Editing Boeotia

{{short description|Region of Greece}}
{{Distinguish|Boeotia (constituency)}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox Greece place
| name                    = Boeotia
| name_local              = <small>Περιφερειακή ενότητα</small><br>Βοιωτίας
| type                    = regional unit
| image_skyline           = 2010 Dimi Viotias numbered.svg
| caption_skyline         = Municipalities of Boeotia
| image_map               = Nomos Viotias.png
| map_caption             = Boeotia within Greece
| coordinates             = {{coord|38.44|N|22.88|E|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| periph                  = [[Central Greece (administrative region)|Central Greece]]
| seat                    = [[Livadeia]]
| area                    = 3211
| elevation               = 
| population              = 106056
| population_as_of        = 2021
| demonym                 = 
| postal_code             = 32x xx, 190 12
| area_code               = 226x0
| licence                 = ΒΙ
| website                 = {{URL|www.viotia.gr}}
}}
'''Boeotia''' ({{IPAc-en|b|i|ˈ|oʊ|ʃ|(|i|)|ə}} {{respell|bee|OH|sh(ee|)ə}}), sometimes [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]] as '''Boiotia''' or '''Beotia''' ({{langx|el|[[wikt:Βοιωτία|Βοιωτία]]}}; [[modern Greek|modern]]: {{Transliteration|el|Viotía}}; [[ancient Greek|ancient]]: {{Transliteration|grc|Boiōtía}}), is one of the [[regional units of Greece]]. It is part of the [[modern regions of Greece|region]] of [[Central Greece (administrative region)|Central Greece]]. Its capital is [[Livadeia]], and its largest city is [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].

Boeotia was also a region of [[ancient Greece]], from before the 6th century BC.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Boeotia {{!}} Greece, Map, Location, & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Boeotia |access-date=8 October 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
Boeotia lies to the north of the eastern part of the [[Gulf of Corinth]]. It also has a short coastline on the [[Gulf of Euboea]]. It bordered on [[Megaris]] (now [[West Attica]]) in the south, [[Attica]] in the southeast, [[Euboea]] in the northeast, [[Opuntian Locris]] (now part of [[Phthiotis]]) in the north and [[Phocis]] in the west.<ref name=":0" />

The main mountain ranges of Boeotia are [[Mount Parnassus]] in the west, [[Mount Helicon]] in the southwest, [[Cithaeron]] in the south and [[Parnitha]] in the east. Its longest river, the [[Cephissus (Boeotia)|Cephissus]], flows in the central part, where most of the low-lying areas of Boeotia are found.<ref name=":0" />

[[Lake Copais]] was a large lake in the center of Boeotia. It was drained in the 19th century. [[Lake Yliki]] is a large lake near [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].

==Origins==
The origin of the name "Boeotians" may lie in the mountain [[Boeon]] in [[Epirus]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Sylvain Auroux |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygDHVYyEXOMC&q=Greek+Epirus+Boeotians&pg=PA439 |title=History of the language sciences: an international handbook on the evolution |year=2000 | publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110111033}}</ref>

The earliest inhabitants of Boeotia, associated with the city of [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]], were called [[Minyans]]. [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] mentions that Minyans established the maritime [[Ionia]]n city of [[Teos]],<ref>Pausanias.''Description of Greece'' 7.3.6</ref> and occupied the islands of [[Lemnos]] and [[Thera]]. The [[Argonauts]] were sometimes referred to as Minyans. Also, according to legend the citizens of Thebes paid an annual tribute to their king [[Erginus]].<ref>''[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Bibliotheke]]'' 2.4.11 records the origin of the Theban tribute as recompense for the mortal wounding of [[Clymenus]], king of the Minyans, with a cast of a stone by a charioteer of [[Menoeceus]] in the precinct of Poseidon at Onchestus; the myth is also reported by [[Diodorus Siculus]], 4.10.3.</ref> The Minyans may have been [[Proto-Greek language|proto-Greek]] speakers. Although most scholars today agree that the [[Myceneans]] descended from the Minyans of the ''[[Middle Helladic period]]'', they believe that the progenitors and founders of [[Minyans|Minyan culture]] were an [[indigenous people]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cambitoglou|Descœudres|1990|p=7 under "Excavations in the Region of Pylos" by George S. Korrés}}.</ref>
The early wealth and power of Boeotia is shown by the reputation and visible Mycenean remains of several of its cities, especially Orchomenus and [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].

Some toponyms and the common [[Aeolic]] dialect indicate that the Boeotians were related to the [[Thessalian]]s. Traditionally, the Boeotians are said to have originally occupied [[Ancient Thessaly|Thessaly]], the largest fertile plain in Greece, and to have been dispossessed by the north-western Thessalians two generations after the [[Fall of Troy]] (1200 BC). They moved south and settled in another rich plain, while others filtered across the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] and settled on [[Lesbos]] and in [[Aeolis]] in [[Asia Minor]]. Others are said to have stayed in Thessaly, withdrawing into the hill country and becoming the ''perioikoi'' ("dwellers around").<ref>L. H .Jeffery (1976). ''Archaic Greece. The Greek city-states 700–500 BC''. Ernest Benn Ltd. London & Tonbridge. pp. 71, 77 {{ISBN|0-510-03271-0}}</ref> Boeotia was an early member of the oldest [[Amphictyonic League]] (''Anthelian''), a religious confederacy of related tribes, despite its distance from the League's original home in [[Anthela (Thessaly)|Anthela]].<ref>The Parian marble. Entry No 5: "When [[Amphictyon]] son of [[Hellen]] became king of [[Thermopylae]] brought together those living round the temple and named them ''Amphictyones''; Entry No 6: Graeces-Hellenes [http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/faqs/q004/q004008.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823171940/http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/faqs/q004/q004008.html|date=23 August 2017}}</ref><ref>L. H . Jeffery (1976). ''Archaic Greece. The Greek city states c. 700-500 B.C''. Ernest Benn Ltd. London & Tonbridge pp. 72, 73 {{ISBN|0-510-03271-0}}</ref>

Although they included great men such as [[Pindar]], [[Hesiod]], [[Epaminondas]], [[Pelopidas]], and [[Plutarch]], the Boeotian people were portrayed as proverbially dull by the Athenians (cf. ''Boeotian ears'' incapable of appreciating music or poetry and ''Hog-Boeotians'', [[Cratinus]].310).<ref>''The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories'', Merriam-Webster, 1 January 1991, p.360</ref><ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Wood | first = Donald
 | date = April 1959
 | doi = 10.1177/030639685900100207
 | issue = 2
 | journal = Race
 | pages = 65–71
 | publisher = SAGE Publications
 | title = Some Greek Stereotypes of other Peoples
 | volume = 1}}</ref>

==Legends and literature==
[[File:Helikonmountainascent.JPG|thumb|[[Mount Helicon]]]]
[[File:Ancient Regions Central Greece.png|thumb|300px|Map showing ancient regions of central Greece in relation to geographical features]]

Many ancient Greek legends originated or are set in this region. The older myths took their final form during the [[Mycenaean Greeks|Mycenean age]] (1600–1200 BC) when the [[Mycenean Greeks]] established themselves in Boeotia and the city of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] became an important centre. Many of them are related to the myths of [[Ancient Argos|Argos]], and others indicate connections with [[Phoenicia]], where the Mycenean Greeks and later the [[Euboea|Euboean Greeks]] established trading posts.

Important legends related to Boeotia include:

*[[Eros]], worshiped by a fertility cult in [[Thespiae]]
*The [[Muses]] of [[Mount Helicon]]
*[[Ogyges]] and the [[Ancient Greek flood myths#Ogyges|Ogygian deluge]]
*[[Cadmus]], who was said to have founded Thebes and brought the [[alphabet]] to Greece
*[[Dionysus]] and [[Semele]]
*[[Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus]]
*[[Heracles]], who was born in Thebes
*The [[Theban Cycle]], including the myths of [[Oedipus]] and the [[Sphinx]], and the [[Seven against Thebes]]
*[[Antiope (mother of Amphion)|Antiope]] and her sons [[Amphion and Zethus]]
*[[Niobe]]
*[[Orion (mythology)|Orion]], who was born in Boeotia and said to have fathered 50 sons with the daughters of a local river god.

Many of these legends were used in plays by the tragic Greek poets, [[Aeschylus]], [[Sophocles]], and [[Euripides]]:

*Aeschylus's ''[[Seven Against Thebes]]''
*Sophocles's ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'', ''[[Oedipus at Colonus]]'', and ''[[Antigone (Sophocles)|Antigone]]'', known as the [[Sophocles#Theban plays|Theban plays]]
*Euripides's ''[[Bacchae]]'', ''[[Phoenician Women]]'', ''[[The Suppliants (Euripides)|Suppliants]]'', and ''[[Herakles (Euripides)|Heracles]]''

They were also used in lost plays such as Aeschylus's ''Niobe'' and Euripides's ''Antiope''.

Boeotia was also notable for the ancient oracular shrine of Trophonius at [[Lebadea]]. [[Graea]], an ancient city in Boeotia, is sometimes thought to be the origin of the Latin word ''Graecus'', from which English derives the words ''Greece'' and ''Greeks''.

The major poets [[Hesiod]] and [[Pindar]] were Boeotians. Nonetheless, the French use the term [[wikt:béotien|béotien]] ("Boeotian") to denote [[Philistinism]].

==History==
[[File:Map of Boeotia.jpg|thumb|18th century map of ancient Boeotia]]
[[File:Thebes-1.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of the Cadmeia, the central fortress of ancient [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]]]

Boeotia had significant political importance, owing to its position on the north shore of the [[Gulf of Corinth]], the strategic strength of its frontiers, and the ease of communication within its extensive area. On the other hand, the lack of good harbours hindered its maritime development.

The importance of the legendary [[Minyae]] has been confirmed by archaeological remains (notably the "Treasury of Minyas"). The Boeotian population entered the land from the north possibly before the [[Dorians|Dorian]] invasion. With the exception of the Minyae, the original peoples were soon absorbed by these immigrants, and the Boeotians henceforth appear as a homogeneous nation. [[Aeolic Greek]] was spoken in Boeotia.

In historical times, the leading city of Boeotia was Thebes, whose central position and military strength made it a suitable capital;<ref name=EB1911/> other major towns were [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]], [[Plataea]], and [[Thespiae]]. It was the constant ambition of the Thebans to absorb the other townships into a single state, just as [[Athens]] had annexed the [[Attica|Attic]] communities. But the outlying cities successfully resisted this policy, and only allowed the formation of a loose federation that, initially, was merely religious.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:Cup birds Boeotia Louvre A572.jpg|thumb|Boeotian cup from [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] painted with birds, 560–540 BC ([[Louvre]])]]
While the Boeotians, unlike the [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]]ns, generally acted as a united whole against foreign enemies, the constant struggle between the cities was a serious check on the nation's development. Boeotia hardly figures in history before the late 6th century BC.

Previous to this, its people are chiefly known as the makers of a type of geometric pottery, similar to the [[Dipylon ware]] of Athens. In about 519 BC, the resistance of [[Plataea]] to the federating policy of Thebes led to the interference of Athens on behalf of the former; on this occasion, and again in 507 BC, the Athenians defeated the Boeotian levy.

The [[Works and Days]] by [[Hesiod]] is often used by economists and historians alike to provide invaluable evidence for the Boetian economic system and its developments in the Homeric Age. In the poem Hesiod, who lived in Boeotia, describes the beginnings of a modern economy, with the use of artisans to 'do the technical work in making his plow and wagon' and the beginnings of sea commerce and its increasing importance in the economic life of Greece.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Trever |first=Albert Augustus |date=April 1924 |title=The Age of Hesiod: A Study in Economic History |journal=Classical Philology |language=en |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=157–168 |doi=10.1086/360574 |s2cid=161121733 |issn=0009-837X|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Emigration of the Boeotians===
According to myth, the Boeotians ({{langx|grc|Βοιώτιοι|Boiotioi}}) lived in [[Thessaly]], especially in the area around [[Arne (Thessaly)|Arne]], though some may have gone to the [[Pagasetic Gulf|Pagasitic Gulf]] before migrating to the land later termed Boeotia. The location of [[Arne (Thessaly)|Arne]] is unknown, though sometimes it is equated with [[Cierium]] in Central [[Thessaly]]. The presence in Classical times in Boeotia of cults and place-names of Thessalian origin, such as [[Itonia]] and Itonian Athena, [[Homolium|Homole]] and Homoloian Zeus, [[Alalcomenae (Boeotia)|Alalcomenae]], [[Corseia]] and [[Pharae]], confirm for most scholars the merits of these traditions. It is, therefore, generally believed that the Boeotians originated in Thessaly and lived there as a distinct [[Ethnic group|ethnos]], in Phthiotis or in Thessaliotis, before they migrated to Boeotia, taking elements with them from other parts of [[Thessaly]].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Boeotians were expelled from [[Thessaly]] after the [[Trojan War|Trojan war]] although there are three traditions which disagree on how expulsion played out.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} One tradition says that the Boiotoi were expelled by the [[Thessaly|Thessalians]] who were led by [[Thessalus]], son of Aiatus, son of [[Phidippus (mythology)|Pheidippus]], son of another Thessalus. [[Phidippus (mythology)|Pheidippus]] appears in the [[Catalogue of Ships|Catalogue of ships]] as one of the commanders of the force from Cos and Carpathus. He was thought to have been driven to [[Epirus]] after the war and to have settled at [[Cichyrus|Ephyra]] in the [[Thesprotians|Thesprotid]]. Hence the Boiotoi were expelled two generations after the Trojan War. [[Hellanicus of Lesbos|Hellanicus]] is probably the source of this tradition, and the source of [[Thucydides]]' "sixtieth year", that is, two generations of thirty years. A second tradition puts the expulsion of the Boiotoi in the reign of Aiatus, one generation after the [[Trojan War|War]]. To this should also belong the story in [[Plutarch]], which tells how [[Opheltes (mythology)|Opheltas]] king of the Boiotoi took [[Chaeronea]] "by force from the barbarians." Opheltas is the son of [[Peneleos|Peneleus]], one of the leaders of the Boeotian contingent in the [[Catalogue of Ships|Catalogue]], and living one generation after the war. It is not until the reign of [[Damasichthon (King of Thebes)|Damasichthon]], son of [[Opheltes (mythology)|Opheltas]], that control of Thebes was gained by the Boiotoi. Hence in this tradition one generation after the war, the Boiotoi were expelled and western Boeotia was invaded; two generations after the war, Thebes was won. A third tradition combines the other two: the two generations until the expulsion from [[Thessaly]] after the War and the two generations until Thebes  is gained give the four generations cited by [[Hieronymus of Cardia|Hieronymus]] in his tale of the [[Cadmus|Cadmean]] return to Thebes after the war.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The entry-point to Boeotia by Boeotians seems to be put in the same general area by all traditions. The second tradition gives [[Chaeronea]] as the first place attacked, while the first says that [[Coroneia (Boeotia)|Coronea]] and [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] were captured virtually simultaneously and then the sanctuary of Itonian Athena was founded. It is clear that both traditions envisaged the Boiotoi as following a well-known invasion route from [[Thessaly]], the one via [[Thermopylae]] and [[Hyampolis]] to [[Chaeronea]], where the invaders would be poised to attack both [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] and [[Coroneia (Boeotia)|Coronea]]. Having gained control of [[Chaeronea]], [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] and [[Coroneia (Boeotia)|Coronea]], and their territories, the Boiotoi seem to have paused to digest western Boeotia; the generation or two before [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] was captured marks this pause in all traditions. The siting close to Coronea of the sanctuary of Itonian Athena, and the celebration of the [[Pamboeotia]] there, together with the renaming of rivers and other toponyms, and the sanctity attached to the neighbouring settlement of [[Alalcomenae (Boeotia)|Alalcomenae]], all strengthen the belief that this western section was the area where the first Boeotian settlement took place, and where Boeotian institutions were first established in the new homeland. The advance eastward eventually proceeded both to the north and to the south of [[Lake Copais|Copais lake]]. On the north side it ultimately reached [[Anthedon (Boeotia)|Anthedon]], a town credited with once having been occupied by the [[Thracian settlement|Thracians]]. On the south side it came as far as [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] and [[Thespiae]]. In Thebes, according to one version, [[Damasichthon (King of Thebes)|Damasichthon]] took the rule from [[Autesion]], son of [[Tisamenus (King of Thebes)|Tisamenus]], son of [[Thersander (Epigoni)|Thersander]], another stemma that puts the Boeotians in [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] two generations after the [[Trojan War]]. The tradition intimates that there was a peaceful take-over, with [[Autesion]] joining the [[Dorians]]. There must have been another pause for some time. The next advance, into the [[Asopos (Boeotia)|Asopus]] valley, was led by [[Xanthus (mythology)|Xanthus]], son of [[Ptolemy of Thebes|Ptolemy]], son of [[Damasichthon (King of Thebes)|Damasichthon]], that is, two generations after the gaining of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]. The Thebans remembered, according to Thucydides, that the [[Asopos (Boeotia)|Asopus]] valley and [[Plataea]] were reduced later than the rest of Boeotia and were occupied in accordance with an agreed plan. The Boeotian advance was apparently stalled on what became the Athenian-Boeotian frontier, by the efforts of local forces, if the legend of [[Xanthus (mythology)|Xanthus]] and [[Melanthus]] has any historical significance. In any event the death of [[Xanthus (mythology)|Xanthus]] symbolized traditionally the completion of the conquest of Boeotia under the kings and the consequent immediate extinction of the kingship.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buck |first=Robert |title=A history of Boeotia |publisher=The University of Alberta Press |year=1979 |isbn=0-88864-051-X |location=Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |pages=90–94}}</ref>

===Fifth century BC===
[[File:Boeotia ancient-en.svg|thumb|left|Map of ancient Boeotia]]
During the [[Persian Wars|Persian invasion]] of 480 BC, Thebes assisted the invaders. In consequence, for a time, the presidency of the Boeotian League was taken from Thebes, but in 457 BC the [[Sparta]]ns reinstated that city as a bulwark against Athenian aggression after the [[Battle of Tanagra (457 BC)|Battle of Tanagra]]. Athens retaliated with a sudden advance upon Boeotia, and after the victory at the [[Battle of Oenophyta]] took control of the whole country, taking down the wall the Spartans had built. With the victory the Athenians also occupied [[Phocis]], the original source of the conflict, and Opuntian [[Locrians|Locris]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientgreeks00john |url-access=registration |author=Fine, John VA |year=1983 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ancientgreeks00john/page/354 354–355] |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]}}</ref> For ten years the land remained under Athenian control, which was exercised through the newly installed democracies; but in 447 BC the people revolted, and after a victory at the [[Battle of Coronea (447 BC)|Battle of Coronea]] regained their independence.<ref name=EB1911/>

In the [[Peloponnesian War]] the Boeotians fought zealously against Athens. Although slightly estranged from Sparta after the [[peace of Nicias]], they never abated their enmity against their neighbours. They rendered good service at [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]] and at the [[Battle of Arginusae]] in the closing years of the Peloponnesian War; but their greatest achievement was the decisive victory at the [[Battle of Delium]] over the Athenian army (424 BC) in which both their heavy infantry and their cavalry displayed unusual efficiency.

===Boeotian League===
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| caption = Members of the Boeotian League with their number of Boeotarchs in brackets, 395&nbsp;BC. Members of the same colour with fractional numbers elected 1 or 2 Boeotarchs between them. Black: conquered by Thebes
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According to the [[Hellenica Oxyrhynchia]], in 395 BC the Boeotian League comprised eleven groups of sovereign cities and associated townships, each of which elected one [[Boeotarch]] or minister of war and foreign affairs, contributed sixty delegates to the federal council at Thebes, and supplied a contingent of about 1000 infantry and 100 cavalry to the federal army. A safeguard against undue encroachment on the part of the central government was provided in the councils of the individual cities, to which all important questions of policy had to be submitted for ratification. These local councils, to which the propertied classes alone were eligible, were subdivided into four sections, resembling the [[prytaneis]] of the Athenian council, which took it in turns to vote on all new measures.<ref name=EB1911/><ref>Thucydides (v. 38), in speaking of the "four councils of the Boeotians," is referring to the plenary bodies in the various states. (Chisholm 1911)</ref>

Two Boeotarchs were provided by Thebes, but by 395 BC Thebes was providing four Boeotarchs, including two who had represented places now conquered by Thebes such as Plataea, [[Scolus (Boeotia)|Scolus]], [[Erythrae (Boeotia)|Erythrae]], and [[Scaphae]]. [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]], [[Hysiae (Boeotia)|Hysiae]], and [[Tanagra]] each supplied one Boeotarch. [[Thespiae]], [[Thisbe (Boeotia)|Thisbe]], and [[Eutresis (Boeotia)|Eutresis]] supplied two between them. [[Haliartus]], [[Lebadea]] and [[Coronea]] supplied one in turn, and so did [[Acraephia (Boeotia)|Acraephia]], [[Copae]], and [[Chaeronea]].<ref>Nick Sekunda, The Ancient Greeks, p.27</ref>

The total military force of the Boiotian League (11,000 infantry and 1,100 cavalry) has been used as the basis for a number of calculations of the population of the region in the early fourth century BC. [[John Bintliff]] assumes an additional 21,000 light troops and rowers in the navy, for a total of 33,100 men. Assuming the same number of women, two children and one slave for every household, he estimates the total Boeotian population at 165,500 (including 33,100 slaves).<ref>Bintliff 1985, 141–43.</ref> [[Mogens Herman Hansen]] assumes an additional 12,100 light troops, for a total of 24,200 men in the army. He assumes that 25% of men were ineligible for military service, so his total population of men between the ages of twenty and fifty is 30,250. Using [[model life table]]s he calculates a total male citizen population of 72,240 and an equal number of women, for a minimum free population of 144,050, plus an unknown number of slaves and foreign residents. He proposes a maximum of 250,000. By comparison, the population of Boeotia was 38,000–50,000 in the late sixteenth century, according to [[Defter|tahrir]] records, 40,000–42,000 in the 1889 census, and 117,920 in the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hansen |first1=Mogens Herman |title=The shotgun method : the demography of the ancient Greek city-state culture |date=2006 |publisher=University of Missouri Press |location=Columbia |isbn=9780826216670 |pages=84–88}}</ref>

===Fourth century BC===
Boeotia took a prominent part in the [[Corinthian War]] against Sparta, especially in the battles of [[Battle of Haliartus|Haliartus]] and [[Battle of Coronea (394 BC)|Coronea]] (395–394 BC). This change of policy was mainly due to the popular resentment against foreign interference. Yet disaffection against Thebes was now growing rife, and Sparta fostered this feeling by insisting on the complete independence of all the cities in the [[Peace of Antalcidas|Peace of Antaclidas]] (387 BC). In 374 BC, [[Pelopidas]] restored Theban dominance.<ref name=EB1911/> Boeotian contingents fought in all the campaigns of [[Epaminondas]] against the Spartans, most notably at the [[Battle of Leuctra]] in 371 BC, and in the [[Third Sacred War]] against [[Phocis]] (356–346 BC); while in the dealings with [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip of Macedon]] the cities merely followed Thebes.

The federal constitution was also brought into accord with the democratic governments now prevalent throughout the land. Sovereign power was vested in the popular assembly, which elected the Boeotarchs (between seven and twelve in number), and sanctioned all laws. After the [[Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC)|Battle of Chaeroneia]], in which the Boeotian heavy infantry once again distinguished itself, the land never again rose to prosperity.<ref name=EB1911/>

===Hellenistic period===
The destruction of Thebes by [[Alexander the Great]] (335 BC) destroyed the political energy of the Boeotians. They never again pursued an independent policy, but followed the lead of protecting powers. Although military training and organization continued, the people proved unable to defend the frontiers, and the land became more than ever the "dancing-ground of Ares". Although enrolled for a short time in the Aetolian League (about 245 BC) Boeotia was generally loyal to [[Macedon]], and supported its later kings against Rome. Rome dissolved the league in 171 BC, but it was revived under [[Augustus]], and merged with the other central Greek federations in the [[Achaea]]n synod. The death-blow to the country's prosperity was dealt by the devastations during the [[First Mithridatic War]].<ref name=EB1911/>

===Middle Ages and later===
{{Main|Frankokratia}}
[[File:Monastery of Hosios Loukas winter.jpg|thumb|[[Hosios Loukas]]|250px]]Save for a short period of prosperity under the [[Frankokratia|Frankish rulers of Athens]] (1205&ndash;1310), who repaired the underground drainage channels ({{lang|el|καταβόθρα}} ''katavóthra'') of Lake Kopais and fostered agriculture, Boeotia long continued in a state of decay, aggravated by occasional barbarian incursions. The first step toward the country's recovery was not until 1895, when the drainage channels of Kopais were again put into working order.

==Archaeological sites==
[[File:Orchomenos 20 C.jpg|thumb|Ancient theatre of [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] ]]

In 1880–86, [[Heinrich Schliemann]]'s excavations at [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] (H. Schliemann, ''Orchomenos'', Leipzig 1881) revealed the tholos tomb he called the "Tomb of [[Minyas (mythology)|Minyas]]", a [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] monument that equalled the [[beehive tomb]] known as the [[Treasury of Atreus]] at [[Mycenae]]. In 1893, A. de Ridder excavated the temple of [[Asclepios]] and some burials in the Roman necropolis. In 1903–05, a Bavarian archaeological mission under [[Heinrich Bulle]] and [[Adolf Furtwängler]] conducted successful excavations at the site. Research continued in 1970–73 by the Archaeological Service under [[Theodore Spyropoulos]], uncovering the Mycenaean palace, a prehistoric cemetery, the ancient [[amphitheatre]], and other structures.

==Administration==
[[File:Livadeia general.jpg|thumb|View of [[Livadeia]] town]]

The regional unit Boeotia is subdivided into 6 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web |url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg. |title=ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text |language=el |publisher=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette]]}}</ref>
*[[Aliartos-Thespies]] (2)
*[[Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra]] (3)
*[[Livadeia]] (1)
*[[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenos]] (5)
*[[Tanagra]] (6)
*[[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] (''Thiva'', 4)

===Prefecture===
[[File:Chaironeia lion.JPG|thumb|The lion of [[Chaeronea]]]]

Boeotia was created as a [[prefectures of Greece|prefecture]] in 1836 ({{langx|el|Διοίκησις Βοιωτίας}}), again in 1899 ({{lang|el|Νομός Βοιωτίας}}) and again in 1943; in all cases it was split from [[Attica and Boeotia Prefecture]]. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Boeotia was created out of the former prefecture Boeotia. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.<ref name=Kallikratis/>
{| class="wikitable"
! New municipality !! Old municipalities & communities !! Seat
|-
| rowspan=2|[[Aliartos]]|| [[Aliartos]] || rowspan=2|Aliartos
|-
| [[Thespies]]
|-
| rowspan=3|[[Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra]]|| [[Distomo]] || rowspan=3|Distomo
|-
| [[Arachova]]
|-
| [[Antikyra]]
|-
| rowspan=5|[[Livadeia]]|| [[Livadeia]] || rowspan=5|Livadeia
|-
| [[Davleia]]
|-
| [[Koroneia, Boeotia|Koroneia]]
|-
| [[Kyriaki]]
|-
| [[Chaironeia]]
|-
| rowspan=2|[[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] || [[Orchomenus (Boeotia)|Orchomenus]] || rowspan=2|Orchomenus
|-
| [[Akraifnia]]
|-
| rowspan=4|[[Tanagra]]|| [[Tanagra]] || rowspan=4|Schimatari
|-
| [[Dervenochoria]]
|-
| [[Oinofyta]]
|-
| [[Schimatari]]
|-
| rowspan=4|[[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] (''Thiva'')|| [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] || rowspan=4|Thebes
|-
| [[Vagia]]
|-
| [[Thisvi]]
|-
| [[Plataies]]
|}

===Provinces===
The [[provinces of Greece|provinces]] were:
*[[Livadeia Province]] – [[Livadeia]]
*[[Thebes Province]] – [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]

==Economy==

Boeotia is the home of the third largest [[pasta]] factory in Europe, built by [[MISKO]], a member of [[Barilla Group]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.miskocareers.gr/ |title=Καλώς ήρθατε στην MISKO |access-date=3 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005235437/http://www.miskocareers.gr/ |archive-date=5 October 2010 }}</ref> Also, some of the biggest companies in Greece and Europe have factories in this place. For example, [[Nestlé]] and [[Viohalco]] have factories in [[Oinofyta]], Boeotia.

===Transport===
*[[Greek National Road 1]]/[[European route E75|E75]], SE, E, NE
*[[Greek National Road 3]], S, E, Cen., W, NW
*[[Greek National Road 27]], W, SW
*[[Greek National Road 44]], E
*[[Greek National Road 48]], W

==Natives of Boeotia==
{{cmn|
*[[Bakis]]
*[[Brachyllas]]
*[[Corinna]]
*[[Epaminondas]]
*[[Gorgidas]]
*[[Hesiod]]
*[[Luke the Evangelist]] (traditionally location of his death)
*[[Pelopidas]]
*[[Pindar]]
*[[Plutarch]]
*[[Scamander of Boeotia]]
}}

==See also==
*[[Boeotian helmet]]
*[[Boeotian shield]]
*[[List of settlements in Boeotia]]
*[[Graïke]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Boeotia |volume=4 |pages=114–115}} This cites as authorities:
*Thucydides iv. 76–101
*[[Xenophon]], Hellenica, iii.-vii.
*[[Strabo]], pp. 400–412
*Pausanias ix.
*[[Theopompus]] (or Cratippus) in the ''Oxyrhynchus Papyri'', vol v. (London, 1908, No. 842, col 12
*[[William Martin Leake|W. M. Leake]], ''Travels in Northern Greece'', chs. xi.-xix. (London, 1835)
*[[Henry Fanshawe Tozer|H. F. Tozer]], ''Geography of Greece'' (London, 1873), pp. 233–238
*[[W. Rhys Roberts]], ''The Ancient Boeotians'' (Cambridge, 1895)
*[[Edward Augustus Freeman|E. A. Freeman]] ''Federal Government'' (ed. 1893, London), ch. iv. § 2
*[[Barclay V. Head|B. V. Head]], ''Historia Nomorum'', pp. 291 sqq. (Oxford, 1887)
*W. Larfeld, ''Sylloge Inscriptionum Boeoticarum'' (Berlin, 1883). (See also [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].)
</ref>
}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last1=Cambitoglou |first1=Alexander |last2=Descœudres |first2=Jean-Paul |title=Eumousia: Ceramic and Iconographic Studies in Honour of Alexander Cambitoglou |location=Sydney, Australia |publisher=Meditarch |year=1990 |isbn=0-909797-17-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mEtoAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{Cite book |author=Victor Davis Hanson |title=The Soul of Battle |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |year=1999}}
*Larson, Stephanie L. ''Tales of epic ancestry: Boiotian collective identity in the late archaic and early classical periods'' (Historia Einzelschriften, 197). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 2007. 238 p.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Boeotia}}
{{NIE Poster|Bœotia}}
*{{cite web |title=Boeotia digital cultural encyclopedia |publisher=Foundation of the Hellenic World |url=http://boeotia.ehw.gr/forms/fmain.aspx |access-date=9 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629072108/http://boeotia.ehw.gr/forms/fmain.aspx |archive-date=29 June 2012 }}

{{Kallikratis-Central Greece}}
{{Prefectures of Greece}}
{{Ancient Greece topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boeotia| ]]
[[Category:Prefectures of Greece]]
[[Category:1836 establishments in Greece]]
[[Category:Regional units of Central Greece]]
[[Category:Regions of Europe]]
[[Category:Historical regions]]