At one point the most powerful city in ancient Greece, Thebes has been long overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta. From its role as an ancient political power, to its destruction at the hands of Alexander the Great, to its eventual restoration, Paul Cartledge deftly chronicles the rise and fall of Thebes. Chronicling how the region figured in the myths of Oedipus and Heracles, Cartledge also details how Thebes's achievements shaped the politico-cultural traditions of the West.