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

138 'NAHARAIN' AND 'MESOPOTAMIA' ch. tii..

points for defence and attack, and as general gathering-
places for the allied kings.

The Egyptian inscriptions of this period frequently
mention the name of Naharain, or land of two rivers,
as a large country in the neighbourhood of the Upper
Euthen. It is generally understood to be the country
of Mesopotamia. The Arabs at the present day are
accustomed to call the fertile country to the west of
Damascus, which is watered by many rivers, by the
name of Naharain. Tehuti-mes I. chose as the object
of his campaign against the East this land of Naharain..
The two contemporaries and namesakes Aahmes, already
mentioned, agree completely in their accounts of this,
expedition, which the king undertook in order ' to wash,
his heart,' i.e. to satisfy his anger against the inhabitants,
of the land of Euthen. He won the victory, and took
numerous prisoners, besides horses and chariots of war.

This campaign was the beginning of a brisk trade-
between the Nile and the Euphrates, which lasted
through many centuries.

Trade and art went hand in hand. The descriptions-
of the chariots of war, which blazed with gold and
silver, of the armour and weapons, from the most
beautiful coats of mail to richly ornamented lances, of
the vessels of gold and silver and bronze, of the house-
hold furniture down to tent-poles and footstools, and
those thousand small objects which appear necessities
to civilised men, represent the art and civilisation of
that day. Long before the heroes of the ' Iliad' and.
' Odyssey' appear on the battle-field in their ornamental,
armour, the kings and ' marinas' of the land of Canaan
careered in brazen harness in their war-chariots over
the plains of Shinar and Mesopotamia and the valleys
of Palestine, to measure themselves in battle with the
warriors of Egypt.