The Portland daily press., 1882-06-09
rGood Words.1
Egyptian History.

The history on Egypt, although we have
long lists of consecutive Pharaohs, and though
some portions of it stand out with surprising
clearness, is broken by serious gaps which have
not yet been bridged over. 1t is true that
there is papyrus composed about 1900 3. U.
of which so much is decipherable as to show
that it is a carefully compiled chronicle of the
country from the supposed creation OF the
world-according to Egyptian notions-up to
that date but it is SO torn and worn as to be
historically almost useless. We learn, howey-
er, from other sources, much about succession
of ancient dynasties, during the earliest OF
which wars were carried on with the Bedoains
in the east and Libyans in the west, and much
devotion was shown in the construction OF mon
uments and tombs. These wars were presently
Waged with the assistance of conscript negroes
brought down the Nile in large transport ships
Then come blanks in which national calamities
are marked by cessation in the building OF tenn
pies and in the engraving OF contemporary his
tory, for the Egyptian never liked to chronicle
events unfavorable to himself. Then the The
ban dynasty arose, and Egypt arose with it.
Former defeats were avenged, more temples
and pyramids were built, agriculture was re-
vived, and order re-established. This period
was broken by the arrival OF the famous Shop
herd Kings, but whence they came no one can
the main they accepted the civilization which
they found. After several hundred years they
were expelled, papyrus in the British Muse
UNI telling us how this was done. Then Egypt
had a fresh Theban revival. We find her turn
ing the tables on other countries and from h2v-
ing been invaded becomes an invader. Her
galleys were to be seen in the Mediterranean
aud Red Seas, the horse was introduced with
the war chariot, Asiatic slaves were employed
on Government works, and Central Asia was
conquered, after campaigns begun by the fam
GUS battle of Megiddo, fought by Thothmes LII
in Palestine. This is singularly interesting
period in Egyptian history, as it brings before
us contemporaneous allusion to Damascus, Ha-
math an"Og, King of Bashan, and many orig
inal names of the cities of Canaan two centur-
les before the time of Joshua. To quote from
Mr.. Birch: "The arm of Egypt reached to Nj
neveh. Babel brought tributes and homage.
y In the hymns or poems to Thothmes,
Phmnicia and the islands of the Mediterranean
are mentioned Then comes another eclipse
in Egyptian history, with religious revolution,
in which, under Amenophis ~, the worship of
the Disk was introduced and the old gods were
vigorously assaied Their honor, however,
was soon restored, for this effort to stamp out
popular polytheism and abolish all worship ex-
cept that of the sun produced reform which
lasted for only one generation. Presently fresh
invasions came from the East, whereby the con
quests of Thotmes were lost. These were, new
erJheless, once more regained, and indeed ex-
tended into Europe, by Rsmeses Ii, or Great,
known to the Greeks as Sesostris, who is be-
lieved to be the Pharaoh who first nightly OF
pressed the children of Israel.