Location of Lake Copais in antiquity

Lake Copais, Kopais, or Kopaida (ancient Greek Κωπαΐς, modern Κωπαϊδα) used to be in the centre of Boeotia, Greece, west of Thebes until the late 19th century. The area where it was located, though now a plain, is still known as Kopaida. Boeotia or Beotia (//, (Greek Βοιωτια; see also list of traditional Greek place names) was the central area of ancient Greece. ... Thebes (in Demotic Greek: Θήβα — Thíva, Katharevousa: — ThÄ“bai or Thíve) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Drainage

While it still existed, the towns of Aliartos (ancient Haliartus), Orchomenos, and Chaeronea were on its shores. Rivers running into the lake included the Cephissus, the Termessus, and the Triton. The lake was (and is) surrounded by fertile land, but the lake increasingly encroached on the surrounding land because of inadequate drainage. In response to this, in 1867-1887 Scots and French engineers reclaimed the land for the British company Lake Copais Ltd., by building channels to drain water from the lake to the Cephissus and from there to Lake Iliki (Ilíki Limní, ancient Hylice). In total about 200 km² were reclaimed. This land was returned to the Greek government in 1952.^[1] Aliartos (Αλίαρτος) is a municipality in the Boeotia Prefecture, Greece. ... A king in Greek mythology, Orchomenus was the father of Elara. ... Chaeronea was a city in the province of Boeotia in Ancient Greece. ... The northern Cephissus river (Greek Κήφισσος: Kifissós, Kephissós, or Kêphissos) or Cephisus (Greek Κήφισος: Kêphisos) rises at Lilaea in Phocis and flows by Delphi through Boeotia and eventually issues into Lake Copais which... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Before this the lake drained into the sea by numerous subterranean channels. Some of these channels were artificial, as the 1st century geographical writer Strabo records.^[2] Modern excavation has discovered enormous channels created in the 14th century BCE (sic) which drained water into the sea to the north-east;^[3] Strabo mentions work being done on these channels by an engineer named Crates of Chalcis at the time of Alexander the Great. The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... (Redirected from 14th century BCE) (15th century BC - 14th century BC - 13th century BC - other centuries) (1400s BC - 1390s BC - 1380s BC - 1370s BC - 1360s BC - 1350s BC - 1340s BC - 1330s BC - 1320s BC - 1310s BC - 1300s BC - other decades) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ...

Lake Copais in ancient literature and mythology

Map of ancient Boeotia

Homer and other ancient authors refer to Copais as the "Cephisian lake", named for the river Cephissus.^[4] Strabo, however, argues that the poetic expression refers to the smaller Lake Iliki (Hylice), between Thebes and Anthedon.^[5] Homer (Greek Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (singer) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ...

There was a legend that the lake came into being when the hero Heracles flooded the area by digging out a river, the Cephissus, which poured into the basin.^[6] Polyaenus explains that he did this because he was fighting the Minyans of Orchomenus: they were dangerous horseback fighters, and Heracles dug the lake in order to unhorse them.^[7] Hercules, a Roman bronze (Louvre Museum) In roman mythology, Heracles or Herakles (glory of Hera, or Alcides, original name) + , ) was a divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, stepson of Amphitryon[1] and great-grandson of Perseus. ... Polyaenus (died 278 BC), born in Macedonia, was a Greek rhetorician who served as military commander in the Roman army. ... See Minyan (disambiguation) for other meanings of the term. ...

The travel writer Pausanias and the 5th century BCE comic playwright Aristophanes record that in antiquity Lake Copais was known for its fish, especially the eels.^[8] Pausanias is the name of several ancient people: Pausanias was a Spartan general of the 5th century BC. Pausanias of Sparta was King of Sparta from 409 BC-395 BC. Pausanias was the servant/lover who assassinated Philip II of Macedon in 336 BC Pausanias, Greek traveller and geographer of... (6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Demotic becomes the dominant script of ancient Egypt Persians invade Greece twice (Persian Wars) Battle of Marathon (490) Battle of Salamis (480) Athenian empire formed and falls Peloponnesian War... Sketch of Aristophanes Aristophanes (Greek: , c. ...

References

External links

• Satellite image of the location of Lake Copais (maps.google.com)
• Strabo on Lake Copais — see especially 9.2.16-27 (Perseus, tr. H.L. Jones, 1924)
• Pausanias on Lake Copais (Perseus, tr. W.H.S. Jones and H.A. Ormerod, 1918)

Notes

1. ^ "Buildings of the Installations of Copais Company", Hellenic Ministry of Culture, accessed 10/2006; "Mycenaean Gla", accessed 10/2006.
2. ^ Strabo 9.2.18.
3. ^ "Buildings of the Installations of Copais Company", Hellenic Ministry of Culture, accessed 10/2006; "Technology in Ancient Greece", accessed 10/2006.
4. ^ E.g. Iliad 5.708; Pausanias 9.24.1 makes the identification explicit.
5. ^ Strabo 9.2.20.
6. ^ Diodorus Siculus 4.18.7; Pausanias 9.38.7.
7. ^ Polyaenus Strategemata 1.3.5.
8. ^ Pausanias 9.24.2; Aristophanes Acharnians 880.