[_Photo by E. Bird._

In a word, ancient and modern Egyptians are fundamentally similar. Nor
is there any great difference to be observed between the country's
relations with foreign powers in ancient days and those of the last
hundred years. As has been seen in the last chapter, Egypt was usually
occupied by a foreign power, or ruled by a foreign dynasty, just as at
the present day; and a foreign army was retained in the country during
most of the later periods of ancient history. There were always numerous
foreigners settled in Egypt, and in Ptolemaic and Roman times Alexandria
and Memphis swarmed with them. The great powers of the civilised world
were always watching Egypt as they do now, not always in a friendly
attitude to that one of themselves which occupied the country; and the
chief power with which Egypt was concerned in the time of the Ramesside
Pharaohs inhabited Asia Minor and perhaps Turkey, just as in the middle
ages and the last century. Then, as in modern times, Egypt had much of
her attention held by the Sudan, and constant expeditions had to be made
into the regions above the cataracts. Thus it cannot be argued that
ancient history offers no precedent for modern affairs because all
things have now changed. Things have changed extremely little, broadly
speaking; and general lines of conduct have the same significance at the
present time as they had in the past.

I wish now to give an outline of Egypt's relationship to her most
important neighbour, Syria, in order that the bearing of history upon
modern political matters may be demonstrated; for it would seem that the
records of the past make clear a tendency which is now somewhat
overlooked. I employ this subject simply as an example.

From the earliest historical times the Egyptians have endeavoured to
hold Syria and Palestine as a vassal state. One of the first Pharaohs
with whom we meet in Egyptian history, King Zeser of Dynasty III., is
known to have sent a fleet to the Lebanon in order to procure cedar
wood, and there is some evidence to show that he held sway over this
country. For how many centuries previous to his reign the Pharaohs had
overrun Syria we cannot now say, but there is no reason to suppose that
Zeser initiated the aggressive policy of Egypt in Asia. Sahura, a
Pharaoh of Dynasty V., attacked the Phoenician coast with his fleet, and
returned to the Nile Valley with a number of Syrian captives. Pepi I. of
the succeeding dynasty a