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

dtn. xviii. REVOLUTION IN WESTERN ASIA 153

The records of this Pharaoh's wars were carved in
hieroglyphs on the walls of the holy of holies at
Karnak. Only isolated portions of the long inscriptions
have been preserved; but these are still important
enough to enable us to put together the principal parts
of the record of the victories of Tehuti-mes III., and to
gain a general idea of his campaigns.

During a period of almost twenty years he carried
on more than thirteen campaigns, in the course of which
towns had to be stormed, rivers crossed, and many
countries traversed under the difficulties of a foreign
climate and a hostile population. Under the rule of
Hatshepsu the yearly tributes imposed on the conquered
peoples had gradually ceased to be paid, and a deaf
ear had persistently been turned to repeated warnings,
until at last the foreign kings renounced the Egyptian
supremacy under the sceptre of a ' woman-king,' and
made a stand against the empire. A great revolution
took place at this time in the Chaldean empire. The
ruling dynasty was attacked by the Arabs from the
'South and overthrown. A new era began, the era of
the Arab kings in Babylon, who from this time bore
rule for many years in Mesopotamia. ' All these events,
which a short time before the sole reign of Tehuti-mes
III. had made a great revolution in the life of the
nations from the Euphrates as far as the Western Sea,
could not fail to exercise an influence on Egypt. The
tribes of the Upper Euthen, the Phoenician Kharu, and
their southern neighbours in Zahi, declared themselves
independent of the yoke of Egypt, and the king of
Gaza was the only one who preserved his ancient
friendship for the Egyptians.

Euthen and Zahi formed the main points of attack
in the different years of the war. After victories had
been won the king with his army marched out from