B(EHRINGER, George Friedrich, Ger man theologian: b. Maulbronn (Wiirtem berg), 28 Dec. 1812; d. Basel, 18 Sept. 1879. After finishing his university education, he was forced to leave the country and went to Swit zerland (1833) on account of his radical po litical ideas. There he became pastor of a church in Glattfelden (1842-53). This posi tion he resigned to devote his time to historical studies. In his later years he became blind and his son Paul acted as his secretary and helper. He began a very ambitious attempt at an ecclesiastical history 'Die christliche Kirche and ihre Zeugen, oder eine Kirchenge schichte in Biographies' (Stuttgart 1861-74,24 vols.), but death prevented his completing it.
BcEOTIA, be-eislii-a, a country of ancient Greece, bounded north by Phocis and the coun try of the Opuntian Locrians, east by the Euri pus or Strait of Eubcea, south by Attica, Me garis and the Alcyonian Gulf, and west by Phocis. Its surface was estimated at 1,119 square miles, but the boundaries were not always the same. In the north it is mountain ous and cold and the air is pure and healthy, but the soil is less fertile than that of the other portion, which, however, is said to suffer from malaria. The mountainous part in the north was called in earlier times Aonia. Among the mountains of Bceotia are several remarkable in history and mythology—Helicon (now Za gora), the mountain of the Sphinx, the Teu messus, Libethrium and Petrachus. Hypatus (modern name Samata) bounded the Theban plain on the east. The feature of the country was Lake Copais, the district around which is a valley completely surrounded by hills and connected with the Eubcean Sea by subterra nean passages. The lake was fed by the Cephisus, the largest river in the country, and the water was liable to accumulate more rap idly than the natural drainage of the country could carry it off. Hence the early inhabit ants suffered much from inundations, and at a period previous to historical annals subter raneous channels were built to carry off the water, which indicate a very early civilization and recognized from the ruins which still re main as among the greatest works of antiquity. These works made Bceotia one of the most fertile districts of Greece. Recently the lake has been drained at great expense and a large tract of land reclaimed. The chief occupation
of the inhabitants was agriculture and the rais ing of cattle. Bceotia was first occupied by the Pelasgian tribes. .In the time of Bceotus (son of Itonus and grandson of Amphictyon, from whom it is said to have derived its name) these were subject to the Hellenes. It was divided into small states until Cadmus the Phoenician founded the government of Thebes. In later times all Greece worshipped the Her cules of Thebes. After the death of Xanthus, King of Thebes, most of the cities of Bceotia formed a kind of republic, of which Thebes was the chief city. Epaminondas and Pelopi das raised Thebes for a time to the highest rank among Grecian states. In Bceotia are several celebrated ancient battlefields, namely, Platiea (now the village Kokia), where Pau sanias and Aristides established the liberty of Greece by their victory over the 300,000 Per sians under Mardonius; Leuctra (now the village Parapogia), where Epaminondas checked the ambitious Spartans; Coronea, where the Spartan Agesilaus defeated the Thebans, and Chrronea (now Capranu), where Philip founded the Macedonian greatness on the ruins of Grecian liberty. Near Tanagra, the birth place of Corinna, the best wine was produced; here also cocks were bred of remarkable size, beauty and courage, with which the Grecian cities, passionately fond of cock-fighting, were supplied. Refinement and cultivation of mind never made such progress in Bceotia as in At tica. The BoNitians were vigorous but slow and heavy. Several Thebans, however, were worthy disciples of Socrates, and Epaminondas distinguished himself as much in philosophy as by his military talents. The people were par ticularly fond of music and excelled in it. They had also some great poets and artists. Hesiod, Pindar, the poetess Corinna and Plu tarch were Bceotians. Bceotia is one of the nomes in the modern kingdom of Greece, with an area of 550 square miles. The capital is Livadia. Pop. 65,816 largely Albanian. Consult Bowner, 'The Boeotian Federal Constitution' (in 'Classical Philology,' Vol. V, Chicago 1910) ; W. M. Lealce, 'Travels in Northern Greece,' chaps. 11-19 (London 1835) ; W. Rhys Roberts, 'The Ancient Boeotian' (Cambridge 1895).