The city of Thebes forms the background to many a Greek tragedy. In Sprouts of a dragon’s teeth, Greek filmmaker Danae Io shows us the reality of modern-day Thebes. The poet Stathis Gourgouris provides us with the words that describe the human element, while the images reflect on the land, the surroundings and on decay.

Sprouts of a dragon's teeth

On a hot summer day, three US archaeologists are studying the de-industrialised plains of Thebes, the city of Antigone and Oedipus. The camera moves between ancient ruins and infrastructure as a field worker leaves the crops after a day’s labour.