For the ancient capital of
lower Egypt, see
Thebes, Egypt, for the writing system see
Theban alphabet. For other uses see
Thebes (disambiguation). Thebes (
Demotic Greek: Θήβα — Thíva;
Katharevousa: — Thêbai or Thívai) is a city in
Greece, situated to the north of the
Cithaeron range, which divides
Boeotia from
Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. Thebes played an important role in the fabric of Greek myth, being the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus, and others. Archaeological excavations in and around Thebes have revealed a
Mycenaean settlement and clay tablets written in the
Linear B script, indicating the importance of the site in the Bronze Age. In ancient historical times, Thebes was the largest city of the region of
Boeotia and was the leader of the Boeotian confederacy. Thebes was a major rival of ancient Athens, and sided with the Persians during the 480 BC invasion of
Xerxes. Theban forces ended the power of
Sparta at the battle of
Leuctra in 371 BC under the command of
Epaminondas. The Theban
sacred band (an elite military unit) famously fell at the battle of
Chaeronea in 338 BC against
Philip II and
Alexander the Great. Prior to its destruction by Alexander in 335 BC, Thebes was a major force in Greek history and in fact was the most dominant
city-state at the time of the Macedonian conquest of Greece. During the
Byzantine period, the city was famous for its silks. The modern city contains an Archaeological Museum, the remains of the
Cadmea (Bronze Age and forward citadel), and scattered ancient remains. Modern Thebes is the largest town of the
Boeotia Prefecture. It is situated at the E962, some 4 km south of the junction with the
E75.
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