CL 55 -- Spring 2001
The Matter of Thebes

The City

Thebes is in Boeotia, north of Attica on the Greek mainland.
Aerial view of the acropolis of Thebes: .
Coin from Thebes, about 410 BC, showing a shield: .
Mount Cithaeron, overlooking the city, is where Oedipus is exposed and where the maenads gather in Bacchae.
Plan of Thebes: . Note the seven gates.

The Story

Thebes was founded by Cadmus. The site was guarded by a dragon, which he had to slay. He then sowed the dragon's teeth on the ground. They grew into men, the Spartoi or "Sown Men," who were the ancestors of the Theban people.

Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. They had four daughters, Ino, Semele, Autonoe, and Agave, and a son Polydorus (Apollod. 3.4.2). Semele's son (by Zeus) is Dionysus; Agave's is Pentheus, main character in Bacchae. Autonoe's son is Actaeon. .

Polydorus had a son Labdacus (Apollod. 3.5.5), and he in turn had a son Laius. Laius married Jocasta, daughter of Menoeceus (Apollod. 3.5.7); other sources call her Epicasta. There was an oracle saying they were not to have children; various reasons are given.

But Laius and Jocasta did have a child, Oedipus. They abandoned him on Mt. Cithaeron, but he was rescued. Some time later, after Laius died, Thebes was attacked by the Sphinx, . Oedipus was able to defeat the Sphinx by answering her riddle. He then married Jocasta (in some versions, as a reward for saving the city), only to find out who she really was.

Oedipus and Jocasta had four children, Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles, and Polyneices. Sources differ about the relative ages of the children. At some point, Oedipus cursed his sons, saying they would die at each other's hands.

Eteocles and Polyneices both wanted to rule Thebes after the death of Oedipus. Ultimately Eteocles held the throne and Polyneices was in exile. He rounded up an army from Argos and attacked Thebes. In the ensuing battle, Thebes held out, but Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other. Polyneices and the other six leaders of his army are the Seven Against Thebes.

The sons of the Seven came back to attack Thebes again, and sacked it.

The story is told by Apollodorus in his Mythological Library, 3.4.1 ff. Other sources include Herodotus 5.59, Pausanias, and of course the tragedies. There was at least one epic poem on this subject, now lost. Ancient commentaries on the tragedies (called "scholia") preserve other versions and other details as well.