The Story of Thebes

Everyone knows Athens and Sparta...and yet, THEBES is not the common household name it should be.

From its captivating mythology to its fantastic history, we’ll look at the archeology, the military, the legends and the truth of this essential city state.

Featuring Paul Cartledge of Cambridge University, James Romm of Bard College, Stephen Dando-Collins of Turner Publishing, Stephanie Larson of Bucknell University, Joel Christensen of Brandeis University and Elton Barker of The Open University.

[kaloarepo]

One of the great capitals of ancient Egypt was also called Thebes but I believe there was no connection despite some ancient Greek stories describing close connections between Egyptian figures and Greece. There was merely a similarity between what Egyptians called their city -meaning "the sanctuary" and the name of the city in Greece.

[DemetriosKongas]

Thebes was never a forgotten city. In all history books on Ancient Greece, it is celebrated.

[andylyon]

Enjoyed this very much.

With the sacred band that they might of been less then full strength as most military units usually are and an even number of bodies seems to still hint at that being their grave.

[craigfairweather]

I remember wandering around Thebes in 1990 and being saddened by the modern neglect of ancient stones at that time (lots of rubbish) and encroachment. So thank you for your work people.

[craigfairweather]

Attic speakers sometimes made fun of BOEOTIANS as speaking like cattle ‘mooing’. While Boeotia means ‘Cattle Land’, recently work on the Boeotia dialect shows their more ‘rounded vowels’ which looked to neighbours and sounded slightly like cows’ I)’ large lips and I) the sound of “oo” in “moo”.

[DemetriosKongas]

Actually, Cadmus, Europa and Phoenix were great grand children of Zeus and the Greek Io, according to mythology. So Europe is not Asian, it is very, very Greek.

[ThomasMcCarthy-muof]

It is in my mind said Zeus to create the great and glorious war of Troy and with it the age of bronze clad heroes shall end and the ruthless age of iron begin. Who knows maybe the Eteocles of the Hittite letter of Talaglawas Hittite etowasglas, described as the brother of the king of ahhiyahaw Achaea? Is the self same etocles of myth and Thebes? fragments of memory?

[dianaalmeida]

I really don't understand the hosts push on the gay subject here, specially on the last question at the end, it was extremely forced into a rather organic conversation. Monks not being "gay friendly???" I'm Portuguese with a degree in History-Archaeology, and I guarantee you that this line of questioning in such a specific debate (Thebes) would be very cringe inducing to our scholars. Of course there's room for such debates, the Greek were very ambiguous regarding their sexuality but the way the host "introduced" the topic was so off putting.

[DemetriosKongas]

According to mythology, Zeus and Io begot Epaphus who begot Libya. Poseidon with Libya begot Agenor, Belus and Lelex. Belus with Libya begot Phineus, Phoenix, Aegyptus, Danaus, Ninus.
Agenor begot Cadmus, Europa and Phoenix!
So what this myth tells us is that Egyptians, Libyans, Phoenicians, Ninevehans were all offspring of Zeus and the Greek Io!
You started telling the myth half way through.
But what does the myth signify?
When was the myth developed?

[papertoyss]

I kindly disagree with professor Cartledge (if this can be even spelled by someone who has no professional relation with History) on that the name of an Asiatic woman named the Condinent of Europe. First of all this whole story is part of the Greek *mythology* - no need to argue on what this means rather than it is Greek. But mainly the name "Europe" itself it is Greek composed by the Greek "eurus" meaning wide and "ops" meaning eyes or face.

[cominus]

So Thebes was settled by Phoenicians, how come they don't talk more about them?

[petershipman]

Is Paul Cartledge drunk? His is the most cliche "academic" and self-serving introduction, talk, thing, I've ever witnessed. I didn't not enjoy it, but damn, that man is a caricature