 
| Location |
Upper Egypt - 800 km south of the Mediterranean East bank of Nile |
|---|---|---|
| Nome |  The sceptre - the 4th Nome of Upper Egypt
| |
| Type of Settlement | Capital City | |
| Necropolis | Valley of Kings - the necropolis where the Pharaohs and nobles were entombed | |
| Local deity | The holy triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu | |
| Ancient name | Waset | |
| Contemporary name | Luxor and Karnak now occupy parts of its site | |
| Historical Development |
1- Old Kingdom - a number of small settlements and a village called Waset 2- Middle Kingdom - Mentuhotep I 11th Dynasty united Egypt and established Thebes as his capital. Amenemhet I of the 12th Dynasty moved his capital to Crocodilopolis, Thebes took the role as the religious center of the nation, as its god Amun was promoted to principal state deity. 3- New Kingdom - Ahmose I 18th Dynasty established Thebes as his Capital and the golden age of the city began. The city rapidly became prominent as the royal residence and as a seat of the worship of the god Amun 4- As the New Kingdom began to decay and the locus of power to shift to the Nile Delta, Thebes went into decline. 5- For a time in the 11th cent. B.C., it was a separate political entity under sacerdotal rule. Thebes was sacked by the Assyrians in 661 B.C., an event referred to in the Bible (Nah. 3.8?10). 6-The Romans sacked it in 29 B.C., and by 20 B.C. a Greek visitor to the site reported only a few scattered villages. | |
| Monuments |
a) Temple of Karnak - the most important sanctuary of the New Kingdom b) Luxor Temple complex - center of the Festival of Opet |
