Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/35

 Inland Tribes. '7 Hardly pressed for elbow room, or owing to some other cause, the more important tribes of the peninsula started, for the most part, on their southward expedition, drawn thither by rumours of the treasures of Egypt. Here they were assisted by a Libyan tribe, the Libou, on the watch for a good opportunity to fall on their opulent neighbours. These incursions, as we said, occurred under Ramses II., Menephtah, and Ramses III., who eventually triumphed over these hordes ; when after their defeat those that were not incorporated in the Egyptian army, were set to defend Egypt against the unruly Libyans to the west, whilst in Syria the Philistines were to guard the Nile valley to the east. The fact that these invaders are heard of under three successive Pharaohs, shows that they obeyed some kind of discipline, and seem to have banded together by common consent, and to have surrendered the leadership to native Libyans, familiar with the customs of the country, and acquainted with the best approaches by which the delta might be invaded. Thus we read of a Libyan, Mermai'ou, son of Deid, as the sole leader of these tribes ; whilst another Libyan, Deid, doubtless son of Mermai'ou, headed them under Ramses II. After their final defeat the broken bands were scattered in every direction ; some, owing to their numbers or some other cause, were suffered to abandon the country ; such were the Iliouna, the Dardani (Dardanians), the Pidasa (Peda- sians), the Iliouna (Trojans), the Masou (Mysians), and the Louca (Lycaonians and Lycians) ; for we find them mentioned later in history as inhabiting Asia Minor ; whilst the Aqaiousha settled in the Helenic peninsula and in the islands of the archipelago, notably Cyprus and Crete. A certain number of the Toursha (Tyrennians) seem to have left Greece in their rear on their onward progress, entering Italy to the north, and occupying the head of the Adriatic Gulf and the surrounding country. 1 1 Maspero, Hist. Ancienne des Peuples d'Orient, 2nd edit., pp. 249, 250, 266, 479. We have here followed M. Maspero's view, who for years has been engaged upon this question, and who in a letter to us was good enough to review the whole situation, stating that he saw no reason to alter the opinion which he published some years ago. Others, as Duncker {Geschichte des Alterthums, vol. i. pp. 151 and following), Unger {Chronologie des Manet/10, p. 218), cited by Maspero, in the Revue Critique, new series, vol. v. p. 320, and J. Halévy, p. 20, note 1, think that the various tribes mentioned in the inscriptions as banded together against Egypt were African ; an hypothesis difficult to be maintained before names, of which a large proportion so manifestly belong to the ethnical nomenclature of Asia Minor. vol. 1. c