Tegea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tegea Τεγέα
The Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea
Tegea Location in Greece
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Peloponnese
Regional unit	Arcadia
Municipality	Tripoli
• Municipal unit	118.35 km2 (45.70 sq mi)
Elevation	650 m (2,130 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Municipal unit	2,959
• Municipal unit density	25.002/km2 (64.755/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	220 12
Area code(s)	2710
Vehicle registration	TP

Tegea (pronounced Tee-JEE-uh) was an important ancient city in a region of Greece called Arcadia. Today, it is a part of the Tripoli municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. It covers an area of about 118 square kilometers.

Tegea is located near the modern villages of Alea and Episkopi. Legend says that Tegeates, a son of Lycaon, founded the city.

History of Tegea

Tegea was one of the oldest and strongest towns in ancient Arcadia. It was located in the southeastern part of the region. The land around it, called Tegeatis, was bordered by mountains and other regions.

How Tegea Was Formed

Long ago, Tegea was not one big city. It was made up of eight, and later nine, smaller villages or townships. These villages eventually came together to form one city. This process is called a synoecism. A hero named Aleus is believed to have brought the people of these villages together into the city of Tegea.

The people of Tegea were divided into four main groups, like tribes. Each group also included people who lived in Tegea but were not originally from there.

Tegea's Early Fame

Tegea is mentioned in the famous ancient Greek poem, the Iliad, by Homer. This shows how important Tegea was even in very early times. Its king, Echemus, was a legendary hero. He was said to have defeated Hyllus, the son of the mighty Heracles, in a one-on-one fight.

Wars with Sparta

The people of Tegea fought hard against the Spartans. The Spartans wanted to control more land in Arcadia. In one early war, the Spartan king, Chariläus, attacked Tegea. But the Tegeans defeated him and captured him and his soldiers.

Later, the Spartans tried again and lost. But around 560 BC, the Spartans finally defeated Tegea. They forced Tegea to accept Spartan rule. Tegea then became an early member of the Peloponnesian League. This was a group of cities led by Sparta.

Tegea in the Persian Wars

Even though Tegea was under Spartan influence, it kept its independence. It was the second most powerful military force in the Peloponnesus.

• At the Battle of Thermopylae, 500 Tegeans fought bravely.
• At the Battle of Plataea, 3,000 Tegeans fought against the Persians. Half were heavily armed soldiers (called hoplites), and half were light-armed troops.

Historians believe that 3,000 soldiers was about three-fourths of Tegea's total army. This means Tegea likely had about 4,000 soldiers and a total free population of around 17,400 people.

Later Conflicts and Alliances

After the Persian Wars, Tegea fought against Sparta again. They lost twice, once with the Argives and once with other Arcadians.

The Temple of Athena Alea in Tegea became a safe place for people escaping the Spartan government. Famous figures like the seer Hegesistratus and kings Leotychides and Pausanias found refuge there.

During the Peloponnesian War, Tegea was a strong ally of Sparta. They had a similar government style and were rivals with the nearby city of Mantineia. Tegea fought alongside Sparta in many battles, including the Corinthian War.

The Temple of Athena Alea burned down in 394 BC. It was rebuilt beautifully by the famous artist Scopas.

After the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, the Spartan supporters in Tegea were removed. Tegea then joined other Arcadian cities to form the Arcadian League. They also helped found the city of Megalopolis.

When Mantineia later sided with Sparta, Tegea remained loyal to the new Arcadian group. Tegea fought against Sparta at the Battle of Mantinea in 362 BC.

Under Roman Rule and Beyond

Later, Tegea joined the Aetolian League. But it soon allied with Sparta again. This led to a war with the Achaeans. In 222 BC, Tegea was captured by Antigonus Doson and became part of the Achaean League.

The city was attacked by Spartan King Lycurgus in 218 BC. It was later taken by Machanidas, a Spartan ruler. But the Achaeans got it back after Machanidas was defeated.

Tegea remained an important city during the Roman Empire. It even survived being attacked by the Goths in 395–396 AD. Roman poets often used "Tegeaeus" to mean "Arcadian" when describing gods or heroes.

Tegea in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, Tegea became known as Amyklion, or later Amykli and Nikli. By the 10th century, it was the center of a church district.

Around 1206–1209, Crusaders from the Fourth Crusade captured Nikli. It became part of the new Frankish Principality of Achaea. Nikli was an important, fortified place that fell after a siege. It became the center of a local barony, with a Roman Catholic bishop.

By 1302, the Byzantines took Nikli back. They restored the local church to the Orthodox clergy.

Today, the ancient site of Tegea is located within the modern village of Alea. This village was called Piali before 1915. The main town for the municipality of Tegea is Stadio.

Tegea and Crete

Ancient Tegeans believed that three sons of their king, Tegeates, moved to Crete. They said the cities of Kydonia, Gortyna, and Catreus on Crete were named after them. However, the people of Crete had a different story. They said these three characters were sons of their own local heroes.

Communities of Tegea

The municipal unit of Tegea is divided into several communities. These are like smaller villages:

• Alea
• Episkopi
• Garea
• Kamari
• Kandalos
• Kerasitsa, where politician Gregoris Lambrakis was born in 1912
• Lithovounia
• Magoula (Magoula, Giokareika)
• Manthyrea
• Mavriki
• Psili Vrysi (Psili Vrysi, Bouzaneika)
• Rizes
• Stadio (Stadio, Agios Sostis, Akra)
• Tzivas
• Vouno
• Stringos (Stringos, Demiri)

Population Over Time

Famous People from Tegea

• Aristarchus of Tegea, a poet from the 5th century BC
• Anyte of Tegea, a poet from the 3rd century BC
• Cepheus, a mythical king and one of the Argonauts
• Echemus, a mythical king
• Gregoris Lambrakis, a politician
• Telephus, a mythical king

See also

• List of settlements in Arcadia
• List of ancient Greek cities