Editing Eleutherae (section)

==History==
{{distinguish|EleutherAI#History}}

[[Eleuther]], in mythology, son of [[Apollo]] and [[Aethusa]], was regarded as the founder of Eleutherae. The feast of the [[Dionysia]] is believed to have been established throughout [[Greece]] when ''Eleutherae'' chose to become part of Attica and presented a statue of the god [[Dionysus]] to Athens. It was rejected by the Athenians, and, soon after, Athens was hit with a plague.{{cn|date=October 2023}} Out of fear for Dionysus, the Athenians celebrated the ''Dionysia'' by running a procession of people carrying [[phalloi]], and saved the city from further destruction.  In the 2nd century CE, the periegetic writer [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] wrote:
<blockquote>When you have turned from [[Eleusis]] to Boeotia, you come to the Plataean land, which borders on Attica.  Formerly ''Eleutherae'' formed the boundary (of Boeotia) on the side towards Attica, but when it came over to the Athenians henceforth the boundary of Boeotia was Mount [[Cithaeron]]. The reason why the people of ''Eleutherae'' came over was not because they were reduced by war, but because they desired to share Athenian citizenship and hated the Thebans. In this plain is a temple of Dionysus, from which the old wooden image was carried off to Athens. The image at ''Eleutherae'' at the present day is a copy of the old one. ([[Description of Greece]] 1.38.8)</blockquote>
Indeed, Eleutherae, like neighboring [[Plataea]], was an independent ''[[polis]]'' on the border between Attica and Boeotia. Frustrated by the perennial belligerence and bullying of the Thebans, the Eleuthereans turned to Athens and volunteered to give up their independence in exchange for incorporation into the Athenian ''polis''.  Given the geopolitical significance of the town, the Athenians eventually acquiesced and the cult of ''Diónysos Eleuthereús'' ("Dionysus the Liberator") was symbolically transferred to Athens.  The feast of the ''[[Dionysia|Dionýsia]]'', originally an Eleutherean festival in celebration of the new wine, was the event that led to the creation of what was then a completely new literary and artistic genre: the theatre; consequently, at the [[Theatre of Dionysus]], the priest of Dionysus Eleuthereus was the principal honoree and his ornate marble throne was center-placed in the front row of the spectator seats.

Famous historical figures originate from here, such as [[Myron]], a famous sculptor known primarily for his ''[[Discobolus]]'' ([[discus thrower]]). His son, [[Lycius (sculptor)|Lycius]], was also a renowned sculptor.