THE WISDOM OF OLD EGYPT 41 



equal and companion of man. Some are surprised 

 that in ancient Egypt men were free to marry their 

 sisters. That is not a question of morals, but of 

 national health ; and it seems rather absurd to 

 attempt to prove that it leads to decay when Egypt, 

 where it was most common, is the longest-lived 

 civilization that was ever on the earth. 



This fine old civilization in the very dawn of 

 historic time kept its strength and dignity and 

 refinement for about a thousand years. Then there 

 were two centuries of decay and confusion until, 

 about the year 2,000 B.C., a new dynasty of kings, with 

 Thebes for their capital, restored the prosperity of 

 the country. Art took on new forms. Large temples, 

 obelisks, and colossal statues of kings were raised. 

 Furniture and chariots blazed with crimson and blue 

 and gold. Beautiful ivories and scarabs and gold- 

 work are found among the dust. Fine paintings 

 appear on the buried walls. But the political system 

 was still feudal, and the mass of the people toiled on 

 as they had done two thousand years earlier, happy 

 in their beer and wine and numerous festivals, and 

 in the glorious sunshine of their country. 



About 1,800 B.C. the land was invaded by powerful 

 marauders who have long been known as the Hyksos, W 

 or Shepherd Kings. They had horses (which were 

 unknown in Egypt) and chariots, and made them- 

 selves kings of Egypt. The mystery has been fairly 

 cleared up by modern scholars. The invaders were 

 probably Syrians and Canaanites. We saw in the 

 last chapter how the first waves of northern barbarism 

 were pouring into Greece, and how they destroyed 

 the Cretan civilization. Other branches of the Indo- 

 Europeans overflowed into Syria, driving the Syrians 



