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Can anyone provide some insight into the city-state of Thespiae? What type of government? Constitution? etc etc.
I have found suprisingly little info on Thespiae, wikipedia offers some, Pausanias Guide to Greece also provides some background, but can anyone suggest further reading?
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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Very few really from what you have already found.
They were as other Beotians of Doric stock.
Their army was probably recruited based on the 3 Doric tribes pattern as we know from war memorials of other Doric cities.
They elected 5 magistrates and sent to Beotarchs in the Beotian Commonwealth
The cults of Heros including his aspect as a martial deity was dominant followed by the cult of Melena Aphrodite (as a lunar goddess hence the cresent emblem)
The city suffered terribly during the Persian Wars and the Pelopenessian War.
They were ousted by the Thebans and probably exacted terrible revenge assisting Alexander's army sacking Thebes.
Their militia thyreophoroi and peltasts serve with the roman army against Mithradates of Pontos.
Kind regards
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Thank you Stefanos, can you suggest some other texts?
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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What time period are you concerned with? Thespiae was part of the Boeotian League throughout much of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, but as that league went through several iterations, its constituent cities' political structures would have varied over time.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
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Quote:What time period are you concerned with? Thespiae was part of the Boeotian League throughout much of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, but as that league went through several iterations, its constituent cities' political structures would have varied over time.
Primarily the early fifth century, but I am also interested in reading of Thespiae's history throughout the Classical and Helenistic periods.
_____________________________________________________
Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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Quote:... They were as other Beotians of Doric stock ...
Always prepared to defer to superior knowledge (especially in Stefanos' case), however, but surely the Thespians and indeed other Boiotians were of Aiolic ([size=85:3t78fu6m]or Aeolic if you prefer your latinized version[/size]) stock (related to some of the peoples of Thessaly amongst others)? Everything I have ever come across regarding the enthos of Thebes, Boiotia etc. states they were mainly Aiolians.
There were some Dorians in this central area but not dominating ...
[size=75:2kpklzm3] Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
![[Image: A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg]](http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d162/Ghostmojo/Argus%20-%20TTLG/A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg)
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - " What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - " Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
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Doreans origin is as dark as the "Dark Ages" (1100 -800 B.C.)
Thousands of suggestions were made bases both on Myth and Etymology.
Those of the Beotians who were Aeolic stock (Phlegyans) were the Orchomenians.
But you have a point suggesting Aeolic influence in Thespiae.
Beotians were first originated in Thessaly and when they migrated perhaps failed to dominate all the Lake Kopais settlements entirely.
That is a possible explanation for the later conflict of the Thebans with other Beotians.
Tribal loyalties were an issue but most scholars refuse to touch the "hot potato".
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Sources? Books? Any suggested reading at all?
Come on guys, throw me a bone over here! 
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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Sorry, I lost track of this thread. The best source for Thespiae's history (though it focusses primarily on the Hellenistic period) is probably Roesch's "Thespies et la confédération béotienne" (Paris: de Boccard, 1965). The article by C.J. Tuplin entitled "The fate of Thespiae during the Theban hegemony" in Athenaeum. Studi di letteratura e storia dell’antichità, 64 (1986): 321-341 may also be helpful, though I have not read it.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
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Quote:Sorry, I lost track of this thread. The best source for Thespiae's history (though it focusses primarily on the Hellenistic period) is probably Roesch's "Thespies et la confédération béotienne" (Paris: de Boccard, 1965). The article by C.J. Tuplin entitled "The fate of Thespiae during the Theban hegemony" in Athenaeum. Studi di letteratura e storia dell’antichità, 64 (1986): 321-341 may also be helpful, though I have not read it.
Thanks Ruben! 
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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[size=75:2kpklzm3] Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - " What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - " Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
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Thanks Howard!
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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You guys have given me plenty of texts to work through, if anyone should think of other relevent books please post them!
Thanks guys!
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Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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[size=75:2kpklzm3] Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - " What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - " Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
Posts: 508
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_____________________________________________________
Mark Hayes
"The men who once dwelled beneath the crags of Mt Helicon, the broad land of Thespiae now boasts of their courage"
Philiades
"So now I meet my doom. Let me at least sell my life dearly and have a not inglorius end, after some feat of arms that shall come to the ears of generations still unborn"
Hektor, the Iliad
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