First settled in the Prehistoric period at the site now known as Magoula Balomenou (Μαγούλα Μπαλωμένου), its older name was Arne, and it was originally on the shore of
Lake Copais (later drained).
Iron Age Chaeronea was subject to
Orchomenus which was, beginning in 600 BC, a member of the
Boeotian League. In the late 5th century BC, Chaironeia belonged to one of the 11 Boeotian districts along with
Acraephnium and
Copia.
Classical Age Chaeronea's importance lay in its strategic position near the head of the
defile which presents the last serious obstacle to an invader in central Greece, and it was the site of
several historical battles. The best known is
that of 338 BC, between
Philip II of Macedon and a coalition of various Greek states, mainly Thebes and Athens. According to
Plutarch, during the battle the elite unit of Theban soldiers known as the
Sacred Band of Thebes was wiped out completely. In 1818, the so-called
Lion of Chaeronea, a nearly tall funerary monument erected in honor of the Sacred Band, was rediscovered by English travellers. The fragmentary monument was reassembled and installed in 1902 by an organisation called the
Order of Chaeronea atop a pedestal at the site of its discovery. The site of the Theban mass grave was excavated in 1879–80 by
Panagiotis Stamatakis, and the prehistoric site of Magoula Balamenou 23 years later by the archaeologist George Soteriadis. The ancient biographer and essayist
Plutarch was born in Chaeronea, and several times refers to these and other facts about his native place in his writings. Plutarch refers to many graves of
Amazons near the stream of Haemon, and assumes that these were casualties during the Amazon journey back home after the conclusion of the
Attic War. In his
Parallel Lives, he mentions the Greek prophet
Peripoltas.
Middle Ages Chaeronea remained inhabited throughout Antiquity, and despite being devastated during the
551 Malian Gulf earthquake, probably remained in existence during the following centuries as well, as it is consistently attested among the cities of the
Theme of Hellas. Remains of a three-aisled early Christian basilica, dedicated to
Saint Paraskevi, survive. After the
Fourth Crusade and the foundation of the Crusader
Duchy of Athens, a castle was built in the town, on the site of the ancient acropolis. This was part of an extensive defensive network along the Cephissus valley built by the
Frankish Crusaders, and residence of its lord. In Frankish times, the town became known as
Kapraina (, ), a name first attested in 1381 and used until early modern times. The town came under
Ottoman rule probably in 1460. Chaeronia returned to Greek rule after the
War of Independence in 1829. ==Transport==