Chapter Iii--the Close of the Theban Empire

RAMSES III.--THE THEBAN CITY UNDER THE RAMESSIDES--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

Nalthtasit and Ramses III.: the decline of the military spirit in Egypt--The reorganisation of the army and fleet by Ramses--The second Libyan invasion--The Asiatic peoples, the Pulasati, the Zakleala, and the Tyrseni: their incursions into Syria and their defeat--The campaign of the year XL and the fall of the Libyan kingdom--Cruising on the Red Sea--The buildings at Medinet-Habu--The conspiracy of Pentauirit--The mummy of Ramses III.

The sons and immediate successors of Ramses III.--Thebes and the Egyptian population: the transformation of the people and of the great lords: the feudal system from being military becomes religious--The wealth of precious metals, jewellery, furniture, costume--Literary education, and the influence of the Semitic language on the Egyptian: romantic stories, the historical novel, fables, caricatures and satires, collections of maxims and moral dialogues, love-poems.