20 ANCIENT EGYPT. 



giving a list of the conquered towns, among them Jerusalem 

 Cyudah Melek). The Society possesses this cartouche, copied 

 from the inscription at Karnak. A list of the golden vessels 

 of the temple brought from Jerusalem also appears in the 

 inscription. Much light is thrown on the rapid rise of the 

 kingdom of Israel, and it was the death struggle between 

 Assyria and Egypt that left David free to acquire, and Solomon 

 to consolidate, the great empire of Israel, which extended 

 nearly to the borders of Egypt. The ultimate triumph of the 

 Assyrians enabled Sheshonk to turn his victorious arms 

 against Rehoboam, whom he conquered. The rest of the 

 kings of this dynasty would appear to have been little better 

 than Assyrian satraps. The xxiiird. dynasty is obscure ; 

 and during the xxivth. the Ethiopians conquered Upper 

 Egypt. Tirkakah, of the xxvth., is mentioned in the Bible as 

 " the king of Ethiopia " ; and he was defeated by Esarhaddon, 

 the grandson of Sennacherib. Sardanapalus (Assurbanipal) 

 divided the kingdom into provinces, setting a satrap over 

 each. One of these, Psamatic, established the xxvith. 

 dynasty. Necho, his successor, defeated Josiah, king of 

 Judah, at Megiddo, but was in his turn overcome by 

 Nebuchadnezzar. Another pharaoh, Hophra (Apries), went 

 to the assistance of Zedekiah. 



Cambyses, the Persian, conquered Egypt about b.c. 528, 

 and he founded the xxviith. dynasty, but the country re- 

 gained its independence about b.c. 406, under Amyrtseus, in 

 whose reign Herodotus visited Egypt. 



The next two dynasties saw the last of the kings of 

 Egyptian blood. Nectanebo built what is known as the 

 pavilion of the temple of Philae, and during his reign Plato 

 visited Egypt, This king kept the Persians at bay for some 

 time, but the country was reconquered by them B.C. 340. 

 Their occupation was but short, for after Alexander the Great 

 had defeated Darius III. he marched into Egypt, was received 

 by the people as a liberator, and assumed the rule of the 

 country, founding Alexandria. Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, 

 who first governed the kingdom as lieutenant to Philip 



