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THE

ANTIQUITIES OF EGYPT.

CHAPTER I.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES TO EGYPT.

EGYPT is situated in the centre of the ancient world. It lies between Asia and Africa, which has led to some ambiguity in the writings of modern geographers, by whom it is sometimes called an Asiatic, and sometimes an African country. It is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean, a sea of no great extent, and easy of navigation; so that it was well adapted by its position to communicate to other nations the civilization for which it was celebrated at a very early period, and which was always supposed to have originated there.

This country was formerly divided into three great provinces. Upper Egypt, or the Thebaid, was the southern portion of the valley of the Nile, in which was situated one of the great capitals of the whole empire, Thebes. Several modern towns and villages, Luxor, Karnac, Gournou, etc., now occupy the site of this once vast city; and the stupendous remains of ancient buildings which are found in the neighbourhood of them all, still bear ample testimony to the former magnificence of Thebes.

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Middle Egypt, which lies immediately to the north of the Thebaid, was called in ancient times the Heptanomis, from the seven nomes, or counties, into which it was formerly divided.

The northern portion was called Lower Egypt; and here once stood the other great capital of the whole empire, Memphis. But the three great pyramids of Ghizeh, the colossal sphynx in their neighbourhood, and the tombs hewn in the rocky platform on which they are erected, are the only remains of its former greatness. The hand of the spoiler has pressed heavily upon it, and the site of ancient Memphis is now covered with a forest of date palms.

The vicinity of Egypt, however, to the land of Canaan, from which it is only separated by the portion of Arabia Petræa which extends to the shores of the Mediterranean, is the circumstance in its geographical position which renders its history and antiquities so peculiarly interesting and important. The Greek historians often allude to the relations, literary, political and commercial, that had at all times existed between the two countries, and their consequent interchange of manners and customs. But we know the fact upon far better authority. The Scriptures of truth inform us that the oriental name of Egypt,

Mizraim, is also that of the third son of Ham, by whose descendants it was first peopled, as well as the neighbouring countries. They also inform us that it was Canaan, the first born of Ham, who gave his name to the country which was afterwards colonized by his family, Gen. x. 6. 13. 20. This affinity would itself tend to promote close intercourse between the two neighbouring nations, Egypt and Canaan.

When Abram, in obedience to the call of God, had traversed the land of Canaan, and received that blessing which made it likewise the land of promise, he continued his journey into Egypt. The occasion of this removal into another country was a famine; and we may reasonably conclude, that others of the inhabitants of Canaan would be driven by the same necessity to migrate in the same direction, Gen. xii. 1-10. Thus Egypt would appear to have been the storehouse and granary of the neighbouring nations, and especially of the southern parts of Canaan and of Arabia, even at this early period, which affords us another proof of a constant intercourse between them. The periodical inundations of the Nile render the fertility of Egypt independent of the rain, which is indispensable to the productiveness of other countries. Moreover, the art of agriculture among the Egyptians was then considerably in advance of the Canaanites, who were principally feeders of cattle. Thence also probably arose the famines which are mentioned in its early history, though afterwards it became a land, the inhabitants whereof ate the increase of their fields, which not only flowed with milk and honey, but abounded in the fat of the kidneys of wheat, and in the pure blood of the grape, Deut. xxxiii. 14. The tenor of the history would seem to imply, that though the famine was grievous in the land of Canaan, there was abundance in Egypt; for it proceeds to relate that Abram returned from thence after a short sojourn greatly enriched, Gen. xii. 14-20; xiii. 2.

The next event in the order of time in which Egypt is connected with the inspired narrative, seems providentially adapted to continue the intercourse and connexion between

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