A Lost Local Memory: Thermopylai, the Battle of Delion and the Thespian Polyandrion

Roy van Wijk

doi:10.25162/hermes-2021-0034

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A Lost Local Memory

Thermopylai, the Battle of Delion and the Thespian Polyandrion

van Wijk, Roy

From the journal Hermes Hermes, Volume 149, December 2021, issue 4

Published by Franz Steiner Verlag

article, 14084 Words
Original language: English
Hermes 2021, pp 448-473
https://doi.org/10.25162/hermes-2021-0034

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Abstract

The theme of this article is the Thespian Polyandrion and its mnemonic connections to local history, especially the Thespian role during the Persian Wars (480-79) and the Peloponnesian War (431-404). The Polyandrion was constructed after the Battle of Delion (424), a Boiotian victory over the Athenians. It will be argued that the sculptural scheme was shaped in reference to Leonidas’ memorial at Thermopylai. The reference was inspired by Thespian history; the city’s history was largely overshadowed in the memorial landscape of the battlefield, and in narrative traditions of the Persian Wars Thespian efforts were often overlooked. As the Athenians were framed as the new Persians during the Peloponnesian War, the Battle of Delion and its aftermath provided the ideal opportunity to cultivate a lasting memory of Thespian contributions to the freedom of the Greeks.

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Roy van Wijk

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References

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