Muses daughters of Harmonia (the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares), which contradicts the myth in which they were dancing at the wedding of Harmonia and Cadmus. The Muses had several temples and shrines in ancient Greece, their two main cult centres being Mount Helikon in Boiotia and Pieria in Makedonia. Strabo wrote: The cult of the Muses where also commonly connected to that of Apollo. Some Greek writers give the names of the nine Muses as Kallichore, Helike, Eunike, Thelxinoë, Terpsichore, Euterpe, Eukelade, Dia, and Enope. In Renaissance and Neoclassical art, the dissemination of emblem books such as Cesare Ripa's "Iconologia"
Valley of the Muses Valley of the Muses The Valley of the Muses was the site of an ancient Greek sanctuary to the Muses and the "Mouseia" festivals held in their honor. It is an open-air historical site open permanently to the public. It is located at Thespies on the eastern slopes of Mount Helicon in Boeotia, Greece. The recorded history of the valley began in the 6th century BC. Its greatest period started in the 3rd century BC with the establishment of the "Mouseia" festivals (Grk "Μουσεῖα"), organised every fifth year by the Thespians. Poets and musicians from all over Greece participated in