THESPIAE

Greek Thespiai, ancient Greek city of Boeotia by the Thespius (modern Kanavri) River and at the eastern foot of Mt. Helicon; site of the Eros of Praxiteles, one of the most famous statues in the ancient world, and home of the sanctuaries and festivals of the Muses. Thespiae is important in Greek history chiefly as an enemy of nearby Thebes. After the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, most Boeotian cities joined the Persians, but Thespiae and Plataea continued to resist them. The Thespians, aroused by Theban intervention and enmity, served Sparta as a base against Thebes from 379 to 372. The Thebans destroyed Thespiae in 371 BC, but the town was soon rebuilt. Thespiae survived under the Roman Empire as an important Boeotian town.