3. How Thebes Came To Be
Europa’s brothers
were sent to search
for her
Cadmus went to
Apollo’s oracle at
Delphi
Apollo told Cadmus to
found his own city
4. How Thebes Came To Be
Founding Thebes did not come without its
challenges
Cadmus had to fight a fierce dragon
Athena then told him to sow the earth with the
dragon’s teeth
Armed men sprang from the furrows and killed
each other
5 survived and became Cadmus’ helpers
5. Cadmus and His Children
It is believed that Cadmus first introduced
the alphabet to Greece
Cadmus married Harmonia
Harmonia was given a necklace from
Aphrodite
6. Cadmus and His Children
Cadmus and Harmonia had 4 daughters
and 1 son
Semele, Ino, Agave, Autonoe, and Polydous
All of their daughters experienced great tragedy
in their lives
Cadmus and Harmonia were turned into
serpents
7. The Reign of King Laius and Jocasta
With Laius as King, Apollo’s oracle at
Delphi began to play a large role in their
family’s fortunes
The oracle told Laius a prophecy
Laius tried to prevent fate
Laius was killed several years later
8. The Sphinx
The details of Laius’
murder were not
investigated because
of the Sphinx
The Sphinx had the
winged body of a lion,
and the breast and
face of a woman
As travelers passed,
the Sphinx would ask
them her riddle
9. The Sphinx
The Sphinx had caused Thebes to grow
close to famine
Her riddle was, “What goes on four legs in
the morning, on two legs at noon, and on
three legs in the evening?
Oedipus, a traveler from Corinth,
successfully answered the riddle by
answering “man”
The Sphinx, in disbelief, killed herself
10. The Reign of Oedipus
Oedipus became king and was given
Jocasta as his wife
Together, they had 2 sons and 2
daughters
Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone, and Ismene
11. The Reign of Oedipus
When Polyneices and Eteocles had grown
into men, Thebes succumbed to a terrible
plague
Oedipus sent Creon to Delphi
12. The Reign of Oedipus
Creon said the plague would lift when the
murderer of Laius was punished
Oedipus sent for Teirsias
Teirsias told Oedipus he, himself was the
killer he sought
Oedipus ordered him out of his sight
13. The Reign of Oedipus
Jocasta told Oedipus the prophecy told to
Laius and of his murder
Oedipus tells of his prophecy and that he
killed a group of men at a place where 3
roads meet
Oedipus sent for the surviving shepherd
14. The Reign of Oedipus
In the meantime, a messenger from
Corinth arrived to tell Oedipus of Polybus’
death
Jocasta told him there was no truth in
prophecy
The messenger then tells Oedipus he
wasn’t Polybus’ son and he himself
received him from a shepherd, a servant
of Laius
15. The Reign of Oedipus
The shepherd confessed that he didn’t
leave Laius’ son to die, but instead, gave
him to the messenger
Jocasta killed herself and Oedipus blinded
himself
16. After Oedipus
Oedipus lived on in Thebes and resigned
from the throne, as did his son, Polyneices
The Thebans then accepted Creon as
their ruler
After many years, the Thebans decided to
expel Oedipus
17. Antigone
Antigone guided her
father after he was
driven out of the city
Ismene stayed in
Thebes to keep them
informed
18. Shift In Power
After Oedipus left, his two sons fought for
their right to the throne
Eteocles succeeded and exiled his brother
from Thebes
Polyneices resided in Argos and rallied an
army together to march against Thebes
19. Oedipus’ death
In the meantime, Antigone and Oedipus
had traveled to Colonus
Apollo told Ismene he would be received
by the King of Athens with all honor
Ismene went to Colonus to tell Oedipus of
Apollo’s words and was with him when he
dies
King Theseus sent Antigone and Ismene
safely home
20. Polyneices Attacks Thebes
When Antigone and Ismene returned
home, their brothers were fighting
Polyneices was accompanied by 6 other
men
Each man attacked one of the 7 Great
Gates of Thebes
21. Polyneices Attacks Thebes
Neither side gained any advantage
The outcome was to be determined by a
battle between Polyneices and Eteocles
Neither was victorious and they killed each
other
Polyneices’ last wish was to be buried in
his homeland
22. Creon’s Rule
The battle restarted, and the Thebans
were victorious
Creon became King
Only one of Polyneices’ men survived,
Adrastus
Creon made it law that none of the men
against Thebes should be buried there
23. Antigone
Antigone disobeyed Creon and buried him
herself
She was sentenced to death
The House of Oedipus, the last of the
royal family of Thebes, was no more
24. The Seven Against Thebes
Adrastus and the mothers and sons of the
dead went to Theseus, King of Athens, to
ask him to convince Creon to allow his
men be buried in Thebes
Theseus decided that if the people of
Athens consented, he would ask Creon
25. The Seven Against Thebes
Theseus pleaded to Creon, but he ignored
it
The Athenians then marched against
Thebes and conquered
The 5 dead men were burned on a pyre
and peace overcame their mothers
Their sons vowed to take vengeance upon
Thebes when they were grown
26. The Seven Against Thebes
Ten years later, they marched to Thebes
and were victorious
The Thebans fled and their city was
destroyed
The only remains was Harmonia’s
necklace, which was taken to Delphi to be
shown to pilgrims
