Thebaid

Thebaid

The Thebaid or Thebais ( _el. Θηβαΐς or Θηβαΐδα) is the region of ancient Egypt containing the thirteen southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan. It acquired its name from its proximity to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes.

In Ptolemaic Egypt, the Thebaid formed a single administrative district under the "Epistrategos" of Thebes, who was also responsible for overseeing navigation in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

During the Roman Empire, Diocletian created the province of "Thebais", guarded by the legions I "Maximiana Thebanorum" and II "Flavia Constantia". This was later divided in Upper (Thebais Superior, Άνω Θηβαΐς), comprising the southern half with its capital at Thebes, and Lower or Nearer (Thebais Inferior, Θηβαΐς Ἐγγίστη), comprising the northern half with capital at Ptolemais.

Around the 5th century, since it was a desert, the Thebaid became a place of retreat of a number of Christian hermits. [web cite|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14561a.htm|title=Thebaid|work=Catholic Encyclopedia] In Christian art, the Thebaid was represented as a place with numerous monks.

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  • Thebaid — • The valley of the Nile, under Roman domination, was divided into four provinces: Lower and Upper Egypt, Lower and Upper Thebaid Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Thebaid     Thebaid …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Thebaid — The ba*id, n. [L. Thebais, idis.] A Latin epic poem by Statius about Thebes in B[oe]otia. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Thebaid — 1727, district around Thebes (in Egypt), formerly haunted by hermits and ascetics. Also, pertaining to (Boeotian) Thebes in Greece, especially in reference to the poem by Statius …   Etymology dictionary

  • Thebaid (poems) — Thebaid is used in English as the name of two epic poems, one in Greek, one in Latin.*For the early, lost Greek epic Thebais , occasionally attributed to Homer, see Thebaid (Greek poem) *For the Latin literary epic Thebais by Statius, see Thebaid …   Wikipedia

  • Thebaid (Latin poem) — The Thebaid is an epic poem composed by Statius in Latin during the silver age of Latin poetry in the late first century AD.HistoryThe Thebaid is an ancient, Latin epic written by Publius Papinius Statius (c. 45 – c. 96 AD). According to the last …   Wikipedia

  • Thebaid (Greek poem) — The Thebaid ( el. Θηβαΐδα) is an Ancient Greek epic poem of uncertain authorship (see Cyclic poets) sometimes attributed by early writers to Homer. It told the story of the war between the brothers Eteocles and Polynices, and was regarded as… …   Wikipedia

  • Thebaid — geographical name ancient district surrounding Thebes in Egypt or in Greece …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Thebaid — /thee bay id, bee /, n. the ancient region surrounding Thebes, in Egypt. * * * …   Universalium

  • THEBAID — Thebaidos …   Abbreviations in Latin Inscriptions

  • Thebaid — The•ba•id [[t]ˈθi beɪ ɪd, bi [/t]] n. geg anh the ancient region surrounding Thebes, in Egypt …   From formal English to slang

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