User:T8612/Thebes (polis)

History

Archaic era

Thebes was an important palace during the Mycenean Era, playing a prominent part in the Trojan War. Like the other Mycenean palaces, Thebes was destroyed c.1200 at the beginning of the Dark Ages. The Cadmea, the fortified hill with the palace, was even abandoned. After 700, the polis of Thebes emerged as one of the two main city-states of Boeotia with Orchomenos, while there were at least 24 other smaller poleis in the region. The city's territory was limited by the Asopus river on the east, which marked the border with the city of Plataea.

Little is known on the political organisation of Thebes in the archaic era, apart that it was a strict oligarchy. The Thebans claimed that most of their laws were the work of Philolaus, a Corinthian lawgiver active in the 7th century, who belonged to the oligarchic family of the Bacchiads. His laws show interest in inheritance and adoption, which were of special concern for the landed aristocracy of Thebes.

Thebes was at war with Orchomenos—its main rival in Boeotia—allied with some Thessalians at some point in the 6th century. However, by 525, the Boeotians had formed a federal state, symbolised by the presence of a typical Boeotian shield on the obverse of all the coins minted by the Boeotian poleis.

The Cadmea was fortified again by 540.

Bibliography

• Paul Cartledge, Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, Pan Macmillan, 2020.