THE 



faiJ to have been 43 ftadia (l league 1563 toifes) in cir- 

 cumference. Its environs arc embellidied by two rivers, by 

 meadows and gardens. Myron of Byzantium fays, that 

 Amphion was the firft pcrfon who eroacd an altar to Mer- 

 cury, and that the god recompenfcd his zeal by giving h:m 

 a lyre. The Thebans carried on various wars with the Pla- 

 txars for afcertaining their rcfpcaive hmits ; and againfl 

 the Athenians at Platiea for having fought the friendfhip of 

 the king of Perfia againfl; the common intereft of the Greeks. 

 In procefs of time, the Thebans avenged themfclves by de- 

 feating the Athenians at Delium, near the Tanagra. The 

 Macedonians, after the battle of Cheronxa, placed a garri- 

 fon at Thebes, where it remained till after the death of Phi- 

 lip. Alexander having taken tlie city, and expelled its in- 

 habitants, who retired to Athens, CalTander, the fon of An- 

 tipater, re-eftabliflied them there, with the affiftance of the 

 Athenians, the Meflenians, and the Megalopolitans. Sylla 

 at length reduced them to extreme mifery, for having de- 

 clared in favour of Mithridates. 



In the time of Paufanias, the whole lower part of the 

 town was in ruins, except the temples, and the citadel only 

 was inhabited and denominated Thebes. The temple of 

 Apollo was fealed on an eminence near one of the gates, and 

 the river Ifmcne, which paffed by it, gave to the god and 

 the hill on which his temple ftood the name of Ifmenius. 

 Mercury and Minerva had each 3 ftatue of marble at the 

 entrance of the veftibule of this temple : that of Mercury 

 was the work of Phidias, and that of Minerva was exe- 

 cuted by Scopas. The ftatue of Apollo in the temple was 

 wrought of cedar-wood. In this temple were alfo brazen 

 tripods of excellent workmanfhip. Hercules Promachus 

 had a temple near another of the gates of the city, in 

 which was his ftatue of marble ; a coloflal figure by AI- 

 camenes, and his labours by Praxiteles. The temple of 

 Amnion had a ftatue executed by Calamis and dedicated 

 by Pindar. Here was alfo the temple of Fortune, and the 

 goddefs held Plutus in her arms under the form of an 

 infant. The temple of Ceres Thefmophorus, or the legif- 

 latar, had been anciently the houfe of Cadmus, in which was 

 exhibited a buft of the ftatue of the goddefs. The theatre 

 was near another gate, and near it a temple of Bacchus Ly- 

 iius. The temple of Diana Euclea was in the fame quar- 

 ter ; the ftatue of the goddefs was the work of Scopas. 

 Jupiter, fumamed the Highejl, had a temple near the gate of 

 this appellation. Here were a place of exercife and a ftadium ; 

 and in the midft of the ftadium was the tomb of Pindar. 

 The river Irce paffed near Thebes, and beyond it were the 

 ruins of the houfe of Pindar, and a kind of chapel which 

 this poet had built in honour of Cybele. Her ftatue was 

 formed of Pentehc mirble, Entrance into the chapel was 

 allowed only one day in the year. The temple of The- 

 mis was near one of the gates of Thebes, and her ftatue 

 was of white marble. Jupiter Agoreus and the Parcss had 

 alfo their temples. The ftatue of Hercules Rhinocoluftes 

 was in full view in this part of the city. The facred wood 

 of Ceres Cabiria and of Proferpine lay at about 23; ftadia 

 from Thebes. The temple of the Cabiri was at the diftance 

 of fe.yen ftadia. According to Paufanias, there was feen at 

 Thebes a ftatue of Venus Urania, which was faid to have 

 been formed of parts of the ftiips that brought Cadnius 

 into Greece. It was the moft ancient ftatue in Greece. 

 The population of this city was very confiderable. When it 

 was taken by Alexander, more than 6cx>0 perfons perifhed, 

 and more than 30,000 were fold for ftaves. Some priefts 

 were fpared and many citizens fled. Hence we may prcfume, 

 that the number of inhabitants in Thebes and its diftrift 

 might amount to 50,000 of all ages and fexes, without in- 



THE 



eluding (lave?. The inhabitants, like thofe of Athens, were 

 divided into three clafl'es ; the firft compofed of citizens, 

 the fecond of naturalized foreigners, and the third of flaves. 

 The Thebans were deemed to be courageous, infolent, and 

 vain ; and murders were frequently the confequence of the 

 moft frivolous quarrels. The women were both well made 

 and generally of a fair complexion, of a noble carriage, and 

 not inelegant drefs ; their voice was remarkably fweet and 

 tender ; and that of the men harfti and difagreeable, and in 

 fome meafure fuited to their charafter. The " facred bat- 

 talion" of Thebes is famous in hiftory. It confifted of a 

 body of young warriors, brought up together, and main- 

 tained at the public expence, in the citadel. Their exev- 

 cifcs, and even their amufements, were regulated by the me- 

 lodious founds of the flute ; and in order to prevent their 

 courage from degenerating into blind fury, care was taken 

 to infpire them v.'ith the nobleft and moft animated fenti- 

 ments. Each warrior chofe from the band a friend, to 

 whom he remained infeparably united. Thefe 300 warrior., 

 were anciently diftributed in troops at the head of the dif- 

 ferent divifions of the army. Pelopidas, who had frequently 

 the honour of commanding them, having made them fight 

 in a body, the Thebans were indebted to them for almoft all 

 the advantages they gained over the Lacedjemomans. Phihp 

 deftroyed this hitlierto invincible cohort at Cheronxa ; and 

 the prince, feeing tfeofe young Thebans ftretched on the 

 Seld of battle, covered with honourable wounds, and lying 

 fide by fide on the ground on which they had been Rationed, 

 could not reftrain his tears, but bore a noble teftimony 

 to their virtue as well as their valour. Travels of Anachar- 

 fis, vol. iii. See Thjva. 



ThebjB, a town of Upper Egypt, on the right bank of 

 the Nile. According to the ideas given us of this town by 

 Homer, it was the moft celebrated of antiquity. Ancient 

 authors have given very different accounts of its extent. 

 In the time of Strabo, this city had been deftroyed. It had 

 been ravaged by Cambyfes j it was afterwards defpoiled of 

 its riches by Ptolemy Philometer ; and under the reiga of Au- 

 guftus, it was feverely treated by Gallus on account of its 

 rebellion. From this time it fell into a ftate of decline, from 

 which it has not recovered. Tacitus mentions it as a town 

 in ruins ; and Juvenal fpeaks thus of it : This city extended 

 on both fides of the Nile, although it was more particularly 

 fituated on the right bank of this river : a confiderable por- 

 tion of it lay to the left, which, according to Strabo, bore 

 the name of " Memmonium." For a further account of 

 this city, fee Thebes. 



Theb.^ was a name given to. many ancient towns. Thebe 

 was a town of Afia, in Cilicia hypoplaciana, fituated on a 

 plain, at the foot of mount Placion. — Alfo, a town of Ju- 

 dea, in the half-tribe of Manaffeh, on this fide of Jordan. — 

 Alfo, a town of Macedonia, in the Phthiotide, 100 ftadia 

 from the town of Alos, according to Strabo. — Alfo; a 



town of Afia Minor, in Ionia, in the vicinity of Miletus 



Alfo, a town of Greece, in Attica. — Alfo, a town of Afia, 

 in Cataonia. — Alfo, a town of Afia, in S)Tna. — Alfo, a town 

 of Paleftine, in the tribe of Ephraim. — Alfo, a towTi of 

 Arabia Felix, upon the coaft of the Red fea, in the coun- 

 try of the Cinsdocolpites. Ptolemy. 



THEBAID, TirEBAis, a famous heroic poem of Statins, 

 the fubjeft of which is the civil war of Thebes betwee.n 

 the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices ; or Thebes taken 

 by Thefeus. 



Statins was twelve years in compofing his Thebaid, which 



confifts of twelve books : he wrote under Domitian. He 



is cenfured by the beft critics, as Boflii, &c. for a vicious 



multiplicity of fables and aftions, for too much heat and 



9 extra- 



