See Also: Tegea(encyclopedia)

Tegea (sh)




Ancient city, eastern Arcadia, southern Greece.

It was under Spartan rule from the mid-6th century BC until Thebes' victory over Sparta in the battle of Leuctra งใ 371 BC. Afterward it joined a succession of leagues, and by the early 1st century AD was the only important town in Arcadia. It survived the Goth invasion in 395-396 and flourished under Byzantine and Frankish rule. It is the site of the Temple of Athena Alea, built by the city's traditional founder, Aleus, and rebuilt in the 4th century BC by the sculptor Scopas.