ANCIENT EGYPT. 1 7 



thirty-third inclusive, that is from Menes to Cleopatra, is so 

 immense, humanly speaking, that it is perhaps convenient to 

 divide it as follows, viz., the Old Empire, the Middle Empire, 

 and the Later Empire. The period covered by the domina- 

 tion of the Roman emperors is sometimes classed as a dynasty, 

 the thirty-fourth, which came to an end with Heraclius, during 

 whose reign the Saracens, under Amer, made themselves 

 masters of Egypt in the seventh century of our era (a.d. 640), 

 The old canal, cut between the Pelusiac branch of the Nile 

 and the Red Sea, was used by Amer for the transportation of 

 grain. This canal was an ancient one then. Sethi I. either 

 cut or cleared it for navigation about B.C. 1460, and a reference 

 to the work is inscribed on the walls of Karnak ; but there is 

 some reason to believe that the antiquity of this or another 

 canal, bringing the Mediterranean into communication with 

 the Red Sea, is very much greater still. 



Chronology. 



It has been thought by some that several of the dynasties 

 given by Manetho are contemporaneous, which, if true, would 

 materially reduce the span of Egyptian chronology as more 

 generally admitted. The oldest ten dynasties of United 

 Egypt, classed as the Old Empire, are generally admitted to 

 commence with Menes, about B.C. 5,000, and to end about 

 B.C. 3,200. The step pyramid at Sakkarah is attributed by 

 some Egyptologists to one of the kings of the first dynasty, 

 but firmer ground is reached in the third when the name of 

 Seneferoo appears on the monuments. During the fourth the 

 pyramids of Geezeh were built. We have beautiful mementos 

 of the fifth in the tomb of Tih. This very early period was 

 the heyday of Egyptian art; and I should be glad to show 

 examples in my collection to any students of Egyptology. 

 The sixth dynasty would appear to have been a powerful one, 

 but little is known concerning it ; while the seventh, eighth, 

 ninth, and tenth have left hardly a trace behind them. These 

 were dark ages, probably of invasion from Asia, coupled with 

 civil discord. 



