Thespiae (
Greek Θεσπιαι, Thespiai) was an ancient
Greek city in
Boeotia. It stood on level ground commanded by the low range of hills which runs eastward from the foot of
Mount Helicon to
Thebes. According to
Pausanias, the
deity most
worshipped at Thespiae was
Eros, whose primitive image was an unwrought stone. The city contained many works of
art, among them the Eros of
Praxiteles, one of the most famous statues in the ancient world; it drew crowds of people to Thespiae. It was carried off to
Rome by
Caligula, restored by
Claudius, and again carried off by
Nero. There was also a bronze statue of Eros by
Lysippos. The Thespians also worshipped the
Muses, and celebrated a festival in their honor in the sacred grove on Mount Helicon. Remains of what was probably the ancient
citadel are still to be seen, consisting of an oblong or oval line of fortification, solidly and regularly built. The adjacent ground to the east and south is covered with foundations, bearing witness to the extent of the ancient city. In
1882, the remains of a
tomb, including a colossal stone lion, were discovered on the road to Leuctra. The tomb dates from the
fifth century BC, and is probably that of the Thespians who fell at the
Battle of Plataea, as those who fell at the
Battle of Thermopylae were buried on the battlefield.
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