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

dtk. .xxv. TAHAKAQA SEIZES MEMPHIS 417

he marched forth (lit. directed his step). With the invocation of
Assur, Sin, and the great gods, my lords, (my warriors) routed him
in a great and victorious battle, and broke his pride. Urdamaneh
fled alone, and entered Thebes, the city of his kingdom.

In a march of a month and ten days through intricate roads
(my warriors) pursued him up to Thebes. They attacked that city
and razed it to its foundations, like a thunderbolt. Gold, silver,
the treasure of the land, metals, precious stones, stuffs of berom and
linen, great horses, men male and female . . . huge apes, the race
of their mountains—without number (even for skilful counters)—
they took out of the midst of the city, and treated as spoil. They
brought it entire to Nineveh, the city of my dominion, and they
kissed my feet.

We have here set before us a remarkable portion
of the history of Egypt, in this case not according to
an Egyptian version, but in the contemporaneous
description of her enemy. In the year B.C. 680
(according to Oppert) Sennacherib, king of Assyria, died
and Esarhaddon reigned in his stead. Towards the
end of his reign (cir. 670) Esarhaddon attacked Egypt,
defeated the reigning king of Ethiopia and Egypt,
Taharaqa, and set up petty kings and satraps in the
land from the northern sea-board to the city of Thebes.
The king on his return out of Egypt had an immense
memorial tablet constructed on the surface of the rock
at the mouth of the Nahr-el-Kelb, near Beyrut, as a
monument of his victory over Tarquu. Henceforth
Esarhaddon styles himself king of Upper and Lower
Egypt and Nubia.

Scarcely had this king died (b.c. 668) when Taharaqa
broke the treaties, seized Memphis, and made a league
■with several of the under-kings who had been acknow-
ledged or set up by Esarhaddon for driving the
Assyrians out of Egypt. At the head of the petty kings
stood Mkuu of Memphis and Sai's, Sar-lu-da-ri of Zi'nu,
and Pa-ak-ru-ru of Pa-Saptu. The Assyrian satraps and
other adherents of the late king were driven out, and

E E