Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/588

 484 APPENDIX III. XXrV. Dynasty: Saite. M. 721, B. 733. These two dynasties were formed by five kings reigning first at Tanis (San), and afterwards at Sa (Sais). But they enjoyed little more than a nominal authority in the midst of a land torn by internal dissensions and the rivalries of obscure claimants to the sovereign power. The last of them was BoKETTEANEF (BoccHORis), the legislator who, according to Manetho, reigned six years and had his residence at Sa. It M'as probably during his reign that Piankhi overran the country, as recorded on a monument discovered at Jebel-Barkal, near Meroe, in Upper Nubia. Bokeuranef was finally overthrown and put to death in the year 725 B.C., during another Ethiopian invasion under Shabak, of the following, or XXV. Dynasty: Ethiopian. M. 715, B. 700. Shabak (Sabaco), who rules over the whole of Ethiopia and Egj'pt. B. 700. Shabatak, supposed to be the So mentioned in 2 Kings xvii. 4. Takaraka, or TiRtiAKAH, also mentioned in 2 Kings xix. 9, as " King of Ethiopia." He was expelled from Lower Egypt by the Assyrians under Esarhaddon, grandson of Sennacherib, as appears from some Cuneiform writings dis- covered at Nineveh. After Esarhaddon's death the kings set up by him in the north revolted and made common cause with Tirhakah against the Assyrians. This brought on a second invasion under Esarhaddon's son, Assurbanipal, by whom both Tirhakah and his successor Urdamaneh were conquered and Thebes captured and half ruined. During these disastrous wars Egj'pt is wasted by invading hosts from east and south, and after the overthrow of Urdamaneh the northern provinces remain subject to Assyrian rule, the southern to the Ethiopians. The Assyrian monarch, however, did not govern the country directly through provincial satraps, but divided the whole of Lower Egypt amongst twelve native princes, his vassals, who paid him tribute and wore over- awed by Assyrian garrisons maintained in the chief strongholds. It is this period of government by twelve tributary kinglets to which the Greek historians apply the term Dodecarchy. An oracle had foretold that the whole of Egypt would ultimately fall to the lot of whatever prince should offer libations to the god Phtah, tutelar deity of Memphis, in a brazen vessel. One day while the twelve vassals were sacrificing in the temple the high priest presented to them the golden vases which they were accustomed to employ on these occasions. But by an oversight he brought eleven only for the twelve princes. Thereupon Psammeticus, Prince of Sais, who had probably arranged the matter beforehand, took his brazen helmet and used it to pour out his libations. But for a time the jealousy of his rivals compelled him to withdraw to the swamps of the Delta. Then courting the assistance of Greek and Carian