Valley of the Muses
Encyclopedia
The Valley of the Muses was the site of an ancient Greek sanctuary to the Muses and the Mouseia festivals held in their honor. It is presently an open-air historical site open permanently to the public
. It is located at Thespies
on the eastern slopes of Mount Helicon in the Greek prefecture of Boeotia
.
participated in various game
s. In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, games in honor of the Roman emperor
were added. From that time the emperors sponsored the festivals, which were then called "Great Kaisareia" (Grk Μεγάλα Καισάρεια) because the emperor was honored over the Muses. Winners of the games dedicated their tripods to a sanctuary. Many statues
depicting the Muses, famous poets, and musicians stood in the open-air space of the Valley. With the rise of monotheism
, the festivals and the valley were abandoned.
of the Muses. He also indicated the remains of the theatre
on the mountain
slope. The French Archaeological School under Jamot excavated systematically in 1888, 1889 and 1890, and discovered all the antiquities (G. Roux, Le Val des Muses et les Musees chez les auteurs anciens, in Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique, 1954, 1, pp. 22–48).
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
. It is located at Thespies
Thespiae
Thespiae 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, near modern Thespies.-History:...
on the eastern slopes of Mount Helicon in the Greek prefecture of Boeotia
Boeotia
Boeotia, also spelled Beotia and Bœotia , is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. It was also a region of ancient Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, the second largest city being Thebes.-Geography:...
.
History
The recorded history of the valley began in the 6th century BC. Its greatest period started in the 3rd century BC with the establishment of the Mouseia festivals (Grk Μουσεῖα), organised every fifth year by the Thespians. Poets and musicians from all over GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
participated in various game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s. In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, games in honor of the Roman emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
were added. From that time the emperors sponsored the festivals, which were then called "Great Kaisareia" (Grk Μεγάλα Καισάρεια) because the emperor was honored over the Muses. Winners of the games dedicated their tripods to a sanctuary. Many statues
Statues
Statues is a popular children's game, often played in Australia but with versions throughout the world.-General rules:# A person starts out as the "Curator" and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end...
depicting the Muses, famous poets, and musicians stood in the open-air space of the Valley. With the rise of monotheism
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
, the festivals and the valley were abandoned.
Archaeology
In 1882, Stamatakis made the first test trench in the little church of Ayia Triada and noted the rectangular foundation of a small templeTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of the Muses. He also indicated the remains of the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
on the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
slope. The French Archaeological School under Jamot excavated systematically in 1888, 1889 and 1890, and discovered all the antiquities (G. Roux, Le Val des Muses et les Musees chez les auteurs anciens, in Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique, 1954, 1, pp. 22–48).
The sanctuary
The Sanctuary consisted of:- The theater, dated to the end of the 3rd century BC or the beginning of the 2nd century BC; built for the musical and theatrical games held in the valley during the Mouseia festival. Spectators sat on seats cut in the mountain slope. Only the first row - the prohedria - was marbleMarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
.
- The temple or altarAltarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
of the Muses, dated in the 3rd century BC; a small rectangular building. After its abandonment the church of Ayia Triada was built upon the ancient foundations, which were revealed after the demolition of the church.
- A long Ionic stoa (length 96,70 m.) on the west of the temple, dated in the 3rd century BC; this housed the votive offerings to the Muses. Originally it had an internal wall and rooms; these were replaced later by a colonnade in the Corinthian orderCorinthian orderThe Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
.
- Statues of the nine Muses; works of the poet and sculptor Onestos. These original stood in a single group; their bases were discovered during the excavations. On the five most well-preserved bases were found inscribed names of Muses and epigrams.
- The square towerTowerA tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
of Askra, dated to the 4th century BC; the tower crowned the hill Pyrgaki and dominated the valley from the north. It had three storerooms on the ground floor. An earlier circuit wall, now ruined, enclosed the tower. It was probably built by the Thespians a little before 371 B.C, the time of the battle of Leuktra, to control the movements of the Thebans.