chs of the eighteenth dynasty.
Thothmes the Fourth, one of these ancestors, cut the great Sphinx of the
Pyramids; as for the Pyramids themselves, it is now undeniable that they
were not raised at the comparatively late period ascribed to them
by Herodotus and Diodorus. No monuments in Egypt can be compared in
antiquity with these buildings; and the names of the predecessors of
Rameses the Great are found in their vicinity, evidently sculptured at
a much later epoch. 'The Pyramids are at least ten thousand years old,'
said Champollion to a friend of mine in Egypt, rubbing his hands, with
eyes sparkling with all the enthusiasm of triumphant research.

It is highly probable that Rameses the Great was the Sesostris of
Herodotus. This name is entirely a Greek invention, and is found on no
Egyptian monuments. The splendid tomb, first opened by Belzoni, in the
Valley of the Kings, is of the grandfather of this monarch--Rameses the
First. It is evident from the Theban sculptures and inscriptions, that
Rameses and his predecessors were engaged in a long war with a most
powerful enemy,' and that that enemy was an Oriental people, a nation
with fair countenances and flowing robes, dwelling in a hilly and
well-wooded country. It is probable that this nation was the Assyrians,
who, according to ancient writers, invaded Egypt under Ninus and
Semiramis. Thothmes the Third and Fourth, Amunoph, and Rameses the
First, carried on this war with uncertain success. The successor of
Rameses the First, whose phonetic name is doubtful, was not unworthy
of the son whom the gods accorded to him as a reward for his valour
and magnificence. This anonymous sovereign led the war in person,
and probably against degenerate princes. On the walls of Karnak--a
sculptured scroll, more durable than those of his poets and
historians--we find him in his triumphal chariot, leading a host of
infantry and chariots, attacking fortified places, defended by lofty
walls and surrounded by water. The enemy is seen clearing their country
in advance, driving away their cattle, and felling forests to impede the
progress of the invader's chariots; but at length the victorious Pharaoh
returns to his Nile with crowds of prisoners, bearing every variety of
rich and fantastic tribute.

The son of this chieftain was Rameses the Second, or the Great.
Following the example of his illustrious predecessor, he soon led
a numerous and chosen army to extend the Oriental conquests of