Eleonas is located 80km away from Athens and 18km from Thebes. The community took its name from the swamps that existed in the area in ancient times and that is why it is spelled with an “ε” despite an “αι”. Until 1955 it was called SPAIDES.
The ancient city of Eleonas was situated in the location of the modern settlement. Homer mentions it as one of the Boeotian cities that participated in the Trojan War.
Archaeological research has been carried out in the area between Eleonas and the neighbouring village Arma, in order to determine the role played by several settlements in antiquity, as mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. Research has revealed fortifications and pottery fragments of the Mycenaean, Classical and Medieval periods.
The village’s economics is mainly based on agriculture and livestock farming. The population of the community is 1.010 inhabitants according to the 2011 census.
