THEBES, the name of a celebrated Egyptian city, called by the Egyptians Taape, or Taouab; by the Hebrews, No-Amen; by the Greeks, Thebm; and at a later period, Diospolis Magna. It lies in the broadest section of the valley of the Nile, in about 26° n., and was formerly the capital of Southern or Upper Egypt. Its ruins, the most extensive in that country, comprise nine townships, the most remarkable of which are Medinat Habu, Gournah, Karnak, and Luxor. Its local and eponymous god was Amen-Ra, or Jupiter Ammon; and its foundation traditionally dated from the time of Menes, the founder of the monarchy, although no remains of so early a date have been discovered on the site. Recently, however, excavations have brought to light construc tions of the 11th dynasty, who appear to have founded the original temple of the god. The Nile flows through the midst of the ancient city, and divides into four principal quarters: Karnak and Luxor, which lie on the e. bank, and Gournah and Medinat Halm, on the Iv. bank of the river. The most flourishing period of the city was under the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties, or from about 1500 to 1000 B.C., when it had sup planted Memphis, the ancient capital of the Pharaohs. The more central situation of this city probably caused it to rise into importance, for it was secure against the north ern enemies of Egypt; hence, under these Diospolitan dynasties, the worship of Amen Ra arose in all its splendor; magnificent palaces and temples were built in its different quarters, to which additions were made by later monarchs, and even by the Ptolemies and Romans till the time of the Antonines, in the 2d e. A.D. Here, too, were the ceme teries of the Theban monarchs and the officers of their courts, colleges of priests, and the scat of royal government. It was enriched by the spoils of Asia and the tributes of Ethiopia, and its fame and reputation had reached the early Greeks, Homer describing it by. the epithet of Hekatompylos, or City of a Hundred Gates, in allusion to its pro pylwa, for Thebes was never a fortified city. In the plenitude of its power it sent forth an army of 20,000 war-chariots; but the Bubastite and Tanite dynasties removed the capital again to Seas and Memphis, and Thebes declined in importance, although i retaining much of its ancient grandeur. At the Persian conquest, Cambyses obtained a spoil of nearly £2,000,000 from the city, destroyed many of its noblest monuments, and injured its political pm-eminence. The foundation of Alexandria by Alexander the great, and other causes, still further injured the city; and although some repairs were made under the subsequent monarchs, its grandeur had departed. At the time of Strabo, Thebes was only a cluster of small villages. When that geographer visited the city its extent was about 91. m. in length (according to Diodorus), its circuit was about 16 miles. Its temples, tombs, and ruins were visited by the _Roman travelers; and Ger manicus and Hadrian inspected the sculptures of the temples. At a later period, a con
siderable Christian population existed under the empire; but the inhabitants fled at the Arab invasion to Esneb; and Thebes is now inhabited only by a few Arab families of Fellaheen, who obtain a precarious livelihood by guiding travelers over the ruins, or rifling the the tombs for antiquities. At Gournah, is to be seen the Memnoneion, built by Ramesses II.; with a colossus of that monarch, weighing 8871 tons, the largest statue in Egypt, broken. This is supposed to be the palace of Osymandyas, described by Hecatmus, and is of considerable extent. In this quarter are two palace-temples of Anaenophis III., and the vocal Memnon, Or celebrated colossus of that monarch, sup posed by the ancients to emit a sound at sunrise. At Medinat Habu is a pile of build ings, commenced by Thothmes I., of the 18th dynasty, with courts and propylaea, built by Ramesses III. or Rhampsinitus, and sculptures representing his victories over the Philistines, the life in his harem, the riches of his treasury; and a calendar with inscrip. Lions dated in the twelfth year of his reign. Here, 8,000 ft. to the n.w., are the cemete ries of sacred apes; and 3,000 ft. beyond, the valley of the tombs of the queens, consisting of 17 syringes, or sepulchers, supposed to be the tombs of the Pallacides of Amen, mentioned by Diodorus and Strabo. Near them are the Biban-el-Meluk, or tombs of the monarchs of the 19th and 20th dynasties, 16 in number, the most interesting of which are that of Sethos I., called Belzoni's, after its discoverer, and those of Harnesses III., and Siptah. At Gournah itself are the tombs of functionaries and others, and this latter site has enriched the museums of Europe with antiquities of various kinds. The palaces of the Luxor quarter were founded by Amenophis III. From hence was re moved the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Still more magnificent than any of these is the temple of Karnak, the sanctuary of which, built by Osertesen I. of the 12th dynasty, was added to by the monarchs of the 18th dynasty. • The most remarkable part of this wonderful mass of courts, propylrea, and obelisks, is the great hall, 170 ft. by 329 ft., built by Sethos I. and Harnesses II., having a central avenue of 12 massive columns, 60 ft. high, 12 ft. in diameter; and 122 other columns, 49 ft. 9 in. high, 27 ft. 6 in. in circumference; and 2 obelisks, 92 ft. high, and 8 ft. square. In this temple is also the so-called portico of the Bubastites, built by Shishak I., recording his expedition against Jerusalem, 971 B.C. The Ptolemies also restored this building. Diodorus, i. 45; Strabo, xvi. p. 816; Wilkinson, Topography of Thebes (8vo. Lund. 1835); Champollion, L'Egypte, i. p. 199, and foll.; Lettres, pp. 63-173; Belzoni, p. 58.