1 Introduction

1.1 Favorable Location

The 4th century BC historian Ephorus states that Boeotia was the only Greek city with ports to three seas: one to Italy and Sicily, one to Macedonia and the Hellespont, and one to Cyprus and Egypt. [1]

The early 20th century English poet and archaeologist Stanley Casson wrote that Boeotia, centered around Lake Copais, into which the Cephisus River flows, was the birthplace of Greece, and that due to its fertile soil, it was a self-contained region that was independent of other regions. [2]

1.2 Mixed Population

The 3rd century BC traveler Heracleides Criticus introduced aphorisms that listed the shortcomings of each town in Boeotia. He states that people from other parts of Greece brought these shortcomings to Boeotia. [3]

Boeotia was inhabited by people from Egypt, Phoenicia, Arcadia, Thessaly, Macedonia, Athens, Argos, Corinth, Crete, Samothrace, and Rhodes.

No other region in Greece had such a diverse mix of peoples as Boeotia.

1.3 Origin of town names

Pausanias writes that most of the towns in Boeotia were named after women. [4]

But there were eight towns named after women: Ascra, Aulis, Mideia, Plataea, Tanagra, Thebes, Thespiae, and Thisbe.

There were more towns named after men than that, seventeen.

Alalcomenae, Anthedon, Aspledon, Chaeroneia, Copae, Coroneia, Eleutherae, Haliartus, Hyettus, Hyria, Lebadeia, Leuctra, Medeon, Olmones, Onchestus, Orchomenus, and Schoinos.

This chapter describes the history of the following towns:

Alalcomenae, Anthedon, Ascra, Aulis, Chaeroneia (Arne), Copae, Coroneia, Eleutherae, Eutresis, Haliartus, Hyria (Euboea), Hysiae, Lebadeia, Leuctra, Medeon, Ocaleae, Onchestus, Plataea, Schoenus, Tanagra, Thespiae.

Acraephnium, Aspledon, Hyettus, Mideia, Olmones (Almones), and Phlegyas are described in the Bronze Age History of Orchomenus.

Thebes (Cadmeia) and Orchomenus (Andreis) are described in separate chapters.

2 Boeotia before the migration of Cadmus

2.1 Settlement of Ectenes

In 1750 BC, a long-lasting flood occurred in the upper reaches of the Cephisus River, which flows from west to east on the north side of Mount Parnassus. This was the Ogygus-era flood. [5]

The people who lived in the Cephisus River basin migrated to various places in search of new land.

The Ectenes, led by Ogygus, migrated to the south side of a large lake that formed near the mouth of the Cephisus River. [6]

The range of Ectenes' settlement extended from the northern foot of Mount Helicon in the west to the vicinity of the Strait of Euripus in the east. [7]

The oldest Ogygian gate in Thebes was named after Ogygus. [8]

2.2 Migration of Ectenes

In 1580 BC, the sixth generation after Ogygus, the Ectenes migrated to various places due to pressure from the Hyantes, Temmices, and Aones. They migrated to Attica, Thessaly, and across the sea to Egypt. [9]

The leader of the people who went to Thessaly was the grandfather of Deucalion, the father of Hellen, who gave the name to Hellenes. Among those who went to Egypt was Cecrops, who became the first king of Athens.

The daughter of Cranaus, the second king of Athens, married Amphictyon, the son of Deucalion.

Creusa, the daughter of Erichthonius, the fourth king of Athens, married Xuthus, the son of Hellen, the son of Deucalion.

These marriages prove the kinship between the people who went to Thessaly and those who went to Egypt. [10]

The inhabitants of Boeotia, who were called Ectenes, became known after his departure as Hyantes, or Aonians.[11]

2.3 Resettlement of Ectenes

The descendants of Ogygus, who had migrated to Egypt, resettled in Attica under Cecrops as their leader.

Cranaus, who is thought to be the nephew of Cecrops, arrived from Egypt later than Cecrops.

Cranaus lived near the Triton River in Boeotia, where Ogygus had once lived. [12]

At that time, Cranaus' daughter Atthis was a young child, also known as Athena. [13]

Eleusis and Athens, which Cecrops had ordered Cranaus to build on the banks of the Triton River, were submerged in Lake Copais. [14]

However, in the 4th century BC, Crates, a miner from Chalcis, ordered by Alexander the Great, removed the blockage in the underground waterway. Athens emerged from the receding water level of Lake Copais. [15]

3 History of Alalcomenae

Homer gives Athena the name Alalcomenae, which was the birthplace of Athena. [16]

Cecrops is said to have founded Athens and Eleusis on the Triton River near Alalcomenae, but it is believed that Cranaus actually lived there. [17]

Cranaus' daughter Atthis (also known as Athena) grew up on the Triton River. [18]

In 86 BC, the Roman general Sulla destroyed Alalcomenae and plundered the ivory statue of Athena from the temple of Athena. [19]

By the time of Pausanias, the ruined temple was covered with ivy. [20]

Alalcomenae was a small town on the steep slope of a mountain, with a temple of Athena on the plain below. [21]

4 History of Anthedon

Anthas, son of Alcyone, daughter of Atlas, founded Anthedon in 1420 BC. [22]

Alcyone had two sons, Hyrieus and Hyperenor. [23]

Hyrieus lived in Hyria, so Anthas of Anthedon was probably another name for Hyperenor. [24]

The father of Anthas (also known as Hyperenor) is thought to have been Megassares, who emigrated from Arcadia to Boeotia via Samothrace. Thus, the first Greeks to live in Anthedon were Arcadians. [25]

It is assumed that Aloeus, son of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, Aeolis, later emigrated to Anthedon from Sicyon.

One of the reasons for this is that the tombs of Otus and Ephialtes, the sons of Aloeus and Iphimedeia, are said to have been located in Anthedon. [26]

Another is that Aloeus' wife Iphimedeia and her daughter Pancratis were reportedly abducted by the Thracians from near Phthiotis in Thessaly.

The place where they were abducted is thought to be Anthedon, not Sicyon. [27]

At that time, Schoinos, founded by Schoenus, son of Athamas, was located about 12 km north-northeast of Thebes, and Anthedon was located about 12 km further northeast from there, near the coast. [28]

Schoenus, son of Athamas, was a cousin of Aloeus, son of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus. [29]

Also, Aeetes, brother of Aloeus' father, had emigrated to Colchis, and Anthedon was in a good position to sail to Colchis. [30]

5 History of Ascra

In 1332 BC, Oeoclus, son of Ascra, founded Ascra near the source of the Asopus River with the two sons of Aloeus, Otus and Ephialtes. [31]

Oeoclus' mother, Ascra, was the daughter of Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, and Ascra's husband was probably Haliartus, son of Thersander, son of Sisyphus.

Haliartus was the adopted son of Athamas and the founder of Haliartus. [32]

Oeoclus migrated south from Haliartus and founded Ascra.

It is assumed that Oeoclus and the sons of Aloeus, who cooperated with him, were cousins, with Aloeus, son of Sisyphus, as their common grandfather.

6 History of Aulis

Pausanias records a tradition that Aulis was named after the daughter of Ogygus. [33]

If the legend is true, Aulis was founded around 1720 BC, making it the oldest town in Boeotia.

The port of Aulis was suitable for the assembly of a large number of ships.

In 1205 BC, the Argives, led by Epigoni, sailed from Argos to Aulis and then marched to Thebes. [34]

In 1188 BC, the ships of the Achaeans' expedition to Troy assembled in the port of Aulis and then sailed to Troy. [35]

In 1126 BC, the ships of the colony led by Penthilus, son of Orestes, assembled in the port of Aulis and then sailed to Asia Minor. [36]

In 396 BC, King Agesilaus II of Sparta set out from the port of Aulis to Asia Minor. [37]

7 History of Chaeroneia (Arne)

In 1186 BC, the Boeotians who lived in Arne in Thessaly migrated to Boeotia, driven by the Thesproteans who had invaded Thessaly from northwestern Greece.

The Boeotians, led by the seer Peripoltas and Opheltes, son of Peneleos, settled on the western border of Boeotia and called their town Arne. [38]

In 1126 BC, Damasichthon, son of Opheltes, expelled Autesion, a descendant of Cadmus, from Thebes, and annexed Orchomenus, bringing the whole of Boeotia under his control. [39]

At this time, some of the inhabitants of Orchomenus, led by Chaeron, son of Thero, migrated to Arne, where the Boeotians had left, and changed the name of their town to Chaeroneia. [40]

Chaeroneia was probably founded by the Orchomenians who returned from exile in Athens. Thero's grandfather Iolais (or Iolaus) was probably a descendant of Clymenus, son of Presbon. [41]

During the time of Iolais, the Trojan War took place, and Orchomenus also participated in the expedition. Iolais remained in Orchomenus because he was not yet of warrior age. The Thracians invaded the city, leaving it vulnerable. Some of the Orchomenians, led by Athamas, a descendant of Athamas, son of Aeolus, emigrated to Teos in Ionia. [42]

Some of the Orchomenians were also accepted by Athens and lived in Munychia. [43]

Iolais' daughter Leipephilene (or Leipephile) married Phylas, son of Antiochus, and had a daughter Thero. [44]

Antiochus was the son of Heracles and Meda, daughter of Phylas of Dryopes, and one of the eponyms of Athens. [45]

The inhabitants who founded Chaeroneia, together with Chaeron, son of Thero, were Orchomenians who had been living in exile in Athens for three generations.

However, in nearby Lebadeia and Stiris, there were settlers from Athens, and Chaeroneia was caught up in the conflict between Orchomenus and Athens. [46]

In 424 BC, Chaeroneia was under the jurisdiction of Orchomenus, a Boeotian territory.

The Athenians tried to provoke a revolt from within Chaeroneia, but failed, and Chaeroneia was saved by the Boeotians. [47]

8 History of Copae

In 1256 BC, there was a battle between Orchomenus and Thebes, in which Orchomenus was defeated. [48]

Copaeus, son of Plataeus, son of Onchestus, was expelled from Onchestus and moved north of Lake Copais, where he founded Copae. [49]

9 History of Coroneia

9.1 Before the Trojan War

In 1371 BC, Coronus, son of Thersander, founded Coroneia southwest of Lake Copais. Coronus was adopted by Athamas and was given a share of the land. Athamas likely invited Coronus, son of Thersander, son of his brother Sisyphus, to settle there. [50]

In 1325 BC, the inhabitants of Coroneia, together with Itonus, son of Boeotus, participated in the siege of Thebes by Amphion and Zethus.

Locrus, son of Physcius of Locris and Maera, also participated in the siege of Thebes through a connection with her sister Thebe's husband Zethus. Maera's father Proetus was the brother of Coronus, the founder of Coroneia. [51]

Near Coroneia was the sanctuary of the Itonian Athena. [52]

The name Itonian Athena is derived from Itonus, son of Amphictyon, and was found not only in the vicinity of Coroneia, but also in Itonus in Thessaly, between Pherae and Larisa, and near Arne. [53]

Arne was a town inherited by Boeotus from his grandfather Aeolus, and Itonus was founded by Boeotus' father Itonus. [54]

The Leleges, led by Locrus, son of Physcius, son of Amphictyon, also participated in the attack on Thebes by Amphion and Zethus. [55]

After the battle, the Leleges of Locris probably became residents of Coroneia along with the Boeotians. Aristotle reports that the Leleges ruled over Boeotia. [56]

Dionysius of Halicarnassus writes that the Leleges were mixed race people who did not belong to any particular tribe. [57]

The Argives, Thebans, Arcadians, Pisaeans, and Phthians, along with the Locrians, founded Opus and lived there together, and came to be called Leleges. [58]

The Leleges mentioned by Aristotle seem to refer to the Locrians who were mixed with the Boeotians.

In 1188 BC, the Pelasgians invaded Coroneia, which had been left vulnerable by the Troy expedition, and drove out the inhabitants, who fled to their ancestral home of Arne in Thessaly. [59]

Two years later, Arne was invaded by the Thesprotians, and some of the inhabitants returned to Boeotia with Opheltes, son of Peneleus. However, they were unable to recapture Coroneia, and settled in what would later become Chaeroneia, where they founded Arne. [60]

Many of the inhabitants of Arne in Thessaly remained as slaves, called penestai, and continued to live there for three generations.[61]

9.2 After the Trojan War

Sixty years after the Trojan War, the remaining people of Arne in Thessaly were driven out of their town and fled to Boeotia. Together with those who had returned earlier, they expelled the Pelasgians who had occupied Coroneia under the leadership of Damasichthon, son of Opheltes, and annexed nearby Orchomenus. [62]

Furthermore, Damasichthon expelled Autesion, son of Tisamenus, from Thebes, and thereafter took control of the whole region called Boeotia. [63]

Damasichthon was a descendant of Aeolus's daughter Melanippe's son Boeotus, the eponym of the Boeotians, and was the governor of the Boeotians. The name of the region was changed to Boeotia after he became the lord of Thebes. [64]

10 History of Eleutherae

In 1370 BC, Eleuther, son of Aethusa, migrated south from Hysiae over Mount Cithaeron and founded Eleutherae. [65]

Eleutherae was located in Boeotia, a town built by the descendants of those included in the Cadmus emigration group. [66]

Later, Poemander, son of Chaeresilaus, son of Iasius, son of Eleuther, migrated eastward and founded Tanagra. [67]

Later, the rulers of Thebes went from being descendants of Cadmus to Boeotians, but the inhabitants of Eleutherae do not seem to have followed them.

Homer's Catalogue of Ships does not mention Eleutherae and Tanagra.

When Adrastus attacked Thebes, Creon of Thebes forbade the burial of the bodies of the soldiers who had been killed in battle, Theseus took the bodies of the soldiers from Thebes and buried the officers in Eleusis and the soldiers in Eleutherae.[68]

Already at this time, Eleutherae was in the good graces of Athens, and later became the town of Attica.[69]

11 History of Eutresis

In 1345 BC, Amphion and Zethus emigrated from Eleutherae, crossing Mt. Cithaeron to the north.

They founded Eutresis about 14 km from Thebes through the Hypsistan gate toward Leuctra. [70]

Eutresis was on the road between Thespiae and Plataea and was surrounded by a wall built by Amphion and Zethus. [71]

12 History of Haliartus

12.1 Birth of Dionysus

Dionysus, the son of Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, was said to have been born in the spring of Cissusa in Haliartus and washed by a wet nurse. [72]

Later, it was said that Thebans, who were captured by the Thracians, were rescued by the god Dionysus in Haliartus, giving credence to the theory that Dionysus was born there. [73]

However, at the time of Dionysus' birth, Haliartus had not been founded and the Hyantes lived there. [74]

Probably, the battle between Cadmus and the Hyantes was long, and Semele was taken prisoner by the Hyantes, giving birth to Dionysus.

12.2 Founding of Haliartus

In 1370 BC, Haliartus, son of Thersander, founded Haliartus. Haliartus was the adopted son of Athamas.[75]

12.3 Battle against Thebes

In 1279 BC, a battle broke out between Alopekos of Haliartus and Thebes. The Thebans entrusted the battle to Cephalus, son of Deion (or Deioneus), who had fled from Athens. Cephalus sent Minos' general Cynas against Alopekos and defeated him. [76]

Alopekos was likely the grandson of Haliartus, son of Thersander, and a cousin of Megareus, son of Hippomenes (or Oncestus), who died in battle with Minos.

Haliartus was located between Orchomenus and Thebes, so it was inevitable that the two powers would clash.

In 1256 BC, Clymenus, king of the Minyans, was killed by the Thebans at Onchestus, a short distance from Haliartus near Thebes. [77]

12.4 Persian War

Pausanias reports that Haliartus sided with the Greeks in the Persian War and was destroyed by the Persians. [78]

Herodotus, however, reports that it was the Plataeans and Thespians among the Boeotians who did not give earth and water to Xerxes, the great king of Persia. [79]

Herodotus reports that the Thebans suggested that Plataea and Thespiae were the enemy and therefore were burned by the Persians. [80]

Herodotus gives a detailed account of the Persian War, but does not mention Haliartus at all. Also, when Xerxes invaded Boeotia with his main army, Alexander, son of Amyntas, stationed Macedonian soldiers in each town to prevent them from being harmed.

Pausanias may have mistaken either Plataea or Thespiae for the events in Haliartus.

12.5 Destruction of Haliartus

In 424 BC, Haliartus fought in the center of the Boeotian ranks against Athenians in the Battle of Delium, along with the Coronaeans and Copaeans. [81]

In 395 BC, when the Spartans and Thebans fought, Sparti lived in Haliartus.

60 years after the Trojan War, the Boeotians, who had migrated from Arne in Thessaly, became rulers of Thebes, and Haliartus probably came under their control. [82]

In 171 BC, during the battle between Macedonia and Rome, Haliartus sided with Macedonia, and the city was destroyed by the Roman consul Lucretius. About 2,500 of the inhabitants of Haliartus were sold into slavery, and the city's territory was given to Athens. [83]

12.6 Cecrops's hero-shrine

Pausanias writes that there was a hero-shrine in Haliartus to Cecrops, son of Pandion. It is believed that the tomb was built after Haliartus became Athenian territory, to give the impression that the town had been under Athens' rule for a long time. [84]

However, Cecrops is generally considered to be the son of Erechtheus. The builders of the hero-shrine likely consulted the 2nd century BC chronicle of Castor. [85]

Castor records Cecrops, the seventh king of Athens, as the brother of Erechtheus, the son of Pandion, the fifth king of Athens. [86]

13 History of Hyria (Euboea)

13.1 Founding of Euboea

Cadmus led a colony through Samothrace, where the Pelasgians had migrated from Arcadia under Dardanus some time earlier. Among them was the family of Megassares, who joined Cadmus' colony. Megassares' wife Alcyone was the sister of Electra, the mother of Cadmus' wife Harmonia. [87]

In 1420 BC, Megassares settled in Boeotia near the crossing to Euboea and founded a town called Euboea.

Apollodoros reports that Hyrieus' sons, Nycteus and Lycus, murdered Phlegyas and fled from "Euboea" to "Hyria". [88]

The following suggests that "Euboea" is the old name of Hyria near Aulis, and that "Hyria" is Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron:

1) The sons of Hyrieus lived in Hyria, named after Hyrieus. [89]

2) Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron was also called Hyria. [90]

13.2 Founding of Hyria

Hyrieus (or Chthonius), who is thought to be the son of Megassares, succeeded his father and founded Hyria, located very close to Euboea. [91]

Megassares is assumed to be the father of Hyrieus for the following reasons.

The name Megassares is only given by Apollodoros, who tells us that "Megassares was the father of Pharnace, wife of Sandocus, who migrated from Syria to Cilicia and founded Celenderis, and king of Hyria.

Sandocus was the fifth generation descendant of Herse, daughter of Cecrops, the first king of Athens. [92]

Counting backwards from the reign of the kings of Athens, Cecrops is estimated to have been born in 1596 BC, and if one generation is 25 years for men and 20 years for women, Sandocus is estimated to have been born in 1445 BC.

Therefore, Megassares, the father of Sandocus' wife Pharnace, is presumed to have been born in 1465 BC.

On the other hand, Nycteus was the son of Hyrieus, and the husband of Nycteus' daughter Nycteis was Polydorus, the son of Cadmus. [93]

In other words, Nycteus was of the same generation as Cadmus, and Nycteus' father Hyrieus was one of the Sparti during Cadmus' time, also called Chthonius. [94]

Also, since Hysiae, which Nycteus founded, was a colony of Hyria, it is likely that Nycteus' father Hyrieus lived in Hyria. [95]

From the above, it is presumed that Hyrieus' father was Pharnace' father Megassare,  who is reported by Apollodoros to have been the king of Hyria. [96]

13.3 Migration to Italy

In 1390 BC, Messapus emigrated from Hyria to the southeastern part of the Italian peninsula. [97]

Messapus is presumed to be the son of Hyrieus, the son of Megassares and Alcyone, daughter of Orchomenus. [98]

Peucetia, where Messapus settled, became known as Messapia. [99]

Messapia was home to Hyria. Herodotus reports that the town was founded by Iapyx, son of Daedalus, but it is believed that Messapus founded the town. [100]

14 History of Hysiae

In 1390 BC, a large tsunami struck the towns near the Strait of Euripus, and Hyria was also affected. Hyrieus' two sons, Nycteus and Lycus, founded Hysiae at the foot of Mount Cithaeron, about 33 km southwest of Hyria. [101]

There is a legend that Nycteus and Lycus killed Phlegyas and fled from Euboea to Hyria. [102]

It is also said that Hyria is the name of Hysiae, but Euboea is not an island, but a place name near Aulis, and is probably the old name of Hyria. [103]

15 History of Lebadeia

15.1 Founding of Lebadeia

In 1260 BC, Lebadus migrated from Athens to Mideia and founded Lebadeia below Mideia. The inhabitants of Mideia moved to Lebadeia. [104]

Stiris in Phocis, 11 km west-southwest of Lebadeia, was founded by Peteus, son of Oeneus, who was driven out by Aegeus of Athens. Lebadus is presumed to be the brother of Peteus, who emigrated at the same time as him, pursued by Aegeus. [105]

In 1209 BC, Menestheus, son of Peteus, son of Orneus, drove out Theseus, son of Aegeus, and became king of Athens. [106]

At that time, it is believed that the Athenians returned from Lebadeia to Athens.

15.2 Trojan War

At the time of the Trojan War, Lebadeia seems to have been inhabited by Boeotians; Arcesilaus, son of Archilycus, son of Itonus, son of Boeotus, led the Boeotians on an expedition to Troy. [107]

Leitus, son of Lacritus, a cousin of Arcesilaus, brought back the remains of Arcesilaus and buried them in Lebadeia.

It therefore seems likely that Lebadeia, unlike Orchomenus and Coroneia, was not occupied by the Thracians or Pelasgians. [108]

15.3 The Sanctuary of Trophonius

Lebadeia was a town dedicated to the god Trophonius. [109]

This Trophonius is said to have been the son of King Erginus of Orchomenus, brother to Agamedes, and a master builder of temples and other structures in Delphi. [110]

However, after the death of Erginus, the descendants of Erginus' brothers, not Trophonius or Agamedes, inherited the throne, so Erginus' sons are likely fictional characters. [111]

Trophonius had children, a daughter named Hercyna. [112]

It is unclear when the Sanctuary of Trophonius existed, but it is certain that it was already a famous sanctuary at least by the 7th century BC.

It is said that during the Second Messenian War, Aristomenes retrieved a lost shield from the sanctuary of Trophonius, and later donated it to Lebadeia. [113]

The oracle of Trophonius was also listed as one of the oracles to which Croesus, king of Lydia, sent emissaries in the 6th century BC to test the oracle. [114]

In the 1st century BC, the Roman general Sulla sacked Lebadeia and carried off the treasures from the oracle. [115]

If the wooden statue of Trophonius in Lebadeia, as reported by Pausanias, is indeed the work of Daedalus, a contemporary of Minos, Trophonius would have been worshipped as a god as early as the 13th century BC. [116]

16 History of Leuctra

Leuctra's godfather is said to be Leuctrus, the father of a girl who became famous for committing suicide after being raped by the Lacedaemonians there before the Battle of Leuctra. [117]

The history of Leuctra before the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC is unknown.

It is likely that it was a small settlement inhabited by people from Eutresis, founded by Amphion and Zethus, or Thespiae. [118]

17 History of Medeon

In 1150 BC, Medon, son of Pylades, migrated east from Cirrha and founded Medeon in Phocis. [119]

Homer lists Medeon in Boeotia in his Catalogue of Ships, but the town did not exist in Agamemnon's time. [120]

Medeon in Boeotia was named after Phocis's Medeon. [121]

Medeon, which Homer describes as a "well-built citadel," was founded at least two generations after the Trojan War.

18 History of Ocaleae

In 1263 BC, Megareus of Haliartus was killed fighting for Megara in the battle between Minos and Athens. [122]

After this battle, Minos' brother Rhadamanthys moved to Ocaleae. [123]

The Cretan immigrants were probably large.

Ocaleae had a large colony of storax-shrub trees. [124]

Haliartus hosted a Cretan festival called Theodaesia. [125]

In 1256 BC, Rhadamanthys probably helped Thebes win the battle between the Minyans and the Thebans. Alcmena, wife of Amphitryon, who was killed in the battle, remarried to Rhadamanthys. [126]

In the 4th century BC, King Agesilaus of Sparta reburied the tomb of Alcmena, wife of Rhadamanthys, from Ocaleae to Sparta.

At that time, he discovered a bronze tablet inscribed with an ancient script similar to Egyptian characters in Alcmena's tomb. [127]

Agesilaus sent a copy of the inscription to Eudoxus of Cnidos, King Nectanabis of Egypt, to decipher it. [128]

19 History of Onchestus

19.1 Founding of Onchestus

Around Onchestus lived the Hyantes, who had been driven out of the vicinity of Thebes by Cadmus. Later, the Hyantes moved to the west side of Lake Copais because the Aeolians had founded Coroneia and Haliartus. [129]

Onchestus is adjacent to Haliartus, and there is a gap of one generation between Haliartus, the founder of Haliartus, and Megareus, who lived in Onchestus.

The father of Megareus is said to be Hippomenes or Onchestus, but he is thought to have left Haliartus and founded Onchestus. [130]

In 1320 BC, Haliartus' son Hippomenes migrated east-southeast from Haliartus and founded Onchestus. [131]

19.2 Migration from Onchestus

In 1263 BC, Hippomenes' son Megareus was killed in battle while rushing to Nisus in Megara to reinforce his troops in the battle against Minos. Nisus was the father of Megareus' wife Iphinoe and the husband of Megareus' sister Habrote. [132]

In 1256 BC, Clymenus, king of the Minyans, was killed at Onchestus by Perieres, charioteer of Menoeceus, son of Creon of Thebes. [133]

Clymenus' son Erginus invaded Thebes and won, but was defeated in a subsequent battle by the Thebans. [134]

Hippomenes, who succeeded Onchestus from his father Megareus, emigrated to Arcadia, oppressed by the Thebans and the Cretans who had migrated with Rhadamanthys. [135]

Copaeus, son of Plataeus, son of Onchestus, also emigrated to the opposite shore of Lake Copais and founded Copae. [136]

20 History of Plataea

20.1 Before the Trojan War

The founder of Plataea is believed to be Damasistratus, the king of Plataea, who buried the body of Laius, son of Labdacus, of Thebes. [137]

Plataea is said to have been named after Plataea, the daughter of the river god Asopus. Plataea is thought to have been of the same age as Tanagra, who was also said to be the daughter of the river god Asopus. [138]

Tanagra's husband was Poemander, the son of Chaeresilaus, the son of Iasius, the son of Eleuther, the son of Aethusa, who lived in Eleutherae, south of Mount Cithaeron. [139]

In 1295 BC, Damasistratus, the brother of Chaeresilaus, founded Plataea north of Eleutherae, across Mount Cithaeron. [140]

Earlier, Eleuther's two sons, Amphion and Zethus, had crossed Mount Cithaeron from Eleutherae to the north and founded Eutresis. [141]

Amphion was the guardian of Laius and the uncle of Damasistratus. Tradition tells us that Damasistratus came across the body of Laius by chance, but it is likely that he was working with Laius. [142]

Damasistratus' ancestor Aethusa was the sister of Hyrieus of Hyria, and the inhabitants of Plataea were Pelasgians, whose ancestors were from Arcadia. [143]

Plataea is said to have had rulers, at unknown times, including Androcrates, Leucon, Pisandrus, Damocrates, Hypsion, Actaeon, Polyidus, and Cylaeus. [144]

20.2 After the Trojan War

In 1126 BC, the Boeotians, who lived in Arne, Thessaly, captured Thebes. [145]

The Boeotians spread their settlement throughout Boeotia, but it is believed that the inhabitants of Plataea were not expelled by the Boeotians and remained there. [146]

In 517 BC, Plataea fought with Thebes over the border, but with the help of its ally Athens, the Asopus River was made the border between Plataea and Thebes. [147]

To repay this favor, in 490 BC, Arimnestus led 1,000 Plataeans to Athens and participated in the Battle of Marathon, defending the left flank of the Athenian army. [148]

Without the Plataeans, the Miltiades of Athens would have had to wait for reinforcements from Sparta, and the outcome of the battle might have been unpredictable. [149]

In 480 BC, Plataea was burned by the Persians along with Thespiae, because the Thebans had informed the Persians that Plataea was an enemy. [150]

In 479 BC, the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Plataea, and Pausanias, son of Cleombrotus, declared the territory of Plataea inviolable to commemorate the victory at Plataea. [151]

The Plataeans are believed to have been in the ranks of the Athenians at the Battle of Plataea. [152]

In 431 BC, Eurymachus, son of Leontiades, led the Thebans in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Plataea, and was captured and executed. [153]

In 429 BC, Plataea was besieged by the Peloponnesus League. [154]

The besieged consisted of 400 Plataeans, 80 Athenians, and 110 women and children. [155]

In 427 BC, 212 Plataeans escaped the siege and fled to Athens, but the rest of the besieged surrendered when food ran out. Over 200 Plataeans and 25 Athenians were executed, and the women and children were sold into slavery. [156]

In 421 BC, the Plataeans who had taken refuge in Athens were given Scione on the Chalcidice peninsula, which Athens had seized. [157]

The Plataeans who lived in Scione were then driven from the Chalcidice peninsula by Lysander of Sparta and returned to Athens. [158]

This event is estimated to have taken place between 404 BC, when Athens surrendered to the Peloponnesus League, and 395 BC, when Lysander died.

In 387 BC, the Plataeans were able to return to Plataea under the Treaty of Antalcidas. [159]

In 374 BC, Plataea was occupied by the Thebans, and its inhabitants fled to Athens. [160]

In 338 BC, after the Battle of Chaeronea, Philip, king of Macedonia, allowed the Plataeans, who had been exiled by the Thebans and taken refuge in Athens, to return to their city. [161]

At the Battle of Plataea, Alexander the Great proclaimed the return of the Plataeans, praising them for donating their territory to the Greeks. [162]

In 316 BC, Antipater's son Cassander rebuilt Thebes, which had been destroyed by Alexander the Great. The Thebans returned to Thebes and made peace with the Plataeans. [163]

Their persistent attacks on the Plataeans may have been motivated by jealousy, similar to that of Argos in the destruction of Mycenae. [164]

21 History of Schoenus

In 1380 BC, Schoeneus, the son of Athamas, moved from Acraephnium to the area between Thebes and Anthedon and founded Schoenus. [165]

There is no tradition that explicitly states that Schoenus was founded by Schoeneus, the son of Athamas.

It is inferred from the following:

1) The Schoenus River flowed through Schoenus. [166]

2) The Schoenus River was named after Schoeneus, the son of Athamas. [167]

In 1256 BC, Orchomenus and Thebes fought, and Orchomenus was defeated. [168]

The descendants of Schoeneus, the son of Athamas, were expelled from Schoenus and moved to Arcadia. [169]

22 History of Tanagra

22.1 Migration from Phoenicia

In 1420 BC, the Gephyraeans who accompanied Cadmus from Phoenicia were given the area around Tanagra to settle. [170]

The Gephyraeans' settlement was in the lower reaches of the Asopus River, which flows from west to east through Boeotia.

22.2 Eunostus's Hero-Mausoleum

A lyric poem written by the 6th century BC Anthedonian poetess Myrtis tells of Eunostus, son of Cephisus of Tanagra. [171]

Eunostus' father Cephisus is presumably the father of Diogenia, mother of Praxithea, wife of Erechtheus, the sixth king of Athens. In the time of Erechtheus, Tanagra had not yet been founded and was called Gephyra. [172]

Gephyra was inhabited by the Gephyraeans, a branch of the Phoenicians who had migrated to Boeotia with Cadmus. [173]

In 1415 BC, the Athenians, pursued by Eumolpus, who had invaded Attica, took refuge near Gephyra and were received by the Gephyraeans. [174]

This flight probably resulted in the marriage of Erechtheus to Praxithea, whose grandfather Cephisus was probably a leader of the Gephyraeans. [175]

The Gephyraeans, who accompanied Praxithea to Athens, brought the Phoenician letters to Athens.

Then the Phoenician letters gave rise to the Pelasgic letters, which were used until the time of Homer's teacher Pronapides. [177]

The ancient Athenians were Pelasgians. [178]

There may have been a tablet inscribed in the hero's temple of Eunostus at Tanagra during the time of Myrtis.

22.3 Founding of Tanagra

In 1270 BC, Poemander, son of Chaeresilaus, moved from Eleutherae, south of Mount Cithaeron, to the region called Gephyra, and founded Tanagra, named after his wife. [180]

22.4 Orion, son of Hyrieus

Orion, son of Hyrieus, was born in Hyria, near the Strait of Euripus. [181]

Dryas, son of Orion, led 1,000 archers from Tanagra to Thebes when Adrastus attacked Thebes. [182]

Hylas, the son of Orion's daughter Mecionice (or Mecionica, Menodice) and Theiodamas, who lived in Dryopia, was a servant of Heracles. Laonome, wife of Hylas' brother Euphemus, was Heracles' sister. [183]

Battus, son of Polymnestus, a descendant of Euphemus, founded Cyrene in Libya. [184]

The tomb of Orion was in Tanagra. [185]

Some traditions say that Orion, who gave the name to the constellation, was the son of Euryale, daughter of Minos of Crete, but Orion, son of Hyrieus, who was also associated with Tanagra, is more likely. [186]

The Phoenicians, who settled in Tanagra, probably conveyed the constellation "the heavenly hunter" that had been introduced to them by the Babylonians to the Greeks, who then gave the name Orion to the constellation.

22.5 Migration to Athens

In 1200 BC, the Gephyraeans, who had settled around Tanagra, were driven out by Poemander, the grandson of Poemander, the son of Chaeresilaus, and migrated to Athens. [187]

The Epigoni's attack on Thebes caused the descendants of those who had migrated to Boeotia with Cadmus to emigrate elsewhere, upsetting the balance of power between them and the newcomers, the Boeotians.

The Athenians accepted the Gephyraeans as a way of repaying them for their kindness when they were driven out by Eumolpus. The Athenians and Gephyraeans had long been in contact with each other through the marriage ties of Erechtheus, the sixth king of Athens. [188]

22.6 Attack of the Achaeans

Plutarch reports that the Achaeans, led by Achilles, the son of Peleus, attacked Tanagra, which refused to join the expedition. [189]

This expedition seems to have been a different one from the one to Troy, and shows that the influence of Achilles, who lived in Phthia in Thessaly, extended into Boeotia.

22.7 Troy expedition

Probably, Tanagra did not participate in the Troy expedition.

Homer's Catalogue of Ships lists the name of Graea among the troops from Boeotia, and there is a theory that the town is another name for Tanagra. [190]

In other words, the name of the eponym Tanagra, who lived a very long life, was called Graea (old woman), and so the town was called Graea for a time. [191]

However, it is unlikely that Homer, who liked to use old names, would have adopted a temporary name.

If Tanagra was called by its ancient name, Homer would have called it Gephyra, an earlier name than Tanagra. [192]

22.8 After the Trojan War

In 456 BC, the Tanagraeans participated in a battle between the Boeotians and the Athenians, were defeated, the city walls were destroyed, and Tanagra came under the control of Athens. [193]

In Boeotia, only Tanagra and Thespiae survived until the Roman era. [194]

23 History of Thespiae

23.1 Migration from Athens

In 1275 BC, Teuthras, son of Pandion, the eighth king of Athens, fled from his brother-in-law Aegeus and emigrated to Boeotia, where he founded Thespiae. [195]

The Boeotians, whose leader was a descendant of Itonus, son of Boeotus, who emigrated from Thessaly to Boeotia in 1325 BC, participated in the expedition to Troy with two sons of Itonus' son Areilycus, Arcesilaus and Prothoenor, from Thespiae. [196]

The Boeotians welcomed the Athenians, who had emigrated with Teuthras, as fellow residents, because they were in conflict with the Cadmeans of Thebes. However, this cohabitation later became a cause of conflict when the Boeotians replaced the Cadmeans as rulers of Thebes. Probably the Athenians outnumbered the Boeotians, and they were attacked by Thebes. [197]

23.2 Migration from Macedonia

In 1250 BC, Pierus, son of Linus, son of Pierus, emigrated from Pieria in Macedonia to Thespiae. [198]

Pierus was the father of Oeagrus, the father of the famous poet Orpheus. [199]

Strabo reports Pierus as a Thracian who made Mount Helicon a sanctuary for the Muses. [200]

23.3 Migration to Sardinia

In 1236 BC, Heracles colonized Sardinia with the grandsons of Thespius, led by his nephew Iolaus. [201]

The Athenians also participated in this colony, founding Olbia in the northeast of Sardinia. [202]

The Iolaus colony was the first to be sent out by Athens alone, and was the first official colony to leave Prytaneum. [203]

Heracles had been at a cattle station near Thespiae, and had been friends with Thespius, son of Teuthras. [204]

In 1188 BC, two sons of Areilycus, son of Itonus, Arcesilaus and Prothoenor, joined the expedition to Troy from Thespiae. [205]

23.4 Invasion of the Thessalians

In 594 BC, the Thessalians led by Lattamyas invaded Boeotia.

Lattamyas was killed in battle with the Thebans near Thespiae. [206]

These Thessalians were those who had participated in the Cirrha offensive in Phocis not long ago as part of the Amphictyons.

The Thespians fled to Ceressus to escape. [207]

The Thessalians invaded more than 200 years before the Battle of Leuctra. [208]

23.5 Invasion of the Persians

In 480 BC, the Plataeans and Thespians, among the Boeotians, did not offer earth and water to Xerxes, the great king of Persia. [209]

At the battle of Thermopylae, 400 Thebans took part, while 700 Thespians participated. [210]

The Thespians, led by Demophilus, son of Diadromes, shared the fate of the Spartans at Thermopylae, where Dithyrambos, son of Harmatides, became famous for his bravery. [211]

The Thespians, together with Plataea, were burned by the Persians, because the Thebans had informed the Persians that Thespiae was an enemy. [212]

The Thespians had then retreated to the Peloponnese. [213]

23.6 Others

In 479 BC, 1800 Thespians participated in the Battle of Plataea. [214]

In 424 BC, the Thespians fought against the Athenians in the Battle of Delium near Tanagra. The Thespians contributed to the victory of the battle, but were annihilated. [215]

In 423 BC, the Thebans demolished the walls of Thespiae, a city that had been friendly to the Athenians for some time. [216]

In 414 BC, a populist faction of Thespians failed to seize power, some of whom were captured by the Thebans and others fled to Athens. [217]

In 413 BC, Hegesander from Thespiae participated in the Lacedaemonians' expedition to Sicily. [218]

In 374 BC, the Thebans occupied Plataea and sacked Thespiae. [219]

In 371 BC, the Thespians deserted the battle of Leuctra and returned home, and were expelled from the city by the Thebans after the battle. [220]

However, in Boeotia, the two towns that survived until the Roman period were Tanagra and Thespiae. [221]

End