Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

dtn. xv.-xvn. JOSEPH AND HOE-EM-HEB 125

of the seat of justice, of tlie infantry, of the beer cellars,
and so forth. Quite different from all was the office of
Joseph as Adon over the whole land, a title met with
only once among the inscriptions. Before King
Hor-em-heb of the Eighteenth Dynasty ascended the
throne, he was invested with several very high offices.
At last the Pharaoh was so pleased with him that he
named him Eohir—procurator of the whole land. In this
capacity, without having any colleague beside him, he
was called to be ' great lord in the king's house,' and
' he gave answer to the king and contented him with the
utterances of his mouth.' In such a service Hor-em-heb
was ' an Adon of the whole land during the course of
many years,' and at length rose to the dignity of ' heir
to the throne of the whole land,' until finally he placed
the royal crown on his own head.

Seventeen hundred years before the birth of Christ
is about the epoch when the Middle separates from the
New Empire. The devastated regions of Avaris and Zoan
were forgotten and forsaken, and with the new race
came the time of requital and vengeance on the de-
scendants of the former conquerors of Egypt, even to
the fourth and fifth generations. The theatre of these
great events was removed to Western Asia, where
Megiddo, Kadesh, Carchemish, henceforth formed the
focus of all warlike movements.

The monuments begin from this point to afford us
clear and intelligible history, for they cease not to
celebrate in poetry and prose the glory and splendour
of their authors.