Thebes, Greece

"Thebans" redirects here. For the ancient Egyptian city, see Thebes, Egypt.

Thebes Θήβα
Municipality
View of Thebes
Thebes Location within Greece
Coordinates: 38°19′15″N 23°19′04″E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Central Greece
Regional unit	Boeotia
Area
• Municipality	830.112 km2 (320.508 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	321.015 km2 (123.945 sq mi)
• Community	143.889 km2 (55.556 sq mi)
Elevation	215 m (705 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Municipality	32,410
• Density	39.04/km2 (101.1/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	23,930
• Municipal unit density	74.54/km2 (193.1/sq mi)
• Community	21,530
• Community density	149.6/km2 (387.5/sq mi)
Demonym	Theban
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	32200
Area code	22620
Website	www.thiva.gr

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Remains of the Cadmea, the central fortress of ancient Thebes

Archeological museum of Thebes

Thebes (/ˈθiːbz/ THEEBZ; Greek: Θήβα, Thíva [ˈθiva]; Ancient Greek: Θῆβαι, Thêbai [tʰɛ̂ːbai̯]) is a city in Boeotia, Central Greece, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the largest city in Boeotia and a major center for the region.

Ancient Thebes was the largest and leading polis of the Boeotian League. It sided with the Persians during the 480 BC invasion under Xerxes I. Theban forces under the command of Epaminondas defeated Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, giving rise to a short-lived Theban hegemony. In 338 BC, Macedon defeated an alliance of Thebes and Athens at the Battle of Chaeronea, and later Thebes was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 335 BC.

During the Byzantine period, the city was famous for its silks. The modern city contains an archaeological museum, the remains of the Cadmea (Bronze Age and forward citadel), and scattered ancient remains. The Holy Church of Luke the Evangelist is also in Thebes and contains Luke's tomb and relics.