204 CHRONOGRAPHY. 



shak, who invaded Judea, was doubtless the Sesonchis of Manetho. 

 Egypt was afterwards conquered by the Ethiopians or Cushites, and 

 divided into 12 'nomes or provinces, till it was again united under 

 Psammetichus, about 664 B. C. Necho II. began the Canal from 

 the Red sea to the Nile, about 610 B. C. ; but was defeated by Nebu- 

 chadnezzar; and Psammenitus, was subjugated by Cambyses, of 

 Persia, 525 B. C. Egypt recovered its freedom again, under Amyr- 

 teus of Sais, about 414 B. C.; but was reconquered by the Persian 

 Ochus, (Artaxerxes III.), and fell with Persia under the power of 

 Alexander the Great, 332 B. C. After his death it was ruled by the 

 Ptolemies, till the battle of Actium, and death of Cleopatra, 31 B. C. ; 

 when Egypt became a Roman province. 



3. The History of Assyria, and of the adjacent regions, includ- 

 ing Babylon, is also very confused and uncertain, down to the times 

 of the Jewish monarchy. It commences with the founding of Baby- 

 lon, by Nimrod ; according to Hales 2547, but, as usually stated, 

 2234 B. C. Nimrod is supposed to have been the Belus of the 

 Greek historians; the name Bel, or Baal, in Chaldee, signifying 

 lord, or ruler. The city of Nineveh was built soon after Babylon ; 

 but whether by Ashur, who was the son of Shem, and gave name to 

 Assyria, or by Nimrod himself, is uncertain ; for translators differ 

 concerning the meaning of the original Scripture, on this point. It 

 seems that Nineveh and Babylon were both united, under the sway 

 of Nimrod, forming what is called the first Assyrian Empire. 

 Callisthenes states that Alexander the Great found, in Babylon, a 

 record of astronomical observations, extending back to 2234 B. C. ; 

 from which it is probable that the city was built at an earlier date. 



The subsequent reigns of Ninus, Queen Semiramis, and Ninias, 

 are involved in. fable ; nor is it certain whether they immediately 

 succeeded Nimrod, or lived at a much later period. A long chasm 

 occurs in this history, filled only by the names of kings recorded by 

 Ctesias, and by the invasion of Sesostris, till the time of the effemi- 

 nate Sardanapalus ; when Arbaces, governor of Media, and Belesis, 

 governor of Babylon, revolted, and founded the kingdoms of Media 

 and Babylon, about 820 B. C. The latter of these is known as the 

 second Assyrian empire : but after the reign of Pul, Babylon and 

 Nineveh were again separated, 747 B. C. ; the former under Nabo- 

 nassar, and the latter under Tiglath-Pileser. The successors of the 

 latter, at Nineveh, were Shalmaneser ; Sennacherib; Esarhaddon, 

 who regained Babylon about 680 B. C. ; Saosduchinus ; Nabucho- 

 donosor ; Chiniladon ; and Sarac or Sardanapalus II. ; in whose 

 reign Nabopolassar, of Babylon, forming a league with Cyaxares, 

 king of Media, made himself master of Assyria, 612 B. C. Thus 

 ended the second Assyrian, and commenced the Babylonian Empire, 

 distinctively so called. The next king was Nabuchadonosor II., or 

 Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem : and this dynasty closed 

 with Belshazzar ; when Babylon was taken by Cyrus, the Persian, 

 538 B. C. 



On the death of his uncle, Cyaxares II., (called in Scripture 

 Darius the Mede), Cyrus united Media and Babylon with Persia, 



