Cnemis or Knemis (; ) was either a range of mountains between the Cephissus Valley and the Gulf of Euboea combined with the

Malian Gulf The Malian or Maliac Gulf () is a gulf in the western Aegean Sea. It forms part of the coastline of Greece's region of Phthiotis. The gulf stretches east to west to a distance of , depending on the definition, and is very shallow, with a maximum ...

, or was a single mountain located in the northwest of that range. The valley formed the heartland of

Phocis Phocis (; ; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gu ...

, where the river originated, before entering

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...

north of Orchomenos. The uncertainty of what terrain was meant by "Cnemis" derives from the varying accounts of the many sources. The narrower meaning is based on the home territory of the

Epicnemidian Locrians Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greek region inhabited by the eastern division of the Locrians, the so-called tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii () or Locri Opuntii (Greek: ). Geography Opuntian Locris consisted of a narrow slip u ...

, who received their distinguishing name from this mountain, on the northern slopes of which they made their homes. Mount Cnemis was a continuation of Callidromus, with which it was connected by a ridge, at the foot of which is the modern village of

Mendenitsa Mendenitsa (), in the Middle Ages known as Mountonitsa (Μουντονίτσα) and Bodonitsa, Boudonitsa, or Vodonitsa (Βοδονίτσα), is a village in Phthiotis, Greece. Along with the nearby village of Karavidia, it forms a community in th ...

. Callidromus is the mountain that overhangs Thermopylae. It is usually not counted as part of Cnemis, which is the next mountain east. The account of Cnemis in Smith, based on some of the ancient sources, seems to pinpoint the location of the populated mountain. A spur of this mountain, Smith says, running out into the sea, formed the promontory Cape Cnemides (Κνημῖδες), opposite the islands called

Lichades Lichades or Lichadonisia ( or Λιχαδονήσια) is an island complex off the north west of Euboea, in the North Euboean Gulf. The islands located opposite Lichada cape in the north-western extreme of Euboea and opposite of small town Kamen ...

and the

Euboea Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

n promontory Cenaeum. Upon Cape Cnemides stood a fortress, also called Cnemides (or Cnemis), distant 20 stadia from Thronium.

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Mountains of Greece Mountains of Central Greece Geography of ancient Phocis Epicnemidian Locris {{Greece-mountain-stub