68 THEBES. 
CHAP, this part of the work, it will be evident that 
/ . ■ the entrance, near to which these inscriptions 
were found, was that called, from the fountain 
we have mentioned, "the Crencean Gate\'' The 
city was demolished, it is true, above two thou- 
sand years ago, when Alexander invaded Greece : 
but since its restoration by Cassander^, very 
little has happened to it, which could possibly 
alter the appearance of its dykes and ramparts : 
upon these, time has little influence; and their 
situation and form serve to point out the position 
of the gates. Thebes was almost a deserted vil- 
lage in the age of Strabo\- but Pausanias says its 
seven gates remained in his time^; and he has 
written rather a copious account of its an- 
tiquities*. The present town appears to occupy 
little more than the site of the old CadrrKFan 
Acropolis; which is the opinion of TVheler, and of 
Pocoche^: and in the harmonious adjustment of 
(1 ) XliXus Ss K^tivaixs, rat Ti 'Tipio'Tas Iv) X'oyu rtiuSi ivoftiZ"'^'- Pausan. 
Baotica, p. 728. 
(2) Vid. Diodor. Sic, libro xix. in Epitome Rerum Thebanarum, 
torn. II. p. 697. edit. 1604, 
(3) OhTi x,ui/.ni akfoXiyou To-Ttot ffso^oufi. Straboji. Geog. lib. ix. p. 585. 
ed. Oxon. 
(4) Mitouffi Se kk) i; ri/iZi 'irt. Pausan. ibid. c. 8. p. 727. 
(5) Site a.\%o Diccearchus, ^lAA, et seq. ed. Htidson. 
(6) See Pococ^c's Travels, vol.11. Part II. page 159. ffheler's 
Journey into Greece, p. 331. Zjond, 16S2, 
