Tegea (; el, Τεγέα) was a settlement in
ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in
Arcadia,
Peloponnese,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the
Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal unit
with an area of 118.350 km
2.
It is near the modern villages of
Alea and
Episkopi.
The legendary founder of Tegea was
Tegeates, a son of
Lycaon.
History
Tegea ( grc, Τεγέα; grc-x-ionic, Τεγέη) was one of the most ancient and powerful towns of
ancient Arcadia, situated in the southeast of the country. Its territory, called Tegeatis (Τεγεᾶτις), was bounded by
Cynuria and
Argolis on the east, from which it was separated by
Mount Parthenium, by
Laconia on the south, by the Arcadian district of
Maenalia on the west, and by the territory of
Mantineia on the north. The Tegeatae are said to have derived their name from
Tegeates, a son of
Lycaon, and to have dwelt originally in eight, afterwards nine,
demoi
In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and ea ...
or townships. In the Archaic period the nine demoi that underlie Tegea banded together in a
synoecism to form one city; the inhabitants of the demoi were incorporated, by
Aleus in the city of Tegea, of which this hero was the reputed founder. The names of these nine townships, which are preserved by
Pausanias, are:
Gareatae (Γαρεᾶται),
Phylaceis (Φυλακεῖς),
Caryatae (Καρυᾶται),
Corytheis (Κορυθεῖς),
Potachidae (Πωταχίδαι),
Oeatae Oeatae or Oiatai ( grc, Οἰᾶται) was a village in ancient Arcadia, in the territory of Tegea, and one of the nine townships into which ancient Tegea was divided.
Its site is unlocated.
References
Populated places in ancient Arcadia
F ...
(Οἰᾶται),
Manthyreis (Μανθυρεῖς),
Echeuetheis (Εχευήθεἱς), to which
Apheidantes (Ἀφείδαντες) was added as the ninth in the reign of king
Apheidas In Greek mythology, the name Apheidas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀφείδας or Ἀφείδαντα) may refer to:
* Apheidas, son of Arcas
*Apheidas, a Centaur who attended the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia.
*Apheidas, son of Polypemon, from ...
. The Tegeatae were early divided into 4 tribes (
phylai) (φυλαί), called respectively
Clareotis (Κλαρεῶτις, in inscriptions Κραριῶτις),
Hippothoitis (Ἱπποθοῖτις),
Apolloneatis (Ἀπολλωνεᾶτις), and
Athoneatis (Ἀθανεᾶτις), to each of which belonged a certain number of
metoeci (μέτοικοι) or resident aliens.
Tegea is mentioned by
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
in the
Catalogue of Ships in the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...
'', and was probably the most celebrated of all the Arcadian towns in the earliest times. This appears from its heroic renown, since its king
Echemus is said to have slain
Hyllus, the son of
Heracles, in single combat. The Tegeatae offered a long-continued and successful resistance to the
Spartans, when the latter attempted to extend their dominion over Arcadia. In one of the wars between the two peoples, Chariläus or
Charillus, king of Sparta, deceived by an
oracle which appeared to promise victory to the Spartans, invaded Tegeatis, and was not only defeated, but was taken prisoner with all his men who had survived the battle. More than two centuries afterwards, in the reign of
Leon
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
and
Agesicles, the Spartans again fought unsuccessfully against the Tegeatae; but in the following generation, in the time of their king
Anaxandridas II, the Spartans, having obtained possession of the bones of
Orestes in accordance with an oracle, defeated the Tegeatae and compelled them to acknowledge the supremacy of Sparta, about 560 BC. Thus, Tegea's struggle against
Spartan hegemony in Arcadia came to an end, and it was forced into some form of collaboration, maybe as one of the earliest members of what would become the Sparta-centered
Peloponnesian League.
Tegea, however, still retained its independence, though its military force was at the disposal of Sparta; and in the
Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of th ...
it appears as the second military power in the
Peloponnesus, having the place of honour on the left wing of the allied army. Five hundred of the Tegeatae fought at the
Battle of Thermopylae, and 3000 at the
Battle of Plataea, half of their force consisting of
hoplites and half of light-armed troops. As it was not usual to send the whole force of a state upon a distant march,
William Smith and
Henry Fynes Clinton estimate the force of the Tegeatae on this occasion as not more than three-fourths of their whole number. This would give 4000 for the military population of Tegea, and about 17,400 for the whole free population.
Soon after the Battle of Plataea, the Tegeatae were again at war with the Spartans, of the causes of which, however, we have no information. We only know that the Tegeatae fought twice against the Spartans between 479 and 464 BCE, and were each time defeated; first in conjunction with the
Argives
Argos (; el, Άργος ; grc, label= Ancient and Katharevousa, Ἄργος ) is a city in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the oldest in Europe. It is the largest city i ...
, and a second time together with the other Arcadians, except the
Mantineians at
Dipaea, in the
Maenalian district. About this time, and also at a subsequent period, Tegea, and especially the temple of
Athena Alea
Alea ( Ancient Greek: ) was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, prominent in Arcadian mythology, under which she was worshiped at Alea, Mantineia and Tegea. Alea was initially an independent goddess, but was eventually assimilated with A ...
in the city, was a frequent place of refuge for persons who had rendered themselves obnoxious to the Spartan government. Hither fled the seer
Hegesistratus and the kings
Leotychides
Leotychidas II ( grc-gre, Λεωτυχίδας; Doric: ; c. 545 – c. 469 BC) was king of Sparta between 491–476 BC, alongside Cleomenes I and later Leonidas I and Pleistarchus. He led Spartan forces during the Persian Wars from 490 BC to 478 ...
, and
Pausanias, son of
Pleistoanax.
In the
Peloponnesian War the Tegeatae were the firm allies of the Spartans, to whom they remained faithful both on account of their possessing an aristocratical constitution, and from their jealousy of the neighbouring democratical city of Mantineia, with which they were frequently at war. Thus the Tegeatae not only refused to join the Argives in the alliance formed against Sparta in 421 BCE, but they accompanied the Lacedaemonians in their expedition against
Argos in 418 BCE. They also fought on the side of the Spartans in the
Corinthian War, 394 BCE. The
Temple of Athena Alea burned in 394 BCE and was magnificently rebuilt, to designs by
Scopas of Paros, with reliefs of the
Calydonian boar
The Calydonian boar hunt is one of the great heroic adventures in Greek legend. It occurred in the generation prior to that of the Trojan War, and stands alongside the other great heroic adventure of that generation, the voyage of the Argonauts, ...
hunt in the main pediment. After the
Battle of Leuctra (371 BCE), however, the Spartan party in Tegea was expelled, and the city joined the other Arcadian towns in the foundation of
Megalopolis and in the formation of the
Arcadian League
The Arcadian League ( grc, ) was a league of city-states in ancient Greece. It combined the various cities of Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, into a single state. The league was founded in 370 BC, taking advantage of the decreased power of Sparta, ...
. When Mantineia a few years afterwards quarrelled with the supreme Arcadian government, and formed an alliance with its old enemy Sparta, Tegea remained faithful to the new confederacy, and fought under
Epaminondas against the Spartans at the great
Battle of Mantineia, 362 BCE.
Tegea at a later period joined the
Aetolian League, but soon after the accession of
Cleomenes III
Cleomenes III ( grc, Κλεομένης) was one of the two kings of Sparta from 235 to 222 BC. He was a member of the Agiad dynasty and succeeded his father, Leonidas II. He is known for his attempts to reform the Spartan state.
From 229 to ...
to the Spartan throne it formed an alliance with Sparta, together with Mantineia and
Orchomenus. It thus became involved in hostilities with the
Achaeans, and in the war which followed, called the
Cleomenic War, it was taken by
Antigonus Doson, the ally of the Achaeans, and annexed to the Achaean League, 222 BCE. In 218 BCE, Tegea was attacked by Spartan king
Lycurgus
Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to:
People
* Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC)
* Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta
* Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...
, who obtained possession of the whole city with the exception of the
acropolis. It subsequently fell into the hands of
Machanidas, the
tyrant
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...
of Sparta, but was recovered by the Achaeans after the defeat of Machanidas, who was slain in battle by
Philopoemen. In the time of
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
Tegea was the only one of the Arcadian towns which continued to be inhabited, and it was still a place of importance in the time of
Pausanias, who has given us a minute account of its public buildings. The "tombs" he saw there were shrines to the
chthonic founding ''daemones'': "There are also tombs of
Tegeates, the son of
Lycaon, and of Maira (or Maera), his wife." Maira was a daughter of
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...
, and Homer makes mention of her in the passage where
Odysseus tells to
Alkinous
In Greek mythology, Alcinous (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκίνους or Ἀλκίνοος ''Alkínoös'' means "mighty mind") was a son of Nausithous and brother of Rhexenor. After the latter's death, he married his brother's daughter Arete who bo ...
his journey to
Hades, and of those whose ghosts he beheld there."
Ancient Tegea was an important religious center of ancient Greece, containing the
Temple of Athena Alea. The ''temenos'' was founded by
Aleus,
Pausanias was informed. Votive bronzes at the site from the
Geometric and
Archaic periods take the forms of horses and deer; there are
sealstones and
fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity ...
e.
The city retained civic life under the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
; Tegea survived being sacked by the
Goths
The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...
in AD 395–396. The Roman poets use the adjective Tegĕēus or Tegeaeus as equivalent to Arcadian: thus it is given as an epithet to Pan (Verg. G. 1.18), Callisto, daughter of Lycaon (Ov. Ar. Am. 2.55, Fast. 2.167), Atalanta (Ov. Met. 8.317, 380), Carmenta (Ov. Fast. 1.627), and Mercury (Stat. Silv. 1.54)
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, through some unclear process, Tegea received the name of Amyklion (later usually shortened to Amykli and Nikli) by the 10th century. In 1082, it became the seat of the
Diocese of Amyclae, a
suffragan see of the
Metropolis of Lacedaemon. Nikli and the rest of Arcadia were captured by the
Crusaders in , becoming part of the new
Frankish Principality of Achaea, which soon came to encompass most of the
Peloponnese. The ''
Chronicle of the Morea'' depicts Nikli as a site of some importance and fortified, which fell to the Crusaders only after a siege. It became the seat of a
secular barony, while a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
bishop was installed in the episcopal see. Nikli was still in Frankish hands in 1280, but was lost to the resurgent
Byzantines by 1302, who also restored the local see to the Orthodox clergy.
The site of ancient Tegea is now located within the modern village of
Alea (referred to as ''Piali'' before 1915). Alea is located about 10 kilometers southeast of
Tripoli. The municipality of Tegea has its seat at
Stadio
Stadio (literally, ''Stadium'') is an Italian pop rock band formed in 1977. The members are Giovanni Pezzoli (drums), Roberto Drovandi (bass guitar), Andrea Fornili (guitar), and Gaetano Curreri (vocals and keyboard).
Formation and early rec ...
.
Tegea and Crete
In ancient times, the people of Tegea said that Cydon, Archedius, and Gortys, the surviving sons of their king Tegeates, migrated voluntarily to Crete, and that the cities
Kydonia,
Gortyna, and
Catreus
In Greek mythology, Catreus or Katreus (, ; grc, ) was the eldest son of Minos and Pasiphaë, and Minos' successor as king of Crete. Catreus had one son, Althaemenes, and three daughters, Apemosyne, Aerope and Clymene. Catreus was mistakenly ...
, were named after them. Yet the Cretans denied this; instead they tried to portray these three characters as the offspring of the local heroes Minos and Rhadamantus.
[William Ridgeway]
''The Early Age of Greece, Volume 1''
Cambridge University Press, 2014 (originally 1901)
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Tegea is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):
*
Alea
*
Episkopi
*
Garea
*
Kamari
*
Kandalos
*
Kerasitsa, where the politician
Gregoris Lambrakis was born in 1912
*
Lithovounia
*
Magoula (Magoula, Giokareika)
*
Manthyrea
*
Mavriki
*
Psili Vrysi (Psili Vrysi, Bouzaneika)
*
Rizes
Rizes ( el, Ρίζες or Ρίζαι) is the easternmost village in the municipal unit of Tegea in Arcadia, Greece. Its population was 552 in 2011. Its primary economic activity is agriculture. Rizes' crops include cherries, potatoes, and grape ...
*
Stadio
Stadio (literally, ''Stadium'') is an Italian pop rock band formed in 1977. The members are Giovanni Pezzoli (drums), Roberto Drovandi (bass guitar), Andrea Fornili (guitar), and Gaetano Curreri (vocals and keyboard).
Formation and early rec ...
(Stadio, Agios Sostis, Akra)
*
Tzivas
*
Vouno
*
Stringos (Stringos, Demiri)
Historical population
Notable people
*
Aristarchus of Tegea
Aristarchus or Aristarch of Tegea ( grc-gre, Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ Τεγεάτης, ''Aristarkhos ho Tegeates'') was a Greek tragic poet and a contemporary of Sophocles and Euripides. He lived to be a centenarian, composed seventy plays, and ...
, poet (5th century BC)
*
Anyte of Tegea
Anyte of Tegea was a Hellenistic poet from Tegea in Arcadia. Little is known of her life, but twenty-four epigrams attributed to her are preserved in the '' Greek Anthology'', and one is quoted by Julius Pollux; nineteen of these are generally ...
, poet (3rd century BC)
*
Cepheus, mythical king and an
Argonaut
*
Echemus, mythical king
*
Gregoris Lambrakis, politician
*
Telephus, mythical king
See also
*
List of settlements in Arcadia
*
List of ancient Greek cities
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Perseus site: TegeaPhoto gallery of archaeologuical sites and bibliography.
GTP – Ancient TegeaGTP – Municipality of TegeaGTP – Alea, the present name of Tegeanbsp;– black-and-white photo essay of the site and related artifacts
Tegean Ancient Armynbsp;– a brief peer-reviewed essay discussing the army of the ancient Tegea
{{Authority control
Arcadian city-states
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Peloponnese (region)
Populated places in ancient Arcadia
Locations in the Iliad
Populated places in Arcadia, Peloponnese