1. Introduction

Haliartus is a country town in Boeotia. It is located in the centre of the province, 20 km. west of Thebes and 103 km. north of Athens; its approximate population is 4,200. Due to its proximity to Lake Copais, the city of Haliartus played an important role in the history of Boeotia, in Antiquity and in recent history.

2. Antiquity

The ruins of the ancient city are located on a hillock at the site called Moulki, west of the modern settlement. The identification of the site as ancient Haliartus rested on inscriptions unearthed in the area and on the testimony of ancient sources (e.g. Strabo and Pausanias), which accurately pinpoint the location where the city stood. In mythology, the founder of the city was Haliartus, son of Thetis and Thersander. Although the earliest traces of habitation date back to the Neolithic period, the settlement appears to have flourished in the Late Bronze period, as indicated by the remains of a Mycenaean citadel on the top of the hillock. It is believed that Haliartus formed part of a series of fortified sites created when the Mycenaeans carried out the earliest drainage project at Lake Copais.

In 480 BC the city of Haliartus was sacked by the Persians for refusing to capitulate and join forces with them, but it was quickly rebuilt and later participated in the Boeotian League. Together with Coronea and Lebadea, Haliartus formed one of the 11 mere (administrative districts) of the League, and its countryside is estimated to have extended over an area of approximately 88 square kilometres. In 395 BC Haliartus became the site of a battle between the Spartans and the Thebans. The Battle of Haliartus is considered as signalling the outbreak of the Corinthian War, which lasted until 387 BC. During the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC), Haliartus sided with the Macedonian king Perseus against Rome. This resulted in the complete razing of the city in 171 BC by the praetor Gaius Lucretius Gallus. Approximately 2,500 inhabitants were sold into slavery and the countryside of the city was ceded to the Athenians. The city was not rebuilt and it appears that the area of Haliartus remained thinly populated until the Late Roman period (400-600 AD).

3. Middle Ages – Ottoman period

The information available on Haliartus during the Early and Middle Byzantine period is minimal. The Evangelistria monastery was erected in the 12th century; it is situated 12 km southwest of the city. This is a particularly significant monastery, which underwent extensive restoration in the mid-17th century. The main church is in the cross-in-square type with a dome. It is said that during the Ottoman period a ‘hidden school’ operated inside the monastery.

Following the sack of Constantinople by the Franks in 1204, Boeotia was captured by Boniface of Montferrat and formed part of the Frankish Duchy of Athens; later it was controlled by the Catalans and in 1379 it belonged to the Florentine family of the Accaiuoli. A tower survives from this period, located close to the city, in one of the cavernous openings of the lakeside. In 1460, the whole of Boeotia fell to the Ottomans and Haliartus formed part of the vilayet of Lebadea.

4. Modern Era – Drainage of Lake Copais

In the 19th century drainage works were carried out again at Lake Copais. Following some abortive plans in 1834-1838, the Greek government signed a contract in 1865 with the French Montferrier and Bonnair. According to the terms, the company would enjoy the right of usufruct on half the lands reclaimed for 99 years, after which period the Greek government would regain ownership of the lands. In 1873, however, and while the lake had been partially drained, the company went bankrupt. A new contract was signed in 1880 with another French company, and between 1882 and 1886 significant drainage works were carried out. The organic material that had amassed at the bottom of the lake, however, was set on fire, and the blazes spread over a large area. This caused the level of the ground to recede by four meters lower that the existing drainage canal; thus incoming water could not be drained away, and by 1887 Copais had become a lake once again. A British company, Lake Copais Co Ltd, was commissioned to continue the project, and it chose Haliartus as its headquarters. The company completed the drainage project in 1931, successfully reclaiming 241,000 square km in total. In 1953 and with legislative decree 2641/1953, the Greek government expropriated the area and redistributed it to 13,000 landless farmers. The Kopais Organization was also established at that time, its aim being organized farming and the improvement and supplementing of existing drainage works and installations, so as to increase agricultural output.

We should mention that in the late 19th and the early 20th century the town was known as Kribas. It was renamed to Aliartos in 1919. Today the city is an important cotton-producing centre, while efforts are underway to preserve and rehabilitate the facilities of the British company Lake Copais Co Ltd.