Thebes at the time of Sparta was a major political, military, and cultural force. Lycurgus, the founder of Sparta’s cultural identity, studied law in Thebes. Lycurgus’s laws were unorthodox, often playing against the expectations of the law in places like Thebes. Thebes was a powerhouse through Sparta’s golden age until its destruction at the hands of Alexander the Great. Sparta had a garrison ruling over Thebes, but in the early 4th century B.C.E., Thebes rose up against Sparta and defeated them at the Battle of Lectura in 371 B.C.E., ending Sparta’s golden age.
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