into the Egyptian army, and placed under
the instruction of picked officers, who subjected them to rigorous
discipline, and accustomed them to the evolutions of regular troops,
they were transformed from disorganised hordes into tried and invincible
battalions.*

* The armies of Hatshopsitu already included Libyan
auxiliaries, some of which are represented at Deir el-
Bahari; others of Asiatic origin are found under Amenothes
IV., but they are not represented on the monuments among the
regular troops until the reign of Ramses II., when the
Shardana appear for the first time among the king's body-
guard.

[Illustration: 313.jpg A PLATOON OF EGYPTIAN ARCHERS AT DEIR EL-BAHARI]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph.

The old army, which had conquered Nubia in the days of the Papis and
Usirtasens, had consisted of these three varieties of foot-soldiers
only, but since the invasion of the Shepherds, a new element had been
incorporated into the modern army in the-shape of the chariotry, which
answered to some extent to the cavalry of our day as regards their
tactical employment and efficacy. The horse, when once introduced into
Egypt, soon became fairly adapted to its environment. It retained both
its height and size, keeping the convex forehead--which gave the head a
slightly curved profile--the slender neck, the narrow hind-quarters, the
lean and sinewy legs, and the long flowing tail which had characterised
it in its native country. The climate, however, was enervating, and
constant care had to be taken, by the introduction of new blood from
Syria, to prevent the breed from deteriorating.*

* The numbers of horses brought from Syria either as spoils
of war or as tribute paid by the vanquished are frequently
recorded in the Annals of Thutmosis III. Besides the usual
species, powerful stallions were imported from Northern
Syria, which were known by the Semitic name of Abiri, the
strong. In the tombs of the XVIIIth dynasty, the arrival of
Syrian horses in Egypt is sometimes represented.

[Illustration: 314.jpg THE EGYPTIAN CHARIOT PRESERVED IN THE FLORENCE
MUSEUM]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph taken by Petrie.

The Pharaohs kept studs of horses in the principal cities of the Nile
valley, and the great feudal lords, following their example, vied with
each other in the possession of numerous breeding stables. The office