Tom Holland

The history of Thebes is as mysterious as its Sphinx

The home of Oedipus and Antigone was vilified by the Athenians before being obliterated by Alexander the Great, says Paul Cartledge

Oedipus and the Sphinx in Thebes (5th century BC). Bridgeman images 
issue 13 June 2020

The Spartans were not the only Greeks to die at Thermopylae. On the fateful final morning of the battle, when Leonidas, knowing that the pass had been sold, ordered the vast majority of the contingents stationed at the Hot Gates to retreat and live to fight another day, two detachments stayed behind to join the 300 in their heroic last stand against Xerxes.

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