second part of his phonetic nomen may have been the origin of the name it so much resembles. His right to the sceptre and admission into this dynasty were probably derived from his wife Taosiri, while his Memphitic origin excluded him from the privilege of being inserted in the list of Diospolite monarchs, unless this was owing to his expulsion from the throne.* Nothing of note occurred during his reign; and whatever buildings he may have founded at Memphis, and in Lower Egypt, few bear even his name at Thebes, or in any other city of the Upper provinces. Those of his two successors are equally obscure in the history of their country, and little else remains of the monuments they erected except the avenue of Sphinxes, and the small chambers in the front area of Karnak, which the first of them added to that splendid edifice. But the name of the third Remeses is conspicuous in the annals of his country, as a conqueror, and as a zealous encourager of the arts. The war of Asia had been neglected subsequently to, and perhaps in consequence of, the decisive successes of Remeses the Great, and the usual tribute from the conquered provinces was deemed a sufficient acknowledgment of their submission. But either some remissness in its payment, or his own ambition, stimulated the new king to a renewal of hostilities, and great preparations were made at Thebes and other parts of Egypt for a formidable expedition. Large bodies of chariots, and of

*It would account for his name being erased in the tomb No. 14. at Thebes, which M. Champollion supposed to be an instance of a king refused the right of burial for his bad conduct.

archers, spearmen, and other corps of infantry were collected *, and the usual route was taken to the intended seat of war.

During their previous invasions †, the Egyptians had over-run several provinces ‡, in what I suppose to be the vicinity of the Caspian Sea; and in order to secure their possessions, and the fidelity of those who had entered their service as allies, they took the precaution to leave military colonies in the places where their presence was most essential, or which proved most suitable to the purpose; and proper officers were appointed to urge and accompany § the annual tribute paid to the Egyptian king. We may hence account for the readiness shown by the allies to join the Pharaohs when invading the hostile countries; and they are represented in the historical bas reliefs united with the Egyptians in the field of battle.

Some of the people attacked by the third Remeses are frequently alluded to on various monuments, as the enemies of Egypt; but others appear to be situated farther in the interior, and to

* Represented at Medeenet Haboo.

+ I was wrong in saying (in my Materia Hierog. p. 91.), "it does not appear to have been the object of the Egyptians to make any permanent settlements in these countries : " I since find reason to alter that opinion; and feel persuaded that they not only left colonies, as at Colchis (according to Herodotus), but enrolled the troops of the vanquished people in their own disciplined legions, allowing them to retain their own arms and dress. Vide Diodorus's Account (lib. i. 28.) of the Egyptian Colonies.

Diodorus (i. 71.) says, Vide also Tacit. Ann. ii. 60.

many nations were conquered by them."

According to the pictures in the tombs at Thebes.

Some of the allies at Medeenet Haboo are also a new people. They may have been represented on earlier monuments, now destroyed. Medeenet Haboo has been better preserved even than the Memnonium.

have been previously unknown to, or unassailed by, the Egyptians. This last would, indeed, argue that ambition or the love of spoil were the main objects of the monarch who planned the expedition; and it was, probably, owing to some injustice on his part, that two of the nations who fought under his banners in the capacity of allies, were induced to quit their allegiance, and unite against the aggressions of the invader. These were the Shairetana and the Tokkari * ; and that the costume of the latter bears a *; remarkable analogy to those of the vicinity of Persia, may be seen by comparing it with the figures brought from Persepolis. † But whether the conquests, or any of the captives represented in the sculptures of the tombs and temples, can be referred to the rebellion and defeat of the Bactrians, is a question which I do not intend to discuss, since it would lead to arguments uninteresting to the general reader.

It is possible that this monarch extended his conquests in one direction, even farther than his predecessor Remeses II.; but the people represented at the Memnonium, and who have been supposed by M. Champollion to be the Scythians, do not appear to have been invaded to the same extent by the third Remeses.‡

After subduing several nations, whose troops he had defeated in the open field, in fortified towns,

* The Tokkari rebelled first, and were then joined by the Shairetana, who had been allies of the Egyptians at least from the time of Remeses II.

+ Vide infrà, Chap. iii. Enemies of Egypt.

Or perhaps gave no cause for the renewal of war; and their names may only be noticed at Medeenet Haboo, as among the nations tributary to Egypt.

and by water, he returned, with immense booty * to the valley of the Nile, and distributed rewards to his troops, whose courage and superior discipline had added so much to his glory, and to the power of their native country. And the latter part of his reign was occupied, like those of his victorious ancestors, in erecting or embellishing many of the noblest monuments of Egypt.

The sculptures of this period were elegant, as the architecture was magnificent; but a peculiar innovation, introduced into the style of the hieroglyphics, was the forerunner, though not the cause, of the decline and downfall of Egyptian art. The hieroglyphics, had ceased to be executed in relief from the accession of the second Remeses; but the change made in the reign of his fifth successor, was by carving the lower side of the characters to a great depth, while the upper face inclined gradually from the surface of the wall till it reached the innermost part of the intaglio, so that the hieroglyphics could be distinguished by a person standing immediately beneath, and close to the wall on which they were sculptured. It was a style not generally imitated by his successors; and the presence of hieroglyphics of this kind may serve to fix the monuments in which they occur to the era of the third Remeses. Some attempt was made by the monarchs of the 26th Dynasty to revive the beauty

* If this king is the same as the Rhampsinitus of Herodotus, his successful wars may have been one of the great sources of the immense wealth he is said to have possessed.

Among the Turks, it was long an established rule that no mosk could be founded by a Soltán who had not defeated the infidels, the enemies of their religion, of which he was the chief.

of ancient sculpture; and so great was the care bestowed on the execution of the hieroglyphics and small figures, that a person unacquainted with the purity of the more ancient style feels inclined, at first sight, to consider them the most elegant productions of this school. But on more careful consideration, and judging with a full understanding of true Egyptian design, they will be found to derive their effect from the minuteness of their detail, rather than from the boldness or superiority of their execution.

At the close of his reign we bid adieu to the most glorious era of Egyptian history. But what was done by the labours of individuals zealous in the prosecution of the arts of peace, or what advances science and general knowledge underwent previous and subsequently to his era, still remains a secret; though it is probable, judging from similar events in other countries, that the epoch of conquest and military renown was accompanied by a proportionate development of intellectual powers.

That the Bible history makes no mention of the conquests of the Egyptian monarchs of the 18th Dynasty is not surprising, when we consider the state of the newly occupied land at the epoch in question; and, as the history of the Jews only relates to themselves, or to those people with whom they were at war, we readily perceive the reason of their silence. They had not, in fact, become settled in the promised territory; they were engaged in war with neighbouring tribes; and the