THE 



T 11 E 



extravagance, and for going beyond the bounds of pro- 

 bability. 



Several Greek poets had compofed Thebaids, or poems of 

 this name, before liim; the principal were Antagoras, Anti- 

 phaues of Colophon, Menelaus the ^.gcan ; and an anony- 

 mous author mentioned by Paufanias, lib. ix. 



Ariftotle, prailing Homer for the fimplicity of his fable, 

 oppofes to him the ignorance of certain poets, who imagined 

 that the imity of fable or adlion was abundantly provided 

 for by the unity of the hero, and who compofed Tiieifeids, 

 Herculeids, &c, in each of which, they coUedled every thing 

 that had ever happened to their principal perfon. 



THEBAIS, or Thebaid, called alfo Snid, in ylncient 

 Giography, a name given to Upper Egypt, from its princi- 

 pal city Thebes. It is in fcripture called Pathros. This 

 is the moft fouthem part of Egypt next to Ethiopia, and 

 is almoft as extenfive as all the other parts of Egypt, in- 

 cluding the country on both fides of the Nile down to the 

 Heptanomis or Middle Egypt ; its beft city, according 

 to the ancients, being Lycopolis, (fee Siux,) on the 

 vreflern, and Antxopolis on the eaftern fide of the river. 

 Thefe dimenfions agree pretty exaftly with the prefent extent 

 of Al Said, the moll northern city of which is Manfelilt. In 

 this part of Egypt there were formerly fevcral cities of 

 great note ; fuch as Lycopolis, on the fcite of which is fup- 

 pofed to be the prefent ManfelQt ; Hypfele, or Aboutig, 

 about a mile W. of the Nile ; Aphroditopolis ; Ptolemais ; 

 Abydus, once the fecond city of the Thebaid, famous for the 

 magnificent palace of Memnon, but in the time of Strabo 

 only a village ; Little Diofpolis, probably the prefent 

 Hou (which fee) ; Tentyra, the inhabitants of which vsrere 

 famous for their enmity to the crocodile, the ruins of which 

 are ftill to be feen at Dendera (which fee) ; Latopolis, or 

 Efneh (which fee) ; Great Apollinopolis, on the fcite of which 

 Etfu is now fuppofed to ftand (fee Apollinis Urbs, and 

 Etfu) ; and Elephantine, on an ifland of that name, where 

 are the ruins of a fmaJl temple. On the eaft fide of the 

 Nile are Antseopolis, on the fcite of which Siout is fuppofed 

 to have been built ; PalTalus, conjedlured to be the prefent 

 Gava-Kiebre, where is feen a very beautiful portico of a 

 temple, with eighteen pillars, in three rows ; Panopolis and 

 Cherarriis, fuppofed to be the fame city, but diftinguifhed 

 by Herodotus ; the fcite of PanopoHs is faid to be that of the 

 prefent Akraim, about a mile from the river; Chenobofcia ; 

 Caene or Neapolis, perhaps the prefent Kene, a fmall town 

 on an eminence, about a mile from the river Coptos or Kept, 

 and called by Phny the emporium of commodities brought 

 from India and Arabia ; Coptos, where Chriftians were 

 formerly very numerous (fee CoPTOs) ; ApoOinopolis 

 (fee Apollini.sUrbs, or ylpoUinopolii Pdr-vaor Kous) ; and 

 Thebes ; which fee. To the fouth of Thebes, and on the 

 fame fide of the river, were the following cities : i;iz. 

 Chnumis or Cnuphis ; Elethya or, city of Lucina ; 

 Onebos, now Comombo, or the hill of Ombo, on which are 

 feen the ruins of an ancient temple (fee Comombo) ; 

 Syene ; Philae, (fee Piiiloe,) an ifland deemed facred 

 from an opinion that Ofiris was buried there. The Thebaid 

 in the firil ages of the church was rendered famous by the 

 number of hermits who reforted thither. 



Thebais, a river of Afia Minor, in Caria. Pliny fays 

 that it traverfed the town of Tralhs. 



THEBAN Harp. See Hakp. 



THEBANUS Ophites, in Natural Hijlory, a name 

 given by fome of the ancients to that fpccies of the ophites, 

 or Terpentine marble, more commonly called ophites niger, the 

 black Terpentine. 



THEBARMAI, in Antiint Geography, Ormed, a town 



of Afia, S.W. of lake Spauta, and at fome diftance from it, 

 lies between a mountain and a fmall river that falls into this 

 lake. The worfliip of fire prevailed in this province, under a 

 perluafion that the firll pyraeum was kindled by Zoroafter 

 himfelf. 



THEBES, the capital city of the Thebais, or Upper 

 Egypt, which was defcrvedly reckoned one of the hnell 

 cities in the world. It was alfo called Diofpohs, or the 

 city of .lupiter, and was built, as fome fay, by Ofiris, but 

 according to others, by Bufiris. Its length, in the time of 

 Strabo, was eighty furlongs, or ten miles ; but this was 

 very inconfiderable, compared with its ancient extent, before 

 it was ruined by Cambyfes, which, we are told, was no left 

 than 420 ftadia, or 52^ miles. Its wealth was fo great, 

 that, after it had been plundered by the Perfians, what was 

 found, on burning the remains of the pillage, amounted to 

 above 300 talents of gold, and 2300 of filver. The 1 00 

 gates of Thebes are mentioned by Homer, and, after him, 

 by many others ; but fome think that this was not the 

 number of the gates, but of the temples ; and that from 

 them the city had the epithet Hecatompylos, expreffing a 

 definite for an indefinite number. Pomponius Mela, and 

 others, by the 100 gates, underftand fo many palaces of 

 princes, each of whom could, on any occafion, arm aiid fend 

 out 20,000 fighting men, and 200 chariots. A modern 

 traveller could obferve no figns or remains of walls round 

 Thebes : and if it had none, we muft conclude, that by 

 100 gates, were meant the gates of the temples, or rather 

 the palaces of great men. In Strabo's time the city flood 

 chiefly on the eaft fide of the river. At Thebes there were 

 anciently four remarkable temples 5 one of them is faid, by 

 Diodorus Siculus, to have been i| mile in circnmterence, 

 and 45 cubits in height, with walls 24 feet thick. 



Tlie venerable ruins of this city, probably the moft an- 

 cient in the world, fays Mr. Browne (Travels, &c.), extend 

 for about three leagues in length along the Nile. Eaft and 

 weft they reach to the mountains, a breadth of about 25 

 leagues. The river here is about 300 yards broad ; the cir- 

 cumference of the ancient city muft therefore have been 

 about 27 miles. In failing up the Nile, the firft village that 

 occurs within the precinfts is Kourna, on the W., with few 

 houfes, as the people chiefly live in the caverns. Next is 

 Abuhedjodj, a village, and Karnac, a fmall diftridl, both on 

 the E. The largeft portion of the city ftood on the eaftern 

 fide of the river. On the S.W. Medinet-Abu marks the 

 extremity of the ruins ; for Arment, which is about two 

 leagues to the S., cannot be confidered as a part. Modern 

 authors have ftyled the fcite of Thebes, " Luxor" (which 

 lee); and others have denominated it " Akfor ;" both 

 which terms are, in Mr. Browne's opinion, coiTuptions of 

 " El Kaftur,"the appellation ftill appUed to the ruins by the 

 Arabs. The moft confiderable ruins are thofe on the E. 

 of the Nile. The chief of thefe is the " great temple," an 

 oblong fquare building of vaft extent, with a double 

 colonnade, one at each extremity. The mafTy columns and 

 walls are covered with hieroglyphics. The " great temple" 

 ftands in the diftricl called Karnac. Next to this in im- 

 portance is the temple at Abu-Hedjadj, and here are nu- 

 merous ruins, avenues marked with fphinxes, &c. On the 

 W. fide of the Nile appear two coloflal figures, apparently 

 of a man and woman, formed of a calcareous ftone like the 

 reft of the ruins : — remains of a large temple, with caverns 

 excavated in the rock: — the magnificent edifice ftyled 

 the " palace of Memnon," fome of the columns being 

 about 40 feet high, and about 9^ in diameter : the columns 

 and walls are covered with hieroglyphics : this ftands at 

 Kourna. Behind the palace is the paflage denominated 

 3 M 2 " Biban- 



