Eleutherae
Ἐλευθεραί | |
Myron | |
Site notes | |
---|---|
Condition | Ruined |
Ownership | Public |
Management | 3rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
Public access | Yes |
Website | Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
Eleutherae (
History
When you have turned from
Eleusis to Boeotia, you come to the Plataean land, which borders on Attica. Formerly Eleutherae formed the boundary (of Boeotia) on the side towards Attica, but when it came over to the Athenians henceforth the boundary of Boeotia was Mount Cithaeron. The reason why the people of Eleutherae came over was not because they were reduced by war, but because they desired to share Athenian citizenship and hated the Thebans. In this plain is a temple of Dionysus, from which the old wooden image was carried off to Athens. The image at Eleutherae at the present day is a copy of the old one. (Description of Greece1.38.8)
Indeed, Eleutherae, like neighboring Plataea, was an independent polis on the border between Attica and Boeotia. Frustrated by the perennial belligerence and bullying of the Thebans, the Eleuthereans turned to Athens and volunteered to give up their independence in exchange for incorporation into the Athenian polis. Given the geopolitical significance of the town, the Athenians eventually acquiesced and the cult of Diónysos Eleuthereús ("Dionysus the Liberator") was symbolically transferred to Athens. The feast of the Dionýsia, originally an Eleutherean festival in celebration of the new wine, was the event that led to the creation of what was then a completely new literary and artistic genre: the theatre; consequently, at the Theatre of Dionysus, the priest of Dionysus Eleuthereus was the principal honoree and his ornate marble throne was center-placed in the front row of the spectator seats.
Famous historical figures originate from here, such as