Description of Greece

​They say that the Ectenes first inhabited the Theban land, and that Ogygus, an aboriginal man, was the king of the Ectenes; and from him most of the poets have the surname “Ogygian” for Thebes. And they say that these perished by a pestilential disease, and that after the Ectenes, the Hyantes and Aones settled in the country, who were, in my opinion, Boeotian races and not foreigners. But when Cadmus and the Phoenician army invaded, the Hyantes, having been defeated in battle, fled into the succeeding night, while Cadmus allowed the Aones, who had become suppliants, to remain and mingle with the Phoenicians.

​So the dwellings for the Aones were still in villages; but Cadmus founded the city which is still called Cadmea even down to our time. Later, when the city grew, it so happened that Cadmea became the acropolis of the lower Thebes. And Cadmus had an illustrious marriage, if indeed he married a daughter of Aphrodite and Ares according to the story of the Greeks, and his daughters brought him fame, Semele having given birth by Zeus, and Ino being of the sea deities.

​Now in the time of Cadmus, the Spartoi had the greatest power after Cadmus himself: Chthonius, Hyperenor, Pelor, and Udaeus; and Cadmus deemed Echion worthy to be made his son-in-law, as he excelled in manliness. As for these men—for I could not discover anything else about them—I follow the myth that they were named Spartoi because of the manner in which they were born. And when Cadmus migrated to the Illyrians and, among the Illyrians, to those called Enchelees, Polydorus the son of Cadmus held the rule.

​Pentheus the son of Echion was also powerful himself by virtue of the dignity of his birth and his friendship with the king; but being in other respects insolent and impious towards Dionysus, he suffered punishment from the god. And Polydorus had a son Labdacus; and it so happened that Polydorus, as his end drew near, was about to leave him still a child, and he committed both his son and the rule to Nycteus.

​The sequel of my account has already been made clear by the Sicyonian history: both the death of Nycteus, in what manner it occurred, and how the care of the child and the sovereignty of the Thebans devolved upon Lycus, the brother of Nycteus. Lycus indeed delivered the rule to Labdacus when he was grown up; but when the death of Labdacus also occurred not long afterwards, Lycus again acted as guardian for Laius, the son of Labdacus.

​While Lycus was acting as guardian for the second time, Amphion and Zethus returned, having gathered a force. And those who were anxious that the race of Cadmus should not become nameless for posterity stole Laius away, while the sons of Antiope defeated Lycus in battle; and when they became kings, they built the lower city adjacent to Cadmea and named it Thebes after their kinship with Thebe.

​Homer also bears witness to my account in the Odyssey: “Who first founded the seat of seven-gated Thebes, And walled it; since indeed, they could not, Unwalled, dwell in spacious Thebes, strong though they were.” But that Amphion sang and constructed the wall to the music of his lyre, he made no mention in his verses; but Amphion won fame for music, having learned from the Lydians their mode because of his alliance with Tantalus, and having invented three strings in addition to the four previously existing.

​And the poet who wrote the epic verses on Europa says that Amphion first used the lyre after Hermes taught him; and he also wrote concerning stones and beasts, that he led even these by his singing. And Myro of Byzantium, who composed epic and elegiac poetry, says that Amphion first erected an altar to Hermes, and in return received the lyre from him. And it is also said that in Hades Amphion suffers punishment for the insults which he himself hurled against Leto and her children;