Boeotia

Boeotia (Greek Viotia Βοιωτία, AltGr. Transcription Boeotia ) is that in ancient times by the local cattle pastures (old Greek bous βοῦς, beef ') called landscape in which the Greek tribe of the Boeotians ( Boeotian ) moved. Boeotia is one of the five regional districts of the Greek region Central Greece.

After the independence of Greece Boeotia was 1833-1943 part of the prefecture Attica - Boeotia, 1899-1909 and finally from 1943 an autonomous prefecture, from 1986 in the administrative region of Central Greece. 1974 some coastal communities were spun in the prefecture of Euboea. Due to the administrative reform of 2010, the powers of the Prefecture of the region of Central Greece and the greatly reduced by merging municipalities were transferred. As Regional District Boeotia sent eleven deputies to the Central Regional Greek, but beyond that it has no political significance.

• 2.1 cult
• 2.2 The term Boeotian

Geography

Boeotia is bordered on the west by Phocis, on the south by the Corinthian Gulf, on the east by the Cithaeron, and on the north by the opuntische Locris. The Sound of Euboea was for many the natural eastern border. The area is in the northern hilly, mountainous in the south, between lies flat lowlands. The most important sites of antiquity were Thebes and Haliartus, also Orchomenus, Thespiai ( Thespiae ) and Plataea ( Plataea ). Today's main towns are Thebes ( modern Thebes) and Livadia. Boeotia remained inland agricultural country, although its coastlines had natural harbors. Historically and archaeologically important are also Akraiphia, Aulis, Eutresis, Gla, Leuctra, Siphai, Tanagra and Thisbe.

Structure

Boeotia includes the municipalities Aliartos, Distomo - Arachova - Andikyra, Livadia, Orchomenus, Tanagra and Thebes.

History

Oldest settlement traces can be found since the Paleolithic around the Kopaissee. In Mycenaean Thebes and Orchomenus were the headquarters of major dynasties. Oldest phylogenetic and cultic relationships existed with Thessaly and the Macedonian border mountains to Epirus. The Theban general and statesman Epaminondas called the Boeotia as " dancing place of Ares " because its vast plains suitable as excellent for the connected with the Greek phalanx type of warfare. Boeotia and his league of cities were set persian friendly by Thebes and stood in the Peloponnesian allies and in the war on the side of Sparta. They had only momentarily endure the Spartan and Athenian hegemony. Its cities were always dependent on Thebes, some were completely destroyed (eg Orchomenus ).

Thebes itself and parts of Boeotia were destroyed in the rebellion against Alexander, later rebuilt and pressed into a Macedonian covenant.

Cult

The most important sanctuaries of Boeotia were the Poseidon sanctuary in Onchestus, the Athena Itonia of Coronea and the Temple of Apollo at Delion.

The term Boeotian

In ancient Greece meant (especially among the Athenians ) " Boeotian " as much as, roughly rural, uneducated '; the Greeks called the Boeotians sometimes even " Boeotian pig ". This word meaning was " Boeotian " also in the upscale German language of the 18th and 19th century. Literally this meaning was also supported by the figure of the demented Hans Styx from Jacques Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers, who in his couplet Quand j'étais roi de Béotie ... (German mostly when I was still Prince of Arcadia ... ) his past as " King of Boeotia " mourns. Similarly, in Lion Feuchtwanger, who can speak the character in his novel Paul Hessreiter success of the " Böotisierung " Munich. In the French language béotien to date has the meaning of " Kulturbanause, primitive, uneducated man."