Page:Herodotus and the Empires of the East.djvu/76

70 Accordingly Herodotus has erroneously represented Astyages as the son of his predecessor, Cyaxares.

In his presentation of Egyptian history Herodotus mentions an expedition of the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, against Egypt. The Assyrian monarch is called " Sennacherib, the king of the Arabians and Assyrians." (II., 141.) According to Herodotus, a strange occurrence compelled the army of Sennacherib to withdraw in the midst of the siege of Pelusium. In the night mice invaded the Assyrian camp and gnawed the quivers and bows and the handles of the shields, so that the soldiers fled in terror on the following day. If Sennacherib was really forced to return, we should not expect the full truth in his report. The Assyrian king speaks of his expedition against Egypt, but he so covers up his misfortune that it is only with the help of the Biblical record (2 Kings xviii. 13–xix. 36) that we can explain the difference between Herodotus and the statements of the inscriptions. In the Taylor cylinder (Col. II., 34 fg.) we are told that an Egyptian army hastening to aid the Philistine towns met at Eltekeh (South of Ekron) the Assyrian king, who in the year 701 had invaded Palestine from the North. Sennacherib "conquered" the Egyptians and took several of their chiefs prisoners. We know, however, that, in spite of his victory, he did not trouble the Egyptians further, but turned against King Hezekiah, of Judah, and by the distribution of his army at Jerusalem shut him in as "a bird in a cage."

Hezekiah defended himself with valor, since he was encouraged by the burning words of Isaiah.