The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)Duncker, Max
History
The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Duncker, Max
History, Ancient
Menephta was succeeded by Sethos II. and Menephta II. Then followed
Ramses III. (1269-1244 _B.C._). The warlike exploits which this king has
commemorated on his temple at Medinet Habu appear from the inscriptions
to have been hardly inferior to those of Sethos I. and Ramses II. In the
reliefs of this temple is seen an Egyptian fleet and the engagement
with the ships of the enemy. On a picture on a wall are collected all
the campaigns of the king; the chiefs of the conquered tribes are
represented by fourteen figures, and the accompanying hieroglyphics give
us the names of their tribes. Two of these names are destroyed, and a
third is illegible. The first figure is the chief of the "evil land of
Cush." Two of the figures are negroes, and their tribes are mentioned.
Then follow the lord "of the hostile Schasu," _i.e._ the shepherds of
the Syrian border, the "evil chief of the Cheta," against whom the
inscription observes that he was taken alive, the "evil chief of the
Amari" (Amorites), the sovereign of the Lubu (Libyans), the sovereign of
the Maschawascha, the coast-land Tuirscha, the coast-land Schardaina,
and the "lord of the hostile Zakkarj."[230] The first Menephta, as we
have seen, had been compelled to fight against the Lubu, Maschawascha,
Tuirscha, and Schardaina. The remaining figures prove that Ramses III.
carried on war on the Upper Nile against the Nubians and Negro tribes,
and in the north-east he had to contend with the Schasu, _i.e._ the
descendants of the Hyksos, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the old
enemies against whom his forefathers took the field. To these the
Pulista, _i.e._ the Philistines, who are here mentioned for the first
time, are added in a list of the nations reduced by the king in the
eighth and ninth years of his reign, inscribed on the right wing of the
gateway which leads into the second court of the temple. In the second
court four pictures represent the achievements of the king in the fifth
year of his reign against the Lubu (Libyans), and ten pictures on the
outer side of the north wall give the achievements of the eighth and
ninth years. First there is a great slaughter of the Temhu, apparently
the general name under which the Egyptians comprehended the Libyan
tribes. The enumeration of hands and members gives a total of 12,535 for
each, and the scribe on the picture is taking this down. On the eighth
picture the Egyptian ships, with beaks ending in lions' heads, and
mastheads manned by archers, are manoeuvring with sails and oars to
thrust the enemy's ships upon the shore, on which is drawn up the
Egyptian army with arrows also directed against the hostile ships. The
inscriptions tell us that these are the ships of the Zakkarj. At a
fortress over which is written Magadil (Migdol?) the captive Zakkarj are
brought before the king. This is on the ninth picture; on the tenth the
king celebrates his return to Thebes.[231]
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