§9.2.1ἑξῆς δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ Βοιωτία, περὶ ἧς λέγοντα καὶ περὶ τῶν συνεχῶν ἐθνῶν ἀνάμνησιν ποιήσασθαι χρὴ τοῦ σαφοῦς χάριν ὧν εἴπομεν πρότερον.
Next is Boeotia, concerning which and the adjacent tribes it is necessary, for the sake of clarity, to make a recollection of what we have said before.
εν δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ Σουνίου παραλίαν μέχρι Θετταλο ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους τετάσθαι, μικρὸν ἐκκλίνουσαν ἔχουσαν τὴν θάλατταν πρὸς ἕω, τὰ δʼ ὑπερη πρὸς δύσιν ὡς ἂν ταινίας τινὰς διὰ τῆς τεταμένας παραλλήλους·
For we assumed that the coast from Sunium extends towards the north, with the sea inclining slightly towards the east, and the inland parts extending towards the west, like parallel strips stretched through the country.
ὧν πρώτη ἐστὶν Μεγαρίδι ὡς ἂν ταινία τις, τὸ μὲν ἑωθισα τὴν ἀπὸ Σουνίου μέχρι Ὠρωποῦ καὶ ίας, τὸ δʼ ἑσπέριον τόν τε Ἰσθμὸν καὶ τὴν ατταν τὴν κατὰ Παγὰς μέχρι τῶν ας τῶν περὶ Κρέουσαν· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μέχρι Ἰσθμοῦ παραλίαν καὶ τὴν ὡς ἂν ς ὀρεινὴν τὴν διείργουσαν ἀπὸ τῆς ττικήν.
Of these, the first is Attica with Megaris, like a certain strip, having on its eastern side the coast from Sunium to Oropus and the border of Boeotia, and on its western side the Isthmus and the sea near Pagae up to the boundaries around Creusa; and the remaining parts include the coast up to the Isthmus and the mountain range, which is broad as it were, separating Attica from Megaris.
δευτέρα δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ Βοιωτία ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω ἐπὶ δύσιν τεταμένη ταινία τις ἀπὸ τῆς κατʼ Εὔβοιαν θαλάττης ἐπὶ θάλατταν τὴν κατὰ τὸν Κρισαῖον κόλπον, ἰσομήκης πως τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἢ καὶ ἐλάττων κατὰ μῆκος· ἀρετῇ μέντοι τῆς χώρας πάμπολυ διαφέρει.
The second is Boeotia, a certain strip extending from east to west, from the sea near Euboea to the sea near the Crisaean gulf, being in length somewhat equal to Attica or even smaller; in the excellence of its soil, however, it is vastly superior.
§9.2.2Ἔφορος δὲ καὶ ταύτῃ κρείττω τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἀποφαίνει τῶν ὁμόρων ἐθνῶν καὶ ὅτι μόνη τριθάλαττός ἐστι καὶ λιμένων εὐπορεῖ πλειόνων, ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ Κρισαίῳ κόλπῳ καὶ τῷ Κορινθιακῷ τὰ ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ Σικελίας καὶ Λιβύης δεχομένη, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πρὸς Εὔβοιαν μερῶν ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα τοῦ Εὐρίπου σχιζομένης τῆς παραλίας τῇ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν Αὐλίδα καὶ τὴν Ταναγρικὴν τῇ δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν Σαλγανέα καὶ τὴν Ἀνθηδόνα, τῇ μὲν εἶναι συνεχῆ τὴν κατʼ Αἴγυπτον καὶ Κύπρον καὶ τὰς νήσους θάλατταν τῇ δὲ τὴν κατὰ Μακεδόνας καὶ τὴν Προποντίδα καὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον.
Ephorus also shows that in this respect Boeotia is superior to the neighboring tribes, and that it alone is bordered by three seas and is well-provided with more harbors, receiving products from Italy, Sicily, and Libya at the Crisaean and Corinthian gulfs, while on the parts facing Euboea, the coast splits on either side of the Euripus, in one direction towards Aulis and the territory of Tanagra, and in the other towards Salganeus and Anthedon, with the sea facing Egypt, Cyprus, and the islands being continuous on one side, and the sea facing Macedonia, the Propontis, and the Hellespont on the other.
προστίθησι δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὴν Εὔβοιαν τρόπον τινὰ μέρος αὐτῆς πεποίηκεν ὁ Εὔριπος οὕτω στενὸς ὢν καὶ γεφύρᾳ συνεζευγμένος πρὸς αὐτὴν διπλέθρῳ.
And he adds that the Euripus, being so narrow and joined to Euboea by a bridge two plethra long, has in a way made Euboea a part of Boeotia.
τὴν μὲν οὖν χώραν ἐπαινεῖ διὰ ταῦτα, καί φησι πρὸς ἡγεμονίαν εὐφυῶς ἔχειν, ἀγωγῇ δὲ καὶ παιδείᾳ μὴ χρησαμένους ἐπιμελεῖ τοὺς ἀεὶ προϊσταμένους αὐτῆς, εἰ καί ποτε κατώρθωσαν, ἐπὶ μικρὸν τὸν χρόνον συμμεῖναι, καθάπερ Ἐπαμεινώνδας ἔδειξε· τελευτήσαντος γὰρ ἐκείνου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀποβαλεῖν εὐθὺς τοὺς Θηβαίους γευσαμένους αὐτῆς μόνον·
Thus he praises the country for these reasons, and says that it is naturally well-suited for leadership, but because those who were successively in charge of it did not make use of careful training and education, even if they ever succeeded, they remained in power only for a short time, as Epaminondas showed; for after his death, the Thebans immediately lost the hegemony, having only tasted it.
αἴτιον δὲ εἶναι τὸ λόγων καὶ ὁμιλίας τῆς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ὀλιγωρῆσαι, μόνης δʼ ἐπιμεληθῆναι τῆς κατὰ πόλεμον ἀρετῆς.
And the cause of this, he says, is that they neglected learning and intercourse with men, and cared only for military virtue.
ἔδει δὲ προσθεῖναι διότι τοῦτο πρὸς Ἕλληνας μάλιστα χρήσιμόν ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ πρός γε τοὺς βαρβάρους βία λόγου κρείττων ἐστί.
But he ought to have added that this is especially useful against Greeks, since against barbarians force is superior to reason.
καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τὸ παλαιὸν μὲν ἀγριωτέροις ἔθνεσι πολεμοῦντες οὐδὲν ἐδέοντο τῶν τοιούτων παιδευμάτων, ἀφʼ οὗ δὲ ἤρξαντο πρὸς ἡμερώτερα ἔθνη καὶ φῦλα τὴν πραγματείαν ἔχειν, ἐπέθεντο καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ἀγωγῇ καὶ κατέστησαν πάντων κύριοι.
Indeed, the Romans too in ancient times, when fighting against wilder nations, had no need of such education, but from the time they began to have dealings with more civilized nations and tribes, they applied themselves to this training also and became masters of all.
§9.2.3ἡ δʼ οὖν Βοιωτία πρότερον μὲν ὑπὸ βαρβάρων ᾠκεῖτο Ἀόνων καὶ Τεμμίκων ἐκ τοῦ Σουνίου πεπλανημένων καὶ Λελέγων καὶ Ὑάντων·
Boeotia, at any rate, was formerly inhabited by barbarians, namely the Aones and the Temmices, who had wandered from Sunium, and the Leleges and the Hyantes.
εἶτα Φοίνικες ἔσχον οἱ μετὰ Κάδμου, ὃς τήν τε Καδμείαν ἐτείχισε καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῖς ἐκγόνοις ἀπέλιπεν.
Then the Phoenicians who accompanied Cadmus held it, and he fortified Cadmeia and left the rule to his descendants.
ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὰς Θήβας τῇ Καδμείᾳ προσέκτισαν, καὶ συνεφύλαξαν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡγούμενοι τῶν πλείστων Βοιωτῶν ἕως τῆς τῶν Ἐπιγόνων στρατείας.
And they founded Thebes adjacent to Cadmeia, and together preserved their rule, leading most of the Boeotians until the expedition of the Epigoni.
κατὰ δὲ τούτους ὀλίγον χρόνον ἐκλιπόντες τὰς Θήβας ἐπανῆλθον πάλιν·
At the time of this expedition, they abandoned Thebes for a short time, but returned again.
ὡς δʼ αὕτως ὑπὸ Θρᾳκῶν καὶ Πελασγῶν ἐκπεσόντες ἐν Θετταλίᾳ συνεστήσαντο τὴν ἀρχὴν μετὰ Ἀρναίων ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον, ὥστε καὶ Βοιωτοὺς κληθῆναι πάντας.
Likewise, when they were driven out by the Thracians and the Pelasgians, they established their rule in Thessaly together with the Arnaeans for a long time, so that they all came to be called Boeotians.
εἶτʼ ἀνέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, ἤδη τοῦ Αἰολικοῦ στόλου παρεσκευασμένου περὶ Αὐλίδα τῆς Βοιωτίας, ὃν ἔστελλον εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν οἱ Ὀρέστου παῖδες.
Then they returned to their own land, at the time when the Aeolian fleet was already prepared near Aulis in Boeotia, which the sons of Orestes were sending to Asia.
προσθέντες δὲ τῇ Βοιωτίᾳ τὴν Ὀρχομενίαν (οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν κοινῇ πρότερον, οὐδʼ Ὅμηρος μετὰ Βοιωτῶν αὐτοὺς κατέλεξεν ἀλλʼ ἰδίᾳ, Μινύας προσαγορεύσας) μετʼ ἐκείνων ἐξέβαλον τοὺς μὲν Πελασγοὺς εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἀφʼ ὧν ἐκλήθη μέρος τι τῆς πόλεως Πελασγικόν (ᾤκησαν δὲ ὑπὸ τῷ Ὑμηττῷ), τοὺς δὲ Θρᾷκας ἐπὶ τὸν Παρνασσόν.
And having added the territory of Orchomenus to Boeotia (for they were not previously in common, nor did Homer register them along with the Boeotians, but separately, calling them Minyae), they together with them drove out the Pelasgians to Athens, after whom a certain part of the city was called Pelasgicon (and they lived under Mount Hymettus), and the Thracians to Mount Parnassus.
Ὕαντες δὲ τῆς Φωκίδος Ὕαν πόλιν ᾤκισαν.
As for the Hyantes, they founded the city of Hyas in Phocis.