HISTORY.
41
people; and their names figure in the official
register of the kings of the country.
To establish some order in the endless list of
kings who reigned from the time of Menes to
that of Theodosius, one generally divides them,
after Manetho's method, into royal families, or
Dynasties, and these dynasties are in their turn
distinguished from .each other either by the
name of the foreign nation which furnished the
kings, or by the name of the city which served
as capital in the time of such dynasty. Thus
there is the Greek dynasty, the Memphite, the
Theban, etc. From Menes to Theodosius there
are as many as thirty-four different dynasties.
Another and a wider division has been made.
Taking into consideration certain important
events and certain modifications introduced into
the general economy of the kingdom, the entire
history of Egypt has been divided into four
main stems: —■
1. The first comprises the first ten dynasties,
and is called the Ancient Empire. The Ancient
Empire belongs to a period so prodigiously
remote that it is literally lost in the obscurity of
ages. Its existence actually ceases before Abra-
ham is born. The Ancient Empire spreads
entirely over the fourth, the fifth, and part of
41
people; and their names figure in the official
register of the kings of the country.
To establish some order in the endless list of
kings who reigned from the time of Menes to
that of Theodosius, one generally divides them,
after Manetho's method, into royal families, or
Dynasties, and these dynasties are in their turn
distinguished from .each other either by the
name of the foreign nation which furnished the
kings, or by the name of the city which served
as capital in the time of such dynasty. Thus
there is the Greek dynasty, the Memphite, the
Theban, etc. From Menes to Theodosius there
are as many as thirty-four different dynasties.
Another and a wider division has been made.
Taking into consideration certain important
events and certain modifications introduced into
the general economy of the kingdom, the entire
history of Egypt has been divided into four
main stems: —■
1. The first comprises the first ten dynasties,
and is called the Ancient Empire. The Ancient
Empire belongs to a period so prodigiously
remote that it is literally lost in the obscurity of
ages. Its existence actually ceases before Abra-
ham is born. The Ancient Empire spreads
entirely over the fourth, the fifth, and part of