hening
the temples by pious gifts, so that the traditional rites could be
celebrated at the divine cycles."*

* The exact relationship between Nakhtusit and Ramses II. is
not known; he was probably the grandson or great-grandson of
that sovereign, though Ed. Meyer thinks he was perhaps the
son of Seti II. The name should be read either Nakhitsit,
with the singular of the first word composing it, or
Nakhitusit, Nakhtusit, with the plural, as in the analogous
name of the king of the XXXth dynasty, Nectanebo.

Many were the difficulties that he had to encounter before he could
restore to his country that peace and wealth which she had enjoyed under
the long reign of Sesostris. It seems probable that his advancing years
made him feel unequal to the task, or that he desired to guard against
the possibility of disturbances in the event of his sudden death; at
all events, he associated with himself on the throne his eldest son
Ramses--not, however, as a Pharaoh who had full rights to the crown,
like the coadjutors of the Amenemhaits and Usirtasens, but as a prince
invested with extraordinary powers, after the example of the sons of the
Pharaohs Thutmosis and Seti I. Ramses recalls with pride, towards the
close of his life, how his father "had promoted him to the dignity of
heir-presumptive to the throne of Sibu," and how he had been acclaimed
as "the supreme head of Qimit for the administration of the whole earth
united together."* This constituted the rise of a new dynasty on the
ruins of the old--the last, however, which was able to retain the
supremacy of Egypt over the Oriental world. We are unable to ascertain
how long this double reign lasted.

* The only certain monument that we as yet possess of this
double reign is a large stele cut on the rock behind
Medinet-Habu.

[Illustration: 289.jpg NAKHTUSIT.]

Nakhtusit, fully occupied by enemies within the country, had no leisure
either to build or to restore any monuments;* on his death, as no tomb
had been prepared for him, his mummy was buried in that of the usurper
Siphtah and the Queen Tausirit.

* Wiedemann attributes to him the construction of one of the
doors of the temple of Mut at Karnak; it would appear that
there is a confusion in his notes between the prenomen of
this sovereign and that of Seti II., who actually did
decorate one of the doorways of that temple. Nakhusit must
h