Cephissus (Boeotia)

Course of the river in central Greece

The Kifisos at Orchomenus on a painting by Edward Dodwell (1821 )

The Kifisos (Greek Κηφισός, also Kifisos Κηφισσός, Boeotian Kifisos Βοιωτικός Κηφισός, formerly Mavroneri Μαυρονέρι or Fokikos Φωκικός, ancient Greek Kephissos Κηφισσός ) is the main river of the Greek landscape Boeotia. It is about 60 kilometers long and flows through parts of the regional districts Fthiotida and Boeotia.

The Kifisos arises from the union of several source streams, as the main source is considered since ancient times a source pond on the northern slope of Mount Parnassus, in which the municipality Delfi belonging to Phocis village Lilea. Pausanias describes the around noon with a loud noise from the ground spurting water. The river god Kephissos was worshiped here by the inhabitants of ancient Lilaia. At this source pond today is a church of the Merciful Mother of God (Greek Paliapanagia, Panagia Panagia Eleousa or Mavromandila ).

The Kifisos first flows to the northeast. Soon after the source of his flow significantly longer streams, so from the south of Parnassus Agorianitis ( Αγοριανίτης ), from the west to the mountains of Giona Kanianitis ( Κανιανίτης ), the Livadorrachis ( Λιβαδόρραχης ) and the Apostolias ( Αποστολιάς ). After about five kilometers of the river bends to the southeast from the waters of the north of the Kallidromo coming Xirorema ( Ξηρόρεμα ) absorbs and forms in other upper reaches a fertile valley between the mountain sticks of Parnassus and the Kallidromo. About three kilometers north of the city Amfiklia happened the Kifisos a narrow valley, passing to the southeast of the village Kato Tithorea and occurs after Boeotia in the plain around the village Cheronia, on the site of ancient Chaeronea, a. He North of Cheronia turns eastward and flows of the city of Orchomenus, where he led originally to the Kopais Sea ( Greek: Kopaida Κωπαΐδα ), which was without above-ground drains and in ancient times, even after the river as Kēfissis ( Κηφισσίς ) was designated. This lake was drained in the 19th century, and the Kifisos was diverted to the nearby lake Yliki. Since then he has watered the wide fields of Kopaida level. Other tributaries in the lower reaches are of Platanias, the Erkyna and Melas or Melanas, which originally led to the Kopais lake and today irrigates the fields in numerous channels of the plane.

The Kifisos the system, together with the lakes Yliki Paralimni and the Natura 2000 site Limnes Yliki ke Paralimni - Systima Viotikou Kifissou.

Historical significance was the flow through the Battle of the Kephissos on 15 March 1311.