▁all ▁the ▁cities , ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁government ▁was ▁arist ocrat ical ▁(" d yn astic ▁rule ▁rather ▁than ▁is onomy ", ▁according ▁to ▁Th u cy d . ▁iv . ▁ 7 8 ), ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁chief ly ▁in ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁a ▁few ▁great ▁families , ▁who ▁were ▁desc ended ▁from ▁the ▁ancient ▁k ings . ▁Thus ▁Lar issa ▁was ▁subject ▁to ▁the ▁Ale u ada e , ▁wh ence ▁Her odot us ▁( vi i . ▁ 6 ) ▁calls ▁them ▁k ings ▁of ▁Th ess aly ▁; ▁C ran on ▁or ▁C ran non ▁to ▁the ▁Sc op ada e , ▁and ▁Ph ars alus ▁to ▁the ▁Cre ond ae . ▁( Comp are ▁The ocr . ▁x vi . ▁- 3 4 , ▁& c .) ▁These ▁nobles ▁had ▁vast ▁est ates ▁cultiv ated ▁by ▁the ▁Pen est ae ; ▁they ▁were ▁celebrated ▁for ▁their ▁hospital ity ▁and ▁lived ▁in ▁a ▁pr inc ely ▁manner ▁(" h osp itable , ▁magnific ent , ▁the ▁Th ess al ian ▁way " ▁X en oph . ▁Hell . ▁vi . ▁ 1 . ▁§ ▁ 3 ), ▁and ▁they ▁attract ed ▁to ▁their ▁courts ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁po ets ▁and ▁artists ▁of ▁southern ▁Greece . ▁However , ▁the ▁Th ess al ian ▁common ality ▁did ▁not ▁submit ▁quietly ▁to ▁the ▁exclusive ▁rule ▁of ▁the ▁nobles . ▁Cont ests ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁classes ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁ar isen ▁early , ▁and ▁the ▁conject ure ▁of ▁Th irl wall ▁( vol