Elateia

Elateia (Greek: Ελάτεια; Ancient Greek: Ἐλάτεια) was an ancient Greek city of Phthiotis, and the most important place in that region after Delphi. It is also a modern-day town that is a former municipality in the southeastern part of Phthiotis. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is a municipal unit of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia.¹ Its population is 2,804 inhabitants (2021 census)² and its land area is 154.361 km2.³ The municipal seat was the town of Eláteia (pop. 2,002); other communities are Zeli (466), Panagítsa (148), Lefkochóri (99) and Sfáka (89).

History

Ancient Elateia was situated about the middle of the great fertile basin that extends nearly 20 miles, from the narrows of the Cephissus River below Amphicleia, to the entrance into Boeotia. Hence it was admirably placed for commanding the passes into southern Greece from Mount Oeta, and became a post of great military importance.⁴

Pausanias describes it as situated over against Amphicleia, at the distance of 180 stadia from the latter town, on a gently rising slope in the plain of the Cephissus.⁵ Elateia is not mentioned by Homer. Its inhabitants claimed they were , deriving their name from , the son of Arcas. It was burnt, along with the other Phocian towns, by the army of during the in 480 BC.