y marriage or inheritance, fresh territory
for the god, in the lands of the princes of Nekhabit, Kop-tos, Akhmim,
and Abydos, besides the domains of some half-dozen feudal houses
who, from force of circumstances, had become sacerdotal families; the
extinction of the direct line of Ramessides now secured the High
Priests the possession of Thebes itself, and of all the lands within the
southern provinces which were the appanage of the crown.

[Illustration: 091.jpg HRIHOR]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from Champollion.

They thus, in one way or another, became the exclusive masters of the
southern half of the Nile valley, from Elephantine to Siut; beyond Siut
also they had managed to acquire suzerainty over the town of Khobit, and
the territory belonging to it formed an isolated border province in the
midst of the independent baronies.*

* The extent of the principality of Thebes under the high
priests has been determined by means of the sacerdotal
titles of the Theban princesses.

The representative of the dynasty reigning at Tanis held the remainder
of Egypt from Shit to the Mediterranean--the half belonging to the
Memphite Phtah and the Helio-politan Ra, as opposed to that assigned to
Anion. The origin of this Tanite sovereign is uncertain, but it would
appear that he was of more exalted rank than his rival in the south. The
official chronicling of events was marked by the years of his reign, and
the chief acts of the government were carried out in his name even in
the Thebaid.* Repeated inundations had caused the ruin of part of the
temple of Karnak, and it was by the order and under the auspices of this
prince that all the resources of the country were employed to accomplish
the much-needed restoration.**

* I have pointed out that the years of the reign mentioned
in the inscriptions of the high priests and the kings of the
sacerdotal line must be attributed to their suzerains, the
kings of Tanis. Hrihor alone seems to have been an
exception, since to him are attributed the dates inscribed
in the name of the King Siamon: M. Daressy, however, will
not admit this, and asserts that this Siamon was a Tanite
sovereign who must not be identified with Hrihor, and must
be placed at least two or three generations later than the
last of the Ramessides.

* The real name Nsbindidi and the first monument of the
Manethonian Smendes were discovered