Seven Against Thebes and Epigoni
Seven Against Thebes
Here is a list of the seven Argive champions who fought against Thebes. It also shows the gate the hero fought at, and which Theban champions they were killed by.
| Champions | Parentage | Gate | Killed By |
| Adrastus (Ἄδραστου) | son of Talaus & Lysimache | – | – |
| Amphiarüs (Ἀμφιάραος) | son of Oícles & Hypermnestra | Homoloean Gate | Zeus (or Periclymenus) |
| Hippomedon (Ἱππομέδων) | son of Talaus & Lysimache or Lysianassa | Athena Onca | Ismarus |
| Mecisteus (Μηκιστεύς) | son of Talaus & Lysimache or Lysianassa | – | Melanippus |
| Capaneus (Καπανεύς) | son of Hipponous & Astynome | Electran Gate | Zeus |
| Eteoclus (Ἐτεοκλυς) | son of Iphis | Neïstan Gate | Leades or Megareus |
| Parthenopaeüs (Παρθενοπαἳος) | son of Ares, Hippomenes, Melanion or Meleager & Atalanta | Borraean Gate | Periclymenus, Asphodicus or Amphidicus |
| Tydeus (Τυδεύς) | son of Oeneus & Gorge or Periboea | Proëtid Gate | Melanippus |
| Polyneices (Πολυνείκης) | son of Oedipus & Jocasta | Seventh Gate | Eteocles |
Adrastus, king of Argos, was the leader of the Seven champions. He was the only leader of the Seven to survive the war.
Capaneus was killed by the thunderbolt of Zeus. While Zeus did not actually kill Amphiarüs, the god did cause the earth to open up in front of Amphiarüs’ chariot, swallowing up the seer and his charioteer.
Note that nine people are listed here, instead of seven. The Seven champions were seven Argive chieftains listed above (including Adrastus, king of Argos). Polyneices and Tydeus were foreign princes (and sons-in-law of Adrastus); therefore, they were not counted as members of the Seven, though they both took very active roles in the war. For this reason, I have placed Polyneices and Tydeus at the bottom of the list, anyway.
However, some writers do count Polyneices and Tydeus as two of the seven champions. In this case, you could leave out Mecisteus and Adrastus (eg. Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes). The names of the gates attacked by the Seven were also given in Aeschylus’ play.
Epigoni
| **Leaders** | **Parents** |
| Aegialeus (Αἰγιάλεος) | son of Adrastus & Amphithea |
| Cyanippus (Κυάνιππος) | son of Adrastus & Amphithea |
| Alcmeon (Ἀλκμάιων) | son of Amphiarüs & Eriphyle |
| Amphilochus (Ἀμφίλοχος) | son of Amphiarüs & Eriphyle |
| Sthenelus (Σθένελος) | son of Capaneus & Evadne |
| Polydorus (Πολύδωρος) | son of Hippomedon |
| Euryalus (Εὐρύαλος) | son of Mecisteus |
| Promachus (Πρόμαχος) | son of Parthenopaeüs |
| Diomedes (Διομήδης) | son of Tydeus & Deïpyle |
| Thersander (Θέρσανδρος) | son of Polyneices & Argeia |
Alcmeon was the elected leader of the Epigoni. Aegialeus was the only leader to die in Thebes. Adrastus, king of Argos, died from grief, when he heard that his son (Aegialeus) had fallen in battle. Apparently, one of the prophecies stated that the Argives couldn’t win the war unless the last leader of the original Seven died.
One writer also listed Timeas and Adrastus, the sons of Polyneices & Argeia, as members of the Epigoni.
