TE'GEA (Lat., from Gk. Tryia), An ancient city of Southeastern Arcadia, Greece. Its ter ritory included the southern part of the great eastern plain of Arcadia, of which the northern part was occupied by Mantinea (q.v.). It was a place of considerable size, and it appears to have included the modern villages of Bagios Sos tis. Pakeo-Episkopi, Piali, and Ibrahim Effendi, south of Tripolitza, though but few remains are visible, partly because of a -deep deposit of al luvium, and partly from the destruction due to the later inhabitants. The most important ruins are those of the great temple of Athena Alea, built by Scopes (q.v.), and now (1904) in pro cess of excavation by the French School at Athens. The dimensions of the temple (about 163 X 70 feet) and important fragments of its sculp tures were determined by Milchhofer in 1879. The city was celebrated in the heroic legends, and for a long time seems to have opposed Sparta on equal terms, but during the sixth century B.C. was forced to join the Spartan league. At Ther
mopyke, we are told, were five hundred Tegeans, and at Platma three thousand, of whom one-half were hoplites. Later they were again involved in war with Sparta, and after two defeats re mained true allies until the invasion of Epami nondas (u.c. 370). when a democratic govern ment replaced the aristocracy, and the city joined in the foundation of Megalopolis. Later we find Tees in the ..:Etolian League, in alliance with Sparta, forced into the Achnan League, at war with Sparta, and sharing in the confused politics which mark the history of the lesser POoponne sian cities during the third and second centuries. A good account of the place was given by Pau sanias in the second century of our era, and it seems to have been one of the most flourishing towns of Arcadia till it was sacked by Alaric. Consult, besides the larger works on the Pelo ponnesus (q.v.) by Dodwell, Leake, Curtius, and others, and Schwedler, De Rebus Tegeaticis (Leipzig, 1889).