Greek Texts & Translations

32. By these words of the poet, those who occupied under Thebes, ^note
Il. ii. 505. some understand a small town, called Under-Thebes, others Potniae, for Thebes was abandoned after the expedition of the Epigoni, and took no part in the Trojan war. Others say that they did take part in it, but that they lived at that time under Cadmeia, in the plain country, after the incursion of the Epigoni, being unable to rebuild the Cadmeia. As Thebes was called Cadmeia, the poet says that the Thebans of that time lived under Thebes instead of under Cadmeia. 33

The Amphictyonic council usually assembled at Onchestus, in the territory of Haliartus, near the lake Copais, and the Teneric plain. It is situated on a height, devoid of trees, where is a temple of Neptune also without trees. For the poets, for the sake of ornament, called all sacred places groves, although they were without trees. Such is the language of Pindar, when speaking of Apollo: He traversed in his onward way the earth and sea; he stood upon the heights of the lofty mountains; he shook the caves in their deep recesses, and overthrew the foundations of the sacred groves or temples. As Alcaeus is mistaken in the altering the name of the river Cuarius, so he makes a great error in placing Onchestus at the extremities of Helicon, whereas it is situated very far from this mountain. 34

The Teneric plain has its name from Tenerus. According to mythology, he was the son of Apollo and Melia, and declared the answers of the oracle at the mountain Ptoum, ^note which, the same poet says, had three peaks: At one time he occupied the caves of the three-headed Ptoum;
and he calls Tenerus the prophet, dwelling in the temple, and having the same name as the soil on which it stands. "The Ptoum is situated above the Teneric plain, and the lake Copaïs, near Acraephium.