Mycenaean History

• 

  Mythology: founded by Cadmus; the citadel is called "Cadmeia" and was inhabited since the third millennium BCE
• Famous stories: birth of Dionysus, Oedipus, Antigone, Seven against Thebes, Epigoni, et cetera
• Mycenaean background; largest known Mycenaean acropolis; prosperity since mid-second millennium; Babylonian seals (s.XIV) and Linear-B-tablets prove supraregional importance
• Cadmeia evacuated during LH IIIB1 (earlier than other Mycenaean towns, which go in decline in LH IIIB2 and LH IIIC)
• Lower city survives (perhaps confirmation of the story of the Epigoni)

Archaic Age

• 

  c. 560 BCE: Participates in the founding of Heraclea Pontica
• Supported Pisistratids in Athens^note[Herodotus, Histories 1.61; Aristotle, Athenian Constitution 15.2.]
• Founding of the Boeotian League
• c.519 BCE: War against Athens.^note[Herodotus, Histories6.108; Thucydides 3.55f, 3,61,2.]

• 

  Pindar
• 480 BCE: Persian Wars; Thebes is divided between Pro- and Anti-Persian politicians and forced to side with the invaders^note[Plutarch, The Malice of Herodotus.]
• 479 BCE: Besieged after the battle of Plataea;Boeotian League dissolved

Classical Age

• Return to power in the course of the fifth century: collaboration with Sparta against Athens
• 457 BCE: Moderate oligarchic constitution^note[Aristotle,Politics 1274b 2-5.]
• 457 BCE: Battle of Tanagra, defeat against Athens; democratic constitution^note[Aristotle, Politics 1302b 27ff.]
• 447 BCE: Battle of Coronea, Athenian defeat; moderate oligarchy reintroduced with eleven boeotarchs^note[Hell. Oxyrh. 19.3.]
• 431-421 BCE: Archidamian War (Sparta, Corinth, Thebes against Athens); destruction of Plataea
• 415-404 BCE: Decelean War; demands destruction of Athens^note[Xenophon, Hellenica 2.2.19, 6.5.35, 6.5.46.]; when Sparta declines and supports a pro-Spartan oligarchy in Athens, Thebes supports the Athenian democrats
• 395-387 BCE: Corinthian War (Thebes, Corinth, Argos, Athens against Sparta)
• 387 BCE: King's Peace: Plataea restored

• 

  382 BCE: End of moderate oligarchy; Spartan garrison in the Cadmeia
• 379 BCE: Spartan garrison expelled by Pelopidas; army reforms by Epaminondas; moderate democracy, member of Second Delian League
• 371 BCE: Boeotian League defeats Sparta at Leuctra
• Attacks on the Peloponnese, from which Sparta never recovers
• Third Sacred War: coalition with Philip of Macedonia
• 338 BCE: Battle of Chaeronea: the new hegemon is Macedonia
• Lasting legacy: dual citizenship
• Destroyed by Alexander the Great; house of Pindar saved

Thebes, Tombstone

Boeotia, Head of Dionysus

Thebes, Head of Artemis

Thebes, Figurine of a young actor

Later history

• 316 BCE: Rebuilt by Cassander
• Briefly member of theAchaean League; 245 BCE switches to Aetolian League
• 236 BCE: Alliance with Macedonia

• 

  197 BCE: Captured by the Roman general Flamininus; after this supporter of almost every anti-Roman politician (Antiochus III the Great; Perseus; Achaeans; Mithridates VI of Pontus)
• Settlement reduced to Cadmeia, "not even a remarkable village" according to Strabo^note[Strabo, Geography 9.2.5; cf. Pausanias 9.7.6,]
• 125 CE: Visit of the Roman emperor Hadrian
• Provincial town in the Roman Empire
• Walls rebuilt against Alaric (king of the Visigoths)^note[Zosimus, New History 5.5.7.]
• 431 CE: Bishop Anysius attends the Council of Ephesus, supporting Cyril
• 551 Earthquake; repairs by Justinian^note[Procopius, Buildings 4.3.5.]