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Φιγαλεύς. Phigaleia is south-west Arcadia, near the Messenian frontier, and is built on a high plateau, bounded by deep glens, surrounded on three sides by mountains. Four miles off is the famous temple of Bassae (Frazer, Paus. iv. 390-404).

The war ended in the destruction of Tiryns and Mycenae (Paus. v. 23. 3; vii. 25. 6; ii. 16. 5; 25. 8). An aggressive war on the part of Tiryns is only conceivable if Argos was engaged elsewhere. Now about 472 Argos was allied to Tegea against the Spartans (cf. ix. 35 n.), by whom the allies were defeated near Tegea, but in the next great battle, fought by the Arcadians against the Spartans at Dipaea (circ. 470), the Argives took no part. The suggestion seems probable that Tiryns was encouraged to attack Argos by the battle of Tegea, and that the Argives were absent from the field of Dipaea because they were fully occupied in the siege of Tiryns, which was obstinately defended (Busolt, iii. 121 f.). Possibly Mycenae too fell at this time (468 B. C.). More probably, however, it was while Sparta was occupied with the Helot revolt after 464 B. C. (Diod. xi. 65); cf. Busolt, iii. 244; Meyer, iii, § 325. Neither city was left so completely desolate as Strabo (372) implies, as is proved by remains at Mycenae (Frazer, iii. 97 f.). Tirynthians found refuge at Halieis (viii. 137. 2 n.).

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