ought to exchange it for a wider area, such as
was offered by the neighbouring provinces of Southern Syria. Pharaoh
at this time exercised no authority over this region, and they were,
therefore, no longer in fear of opposition from his troops; the latter
had been recalled to Egypt, and it is doubtful even whether he retained
possession of the Shephelah by means of his Zakkala and Philistine
colonies; the Hebrews, at any rate, had nothing to fear from him so long
as they respected Gaza and Ascalon. They began by attempting to possess
themselves of the provinces around Hebron, in the direction of the Dead
Sea, and we read that, before entering them, they sent out spies to
reconnoitre and report on the country.* Its population had undergone
considerable modifications since the Israelites had quitted Goshen.
The Amorites, who had seriously suffered from the incursions of Asiatic
hordes, and had been constantly harassed by the attacks of the Aramaeans,
had abandoned the positions they had formerly occupied on the banks
of the Orontes and the Litany, and had moved southwards, driving the
Canaanites before them; their advance was accelerated as the resistance
opposed to their hordes became lessened under the successors of Ramses
III., until at length all opposition was withdrawn. They had possessed
themselves of the regions about the Lake of Genesareth, the mountain
district to the south of Tabor, the middle valley of the Jordan, and,
pressing towards the territory east of that river, had attacked the
cities scattered over the undulating table-land. This district had
not been often subjected to incursions of Egyptian troops, and yet its
inhabitants had been more impressed by Egyptian influence than many
others.

[Illustration: 259.jpg THE AMORITE ASTARTE]

Drawn by Paucher-Gudin, from the squeezes and sketches
published in the _Zeitschrift ties Palcistina-Vereins_.

Whereas, in the north and west, cuneiform writing was almost entirely
used, attempts had been made here to adapt the hieroglyphs to the native
language.

The only one of their monuments which has been preserved is a rudely
carved bas-relief in black basalt, representing a two-horned Astarte,
before whom stands a king in adoration; the sovereign is Ramses II., and
the inscriptions accompanying the figures contain a religious formula
together with a name borrowed from one of the local dialects.*

*This is the "Stone of Job" discovered by Strahmac