THEBES 333 THEBES or THIVA to 1100, when it had supplanted Mem- phis, the ancient capital of the Pharaohs. The central situation of Thebes secured it from the attacks of the N. enemies of Egypt, and contributed to its prosperity; and here the worship of Amen-Ra arose in all its splendor; magnificent palaces and temples were built in its different quarters by the great monarchs of the Theban dynasties, and were added to by later kings, down to the time of the Ptolemies and Antonines, to the 2d cen- tury A. D. In the plenitude of its power it sent forth an army of 20,000 war chariots; but about 1100 B, c. the Bubastite and Tanite dynasties removed the capital again to the N., to Sais and Memphis, and thenceforth Thebes declined in im- portance. At the Persian conquest in the 6th century b. C. Cambyses obtained a spoil of nearly $10,000,000 from the city, and destroyed many of its noblest monuments. The foundation of Alexan- dria still further injured it; and at the time of Strabo Thebes was only a cluster of small villages. Its temples, tombs, and ruins were frequently visited by Greek and Roman travelers, including the Emperor Hadrian. At a later period a considerable Christian population lived there under the empire; but at the Arab invasion the inhabitants fled to Esne. Thebes is now inhabited only by Fel- lahin, by a few officials, and by the mi- gratory visitors to the three hotels at Luxor. Of the monuments on the W. or Libyan side the principal are the three temples of Seti I. and Rameses II. and III., known respectively as El-Kurna, the Rameseum (or Memnonium), and Medi- net-Habu. Close to the Rameseum is the fallen and broken colossus of the founder, the largest statue in Egypt, originally nearly 60 feet high. Nearby are also some remains of two temples of Amenoph III. and two colossal statues. Some way behind the Rameseum, on a spur of the hills, is a terraced temple of Queen Hatasu (18th dynasty), known as Deyr- el-Bahri, near which a remarkable series of 39 royal and priestly mummies, papyri, etc., were found by Emil Brugsch in 1881. At Medinet-Habu is a pile of buildings, of which the chief is the great temple oi Rameses III. (the Rhampsini- tus of Herodotus), with sculptures rep- resenting his victories over the Philis- tines, and a calendar with inscriptions dated in the 12th year of his reign. Near here, to the N. W., are the cemeteries of the sacred apes, and further on the val- ley of the Tombs of the Queens, consist- ing of 17 sepulchres, supposed to be the tombs of the Pallacides of Amen, men-
tioned by Diodorus and Strabo. Near them, among the hills, are the Biban-el- Muluk, or Tombs of the Kings of the 19th and 20th dynasties, 16 in number. On the E. bank the chief monuments are at Luxor, the beautiful temple of Amenoph III. (18th dynasty), added t-o by Rameses II., with its well-known obelisk, the fellow of which was removed to the Place de la Concorde at Paris ; and the still more magnificent temple, or rather group of temples, at Karnak, the sanctuary of which, built by Osirtasen I. of the 12th dynasty, was added to by the monarchs of the 18th. The most re- markable part of this wonderful mass of pylons, courts, and obelisks is the great hall, 170 feet by 329 feet, built by Seti I. and Rameses II., with its central avenue of 12 massive columns, 62 feet high and 12 feet in diameter, and its 122 other columns, and two obelisks (originally four), one of which is the tallest in Egypt, 108 feet high. On the walls the sculptures tell the glorious history of those two warrior kings. Here, too, is the so-called Portico of the Bubastiteg, built by Shishak, I., recording his expedi- tion against Jerusalem, 971 B. c. Thebes of to-day {Thevss) has a population of about 3,500. The Thebaid, the territory of Thebes, was a term applied to various areas at various times, but generally to one of the three main divisions of Egypt. It ia specially familiar to us as being a favor- ite place of retreat for Christian hermits. THEBES, or THIVA, the capital of Boeotia in ancient Greece; founded, ac- cording to tradition, by a colony of Phoe- nicians, under Cadmus, 1550 B. c, or 1400 B. C. They were driven out by the Boeo- tians, 1124 B. c. Platsea, one of the Boeo- tian cities, revolted from Thebes 510 B. c, and applied for help to Athens. A war ensued between Thebes and Athens, in which the latter was victorious. This caused much animosity between Thebes and Athens, and in the Persian War, 480 B. C, the Thebans deserted the cause of Greece and fought against the Athenians at Plataea, 479 B. c. The Athenians in- vaded Boeotia, and established a demo- cratic government in Thebes, 456 B. c. The Thebans were allies of the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, 431 B. C.-404 B. C. Sparta having claimed supremacy over the whole of Greece, the Thebans joined the Athenians, 395 B. c. The peace of Antalcidas put an end to the war, 387 B. c, and deprived Thebes of her suprem- acy over Boeotia. The Spartans, who treacherously seized the citadel of Thebes 382 B. C, were defeated at Leuctra, in July, 371 B. c; and the Thebans regained Cyc, Vol. IX
