Thebes

Thebes was at the center of mythological life in Ancient Greece. It is a place full of tragedy, drama and intrigue. It is full of stories of brother plotting against brother, father against son and is the sort of place where one can accidentally become one’s own stepfather.

The Thebans themselves are a high-strung people and not to be trifled with. Conflicts are settled with combat, and, antigonistic to a fault, some Thebans will literally kill themselves just to prove a point.

Visitors to Thebes marvel the site of the first civil service exam. In contrast to modern testing, this exam was not administered by a humorless government drone. The monitor was a monster with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. The one question was on the topic of zoology. Get the answer right, and you could be king. Get it wrong and you would be devoured. 

So bring a sharpened No. 2 pencil.

This was the system used to establish governments before the advent of our more enlightened method.

Also located here in the palace is the setting of the world’s first known murder mystery. At its core was the question as to who killed the former king of Thebes. The story contains nearly every technique in the mystery-writer’s arsenal: red herrings, false accusations, misread clues, hidden family secrets and a boffo surprise that sets the standard for twist(ed) endings.

As always, travelers tales are encouraged in the comments.