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Thebaid

Administrative region in Aegyptus

Field	Value
native_name
Θηβαΐς
ἐπαρχία Θηβαΐδος
common_name	Thebaid
era	Late Antiquity
subdivision	Province
nation	the Byzantine Empire, Diocese of Egypt
year_start	c. 293
year_end	641
capital	Ptolemais
event_start	Division by emperor Diocletian
event1	Persian occupation
date_event1	612–628
event_end	Conquest by Arabs
today	Egypt

Θηβαΐς ἐπαρχία Θηβαΐδος

The Thebaid or Thebais (, Thēbaïs) was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan.

Pharaonic history

Pyramidion of Nebamun. Possibly top of a stela. Limestone. 19th Dynasty. From Egypt. Bought in the Thebaid (Thebais) but probably it came from Deir el-Medina. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes (Luxor). During the Ancient Egyptian dynasties this region was dominated by Thebes and its priesthood at the temple of Amun at Karnak.

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. 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 Upper Egypt.

Roman province(s)

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 into Upper (, , Anō Thēbaïs), comprising the southern half with its capital at Thebes, and Lower or Nearer (, , 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 hermits, and was the birthplace of Pachomius. 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 as Catholic titular sees:

Antaeopolis (Tjebu)
Antinoöpolis, the Metropolitan Archbishopric
Apollonopolis Parva (Côm-Esfaht, now Qus)
Cusae
Hermopolis Magna = Maior
Hypselis (Chutb = Shutb)
Oasis Magna (Kharga Oasis)
Panopolis (Akhmim)

Ancient episcopal sees of Thebais Secunda (Thebaid II) listed in the Annuario Pontificio as Catholic titular sees:

Apollonopolis Magna (Edfu)
Coptus (Qift)
Diocletianopolis in Thebaide (Qus)
Diospolis Superior (Hu)
Hermonthis
Latopolis (ancient Esna)
Maximianopolis in Thebaide (Qena)
Philae
Pselchis (Temple of Dakka)
Ptolemais in Thebaide (Ptolemais Hermiou), the Metropolitan Archbishopric
Syene (Aswan)
Tentyris (Dendera)
Thinis

Cultural references

Anatole France's novel, Thaïs, opens on a monastic and ascetic community along the Nile, in Thebaid.

References

Windham, Dharma. (March 2006). "Reluctant Goddess: Kleopatra and the Stolen Throne". Infinity Publishing.
"Thebaid".
''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 {{ISBN. 978-88-209-9070-1), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013

Info: Wikipedia Source

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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

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