§9.2.25Θέσπειαν δὲ λέγει τὰς νῦν Θεσπιάς, πολλῶν ὀνομάτων τῶν μὲν ἀμφοτέρως λεγομένων καὶ ἑνικῶς καὶ πληθυντικῶς, καθάπερ καὶ ἀρρενικῶς καὶ θηλυκῶς, τῶν δʼ ὁποτέρως.
He calls 'Thespeia' the present-day Thespiae; for among many names, some are used in both ways, both in the singular and in the plural, just as they are used in both masculine and feminine, while others are used in only one of the two ways.
ἔστι δὲ πόλις πρὸς τῷ Ἑλικῶνι νοτιωτέρα αὐτοῦ, ἐπικειμένη δὲ τῷ Κρισαίῳ κόλπῳ καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ ὁ Ἑλικών·
The city is situated near Mount Helicon, on its southern side; both the city itself and Helicon overlook the Crisaean Gulf.
ἐπίνειον δʼ ἔχουσιν αἱ Θεσπιαὶ Κρέουσαν, ἣν καὶ Κρεουσίδα καλοῦσιν.
Thespiae has Creusa as its port, which they also call Creusis.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Θεσπιέων ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ Ἄσκρη κατὰ τὸ πρὸς Ἑλικῶνα μέρος, ἡ τοῦ Ἡσιόδου πατρίς·
In the territory of the Thespians is also Ascra, near the part towards Helicon, the homeland of Hesiod; for it is on the right of Helicon, situated on a high and rugged place, distant from Thespiae about forty stadia.
ἐν δεξιᾷ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Ἑλικῶνος, ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ καὶ τραχέος τόπου κειμένη, ἀπέχουσα τῶν Θεσπιῶν ὅσον τετταράκοντα σταδίους, ἣν καὶ κεκωμῴδηκεν αὐτὸς ἐ τοῦ πατρός, ὅτι ἐκ Κύμης τῆς Αἰολίδος μτερον λέγων
νάσσατο δʼ ἄγχʼ Ἑλικῶνος ὀιζυρῇ, Ἄσκρῃ χεῖμα κακῇ, θέρει ἀργαλέῃ, οὐδέ ποτʼ. ὁ δὲ Ἑλικὼν συνεχής ἐστι τῇ Φωκίδι ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἄρκτον αὐτοῦ μερῶν· μικρὰ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἑσπέραν κατὰ τὸν ὕστατον λιμένα τῆς Φωκίδος, ὃν καλοῦσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος μυχόν·
Hesiod himself has satirized this place with reference to his father, stating that his father migrated from Cyme in Aeolis, saying later: 'And he settled near Helicon in a wretched village, Ascra, bad in winter, hard in summer, never good.' Helicon is contiguous with Phocis on its northern side, and slightly on its western side at the furthest harbor of Phocis, which they call by its physical characteristic 'the Recess'; for both Helicon and Ascra, and also Thespiae and its port Creusa, lie above this harbor of the Crisaean Gulf.
ὑπέρκειται γὰρ κατὰ τοῦτον μάλιστα τὸν λιμένα τοῦ Κρισαίου κόλπου καὶ ὁ Ἑλικὼν καὶ ἡ Ἄσκρη καὶ ἔτι αἱ Θεσπιαὶ καὶ τὸ ἐπίνειον αὐτῆς ἡ Κρέουσα. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ κοιλότατον νομίζεται τὸ μέρος τοῦ Κρισαίου κόλπου καὶ ἁπλῶς τοῦ Κορινθιακοῦ·
This is considered the deepest recess of the Crisaean Gulf, and indeed of the Corinthian Gulf.
στάδιοι δʼ εἰσὶ τῆς τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ μυχοῦ τοῦ λιμένος εἰς Κρέουσαν ἐνε ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν ἕως τῆς ἄκρας ἣν καλοῦσιν·
The distance from the recess of the harbor to Creusa is ninety stadia, and from there to the promontory which they call [Holmae] is one hundred and twenty.
ἐν δὲ τῷ κοιλοτάτῳ τοῦ κόλπου τοῦ βέβηκε τὰς Πηγὰς κεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν Οἰνόην, περήκαμεν.
In the deepest recess of the gulf lie Pegae and Oenoe, of which we have spoken before.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἑλικὼν οὐ πολὺ διεστηκὼς τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ ἐνάμιλλός ἐστιν ἐκείνῳ κατά τε ὕψος καὶ περίμετρον· ἄμφω γὰρ χιονόβολα τὰ ὄρη καὶ πετρώδη, περιγράφεται δʼ οὐ πολλῇ χώρᾳ.
Now, Helicon is not far distant from Parnassus, and is rival to it both in height and in circumference; for both mountains are snow-swept and rocky, and are bounded within a small area.
ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐστὶ τό τε τῶν Μουσῶν ἱερὸν καὶ ἡ Ἵππου κρήνη καὶ τὸ τῶν Λειβηθρίδων νυμφῶν ἄντρον· ἐξ οὗ τεκμαίροιτʼ ἄν τις Θρᾷκας εἶναι τοὺς τὸν Ἑλικῶνα ταῖς Μούσαις καθιερώσαντας, οἳ καὶ τὴν Πιερίδα καὶ τὸ Λείβηθρον καὶ τὴν Πίμπλειαν ταῖς αὐταῖς θεαῖς ἀνέδειξαν· ἐκαλοῦντο δὲ Πίερες· ἐκλιπόντων δʼ ἐκείνων Μακεδόνες νῦν ἔχουσι τὰ χωρία ταῦτα.
Here are the sanctuary of the Muses, the Hippocrene (Fountain of the Horse), and the cave of the Leibethrian nymphs; from which one might infer that it was Thracians who consecrated Helicon to the Muses, who also dedicated Pieria, Leibethrum, and Pimpleia to the same goddesses; they were called Pieres, but since they have disappeared, Macedonians now hold these places.
εἴρηται δʼ ὅτι τὴν Βοιωτίαν ταύτην ἐπῴκησάν ποτε Θρᾷκες βιασάμενοι τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς καὶ Πελασγοὶ καὶ ἄλλοι βάρβαροι.
And it has been said that this Boeotia was once inhabited by Thracians, who drove out the Boeotians, and also by Pelasgians and other barbarians.
αἱ δὲ Θεσπιαὶ πρότερον μὲν ἐγνωρίζοντο διὰ τὸν Ἔρωτα τὸν Πραξιτέλους, ὃν ἔγλυψε μὲν ἐκεῖνος, ἀνέθηκε δὲ Γλυκέρα ἡ ἑταίρα Θεσπιεῦσιν ἐκεῖθεν οὖσα τὸ γένος, λαβοῦσα δῶρον παρὰ τοῦ τεχνίτου.
Thespiae was formerly known because of the Eros of Praxiteles, which he sculpted, and Glycera the courtesan dedicated to the Thespians, since she was from there by birth, having received it as a gift from the artist.
πρότερον μὲν οὖν ὀψόμενοι τὸν Ἔρωτά τινες ἀνέβαινον ἐπὶ τὴν Θέσπειαν ἄλλως οὐκ οὖσαν ἀξιοθέατον, νυνὶ δὲ μόνη συνέστηκε τῶν Βοιωτιακῶν πόλεων καὶ Τάναγρα· τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ἐρείπια καὶ ὀνόματα λέλειπται.
Formerly, therefore, some would travel up to Thespiae merely to see the Eros, as the city was otherwise not worth seeing; but now it is the only one of the Boeotian cities that survives, along with Tanagra; of the others, only ruins and names are left.
§9.2.26ὰ δὲ Θεσπιὰς καταλέγει Γραῖαν καὶ Μυκαὶ ὧν εἰρήκαμεν· ὡς δʼ αὕτως καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀμφʼ Ἅρμʼ ἐνέμοντο καὶ Εἰλέσιον
καὶ Ἐρύθρας, εἶχον ἠδʼ Ὕλην καὶ Πετεῶνα. Πετεὼν δὲ κώμη τῆς Θηβαΐδος ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐπʼ Ἀνθηδόνα ὁδοῦ, ἡ δʼ Ὠκαλέη μέση Ἁλιάρτου καὶ Ἀλαλκομενίου ἑκατέρου τριάκοντα σταδίους ἀπέχουσα· παραρρεῖ δʼ αὐτὴν ποτάμιον ὁμώνυμον.
And after Thespiae, he lists Graia and Mycalessus, of which we have spoken; and likewise concerning those who 'dwelt about Harma and Eilesium and Erythrae, and those who held Hyle and Peteon.' Peteon is a village of the Theban territory near the road to Anthedon; and Ocalee is midway between Haliartus and Alalcomenium, distant thirty stadia from each; and a river of the same name flows by it.
Μεδεὼν δʼ ὁ μὲν Φωκικὸς ἐν τῷ Κρισαίῳ κόλπῳ, διέχων Βοιωτίας σταδίους ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα, ὁ δὲ Βοιωτιακὸς ἀπʼ ἐκείνου κέκληται, πλησίον δʼ ἐστὶν Ὀγχηστοῦ ὑπὸ τῷ Φοινικίῳ ὄρει, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ μετωνόμασται Φοινικίς· τῆς δὲ Θηβαίας καὶ τοῦτο λέγεται, ων δὲ τῆς Ἁλιαρτίας καὶ Μεδεὼν καὶ Ὠκαλέα.
As for Medeon, the Phocian one is on the Crisaean Gulf, distant one hundred and sixty stadia from Boeotia, while the Boeotian one is named after it, and is near Onchestus under Mount Phoenicius, from which it has also been renamed Phoenicis; this too is said to belong to the Theban territory, though some say that both Medeon and Ocalea belong to Haliartus.