arisen in Syria a new power
before which his own was not unlikely to give way. In former times such
news would have led to a war between the two states, but the time
had gone by when Egypt was prompt to take up arms at the slightest
encroachment on her Asiatic provinces. Her influence at this time was
owing merely to her former renown, and her authority beyond the isthmus
was purely traditional. The Tanite Pharaoh had come to accept with
resignation the change in the fortunes of Egypt, and he therefore
contented himself with forwarding to the Assyrian conqueror, by one of
the Syrian coasting vessels, a present of some rare wild beasts and
a few crocodiles. In olden times Assyria had welcomed the arrival of
Thutmosis III. on the Euphrates by making him presents, which the Theban
monarch regarded in the light of tribute: the case was now reversed, the
Egyptian Pharaoh taking the position formerly occupied by the Assyrian
monarch. Tiglath-pileser graciously accepted this unexpected homage, but
the turbulent condition of the northern tribes prevented his improving
the occasion by an advance into Phoenicia and the land of Canaan. Nairi
occupied his attention on two separate occasions at least; on the second
of these he encamped in the neighbourhood of the source of the river
Subnat. This stream, had for a long period issued from a deep grotto,
where in ancient times a god was supposed to dwell. The conqueror
was lavish in religious offerings here, and caused a bas-relief to be
engraved on the entrance in remembrance of his victories.

[Illustration 233.jpg THE STELE AT SEBENNEH-SU]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a sketch by P. Taylor, in G.
Rawlinson.

He is here represented as standing upright, the tiara on his brow, and
his right arm extended as if in the act of worship, while his left, the
elbow brought up to his side, holds a club. The inscription appended
to the figure tells, with an eloquence all the more effective from its
brevity, how, "with the aid of Assur, Shamash, and Eamman, the
great gods, my lords, I, Tiglath-pileser, King of Assyria, son of
Assurishishi, King of Assyria, son of Mutakkilnusku, King of Assyria,
conqueror from the great sea, the Mediterranean, to the great sea of
Nairi, I went for the third time to Nairi."

The gods who had so signally favoured the monarch received the greater
part of the spoils which he had secured in his campaigns. The majority
of the temples of Assyria, which we