to recover Babylon's god Merodach. If, however, he was
an ally of the Mitanni ruler, the transference of the deity may have
been an ordinary diplomatic transaction. The possibility may also be
suggested that the Hittites of Mitanni were not displaced by the Aryan
military aristocracy until after the Kassites were firmly established
in northern Babylonia between 1700 B.C. and 1600 B.C. This may account
for the statements that Merodach was carried off by the Hatti and
returned from the land of Khani.

The evidence afforded by Egypt is suggestive in this connection. There
was a second Hyksos Dynasty in that country. The later rulers became
"Egyptianized" as the Kassites became "Babylonianized", but they were
all referred to by the exclusive and sullen-Egyptians as "barbarians"
and "Asiatics". They recognized the sun god of Heliopolis, but were
also concerned in promoting the worship of Sutekh, a deity of sky and
thunder, with solar attributes, whom Rameses II identified with the
"Baal" of the Hittites. The Mitannians, as has been stated, recognized
a Baal called Teshup, who was identical with Tarku of the Western
Hittites and with their own tribal Indra also. One of the Hyksos
kings, named Ian or Khian, the Ianias of Manetho, was either an
overlord or the ally of an overlord, who swayed a great empire in
Asia. His name has been deciphered on relics found as far apart as
Knossos in Crete and Baghdad on the Tigris, which at the time was
situated within the area of Kassite control. Apparently peaceful
conditions prevailed during his reign over a wide extent of Asia and
trade was brisk between far-distant centres of civilization. The very
term Hyksos is suggestive in this connection. According to Breasted it
signifies "rulers of countries", which compares with the Biblical
"Tidal king of nations", whom Sayce, as has been indicated, regards as
a Hittite monarch. When the Hittite hieroglyphics have been read and
Mesopotamia thoroughly explored, light may be thrown on the relations
of the Mitannians, the Hittites, the Hyksos, and the Kassites between
1800 B.C. and 1500 B.C. It is evident that a fascinating volume of
ancient history has yet to be written.

The Kassites formed the military aristocracy of Babylonia, which was
called Karduniash, for nearly six centuries. Agum II was the first of
their kings who became thoroughly Babylonianized, and although he
still gave recognition to Shuqamuna, the Kassite god of battle, he
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