Ancient Thebes

See Thebes, Greece for the modern city built on the ancient ruins. Ancient Thebes (Θῆβαι) was a Boeotian city-state (polis), situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in the fabric of Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others. It was the largest city of the region of Boeotia and was the leader of the Boeotian confederacy. It was a major rival of Athens, and sided with the Persians during the 480 BC invasion of Xerxes. Theban forces under the command of Epaminondas ended the power of Sparta at the battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. The Sacred Band of Thebes (an elite military unit) famously...