luent of the Kishon. The
decisive struggle took place on the twenty-first of the month. Thothmes
rode in a chariot of polished bronze, and posted himself among the
troops on the north-west side of Megiddo. The Canaanites were unable to
resist the Egyptian charge. They fled into the city, leaving behind them
their horses and their chariots plated with gold and silver, those who
arrived after the gates of the town had been shut being drawn up over
the walls by means of ropes. Had the Egyptians not stayed behind in
order to plunder the enemy's camp they would have entered Megiddo along
with the fugitives. As it was, they were compelled to blockade the city,
building a rampart round it of "fresh green trees," and the besieged
were finally starved into a surrender.

In the captured camp had been found the son of the king of Megiddo,
besides a large amount of booty, including chariots of silver and gold
from Asi or Cyprus. Two suits of iron armour were also obtained, one
belonging to the king of Kadesh, the other to the king of Megiddo. The
seven tent-poles of the royal tent, plated with gold, also fell into the
hands of the Egyptians. The catalogue of the spoil was written down on a
leather roll which was deposited in the temple of Amon at Thebes, and in
it were enumerated: 3401 prisoners and 83 hands belonging to the slain,
32 chariots plated with gold, 892 ordinary chariots, 2041 mares, 191
foals, 602 bows, and 200 suits of armour.

Before the campaign was ended the Egyptian army had penetrated far to
the north and captured Inuam, south of Damascus, as well as Anugas or
Nukhasse, and Harankal, to the north of the land of the Amorites. All
these places seem to have belonged to the king of Kadesh, as his
property was carried away out of them. When Thothmes returned to Thebes
the quantity of spoil be brought back with him was immense. "Besides
precious stones," golden bowls, Phoenician cups with double handles and
the like, there were 97 swords, 1784 pounds of gold rings and 966 pounds
of silver rings, which served as money, a statue with a head of gold,
tables, chairs, and staves of cedar and ebony inlaid with gold, ivory
and precious stones, a golden plough, the golden sceptre of the
conquered prince, and richly embroidered stuffs. The fields of the
vanquished province were further measured by the Egyptian surveyors, and
the amount of taxation annually due from them was fixed. More than
208,000 measures of wheat were moreo