Historical studies

l8
36. We can now review the various stages of the
two Semitic conquests of Egypt, and compare the
length of their periods ; the first conquest is stated as
recorded by Manctho, the second conquest being since
his time cannot therefore have had any possible
influence on his record.
We see below how closely parallel the history of
B.C.
3293 xiii dynasty^
2640 xiv „ J Decay during .
!540
2256
1738
THE LENGTH OF EGYPTIAN HISTORY
Egypt has been under the two great Semitic invasions.
There has never been a difference in the main events
of more than a generation along the two scales. And
as the later Semitic conquest is unquestionable in its
historic outlines, so the earlier conquest is by this
comparison rendered historically probable in its
general features.
xvii dynasty, Berber conquest until Turkish conquest until
C
•j A.D.
B.C. Interval.
30 3263
I 640 3280
750 3290
I02I 3277
1517 3255
1530 Conquest of Syria by Tahutmes I. 208 254 Conquest of Syria by Aly Bey 1771 3301
I48c^ Main conquest
hutmes III
of
.
Syria
.
by
.
Ta-
.
c 50
\to 71
6o|
to 68/
Main conquest ^ by Ibrahim
'^^'
.(
U1839
^^^
3300
146
1
100 years confusion
XV dynasty great kings
xvi dynasty lesser kings
T/ie Value of Manetho.
Years. Years.
37. When we possess a history of a highly
civilised country, which maintained a continuous
chronology, and this record was drawn up by a native
who was a skilled writer, and who was likely to know
of all available sources of information, we need very
strong evidence to warrant us in setting it aside. It
cannot be treated as if it had no weight, and as if we
might reject any part of it on vague suppositions.
Some stronger and more decisive evidence is needed,
before we can venture to adopt a different view to that
of the general belief of the native scholars during long
ages.
Unfortunately the history of Manetho, written
early in the Ptolemaic period, has perished in its
original form, and we only possess brief lists of kings
extracted by later writers. The best of these is
Julius Africanus, 221 A.D., and inferior is Eusebius,
326 A.D., known in Greek and in an Armenian
version. The material is therefore only secondhand
; and the continual discrepancies between the
extracts, and between the items and totals in each
author, shew how much the text has suffered in its
details.
What should be the appreciation of a work which
has been thus injured ? Errors of miscopying of
637 670 Decay under Roman rule
100 no Omayj'ad rulers.
284 271 Great khalifahs.
518 497 Lesser rulers.
Average interval 3285
years will affect an item or a total, but will not change
both ; and happily there has not been an editor who
has tried to reconcile the items and totals. Then it is
obvious that no very large addition could be made to
a reign, or it would be abnormal. Thus, although
many casual errors might be made, they would prob-
ably tend to balance each other, and not being of very
large amounts the total would probably remain much
the same. No corruption that is not made for a pur-
pose will alter the scale of a history to any great extent.
We should expect to find then that, though every
single item might be proved to have suffered some
corruption, yet the totals would not be very far from
the truth.
38. We will now see how far the general periods
of Manetho are in agreement with other informa-
tion that we have, starting from the latest period as
being the best known.
From Alexander's conquest of Egypt back to that
of Cambyses, the interval is given by Manetho as
xxxi dynasty 9 years
XXX 38
xxix 20
xxviii
6
xxvii
121
194 years