But the remains of Carnac, about a mile and a quarter lower down the river, are still more wonderful than those of Luxor. An irregular avenue of sphinxes, 2180 yards in length, connects the southern entrance of Caruso with the northern entrance of the temple of Luxor. Caruso is about 830 yards' from the east bank of the Nile, and is sur rounded by a wall of unburnt bricks about 5300 yards in circuit, or more than three miles. The largest building, which some have thought to be a temple and some a palace, is 1215 feet in length, 360 feet in its greatest width, and 321 feet in its least width. The entrance to it fronts the Nile, with which it is connected by an alley of crio-sphinxes. This alley conducts to a propylon, without sculpture, 360 feet loug and 143 feet high, with a great doorway in the centre 64 feet high ; imaging through which a large court is entered, having a range of pillars ou the north and south aides, and ta double row of loftier pillars down the middle, which terminate opposite two colossal statues in trout of a second propylon. A flight of 27 steps than lends to an enormous hall, 335 feet by 1704 feet, and comprising an area of 57,629 square feet. The roof, which is fiat, and when perfect was formed of vary large slab. of atone, is supported by 134 columns, the largest of which are about eleven feet in diameter, and the smallest nearly nine feet. The interior propylon, pillars, and walls are covered with nerd tares. Four beautiful obelisks form the entrance from the hall to the adytotn, or sacred place, which consists of three apartments, al' of granite; and the central room, or sanctuary, is adorned with eculp tuna, and painting and gilding. Beyond the adytum are porticoes and galleries, which were probably continued to another propylon ai the eastern end.
Four !yell's, with colomi in front of them, form the entrance or the south Me, at the end of the long avenue of sphinxes leading fron Luxor; and there was probably a similar entrance on the north side.
(igypeias Antiquities, vol. I.; Wilkinson, Handbook of E/b.pt.) Tit rAitz (In Itccotla), one of the most ancient and most Importan cities of Greece, was situated in the plain between Lake Ilylice on th north, and a range of low hills on the south. The Acropolis of th city, built upon an eminence In this plain, was said to have bees founded by Phconiebuus under Cadmus, whence it was called Cadmus round this citadel the city arose at is later time, and was so disposed, hat the greater portion of it occupied the part north of the citadel. 'review' to the Trojan war the eity was destroyed by the Epigoui ; it ook no part in that war. In the time of Homer, however, who calls it 'a city with seven gates," it appears to have again been iu n flourishing :audition. In n.e. 335 Thebes was destroyed a second time, by
Slexander the Great, who left nothing of the lower city standing, the gates, the temples, and the house of Piudar the poet : 6000 °habitants were killed, and 30,000 sold as slaves. Cassander rebuilt he pity iu tee. 316, with the generous aid of the Athenians, Messeuinns, sod Mogalopolitans. (Pausanias, ix. 7.) The city suffered a third ima in as 291, under Demetrius Poliorcetes. Diemarchue, who saw ['halm about this time or shortly after, has left an iutereating deserip ion of it. After the Macedonian time the city declined still more, and Sella seams to have given it the last blow by depriving it of half if its territory, which he assigned to the Delphians (I'ausanias, ix. 4); and Strabo remarks that in his time it had scarcely the appear ince of a village (ix., p. 403, ed. Casaub.). In the time of Pausauias, ,he citadel, then called Thebes, was still inhabited, but the lower city ears entirely abandoned; and he ouly saw the walls, gates, and temples, if which he gives a description. The place which now occupies the trident Cadmea is called Theba, or Pheba ; and here, as well as in the surrounding plain, there are many remains of ancient buildings, eculp tures, aud inscriptions. The inhabitants of ancient Thebes were once distinguished above all the other Greeks for rusticity, fierceness, and passion. The women were celebrated fur their gentleness and beauty. As a state, Thebes comprised the whole territory between the eastern coast of Lake Copais and Mount Cithwron, and extended to the north as far as the river Cephissus, which empties itself into the sea between Euboea and the mainland. This whole territory was called Thebais, aud contained a great number of towns, which were subject to Thebes. Among the fourteen confederate states of Dentin, Thebes was the first, whence it is generally called the capital of Bccotia, which, iu the strict sense of the word, it certainly was not. Besides the Egyptian and Bccotiau Thebes, the following towns of this name are mentioned by ancient writers : 1. Thebes in Plithiotis, in Thessaly, an important commercial town with a good harbour. [Tite..es.sses] 2. Thebe ire Troas, iu Asia Minor, was celebrated as a fortified place as early as the Trojan war. It was situated north of Adramyttium, and taken and destroyed by Achilles. The plain in which the terve had been situated was known down to the latest times as the Plain of Thebe.
3. Thebes in Arabia Felix.
4. Thebes in Lucauia, iu