Thebes

Related Terms • Athens • Sparta • Corinth • Delphi • Miletus • Olympia • Syracuse • Persian Wars • Peloponnesian War

Definition: Ancient Greek city-state that was once one of the most prominent. A series of bad choices doomed it, though. During the Persian Wars, it sided with the Persians; after the Greek victory, Thebes was punished severely. During the Peloponnesian Wars, Thebes sided first with the Spartans and then against them. After the war, Thebes was punished again but gained the upper hand eventually because of Sparta's weakening. Finally, Thebes defied Philip of Macedonia; his son, Alexander, later invaded and destroyed the city. It was later rebuilt but never the same.

Related Resources:
Ancient Greece
Learn more about the area as a whole.

Elsewhere on the Web:
The Ancient City of Thebes
See just how much Thebes suffered at the hands of its fellow city-states.

The Rise of the Greek Polis
Students just like you wrote this summary of how the Greek polis, or city-state, came to be.

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