Editing Thebes, Greece (section)

== In Greek myth ==
{{for|a discussion of the many mythical kings of Thebes and their individual feats|Theban kings in Greek mythology}}
[[File:Mouseio2.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Archaeological Museum of Thebes]]]]
[[File:Amth75.jpg|thumb|120px|Exhibit at the museum]]
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 [[Cadmea]] by [[Cadmus]], and the growth of the [[Spartoi]] or "Sown Men" (probably an [[aetiological]] myth 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 [[Amphion and Zethus|Zethus]], [[Antiope (mother of Amphion)|Antiope]] and [[Dirce]].
#The tale of [[Laius]], whose misdeeds culminated in the tragedy of [[Oedipus]] and the wars of the [[Seven against Thebes]] and the [[Epigoni]], and the downfall of his house; Laius' [[Pederasty in ancient Greece|pederastic]] [[Rape of males|rape]] of [[Chrysippus (mythology)|Chrysippus]] was held by some ancients to have been the first instance of homosexuality among mortals, and may have provided an etiology for the [[Theban pederasty|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, Lebanon|Tyre]] (now in Lebanon) and the brother of Queen [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|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.