Boeotia

Boeotia is a geographic and historical region in central Greece. It centers on a fertile inland plain around Lake Copais and is bounded by uplands to the north and west, with the Aegean coast to the east across the Euboean Gulf. The major ancient city was Thebes, which remains the regional capital in the modern Boeotia administrative unit within Central Greece.

Historically, Boeotia comprised several city-states that formed the Boeotian League in the 6th century BCE. The alliance fostered shared religious and political institutions, with Thebes often taking the lead. In the 4th century BCE Thebes briefly revived Boeotian power, defeating Sparta at Leuctra in 371 BCE and reshaping Greek politics. Other notable Boeotian cities included Orchomenus, Thespiae, Tanagra, Lebadea and Plataea. The region is associated with the Boeotian dialect of ancient Greek.

Tanagra is renowned for its terracotta figurines, and Orchomenos is notable for Mycenaean remains associated with the so-called Minyan culture. In later periods Boeotia continued to be integrated into Hellenistic and Roman Greece before becoming part of modern Greece, with lasting cultural and archaeological significance.

Today Boeotia is a regional unit of the Central Greece periphery. Its economy combines agriculture—including fruit and wine production—with tourism focused on archaeological sites and the region’s rural landscapes. The legacy of classical, Hellenistic and medieval Boeotia is preserved in its monuments, museums and historic towns.