Lesson plan
Stiris
Stiris ( ) or Steiris (Στείρις) was a town of ancient Phocis situated 120 stadia from Chaeroneia, the road between the two places running across the mountains. The inhabitants of Stiris claimed descent from an Athenian colony of the Attic demus of Steiria, led by Peteus, when he was driven out of Attica by Aegeus. Pausanias describes the city as situated upon a rocky summit, with only a few wells, which did not supply water fit for drinking, which the inhabitants obtained from a fountain, four stadia below the city, to which fountain there was a descent excavated among the rocks. The city contained in the time of Pausanias a temple of Demeter Stiritis, made of crude brick, containing two statues, one of Pentelic marble, the other of ancient workmanship, covered with bandages. Stiris was one of the Phocian cities destroyed by Philip II of Macedon at the close of the Third Sacred War; but it was afterwards rebuilt and was inhabited at the time of the visit of Pausanias. An inscription is preserved dating from the 2nd century BCE regarding a political and religious union (sympoliteia) between Medeon and Stiris, in which both cities had the approval of the Phocian League. The agreement was inscribed on a stele inside the temple of Athena Cranea, in the city of Elateia.…
Article summary
Stiris ( ) or Steiris (Στείρις) was a town of ancient Phocis situated 120 stadia from Chaeroneia, the road between the two places running across the mountains. The inhabitants of Stiris claimed descent from an Athenian colony of the Attic demus of Steiria, led by Peteus, when he was driven out of Attica by Aegeus. Pausanias describes the city as situated upon a rocky summit, with only a few wells, which did not supply water fit for drinking, which the inhabitants obtained from a fountain, four stadia below the city, to which fountain there was a descent excavated among the rocks. The city contained in the time of Pausanias a temple of Demeter Stiritis, made of crude brick, containing two statues, one of Pentelic marble, the other of ancient workmanship, covered with bandages. Stiris was one of the Phocian cities destroyed by Philip II of Macedon at the close of the Third Sacred War; but it was afterwards rebuilt and was inhabited at the time of the visit of Pausanias. An inscription is preserved dating from the 2nd century BCE regarding a political and religious union (sympoliteia) between Medeon and Stiris, in which both cities had the approval of the Phocian League. The agreement was inscribed on a stele inside the temple of Athena Cranea, in the city of Elateia.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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