The Epigoni
A generation after the Seven Against Thebes fail, their sons return to attack the city and succeed where their fathers were defeated.
The Story
The first expedition against Thebes had ended in disaster.
Most of the Seven were dead.
But their sons grew up knowing the story of the failed campaign.
A generation later they organised a second expedition.
These warriors became known as the Epigoni, the Descendants.
Among them were Alcmaeon, son of Amphiaraus, and Thersander, son of Polynices.
Unlike their fathers, the Epigoni received signs that the campaign would succeed.
They marched against Thebes.
The defenders were defeated.
Aegialeus, son of Adrastus, was killed during the fighting.
He became the one major casualty among the sons, reversing the pattern of the earlier expedition in which Adrastus had been the only one of the Seven to survive.
Thebes was finally captured.
Thersander became associated with the restored royal line.
The second expedition therefore completed the unfinished war begun by Polynices and the Seven.
It also linked the Theban generation directly with the heroes who would later belong to the age of the Trojan War.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The Epigoni complete the military story begun by Seven Against Thebes and connect the Theban cycle with the next generation of Greek heroes.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient sources vary over the full membership of the Epigoni and details of the final battle, but their successful return against Thebes is central.