Martínez, Víctor García (2024) The Cult of the Muses in Thespiai. Masters thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
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3094 Martínez, Víctor García (2024) The Cult of the Muses in Thespiai Thesis.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Even though they are mentioned in the Homeric poems, it was Hesiod who first introduced the Heliconian Muses to the Western world. From the Boeotian poet onwards, Muses were no longer homeless, and mount Helicon and its surroundings would forever be thought of as their space. The town where Hesiod lived, Ascra, happened to be located by the Valley of the Muses, a territory that ended up being controlled by one of the most prominent poleis of the Boeotian Confederacy; Thespiai. It is my intention to venture into this notion Hesiod planted and explore the dimensions of the cult of the Muses in Thespiai. There is archaeological evidence supporting the presence of a Sanctuary of the Muses in their Valley, although its chronology only goes back to the Hellenistic age. There appears to be, therefore, a gap between Hesiod’s testimony and the third century, in which many doubts arise regarding the relationship between Thespiai and the Muses. I will ‘bridge’ this gap using archaeological, literary, and epigraphical sources as a basis to construct a theoretical approach to the topic, focusing on identity as the key element to analyze in this situation. I aim to analyze the relationship between the Muses and Thespiai, in order to conclude if there was an organized cult during centuries, if their link was only symbolic, or if neither possibility can be confirmed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D051 Ancient History |
| Divisions: | Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations |
| Depositing User: | Victoria Hankinson |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2024 10:28 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2024 10:31 |
| URI: | https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3094 |
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