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Phlius (; grc-gre, Φλιοῦς) or Phleius () was an independent
polis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...
(city-state) in the northeastern part of
Peloponnesus The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
. Phlius' territory, called Phliasia (), was bounded on the north by
Sicyon Sicyon (; el, Σικυών; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyon was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. An ancient mona ...
ia, on the west by
Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
, on the east by Cleonae, and on the south by
Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( el, Αργολίδα , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula and part of the tri ...
. This territory is a small valley about above the level of the sea, surrounded by mountains, from which streams flow down on every side, joining the river
Asopus Asopus (; grc, Ἀ̄σωπός ''Āsōpos'') is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of the gods of those rivers. Zeus carried off Aegina, Asopus' daughter, and Sisyphus, who had ...
in the middle of the plain. The mountain in the southern part of the plain, from which the principal source of the Asopus springs, was called Carneates (Καρνεάτης). The territory of Phlius was celebrated in antiquity for its wine. According to
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
, the ancient capital of the country was
Araethyrea Araethyrea (; grc, Ἀραιθυρέα) was in Greek mythology a daughter of Aras, an autochthon who was believed to have built Arantea, the most ancient town in Phlius. She had a brother called Aoris, and is said to have been fond of the chas ...
(Ἀραιθυρέα) on Mt. Celosse, which city is 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 ...
; but the inhabitants subsequently deserted it and built Phlius at the distance of 30
stadia Stadia may refer to: * One of the plurals of stadium, along with "stadiums" * The plural of stadion, an ancient Greek unit of distance, which equals to 600 Greek feet (''podes''). * Stadia (Caria), a town of ancient Caria, now in Turkey * Stadi ...
.
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...
, however, does not speak of any migration, but says that the ancient capital was named
Arantia ''Arantia''Stål C (1874) ''Recensio Orthopterorum. Revue critique des Orthoptères décrits par Linné, De Geer et Thunberg'' 2:10, 25. is a genus of bush crickets in the tribe Holochlorini, erected by Carl Stål Carl Stål (21 March 1833 ...
(Ἀραντία), from its founder Aras, an autochthon, that it was afterwards called Araethyrea from a daughter of Aras, and that it finally received the name of Phlius, from Phlias, a son of Ceisus and grandson of Temenus. The name of Arantia was retained in the time of Pausanias in the hill Arantinus, on which the city stood. Hence the statement of grammarians that both Arantia and Araethyrea were ancient names of Phlius. According to
Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...
, Phlius derived its name from
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
and
Chthonophyle In Greek mythology, Chthonophyle (Ancient Greek: Χθονοφύλη) was the daughter of King Sicyon (whose name was given to the city of Sicyon) and Zeuxippe. She and Hermes are the parents of Polybus, another king of Sicyon. She married Phlias ...
. Phlius was subsequently conquered by
Dorians The Dorians (; el, Δωριεῖς, ''Dōrieîs'', singular , ''Dōrieús'') were one of the four major ethnic groups into which the Hellenes (or Greeks) of Classical Greece divided themselves (along with the Aeolians, Achaeans, and Ionians) ...
under Rhegnidas, who came from
Sicyon Sicyon (; el, Σικυών; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyon was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. An ancient mona ...
. Some of the inhabitants migrated to
Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...
, others to
Clazomenae Klazomenai ( grc, Κλαζομεναί) or Clazomenae was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia and a member of the Ionian League. It was one of the first cities to issue silver coinage. Its ruins are now located in the modern town Urla n ...
; among the settlers at Samos was Hippasus, from whom
Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samos, Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionians, Ionian Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher and the eponymou ...
derived his descent. Like most of the other Doric states, Phlius was governed by an aristocracy, though it was for a time subject to a tyrant Leon, a contemporary of Pythagoras. Phlius sent 200 soldiers to the
Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label=Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting o ...
, and 1000 to the
Battle of Plataea The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states (including Sparta, Athens, C ...
. Although geographically close to
Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...
, it was an ally of
Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
and a member of the
Peloponnesian League The Peloponnesian League was an alliance of ancient Greek city-states, dominated by Sparta and centred on the Peloponnese, which lasted from c.550 to 366 BC. It is known mainly for being one of the two rivals in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC ...
. During the whole of the
Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of th ...
it remained faithful to Sparta and hostile to Argos.


Classical Phlius

Phlius remained as a stalwart ally of Sparta during the Peloponnesian War, although it refrained from sending out large detachments of men from its otherwise limited population of around 5,000 male citizens. This pro-Spartan alliance was largely a result of Phliousian fears of Argive expansion, as Argos sought to assert itself in the Peloponnesus. It is likely that despite its alliance with Sparta, Phlius was a democratic state at the turn of the 4th century, although this later changed following episodes of stasis in the city. Like many other cities of ancient Greece, Phlius fell into civil strife between a democratic and an
oligarchic Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
faction during the 4th century BCE. Before 393 BCE a change seems to have taken place in the government, for in that year we find some of the citizens in exile who professed to be the friends of the Lacedaemonians. The Phliasians, however, still continued faithful to Sparta and suffered a severe defeat from the Athenian General
Iphicrates Iphicrates ( grc-gre, Ιφικράτης; c. 418 BC – c. 353 BC) was an Athenian general, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC. He is credited with important infantry reforms that revolutionized ancient Greek warfare by ...
that same year. The citizens were seized by panic following this defeat and requested a Lacedaemonian garrison within their walls, which they had been unwilling to do before, lest their allies should restore the exiles. But the Lacedaemonians did not betray the confidence placed in them, and quitted the city without making any change in the government. Ten years afterwards (383 BCE) the exiles induced the Spartan government to support their cause; and following the recent destruction of
Mantineia Mantineia (also Mantinea ; el, Μαντίνεια; also Koine Greek ''Antigoneia'') was a city in ancient Arcadia, Greece, which was the site of two significant battles in Classical Greek history. In modern times it is a former municipality in ...
, the Phliasians thought it more prudent to comply with the request of the Spartans, and received the exiles. But disputes arising between returned exiles and those who were in possession of the government, the former again appealed to Sparta, and
Agesilaus Agesilaus II (; grc-gre, Ἀγησίλαος ; c. 442 – 358 BC) was king of Sparta from c. 399 to 358 BC. Generally considered the most important king in the history of Sparta, Agesilaus was the main actor during the period of Spartan hegemony ...
was sent with an army in 380 BCE to reduce the city. At this period Phlius contained 5000 citizens. Agesilaus laid siege to the city, which held out for a year and eight months. It was at length obliged to surrender through the exhaustion of provisions in 379 BCE; and Agesilaus appointed a council of 100 members (half from the exiles and half from friends of the exiles which had remained in the city), with powers of life and death over the citizens, and authorized. them to frame a new constitution. From this time the Phliasians remained faithful to Sparta throughout the whole of the
Theban War The Boeotian War broke out in 378 BC as the result of a revolt in Thebes, Greece, Thebes against Sparta. The war saw Thebes become dominant in the Greek World at the expense of Sparta. However, by the end of the war Thebes’ greatest leaders, P ...
, though they had to suffer much from the devastation of their territory by their hostile neighbors. Later, the Argives occupied and fortified Tricaranum above Phlius, and the Sicyonians Thyamia on the Sicyonian frontier. In 368 BCE the city was nearly taken by the exiles, who no doubt belonged to the democratic party that had been driven into exile after the capture of the city by Agesilaus. In this year a body of Arcadians and
Eleians Elis () or Eleia ( el, Ήλιδα, Ilida, grc-att, Ἦλις, Ēlis ; Elean: , ethnonym: ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded on ...
, who were marching through Nemea to join
Epaminondas Epaminondas (; grc-gre, Ἐπαμεινώνδας; 419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general of Thebes and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greek city-state, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a pre-eminent posit ...
at the
Isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...
, were persuaded by the Phliasian exiles to assist them in capturing the city. During the night the exiles stole to the foot of the acropolis; and in the morning when the scouts stationed by the citizens on the hill Tricaranum announced that the enemy were in sight, the exiles seized the opportunity to scale the acropolis, of which they obtained possession. They were, however, repulsed in their attempt to force their way into the town, and were eventually obliged to abandon the citadel also. The Arcadians and Argives were at the same time repulsed from the walls. In the following year Phlius was exposed to a still more formidable attack from the Theban commander at Sicyon, assisted by
Euphron Euphron was a tyrant of the ancient Greek city-state of Sicyon between 368 and 364 BC. Euphron was a citizen of Sicyon, who held the chief power during the period of its subjection to Sparta. In 368 BC the city was compelled by Epaminondas to ...
, tyrant of that city. The main body of the army descended from Tricaranum to the Heraeum which stood at the foot of the mountain, in order to ravage the Phliasian plain. At the same time a detachment of Sicyonians and Pellenians were posted northeast of the acropolis before the Corinthian gate to hinder the Phliasians from attacking them in their rear. But the main body of the troops was repulsed; and being unable to join the detachment of Sicyonians and Pellenians in consequence of a ravine (Φαράγξ), the Phliasians attacked and defeated them with loss. After the death of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
, Phlius, like many of the other Peloponnesian cities, became subject to tyrants; but upon the organisation of the
Achaean League The Achaean League (Greek: , ''Koinon ton Akhaion'' "League of Achaeans") was a Hellenistic-era confederation of Greek city states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea in the northwestern Pel ...
by
Aratus of Sicyon Aratus of Sicyon (Ancient Greek: Ἄρατος ὁ Σικυώνιος; 271–213 BC) was a politician and military commander of Hellenistic Greece. He was elected strategos of the Achaean League 17 times, leading the League through numerous m ...
, Cleonymus, who was then tyrant of Phlius, voluntarily resigned his power, and the city joined the league. Phlius is celebrated in the history of literature as the birthplace of
Pratinas Pratinas ( grc, Πρατίνας) was one of the early tragic poets who flourished at Athens at the beginning of the fifth century BCE, and whose combined efforts were thought by critics to have brought the art to its perfection. Life He was a nati ...
, the inventor of the Satyric drama, and who contended with
Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...
for the prize at Athens. In the agora of Phlius was the tomb of
Aristias Aristias ( grc, Ἀριστίας), son of Pratinas, was a dramatic poet of ancient Greece whose tomb Pausanias saw at Phlius, and whose satyric dramas, with those of his father, were considered to be surpassed only by those of Aeschylus. Arist ...
, the son of Pratinas. It was also the hometown of Plato's female student
Axiothea of Phlius Axiothea of Phlius ( el, Ἀξιοθέα Φλειασία ) was a female student of Plato and Speusippus. She was born in Phlius, an ancient city in the Peloponnese which was under Spartan rule when Plato founded his Academy. Axiothea is said b ...
. Pausanias, who visited in the 2nd century, says that on the acropolis of Phlius was a temple of Hebe or Ganymeda, in a cypress grove, which enjoyed the right of asylum. There was also a temple of
Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
on the acropolis. On descending from the citadel there stood on the right a temple of
Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...
, and below it the theatre and another temple of Demeter. In the agora there were also other public buildings. The site of ancient Phlius is located near the modern Nemea.


See also

*
List of ancient Greek cities A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References


Sources

*Fine, John V.A. ''The Ancient Greeks: A critical history'' (Harvard University Press, 1983) * {{Authority control Populated places in ancient Argolis Former populated places in Greece Cities in ancient Peloponnese Spartan hegemony Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Greece Corinthia Greek city-states