The Theban Cycle – Lecture 7
• Mythological stories that surround the early history of Greek polis of Thebes in the
territory of Boeotia
• Chronologically earlier than the myths of the Trojan war – concerning earlier
generations of heroes
o Heroes of Trojan war show knowledge of these Theban Cycle
• The Theban Cycle was said to consist of four epic poems written in dactylic
hexameter, now lost
1. The Oedipodea -> story of the events around Oedipus and his family curse.
2. The Thebaid (sometimes attributed to Homer) -> story of the war between
Oedipus' two sons Eteocles and Polynices over the kingship of Thebes.
a. Includes the story of The Seven Against Thebes, wherein Polynices
leads a band of seven heroes from Argos to attack Thebes.
b. AKA first war against Thebes
3. The Epigoni -> next generation of Argive heroes who attacked Thebes to
avenge their fathers.
a. AKA the second war against Thebes
4. The Alcmeonis -> tale of Alcmaeon (one of the epigoni) murdered his
mother, Eriphyle, because she accepted a bribery of a necklace (the cursed
necklace of Harmonia) from Polyneices, to convince her husband,
Amphiaraus, to go to war in the first Theban war
• There were also two later epic poems about the Theban cycle written:
o Thebais by Antimachus of Colophon c. 4th century BC
o Thebaid by the Roman poet Statius in c. 80AD
Map of Mainland Greece:
• Center of the region -> Boeotia’s capital was Thebes
• Close proximity to Attica/Athen (the capital) & Delphi
o Often come into conflict
Brief History of Thebes
• Major Geek poleis on mainland
• Bronze Age (Mycenaean) settlements at Thebes
, o Greek speaking
• Close proximity to Attica, Thebes was often in conflict with Athens
• During 2nd Persian invasion of Greece in 480BC, Thebes sided with Persians.
o Medizing: (slur/name for Persians): scored by other Greek poleis for
generations
• In Peloponnesian War, Thebans sided with Spartan, After defeat of Athens, Thebes
gained prominence and began to expand military in 4th Century BC.
• Leaders of resisting growing power of Macedon under the rule of Phillip II in middle
of 4th century BC.
• Phillip II & Alexander the Great defeated the Greek forces at Chaeronea in 338BC
o Greece were under control of Macedonian
o Punishment for their resistance -> Thebes was razed to the ground and
people enslaved by Macedonians in 335 BC.
Sophocles – Playwriter
• Play: Written by Atheneans and listened by Athens
• Born around the start of 5th century BC in Athens
• Died around the age of 90 in 406/5 BC
o Lived through both Persian Wars & Peloponnesian War
o Experienced Athenian Empire grow and reach its zenith
• 2 of 3 great tragedians, won his 1st competition at city Dionysia in 468BC, defeating
nd
Aeschylus: the reigning master of Athenina drama
• Won 18 Dionysia victories and 6 Lenaia (a lesser festival of drama) victories over his
career
• Wrote over 120 plays, but only 7 survive in full
• The Theban Plays: three of Sophocles’ surviving plays features mythological events
around reign of Oedipus at Thebes BUT not trilogy
o Written in diLerent times within Sophocles’ career
o Antigone: thought to belong to an earlier stage in career
o Oedipus Rex: thought to be written in middle
o Oedipus at Colonus: last play he wrote before he dies before performed.
• Mythological stories that surround the early history of Greek polis of Thebes in the
territory of Boeotia
• Chronologically earlier than the myths of the Trojan war – concerning earlier
generations of heroes
o Heroes of Trojan war show knowledge of these Theban Cycle
• The Theban Cycle was said to consist of four epic poems written in dactylic
hexameter, now lost
1. The Oedipodea -> story of the events around Oedipus and his family curse.
2. The Thebaid (sometimes attributed to Homer) -> story of the war between
Oedipus' two sons Eteocles and Polynices over the kingship of Thebes.
a. Includes the story of The Seven Against Thebes, wherein Polynices
leads a band of seven heroes from Argos to attack Thebes.
b. AKA first war against Thebes
3. The Epigoni -> next generation of Argive heroes who attacked Thebes to
avenge their fathers.
a. AKA the second war against Thebes
4. The Alcmeonis -> tale of Alcmaeon (one of the epigoni) murdered his
mother, Eriphyle, because she accepted a bribery of a necklace (the cursed
necklace of Harmonia) from Polyneices, to convince her husband,
Amphiaraus, to go to war in the first Theban war
• There were also two later epic poems about the Theban cycle written:
o Thebais by Antimachus of Colophon c. 4th century BC
o Thebaid by the Roman poet Statius in c. 80AD
Map of Mainland Greece:
• Center of the region -> Boeotia’s capital was Thebes
• Close proximity to Attica/Athen (the capital) & Delphi
o Often come into conflict
Brief History of Thebes
• Major Geek poleis on mainland
• Bronze Age (Mycenaean) settlements at Thebes
, o Greek speaking
• Close proximity to Attica, Thebes was often in conflict with Athens
• During 2nd Persian invasion of Greece in 480BC, Thebes sided with Persians.
o Medizing: (slur/name for Persians): scored by other Greek poleis for
generations
• In Peloponnesian War, Thebans sided with Spartan, After defeat of Athens, Thebes
gained prominence and began to expand military in 4th Century BC.
• Leaders of resisting growing power of Macedon under the rule of Phillip II in middle
of 4th century BC.
• Phillip II & Alexander the Great defeated the Greek forces at Chaeronea in 338BC
o Greece were under control of Macedonian
o Punishment for their resistance -> Thebes was razed to the ground and
people enslaved by Macedonians in 335 BC.
Sophocles – Playwriter
• Play: Written by Atheneans and listened by Athens
• Born around the start of 5th century BC in Athens
• Died around the age of 90 in 406/5 BC
o Lived through both Persian Wars & Peloponnesian War
o Experienced Athenian Empire grow and reach its zenith
• 2 of 3 great tragedians, won his 1st competition at city Dionysia in 468BC, defeating
nd
Aeschylus: the reigning master of Athenina drama
• Won 18 Dionysia victories and 6 Lenaia (a lesser festival of drama) victories over his
career
• Wrote over 120 plays, but only 7 survive in full
• The Theban Plays: three of Sophocles’ surviving plays features mythological events
around reign of Oedipus at Thebes BUT not trilogy
o Written in diLerent times within Sophocles’ career
o Antigone: thought to belong to an earlier stage in career
o Oedipus Rex: thought to be written in middle
o Oedipus at Colonus: last play he wrote before he dies before performed.
