and the third, the herdsmen, fishermen, and common laborers.

Old Memphis Empire. The history of Egypt before the conquest of Alexander the Great, 332 B.C., includes three empires, the old Memphis empire (4700-2700 B.C.), the old Theban or Middle empire (2700-1635 B.C.), and the new Theban empire (1635–332 B.C.). Ten dynasties belong to the long period of the old Memphitic empire. Many of the sovereigns of this remote empire have left monuments of various kinds, which throw much light on the state of society. For example, Zeser (3866 в.c.), a king of the third dynasty, built the step pyramid of Saqqarah, of which it has been said that "it is certainly the oldest of all the large buildings which have successfully resisted the action of wind and weather, and destruction by the hand of man." The great Sphinx of Gizeh, which was sculptured at this period, exhibits the high degree of intelligence and artistic skill to which the Egyptians had attained. Khufu, or Cheops (3733 B.C.), built the great pyramid that bears his

name.

The Middle Empire. - The Middle or old Theban empire, which includes the dynasties from the eleventh to the seventeenth, lasted about a thousand years(2700-1635 B.C.). The capital was transferred from Memphis to Thebes in upper Egypt. The successive sovereigns of this empire have left their names in notable monuments, literary productions, or public works. Amenemhat I. (2466 B.C.) displayed great vigor as a ruler, and made conquests in Asiatic territory. In describing his beneficent reign he says, “I caused the mourner to mourn no longer, and his lamentation was no longer heard."

Usertsen I. (2446 B.C.) extended his authority into the Sinaitic peninsula, and built the temple of Karnak, which

was enlarged and enriched by subsequent sovereigns. Usertsen III. (2340 B.C.) conquered Ethiopia, and fixed the southern boundary of Egypt at the second cataract, where he built two strong fortresses. He was succeeded by Amenemhat III. (2305 B.C.), who constructed Lake Moeris as a storage reservoir for the waters of the Nile, and built the celebrated Labyrinth palace, which Herodotus says surpassed all the architectural works of Greece.

The Hyksos or Shepherd Kings. The Hyksos or Shepherd Kings were an Asiatic people who during the thirteenth dynasty, about 2100 B.C., established themselves in Egypt. They probably came from Syria or Arabia, and are characterized by Manetho as "men of ignoble birth out of the eastern parts." Their conquest, according to the Egyptian historian, was characterized by ruthless destruction and cruelty. "They burnt down our cities," Manetho says in a passage preserved by Josephus, “and demolished the temples of the gods, and used all the inhabitants after a most barbarous manner." The royal residence of the conquerors was fixed at Pelusium, or Avaris, a border stronghold, and at Tanis, a populous city of the eastern Delta. The dominion of the Hyksos was confined chiefly to lower Egypt; only for a brief period did their sovereignty extend over upper Egypt.

Whatever may have been the life of the Hyksos prior to their invasion of Egypt, it is certain that they adopted the higher civilization of the conquered territory. They assumed the titles of Egyptian sovereigns, and erected temples to the Egyptian gods. The monuments that have descended to us from their time prove that they fully adopted the culture, art, and religion of Egypt. The length of the Hyksos domination is estimated by Manetho at 511 years.

Relation to the Hebrews. The presence of these Arabian or Syrian conquerors in Egypt throws an interesting light on early Hebrew history. When Abraham was driven from Canaan by a famine, he was kindly dealt with by the Egyptian king,1 who recognized in him, not an alien, but a compatriot. This kindly attitude toward Syrian immigrants explains the rapid advancement of Joseph in the house of Potiphar, captain of the king's guard, and his subsequent advancement, as related in the closing chapters of Genesis, to the office of prime minister of the realm. It explains, likewise, the courtesy with which Pharaoh received Jacob's numerous household, and the readiness with which he assigned them a home in the fertile district of Goshen. The native Egyptians, to whose caste prejudice "every shepherd is an abomination," 2 would have shown themselves intolerant to the Hebrew immigrants.

New Theban Empire (1635-332 B.C.). At length the Hyksos kings were driven from their stronghold at Pelusium by a vigorous king of upper Egypt, Aahmes I. (1635 B.C.), and the new Theban empire was established. Egypt speedily rose to the rank of a world power. Tehutimes I. (1590 B.C.), for example, pushed his conquests in Asia as far as the Euphrates; and Tehutimes III. (1530 B.C.) made no fewer than fifteen campaigns into Syria.

The eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties, extending from 1635 to 1235 B.C., was a period of great national development. Art, literature, and commerce flourished in a high degree. Among the memorable achievements of this period may be mentioned the temple of Luxor, the famous avenue of the sphinxes between Karnak and Luxor, and the palace and tomb of Tel-el-Amarna. An active corre

1 Gen. 12: 10.

2 Gen. 46:34.