always prevented
their estimating highly the coloured and brocaded stuffs of
Asia; and one sees nowhere, in the representations, any
examples of stuffs of such origin, except on furniture or in
ships equipped with something of the kind in the form of
sails.

^^ The perfumed oils of Syria are mentioned in a general way
in the _Anastasi Papyrus_, No. 1; the King of Alasia speaks
of essences which he is sending to Amenothes III.; the King
of Mitanni refers to bottles of oil which he is forwarding
to Gilukhipa and to Tii.

^^^ A list of cakes of Syrian origin is found in the
_Anastasi Papyrus_, No. 1; also a reference to balsamic oils
from Naharaim, and to various oils which had arrived in the
ports of the Delta, to the wines of Syria, to palm wine and
various liqueurs manufactured in Alasia, in Singar, among
the Khati, Amorites, and the people of. Tikhisa; finally, to
the beer of Qodi.

[Illustration: 034.jpg. THE BEAR AND ELEPHANT BROUGHT AS TRIBUTE IN THE
TOMB OF RAKHMIRI]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph of Prisse
d'Avennes' sketch.

On arriving at the frontier, whether by sea or by land, the majority of
these objects had to pay the custom dues which were rigorously collected
by the officers of the Pharaoh. This, no doubt, was a reprisal tariff,
since independent sovereigns, such as those of Mitanni, Assyria, and
Babylon, were accustomed to impose a similar duty on all the products
of Egypt. The latter, indeed, supplied more than she received, for many
articles which reached her in their raw condition were, by means of
native industry, worked up and exported as ornaments, vases, and highly
decorated weapons, which, in the course of international traffic, were
dispersed to all four corners of the earth. The merchants of Babylon and
Assyria had little to fear as long as they kept within the domains of
their own sovereign or in those of the Pharaoh; but no sooner did they
venture within the borders of those turbulent states which separated
the two great powers, than they were exposed to dangers at every turn.
Safe-conducts were of little use if they had not taken the additional
precaution of providing a strong escort and carefully guarding their
caravan, for the Shausu concealed in the depths of the Lebanon or the
needy sheikhs of Kharu could never resist the temptation to rob the
passing traveller.*

*