The Thebaid or Thebais ( grc-gre, Θηβαΐς, ''Thēbaïs'') was a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend wikt:downriver, upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south. ...

, from

Abydos Abydos may refer to: *Abydos, a progressive metal side project of German singer Andy Kuntz * Abydos (Hellespont), an ancient city in Mysia, Asia Minor * Abydos (''Stargate''), name of a fictional planet in the '' Stargate'' science fiction universe ...

Aswan Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of ...

Pharaonic history

The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes (

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-ai ...

). During the Ancient Egyptian dynasties this region was dominated by Thebes and its priesthood at the temple of Amun at

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constru ...

. 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 The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. The capital of Ptolemaic Thebaid was Ptolemais Hermiou, a Hellenistic colony on the Nile which served as the center of royal political and economic control in

Roman province(s)

During the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

, Diocletian created the province of ''Thebais'', guarded by the legions I ''Maximiana Thebanorum'' and II ''Flavia Constantia''. This was later divided into Upper ( la, Thebais Superior, el, , ''Anō Thēbaïs''), comprising the southern half with its capital at Thebes, and Lower or Nearer ( la, Thebais Inferior, el, , ''Thēbaïs Engistē''), 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

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

s, and was the birthplace of

Pachomius Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May ...

. In Christian art, the Thebaid was represented as a place with numerous monks.

Episcopal sees

Ancient episcopal sees of Thebais Prima (Thebaid I) listed in the ''

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' ( Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides name ...

'' as Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

s:''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013 * Antaeopolis ( Tjebu) * Antinoöpolis, the Metropolitan Archbishopric * Apollonopolis Parva (Côm-Esfaht, now

Qus Qus ( ar, قوص, older name ar, قوص واروير, translit=qus warwir, from cop, ⲕⲱⲥ ⲃⲉⲣⲃⲓⲣ) is a city in the modern Qena Governorate, Egypt, located on the east bank of the Nile. History Naming Its modern name is one of ...

) * Cusae * Hermopolis Magna = Maior * Hypselis (Chutb = Shutb) * Oasis Magna ( Kharga Oasis) * Panopolis ( Akhmim) Ancient episcopal sees of Thebais Secunda (Thebaid II) listed in the ''

'' as Catholic

References

Sources and external links

*
GCatholic - (Current, Titular and) Defunct sees in Egypt
Roman provinces in Africa Roman Egypt Byzantine Egypt Geography of ancient Egypt Late Roman provinces 293 establishments 290s establishments in the Roman Empire 3rd-century establishments in Egypt 290s 640s disestablishments in the Byzantine Empire 641 disestablishments 7th-century disestablishments in Egypt 640s disestablishments {{Egypt-geo-stub

Pharaonic history

Roman province(s)

Episcopal sees

See also

References

Sources and external links