Thebes

Thebes, the principal city of Bœotia in ancient Greece, situated on the slopes of Mount Teumessus, and between two streams, the Dirce and the Ismenus, about 44 miles to the north-west of Athens. Its acropolis continued to be called Cadmeia from the legend that it was founded by a colony of Phœnicians under Cadmus. Here were born Dionysus and Hercules, Tiresias and Amphion; this was the scene of the dark tragedy of Ædipus, the war of the Seven against Thebes (see ADRASTUS), the terrible vengeance of the Epigoni. But the story of the city enters the world of history in the dispute between Thebes and another Bœotian city, Plataea, which involved the former in an unsuccessful war with Athens, and began that bitter enmity that never died out till the death of Greek liberty itself. During the Persian war Thebes sided with the Asiatic invader, but Sparta, jealous of Athens, interfered to prevent the unworthy city being deprived of her supremacy over the other Bœotian cities. When the Peloponnesian war broke out Thebes took part with Sparta, and at its close was eager for the destruction of Athens; but it soon began to dread the overgrown power of its ally, and sheltered the Athenian exiles from the rule of the Thirty Tyrants. Hence arose a bitter antagonism between Thebes and Sparta, and a varying struggle, which closed with a short period of Theban supremacy over all Greece, won by the glorious victory of Epaminondas at Leuctra (371), but ended by the hero's death in the moment of victory at Mantinea (362). The eloquence of Demosthenes induced Thebes to unite in opposition to the encroachments of Philip of Macedon; but it was too late, and in 338 B.C. the battle of Chæronea crushed the liberties of Greece. After Philip's death the Thebans made a fierce but unsuccessful effort to regain their freedom, but their city was taken by Alexander, levelled to the ground, and the entire population sold into slavery (336). In 316 it was rebuilt by Cassander (whose walls were traced by E. Fabricius in 1888); and it was taken by Demetrius Poliorcetes in 290. It was plundered by Sulla, and in Strabo's time was a miserable village. During the 11th and 12th centuries it revived through its silk manufacture, but under the Turks again declined, though its modern representative, Thiva, has still a population of about 4000. See E. Fabricius, Theben (1891).