Poole, Reginald S.: Horae Aegypticae: or, the chronology of ancient Egypt: discovered from astronomical and hieroglyphic records upon its monuments, including many dates found in coeval inscriptions from the period of the building of the Great Pyramid to the times of the Persians ; and illustrations of the history of the first nineteen dynasties, shewing the order of their succession, from the monuments (London, 1851)

108

THE MEMPHITE KINGDOM.

[Part II.

.1' 111 u n it

was the last King. Both versions are shewn to be
erroneous by the Tablet of Abydos; from which we
learn that ten Kings reigned after Cheneres, and that
the duration of the Second Dynasty was most probably
little less than four hundred years.

I have already shewn that, according to my scheme
of Egyptian Chronology, the Memphite Kingdom com-
menced shortly after the Thinite. In Manetho's list,
we are told that in the reign of Necherophes, or Ne-
cherochis, the first King of the Third, which was the
first Memphite, Dynasty, the Libyans revolted from the
Egyptians, but returned to their allegiance, being ter-
rified by a sudden increase of the moon. It is scarcely
necessary to remark, that an optical illusion is evidently
here intended; but the statement that the Libyans were
at this early period subject to the Egyptians is very in-
teresting, as shewing what importance Egypt had then
acquired. The second King of Memphis, Tosorthros,
or Sesorthos, is said in the lists to have been called by
the Egyptians JEsculapius, on account of his medical
knowledge, and to have invented the art of building
with hewn stones, and to have patronized literature.
In this passage, the Greek text of Eusebius has a
vague term, (olfcoSo/xriv,) instead of the plainer term
olfcoSofitav; but the rest of the sentence, as well as
the testimony of the Armenian translation, shews that
Africanus's reading is the better one. It is worthy of
remark that the Tower of Babel was built of brick.
Several of the names of the Kings of this Dynasty