Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece by Paul Cartledge; 2020. Hardcover.

Among the extensive writing available about the history of ancient Greece, there is precious little about the city-state of Thebes. At one point the most powerful city in ancient Greece, Thebes has been long overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta.

In The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, classicist and historian Paul Cartledge brings the city vividly to life and argues that it is central to our understanding of the ancient Greeks’ achievements—whether politically or culturally—and thus to the wider politico-cultural traditions of western Europe, the Americas, and indeed the world.

From its role as an ancient political power, to its destruction at the hands of Alexander the Great as punishment for a failed revolt, to its eventual restoration by Alexander’s successor, Cartledge chronicles the rise and fall of the ancient city. He recounts the history and makes clear both the differences and the interconnections between the Thebes of myth and the Thebes of history.