Hirundo: the McGill Journal of Classical Studies, Vol.8 (2009-10)
Abstract
A study of the topography of Thebes is particularly challenging due to the serious dearth of archaeological evidence. Centuries of continuous occupation, a series of destructions including the nearly complete razing by Alexander the Great, and modern construction have obliterated or effectively made inaccessible much of the ancient topography. Furthermore, the only coherent description in the literary evidence is that of Pausanias, to which are added a series of eclectic brief references in sources of varying antiquity, most notably Pindar who was a native resident. These significant limitations are directly reflected in modern scholarship, which conspicuously and unlike with respect to other regions of Greece is much more exhaustive about the Boeotian chora than the urban center itself. However, there are reasons why Classical archaeology has tended to focus on an analysis of the Greek world as one of “town dwellers” since the site of a polis may be literally defined as the physical nucleus of the political community.
Ironically, the lack of physical remains of the city of Thebes is contrasted by the richness of its mythical oral tradition; this stands out, according to Effenterre, as “une des plus fournies de toute la tradition greque.” The scope of this paper does not al- low for an exhaustive analysis of the entire Theban topography. Thus, certain elements are highlighted through a conscious selection with a focus on developments in the Ar- chaic and Classical periods, although the evidence does not always allow for very pre- cise distinctions in the time framework. The goal of the present analysis is to examine the ways in which ancient Thebes developed within the larger structural patterns of polis emergence on the Greek mainland, while pointing to the elements that provided this de- velopment with a distinctly local, Theban twist. An examination of Theban topography demonstrates the close parallels between physical space and an evolving social and political community. Theban fortifications, the Kadmeia, as well as the city’s sanctuaries and hero cults form a complex web of memory markers, physical hierarchies and bound- aries which actively reflect and shape communal identity. Finally, this paper argues that local circumstances and the particular strength of Theban oral traditions resulted in a mytho-historical topography inspired by the city’s Mycenaean past to an unusual degree.
The Mytho-Historical Topography of Thebes
Tzveta Manolov
Hirundo: the McGill Journal of Classical Studies, Vol.8 (2009-10)
Abstract
A study of the topography of Thebes is particularly challenging due to the serious dearth of archaeological evidence. Centuries of continuous occupation, a series of destructions including the nearly complete razing by Alexander the Great, and modern construction have obliterated or effectively made inaccessible much of the ancient topography. Furthermore, the only coherent description in the literary evidence is that of Pausanias, to which are added a series of eclectic brief references in sources of varying antiquity, most notably Pindar who was a native resident. These significant limitations are directly reflected in modern scholarship, which conspicuously and unlike with respect to other regions of Greece is much more exhaustive about the Boeotian chora than the urban center itself. However, there are reasons why Classical archaeology has tended to focus on an analysis of the Greek world as one of “town dwellers” since the site of a polis may be literally defined as the physical nucleus of the political community.
Ironically, the lack of physical remains of the city of Thebes is contrasted by the richness of its mythical oral tradition; this stands out, according to Effenterre, as “une des plus fournies de toute la tradition greque.” The scope of this paper does not al- low for an exhaustive analysis of the entire Theban topography. Thus, certain elements are highlighted through a conscious selection with a focus on developments in the Ar- chaic and Classical periods, although the evidence does not always allow for very pre- cise distinctions in the time framework. The goal of the present analysis is to examine the ways in which ancient Thebes developed within the larger structural patterns of polis emergence on the Greek mainland, while pointing to the elements that provided this de- velopment with a distinctly local, Theban twist. An examination of Theban topography demonstrates the close parallels between physical space and an evolving social and political community. Theban fortifications, the Kadmeia, as well as the city’s sanctuaries and hero cults form a complex web of memory markers, physical hierarchies and bound- aries which actively reflect and shape communal identity. Finally, this paper argues that local circumstances and the particular strength of Theban oral traditions resulted in a mytho-historical topography inspired by the city’s Mycenaean past to an unusual degree.
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