Thebaid

The Thebaid or Thebaïde 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 Thebaidos, guarded by the legions I Maximiana Thebanorum and II Flavia Constantia.

Around the 5th century, it was a desert, the retreat of a number of Christian hermits.In Christian art, the Thebaid was represented as a place with abundant monks.

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