Plataea as a frontier between Boeotia and Attica

Abstract

In this article, the Boeotian polis of Plataea is explored as a frontier zone between the political alliances of Classical Greece. Despite its marginal location, the region had a significant impact on the interactions of other poleis in the 5th century BC. Here, the logic of the inter-polis relations is elucidated using conceptual models (based on an adapted version of the frontier concept proposed by Hugh Elton) and relevant evidence from historical sources. The distinctive character of the contacts which developed between the Plataeans and their neighbors is demonstrated. The analysis reveals that, beginning in the late 6th century BC, Plataea presumed as a borderland situated between the Boeotian League and the Delian League. As a result, the Plataean polis became a frontier separating these two political entities and assumed the roles of both an area with flexible boundaries (in line with Elton’s theory) and a periphery within the territories controlled by each of the two hegemonic powers. It should be noted that Elton’s considerations focus specifically on Roman frontiers and thus refer to a different geographical and historical context. Therefore, the extent to which his theoretical construct can be applied to the world of ancient Greece is possibly a point of scholarly discussion. However, the fundamental promise of this approach lies in its ability to provide valuable insight into the dynamics of Greek frontier zones and, more generally, into the borderland communities of Antiquity.