Thebes, Greece
Thebes
Θήβα | |
---|---|
UTC+3 (EEST) | |
Postal code | 32200 |
Area code(s) | 22620 |
Website | www |
Thebes (.
It played an important role in
Thebes was the largest city of the ancient region of Boeotia and was the leader of the Boeotian confederacy. It was a major rival of
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 regional unit of Boeotia.
Municipality
In 2011, as a consequence of the
History
Early history
Archaeological excavations in and around Thebes have revealed
*Tʰēgʷai was one of the first Greek communities to be drawn together within a fortified city, and that it owed its importance in prehistoric days—as later—to its military strength.
Archaic and classical periods
As attested already in Homer's Iliad, Thebes was often called "Seven-Gated Thebes" (Θῆβαι ἑπτάπυλοι, Thebai heptapyloi) (Iliad, IV.406) to distinguish it from "Hundred-Gated Thebes" (Θῆβαι ἑκατόμπυλοι, Thebai hekatompyloi) in Egypt (Iliad, IX.383).
In the late 6th century BC, the Thebans were brought for the first time into hostile contact with the
In 457 BC Sparta, needing a counterpoise against Athens in central Greece, reversed her policy and reinstated Thebes as the dominant power in Boeotia. The great citadel of Cadmea served this purpose well by holding out as a base of resistance when the Athenians overran and occupied the rest of the country (457–447 BC). In the Peloponnesian War, the Thebans, embittered by the support that Athens gave to the smaller Boeotian towns, and especially to Plataea, which they vainly attempted to reduce in 431 BC, were firm allies of Sparta, which in turn helped them to besiege Plataea and allowed them to destroy the town after its capture in 427 BC. In 424 BC, at the head of the Boeotian levy, they inflicted a severe defeat on an invading force of Athenians at the Battle of Delium, and for the first time displayed the effects of that firm military organization that eventually raised them to predominant power in Greece.
After the downfall of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War, the Thebans, having learned that Sparta intended to protect the states that Thebes desired to annex, broke off the alliance. In 404 BC, they had urged the complete destruction of Athens; yet, in 403 BC, they secretly supported the restoration of its democracy in order to find in it a counterpoise against Sparta. A few years later, influenced perhaps in part by Persian gold, they formed the nucleus of the league against Sparta. At the
Decline and destruction
The predominance of Thebes was short-lived, as the states that it protected refused to subject themselves permanently to its control. Thebes renewed its rivalry with Athens, which had joined with them in 395 BC in fear of Sparta, but since 387 BC had endeavoured to maintain the balance of power against its ally, preventing the formation of a Theban empire. With the death of Epaminondas at the Battle of Mantinea (362 BC), the city sank again to the position of a secondary power.
In the Third Sacred War (356–346 BC) with its neighbor Phocis, Thebes lost its predominance in central Greece. By asking Philip II of Macedon to crush the Phocians, Thebes extended the former's power within dangerous proximity to its frontiers. The revulsion of popular feeling in Thebes was expressed in 338 BC by the orator Demosthenes, who persuaded Thebes to join Athens in a final attempt to bar Philip's advance on Attica. The Theban contingent lost the decisive battle of Chaeronea and along with it every hope of reassuming control over Greece.
Philip was content to deprive Thebes of its dominion over Boeotia; but an unsuccessful revolt in 335 BC against his son Alexander the Great while he was campaigning in the north was punished by Alexander and his Greek allies with the destruction of the city (except, according to tradition, the house of the poet Pindar and the temples), and its territory divided between the other Boeotian cities. Moreover, the Thebans themselves were sold into slavery.[8]
Alexander spared only priests, leaders of the pro-Macedonian party and descendants of Pindar. The end of Thebes cowed Athens into submission. According to Plutarch, a special Athenian embassy, led by Phocion, an opponent of the anti-Macedonian faction, was able to persuade Alexander to give up his demands for the exile of leaders of the anti-Macedonian party, and most particularly Demosthenes and not sell the people into slavery.[9]
Hellenistic and Roman periods
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Ancient writings tend to treat Alexander's destruction of Thebes as excessive.
Restoration by Cassander
Following Alexander the Great's death in 323 BC, Thebes was re-established in 315 BC[12] by Cassander, one of the diadochi who was ruling in Greece.[13] In restoring Thebes, Cassander sought to rectify the perceived wrongs of Alexander – a gesture of generosity that earned him much goodwill throughout Greece.[14] In addition to currying favor with the Athenians and many of the Peloponnesian states, Cassander's restoration of Thebes provided him with loyal allies in the Theban exiles who returned to resettle the site.[14]
Cassander's plan for rebuilding Thebes called for the various Greek city-states to provide skilled labor and manpower, and ultimately it proved successful.[14] The Athenians, for example, rebuilt much of Thebes' wall.[14] Major contributions were sent from Megalopolis, Messene, and as far away as Sicily and Italy.[14]
Despite the restoration, Thebes never regained its former prominence. The death of Cassander in 297 BC created a power vacuum throughout much of Greece, which contributed, in part, to Thebes' besiegement by
Byzantine period
During the early Byzantine period it served as a place of refuge against foreign invaders. From the 10th century, Thebes became a centre of the new silk trade, its silk workshops boosted by imports of soaps and dyes from Athens. The growth of this trade in Thebes continued to such an extent that by the middle of the 12th century, the city had become the biggest producer of silks in the entire Byzantine empire, surpassing even the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. The women of Thebes were famed for their skills at weaving. Theban silk was prized above all others during this period, both for its quality and its excellent reputation.
Though severely plundered by the Normans in 1146, Thebes quickly recovered its prosperity and continued to grow rapidly until its conquest by the Latins of the Fourth Crusade in 1204.
Latin period
Thanks to its wealth, the city was selected by the Frankish dynasty de la Roche as its capital, before it was permanently moved to Athens. After 1240, the Saint Omer family controlled the city jointly with the de la Roche dukes. The castle built by
In 1379, the
Ottoman period
Latin hegemony in Thebes lasted to 1458, when the Ottomans captured it. The Ottomans renamed Thebes "İstefe" and managed it until the Greek War of Independence (1821, nominally to 1832) except for a Venetian interlude between 1687 and 1699.
Modern town
In the modern Greek State, Thebes was the capital of the prefecture of Boeotia until the late 19th century, when Livadeia became the capital.
Today, Thebes is a bustling
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Thebes, 1842 by Carl Rottmann
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Popular festival at Thebes, 1880s
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A bust of Pindar
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Entrance to the archaeological museum
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Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ, Sagmata
In Greek myth
The record of the earliest days of Thebes was preserved among the Greeks in an abundant mass of legends that rival the myths of Troy in their wide ramification and the influence that they exerted on the literature of the classical age. Five main cycles of story may be distinguished:
- The foundation of the citadel aetiologicalmyth designed to explain the origin of the Theban nobility which bore that name in historical times).
- The immolation of Semele and the advent of Dionysus.
- The building of a "seven-gated" wall by Amphion, and the cognate stories of Zethus, Antiope and Dirce.
- The tale of practice of pedagogic pederasty for which Thebes was famous.
- The exploits of Heracles.
The Greeks attributed the foundation of Thebes to Cadmus, a Phoenician king from Tyre (now in Lebanon) and the brother of Queen Europa. Cadmus was famous for teaching the Phoenician alphabet and building the Acropolis, which was named the Cadmeia in his honor and was an intellectual, spiritual, and cultural center.
Geography
Thebes is situated in a plain, between
Climate
According to the nearby weather station of Aliartos, Thebes has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa) with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. During the winter months, Thebes is sometimes affected by the Aegean sea-effect snow,[17] with snow depths reaching over 50 centimetres (20 in) on several occasions.[18][19] Due to its inland location, Thebes may also record very low minimums. In recent years, as registered by the meteorological station operated by the National Observatory of Athens within the city limits, the record minimum temperature is −7.9 °C (17.8 °F), recorded on 10 January 2017.[20] In contrast, the city can be very hot in the summer during heat waves, having reached a record high of 44.5 °C (112.1 °F) on 3 August 2021.[20]
Climate data for Aliartos, Thebes (180 m, 1967–2001) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
25.8 (78.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
28.6 (83.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
17.2 (63.0) |
13.1 (55.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) |
8.3 (46.9) |
10.7 (51.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
20.7 (69.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.7 (47.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) |
3.6 (38.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
10.0 (50.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 77.3 (3.04) |
74.1 (2.92) |
63.8 (2.51) |
40.0 (1.57) |
28.8 (1.13) |
13.8 (0.54) |
6.1 (0.24) |
13.8 (0.54) |
17.4 (0.69) |
69.5 (2.74) |
74.1 (2.92) |
96.4 (3.80) |
575.1 (22.64) |
Source: HNMS[21]
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Notable people
Ancient
- Pindar (c. 518–443 BC), poet
- Attaginus (5th century BC), oligarch
- Pelopidas (c. 420–365) general and statesman, led rebellion against Sparta, commanded the Theban "Sacred band" at Leuctra
- Epaminondas (c. 418–362 BC) general and statesman, commanded the Theban forces at the battles of Leuctra and Mantinea
- Aristides of Thebes (4th century BC), painter
- Nicomachus of Thebes (4th century BC), painter
- Crates of Thebes (c. 365 – c. 285 BC), Cynic philosopher
- Kleitomachos (3rd century BC), athlete
- Luke the Evangelist (died 84 AD), buried here
- Rufus of Thebes (1st century), bishop of Thebes
Modern
- Theodoros Vryzakis (c. 1814–1878) painter
- Alexandros Merentitis (1880–1964), military officer
- Panagiotis Bratsiotis (1889–1982), theologian
- Pandelis Pouliopoulos (1900–1943), Greek communist politician
- Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens(born 1938)
- Haris Alexiou (born 1950), singer
- Evangelos Bassiakos(1954–2017), politician
See also
- Graïke
- List of traditional Greek place names
Notes
References
- ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- ^ Perseus Project.
- ^ "ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
- ^ a b c Raymoure, K.A. "Thebes". Minoan Linear A & Mycenaean Linear B. Deaditerranean. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2014-03-19. "The Linear B word te-qa-ja". Palaeolexicon. Word study tool for ancient languages. "KN 5864 Ap (103)". "PY 539 Ep + fr. + fr. + fr. (1)". "TH 65 Wu (γ)". "MY 508 X (unknown)". "TH 140 Ft (312)". DĀMOS: Database of Mycenaean at Oslo. University of Oslo.
- Perseus Project.
- S2CID 162875563.
- ^ Herodotus Bibliography VII:204 ,222,223.
- ^ Alexander the Great. Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Plutarch. Phocion. p. 17.
- ^ Siculus, Diodorus. "Book XIX, 54". Bibliotheca historica.
- ^ Plutarch's Lives, Volume III, Life of Alexander, Chapter 13
- ^ "The Parian Marble". The Ashmolean Museum. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017.
- ^ Beckett, Universal Biography, Vol. 1 p. 688
- ^ a b c d e Thirlwall, The History of Greece, Vol. 2 p. 325
- ^ Sasse, H. (1991). Arvanitika: die albanischen Sprachreste in Griechenland. Deutschland: O. Harrassowitz, p. 4
- ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
- ^ "Τι είναι το "Aegean Effect Snow"" (in Greek). 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ Φραγκούλη, Μαρία. "Μεγάλες ποσότητες χιονιού καταγράφονται στην Θήβα από τις πυκνές χιονοπτώσεις που ξεκίνησαν από τα ξημερώματα της Τρίτης (video)". www.forecastweather.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ ΙΝ, Σύνταξη (2022-01-24). "Βυθίστηκαν στο χιόνι Φθιώτιδα και Βοιωτία - Χωρίς θέρμανση και ρεύμα πολλές περιοχές". in.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ a b "Meteosearch | Σελίδα σύνδεσης". meteosearch.meteo.gr. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ "Κλιματικά Δεδομένα ανά Πόλη- ΜΕΤΕΩΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ, ΕΜΥ, Εθνική Μετεωρολογική Υπηρεσία".
Bibliography
- Herodotus – Histories
- Angold, Michael (1984) – The Byzantine Empire, 1025–1204
External links
- Timeless Myths – House of Thebes
- Fossey, J.; J. Morin; G. Reger; R. Talbert; T. Elliott; S. Gillies (22 June 2020). "Places: 541138 (Thebai/Thebae)". Pleiades. Retrieved March 8, 2012.