Boebe or Boibe ( grc, Βοίβη) was a city of Magnesia in

ancient Thessaly Thessaly or Thessalia (Attic Greek: , ''Thessalía'' or , ''Thettalía'') was one of the traditional regions of Ancient Greece. During the Mycenaean period, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, a name that continued to be used for one of the major tribes ...

, 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 The Catalogue of Ships ( grc, νεῶν κατάλογος, ''neōn katálogos'') is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's ''Iliad'' (2.494–759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. The catalogue gives the na ...

, and situated on the eastern side of the lake, called after it

Boebeis Lacus Boebeis Lake (Βοιβηΐς λίμνη, Βοιβία λίμνη, and Βοιβιάς λίμνη) was a lake of Magnesia in ancient Thessaly, mentioned by Homer, and named for the town ( Boebe) on its southeastern shore. The lake is frequently m ...

. The lake is frequently mentioned by the ancient writers, but the name of the town rarely occurs. The town of Boebe was used by

Demetrius I of Macedon Demetrius I (; grc, Δημήτριος; 337–283 BC), also called Poliorcetes (; el, Πολιορκητής, "The Besieger"), was a Macedonian nobleman, military leader, and king of Macedon (294–288 BC). He belonged to the Antigonid dynast ...

for the foundation of

Demetrias Demetrias ( grc, Δημητριάς) was a Greek city in Magnesia in ancient Thessaly (east central Greece), situated at the head of the Pagasaean Gulf, near the modern city of Volos. History It was founded in 294 BCE by Demetrius Polior ...

, and was at a later time dependent upon it. Its site is traditionally identified with ruins at Voivis near

Kanalia Kanalia ( el, Κανάλια) is a village in Thessaly, Greece, part of the municipality Rigas Feraios. It is located from Volos and at a height of above the sea level. It is one of the prettiest on the north-west side of Pelion. It is ...

William Martin Leake William Martin Leake (14 January 17776 January 1860) was an English military man, topographer, diplomat, antiquarian, writer, and Fellow of the Royal Society. He served in the British military, spending much of his career in the Mediterrane ...

visited the site in the 19th century and reported that "It occupied a height advanced in front of the mountain, sloping gradually towards the plain, and defended by a steep fall at the back of the hill. It appears to have been constructed of Hellenic masonry, properly so called. The

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

may be traced on the summit, where several large quadrangular blocks of stones are still in their places, among more considerable ruins formed of small stones and mortar. Of the town walls there are some remains at a small church dedicated to St. Athanasius at the foot of the hill, where are several large masses of stone showing, by their distance from the acropolis, that the city was not less than two miles kmin circumference." According to

Károly Kerényi Károly (Carl, Karl) Kerényi ( hu, Kerényi Károly, ; 19 January 1897 – 14 April 1973) was a Hungarian scholar in classical philology and one of the founders of modern studies of Greek mythology. Life Hungary, 1897–1943 Károly Ker ...

, Boebe is a dialectal form of Phoibe, a surname of

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

.Science of Mythology: Essays on the Myth of the Divine Child and the Mysteries of Eleusis
Page 169
(2002)

References

Populated places in ancient Thessaly Locations in the Iliad Cities in ancient Greece Ancient Magnesia {{AncientThessaly-geo-stub