ABSTRACT
Of the Dodeknrchy here mentioned it need hardly be said that there is no trace of its existence in the hieroglyphic texts, 'and it may as well be said at the same time that no monuments have been found of the first four kings of the XXVIth Dynasty as it is given in the versions of the King List of Manetho, who attributes to it nine kings, and says that the total number of the years of their reigns is either 150! or 167. The name of the first king "Ammeres the Ethiopian," 'A;.twpiJ~ Ale{oy, who reigned forty-eight years, is only found in the version of Eusebius, but the others, i.e., Stephinates, Nekhepsos l and Nekha6, who reigned seven, six, and eight (var. six) years
respectively, are found in both lists. The last of the four, Nekhao, is clearly to be identified with the king called in the inscription of Ashur-bani-pall Ni-ku-u,
T :n ~~ ~rn~, i.e., ( L:'J" \>) N ekau, the governor of Sai:s and Memphis. This Nekau was one of the leaders of the revolt which broke out in Egypt after Ashur-bani-pal's first campaign in the country, and he escaped the fate of many of the rebels, who were either slain and their bodies hung upon stakes, or impaled or flayed alive,z for he was sent alive to Nineveh with one or two others. When he arrived there, for some reason or other, Ashur-bani-pal forgave him, and arrayed him in fine apparel, and put gold rings on his fingers, and gave him an iron dagger inlaid with gold and inscribed with the Assyrian king's name ; after a time he reinstated him in his city of Sa"is, whither he sent him with horses, and chariots, and an escort suitable to the position of the viceroy of Ashur-bani-pal in Egypt. His son Psammetichus was appointed king of Athribis, and, as has been said above, an Assyrian name was bestowed upon him; to the two cities of Sa:is and Athribis were also given Assyrian names, to the former Kar-Bel-matati, ,_~H ~TH ,._II ·~.:"~\ and the latter Limir-patesi-Ashur, ,_~TT ,._~H ~IDEf =f: ~T ~H ,_,.... y .3 Of the subsequent history of Nekau we know nothing, but it is certain that he was
not put to death as Herodotus says (ii. 152); his son, whom we are justified in calling Psammetichus by the form of his name Pi-sha-mi-il-ki, T ~T-, (var. ,..._~T) W T-~TT <!§J,I found in the great inscription of Ashur-bani-pal, became the successor of Tanut-Amen on the throne of Egypt, and the real founder of the XXVIth Dynasty.
