 21 July 2016

Boiotia Notes

The state of Eros by Praxiteles is at Thespia. Krisaian Gulf said to be the deepest part of the Corinthian. They must have tested it somehow - maybe they used with a pine tree trunk marked with stadia. Lysippus later sculpted a bronze version. No more Haliartos today as it's been razed to the ground by Perseus. It was on lake Copai in central Boiotia. There were said to be doves at Thisbe. Kopaic lake was once dry and the Kephissis river flows from it from the Phocian mountains.
   Skolos is a village in Parasopian Boiotia  below Kithairon it is a rugged place that is difficult to live in, from which there is the proverb "do not go to Skolos or even go there with someone else." They say that this is where Pentheus was brought when he was torn to pieces.
   Near Thebes there is a spring called Dirke where there is a myth about Glaucus who was torn to pieces by the Potnaian mares who didn't have much respect for Glaucus. Must have been vicious horses. Not far is Thespia.
    Hesiod lived in Askre, a village and quote "He settled near Helikon in a wretched village Askre bad in winter difficult in summer and good at no time" I say book a holiday there now. Later Zenodotos revising Homer says that Askre is rich in grapes which contradicts what Hesiod had said and indeed Eudoxos who apparently said far worse things - the slightest mention of the place would launch Eudoxos into a string of invective. Strabo goes along with popular opinion and believes it is not a good place for grapes. Who really knows. Maybe they had a good year when Zenodotos was there or maybe he just wanted to cock a snook at Hesiod.
  Helos Helikon etc all named because of being on marshy soil from the word 'hele' meaning marshy. Many areas of Greece being marshy which is normal in mountainous country, similar to Scotland with its mountains and moors.
   Farthest Anthedon. More proof the Boeotians were called the Aonians. The Kopaic lake was supposed to be once dry and was good farmland and this made the Boiotians rich and powerful and they gained many other lands from this power. Another reason is Boiotia is surrounded by seas with access to Italia Sikelia and Libya. It all adds to the pot.
   Lebadeia in the mountains had an Oracle dedicated to Zeus. It is said that there were many groves created by Poseidon and these groves, usually in ravines, were not always resplendent and lush places as Homer always seemed to infer - but I can understand why Homer dressed them up with more trees than they have now. Some groves may have been over-harvested or maybe they receive less water in present day Greece. I personally prefer a leafy grove and I'm with Homer on this one. Ptioin mentioned.
   Zethos and Amphion were twin sons of Zeus and Antiope who were said to have founded Thebes. Euripodes says Zeus raped Antiope and the twins were left to fend for themselves. Oedipus is said to have lived in Thebes with his wife Jocasta. Kassander built Thebes back up again. Epimeinondas was the main Thebian commander who gave Boeotia a brief spell of affluence.
  Plataeia is where a great battle was fought between the Greeks and Persians under the command of Mardonios who was the nephew of Darius and related to Xerxes. 80,000 Greeks beat 300,000 Persians. The name Plataeia may derive from the flat plate on the end of oars as the old residents were rowers and since then the waters have gone but the name remains as a legacy to the past inhabitants. It's a tenuous bit of etymology.
   The Pelasgians were driven south to Athens where they settled in a suburb called Pelasgia and were known to be wanderers like birds hence their name. Pelican comes from it.
   Ephoros says quite a lot.
   I think it was the Boiotians who consulted the Oracle at Dodona before a battle and the Oracle was three priestesses and one of them was faithful to the opposing side and she gave biased opinions so the Boiotians wanted the priestesses exchanged for men which was their custom so the two priestesses had to go as one had been slain for her bias and the men took charge of the Dodonian Oracle.

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