Eleon on the Map
Ancient Eleon was located in Boeotia.
Boeotia lies at an intersection between Attika, the Peloponnese, Euboea, and Central Greece. Try it: Can you locate Boeotia on the map of ancient Greece below? What did this location offer the ancient Boeotians?
Map of Greek Political Geography image credit: https://maps-greece.com/greek-city-states-map
The geography of Boeotia is characterized by mountains, waterbodies, and plains.
Mountains, water features, and plains mark the landscape of Boeotia. These geographical features impacted the everyday lives of Boeotians as well as the history of the area.
Left: Imagery Hybrid Map Right: Topographic Map
There is evidence for change and continuity in Boeotian geography.
Try it: The maps above show what the area of Boeotia looks like today. Compare what you know about the major features of ancient Boeotian geography with this map. Look for mountains, waterbodies, plains, place names, and political boundaries. What's the same? What’s different?
The political geography of Boeotia was defined by many strong city-states, who came together to form the Boeotian League.
Ancient Boeotia was home to many city-states, who often joined together to form the Boeotian League. Each city-state was made up of an urban centre and the surrounding land. The Greek word for city-state is polis, from which the English word politics is derived. A very literal of translation of the word politics might be “the stuff about the city-state.”
The Boeotians had many neighbours. In the north, their territory met Lokris and Phokis. In the northeast lay the island of Euboea. To the south, Boeotia is next to Megara and Attika. The Boeotians had many disagreements with these neighbours regarding land boundaries. Boeotia's strategic location in the Greek landscape made Boeotia a major player in Greek history and a desirable ally.
While the Boeotians usually acted as a group in response to external threats, the Boeotian city-states often quarrelled among themselves. The history of Boeotia is dominated by Thebes, a city also important in Greek mythology. The Thebans often took a leading role in the Boeotia League and made attempts to unify the city-states of Boeotia under their leadership, but this never happened. Thebes had a rivalry with Orchomenos, another powerful Boeotian city, and was often in dispute with Tanagra over the southern Boeotian plains. In later Greek history, particularly in the 3rd century BC, Thebes became a major rival of Sparta and Athens.
How does Eleon fit into the geography of Boeotia?
Unlike the larger cities of Thebes, Orchomenos, and Tanagra, ancient Eleon never figured much in Greek historical texts. From its beginnings in the Mycenaean period, Eleon is best described as a secondary center which operated in the orbit of a larger city-state. Strabo, writing in the 1st century AD, describes Eleon as a small place in the territory of Tanagra.
Map showing EBAP survey area
The residents of Eleon would have contended with many of the geographical features we have discussed. Located on the southern plain, Eleon may have been crossed by travelers moving from Thebes or Tanagra onto Chalkis or the Euboean Gulf. Eleon would have likely have maintained relationships with both Thebes and Tanagra, as well as smaller neighbouring towns like Harma.
Athough the Mycenaean burials found on the acropolis of Eleon do not continue into the Classical period, it is clear that the Boeotians felt Eleon was worth maintaining. We have evidence that a ramp and the walls were reinforced into the classical period. We have also found many cult objects and a plethora of pottery. As we uncover and analyze more of our finds from the acropolis at Eleon, we are discovering more about what specific roles Eleon played in the local politics and economy of Boeotia.
