Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/470

 462 EGYPT the great temple of Osiris at Abydos, brought to light by recent excavations, and built also the famous " hall of columns " in the palace at Karnak. On the walls of this vast hall his warlike exploits are depicted in an immense series of magnificent sculptures. The Asiatic subjects of Egypt had revolted during the re- cent period of confusion, and Seti in a series of campaigns, carried as far as the mountains of Armenia, chastised and subdued them and re- established the supremacy of Egypt over west- ern Asia. He reigned probably about 30 years, and was succeeded by his son Rameses II., whose reign lasted for 66 or 67 years. Rameses II. was the greatest builder among the Pharaohs. The two magnificent subterranean temples at Ipsambul in Nubia, the Ramesseum of Thebes, a large part of the temples of Karnak and Luxor, and the small temple at Abydos, are his works. He built also large edifices at Memphis, at Ta- nis, and in the Fayoom. He was also a great warrior, and made many campaigns against the tribes of the Upper Nile, who revolted at the beginning of his reign and were subdued with difficulty. While he was engaged with them in Ethiopia the subject nations of Asia deemed it a good opportunity to throw off the Egyptian yoke, and Armenia, Assyria, Mesopo- tamia, and Syria all revolted at once, probably by concert, and drove out the Egyptian gar- risons. The Khitas or Hittites, the old ene- mies of Egypt, headed the rebellion, which was only subdued after a long contest, in which Rameses won high renown by his personal prowess. From these wars, and from those of his predecessors Seti and Thothmes, the Greek writers formed the legend of Sesostris, the great Egyptian conqueror, whose name was a modification of Sesu-Ra, a title given by the people for some unknown reason to Rameses during his life. The Greek accounts, which rep- resent Sesostris as having conquered Media, Persia, Bactria, and India, are mere fables; the armies of the Pharaohs never penetrated much beyond the Tigris. Nor are the Greek le- gends of the internal government of Egypt under Sesostris confirmed by the real annals of Rame- ses, who seems to have been a cruel tyrant, and to have built his great monuments by the forced labor of prisoners of war and by oppressing his own subjects, especially the Semitic tribes who under his predecessors had settled in the Delta and were peaceably cultivating the land. Among these were the Hebrews, who had now grown very numerous, and whose in- crease Egyptian tyranny finally sought to check by dooming all their male children to death. The last days of this monarch show a marked decline in the arts, especially of sculpture, and also a decay of military power. Egypt was invaded by men of northern race, apparently Pelasgians, who came by sea and laid waste Lower Egypt. They finally seized the western part of the Delta and drove out the native in- habitants, and when the aged Rameses died a considerable part of his kingdom was in the hands of these foreign barbarians. He was succeeded by his son Merneptah, who estab- lished his Capital at Memphis, and at the very beginning of his reign had a contest with the northern settlers of the Delta, who sought to extend their dominion over. all Egypt, but were finally defeated. A short time after this strug- gle is supposed to have occurred the exodus of the Israelites, which was a great blow to Egypt by depriving it of millions of industrious peo- ple, not to speak of the calamities described in the Scripture narrative. A few years later, while Merneptah still reigned, another disaster befell Egypt. A body of foreigners employed in forced labor at the granaries revolted to the number of 80,000, and called to their aid the Khitas, who invaded Egypt with such force that the king could not resist them, but retired to Upper Egypt, where he died, leaving the country full of foreign invaders - and his son and heir Seti, a boy five years old, concealed for safety in Ethiopia. On the death of Merne- ptah a prince of the royal family usurped the throne, and succeeded in a few years in driving out the foreigners. His son Merneptah II. suc- ceeded him, and was for a time recognized as king by Prince Seti, who received from him the title of viceroy of the southern provinces. But on arriving at manhood Seti claimed the throne and succeeded in attaining it. His reign was long, but no particulars of it are known. He died without children in 1288, and with him ended the 19th dynasty. Seti II. was succeeded by Nekht-Set, the founder of the 20th dynasty, whose reign was short and unimportant, but whose son and successor Rameses III. was one of the most eminent of the Pharaohs. He was a great soldier, though his wars were entirely defensive ones. His military genius preserved the empire from the barbarians who attacked it on every side. After his death an obscure period of a century and a half occurred, du- ring which there were 11 or more kings named Rameses, under whom the kingdom was dis- membered and again overrun by foreigners. A rival dynasty, the 21st, arose at Tanis in Lower Egypt, and after a prolonged struggle with the Pharaohs of Thebes succeeded in establishing their authority over all Egypt. One of this dy- nasty, whose name was Psiu-en-san, bestowed his daughter in marriage on Solomon, king of Israel. This dynasty lasted only 130 years, and was succeeded by the 22d, whose seat was at Bubastis, and whose names are almost all Assyrian, such as Nimrod, Tiglath, and Na- bonasi. The first of this dynasty was She- shonk, the Shishak of the Bible, who conquered Judah and plundered Jerusalem about 970. The duration of this dynasty was 170 years, and it was succeeded in 810 by the 23d dynasty, whose capital was Tanis. It comprised only four kings, though there were several pretend- ers and usurpers whose names are found on the monuments. The 24th dynasty consisted of a single king, Bokenranf, the Bocchoris of the Greeks, who reigned six years at Sais. He