Central Greece

The stretch of mainland territory running from the Ionian Gulf to the Aegean, on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth. It includes the Ionian Islands on the west and Euboea to the east. Herein are some of the best-known sites in Hellas: Athens and Attica, Boeotia,  Delphi, and Thebes among them.

Includes: Aetolia, Agrinio, Aliartos, Alos, Alzyia, Anaktorio, Angelokastro, Anthedon, Antikera, Astakos, Athens, Cephalonia, Chaeronea, Chalkida, Corfu, Delphi, Elatia, Eleusina, Eretria, Euboea, Ipati, Ithaca, Karystos, Koroneia, Leucas, Lilaea, Locria, Megara, Oraeoi, Orchomenos, Panopeus, Phokis, Plataea, Stratos, Tanagra, Taphos, Thebes, Thespies, Zante.
ÆTOLIA In western Greece, between Epirus and Peloponnesos, nowadays called Ætoloacarnania.


AGRINIO The capital city of the Ætoloakarnania Nomos, north of the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth by 18 miles (30 km.). During the Middle Ages, it was called Vrakhori, a dialect version of Evrekori (Town of the Jews). Agrinio was a center of resistence against the Ottomans during the War of Independence, and site of the Senate of Western Greece.


ALIARTOS A town in central Boeotia, 12 miles (20 km.) west of Thebes.


ALOS A town in Phthiotis


ALYZIA A town in Akarnania.


ANAKTORIO A town in Acarnania


ANGELOKASTRO A mediaeval principality, nowadays a small village in Aetoloacarnania, near Mesolongi and 7 miles (12 km.) southwest of Agrinio.

ANTHEDON A town in Boeotia, first settled in about the 12th century BCE.


ANTIKERA (or Kyparissos)A town in Phocis.


ASTAKOS A town in Acarnania.


ATHENS A focus of Hellenic civilization from a very early date, the city became a crusader state from 1205, and was created a Duchy in 1260.


CEPHALONIA A mediaeval Duchy. Cephalonia, along with Zante and Ithaka, are three large islands lying off the coast of western Greece, around the mouth of the Gulf of Corinth.


CHAERONEA A town in Boeotia, birthplace of Plutarch. It’s older name was Arni. It is noted as the site of two important battles - Philip of Macedon defeated the Athenians and Thebans in 338 BCE; and Sulla defeated the Pontine Army in 86 BCE, establishing Roman hegemony over Hellas once and for all.


CHALKIDA The chief city of the island of Euboea, located on the narrow strait separating the island from the mainland. See also Euboea.


CORFU An island off the northwest tip of Greece, at the mouth of the Adriatic.


DELPHIAt the foot of Mt. Carnassus, Delphi is located in Phokis, inland from the north shore of the Bay of Corinth. A bucolic little corner of Greece, it is the site of a cavern system and some unusual rock formations, and was from a very early date regarded as an Oracular bridge between the Divine and the Human worlds; a centrepiece of pre-Christian religion for more than 4300 years. Originally sacred to Gaea, it later became associated with Apollo.


ELATIA A town in Phocis.


ELEUSINAOne of the 10 or 12 ancient kingdoms of Attica that were united by Theseus to create the Athenian state. Eleusina is nowadays an industrial area called Lepsina in modern Greek, and is located between Piraeus and Megara, about 14 miles (22.5 km.) west of Athens. The site is immortal as the location of the Temple of Demeter wherein the primary Eleusinian Mysteries were celebrated every 5 years, the best known of the classical Mystery Cults.


ERETRIA A small town on the island of Euboea, located on the south coast, about 10.5 miles (17.5 km.) east-southeast of Chalkida.


EUBOEA The second largest island of Greece. Many Protohellenic tribes were the first residents of the island: Iones, Dryopes, Avandes, Kourites, and Ellopieis. See also, Chalkida, Eretria, and Karystos.


IPATI A town near Lamia, built after the Peloponessian war, capital of the ancient tribe of Aenianes. During the Mediaeval era the town was called "Neas Patres" (New Patras).


ITHACAIn western Greece, the smallest of the major Ionian Isles, just off the northeast shore of Cephalonia.


KARYSTOSAn important port on the southernmost tip of the island of Euboea, facing the island of Andros in the Cyclades.


KORONEIA A town in Boeotia. It is here that a battle took place in 447 between the Athenians supporting democratic regimes in Boeotia and Boeotian oligarchs led by Thebes. Athens was defeated and Thebes was thus able to reconstruct the Boeotian Confederacy under its leadership. It is in that battle that Clinias, Alcibiades' father, was killed.


LEUCAS One of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, lying just to the north of Cephalonia.


LILAEAA town in Phokis. Only fragmentary data as of now.


LOCRIAThe Locrians were an early tribe located in central Greece, north of the Bay of Corinth. They were subdivided into four local associations; the Opondioi (East Locrians), the Ozoles (West Locrians), The Epicnimedioi, and the Hypocnimedioi. This list focuses on Naupaktos, chief city of the East Locrians (located directly opposite Patras), while also providing an overview of all the Locrians.


MEGARA A city in Attica, about 25 miles (45 km.) west from Athens, once of great importance, but increasingly overshadowed by irs neighbour, Athens. Megara is perhaps best remembered as the source and founder (658 BCE) of the colony of Byzantium, later Constantinople and Istanbul.


ORAEOIAncient town in Euboea.


ORCHOMENOSA town in Boeotia, near Thebes. Famed in classical times for its wealth (it was one of the first Hellenic communities to coin money (c. 550 BCE)), repeated political reversals gradually dispersed the place.


PANOPEUS A strongly fortified town in western Boeotia.


PHOKIS A small but important area in the hills north of the Gulf of Corinth.


PLATAEA A town in Boeotia, famous for the battle between Greeks and Persians.


STRATOS A town in Acarnania.


TANAGRAAncient town in Boeotia, 26 miles (42 km.) northwest of Athens.


TAPHOSThe 2nd island of the Leucas Group in the Ionian Islands, nowadays called Meganisos, had a local dynasty:


THEBES A major city in Boeotia, and a center of Hellenic power from Mycenean times.


THESPIES Ancient city of Greece, in S Boeotia, near Mt. Helicon and SW of Thebes. The Thespians fought (479 BCE) against the Persians at Thermopylae and Plataea. They joined (after 382 b.c.) the Spartans against their rivals, the Thebans. The famous statue of Eros by Praxiteles was a showpiece of Thespiae. It is at the court of Thespius that Heracles undertook the first of his wondrous deeds (though not one of the 12 labors), the killing of the lion of Cithæron.


ZANTESouthernmost of the Ionian Isles of western Greece, also called Zacynthos.
**************************************************