Thus, after nearly a century and a half of repose, Egypt appeared once more in Western Asia as a conquering power, desirious of establishing an empire.  The political edifice raised with so much trouble by David, and watched over with such care by Solomon, had been shaken to its base by the rebellion of Jeroboam; it was shattered beyond all hope of recovery by Shishak.  Never more would the fair fabric of an Israelite empire rear itself up before the eyes of men; never more would Jerusalem be the capital of a State as extensive as Assyria or Babylonia, and as populous as Egypt.  After seventy years, or so, of union, Syria was broken up—­the cohesion effected by the warlike might of David and the wisdom of Solomon ceased—­the ill-assimilated parts fell asunder; and once more the broad and fertile tract intervening between Assyria and Egypt became divided among a score of petty States, whose weakness invited a conqueror.

[Illustration:  HEAD OF SHISHAK]

Sheshonk did not live many years to enjoy the glory and honour brought him by his Asiatic successes.  He died after a reign of twenty-one years, leaving his crown to his second son, Osorkon, who was married to the Princess Keramat, a daughter of Sheshonk’s predecessor.  The dynasty thus founded continued to occupy the Egyptian throne for the space of about two centuries, but produced no other monarch of any remarkable distinction.  The Asiatic dominion, which Sheshonk had established, seems to have been maintained for about thirty years, during the reigns of Osorkon L, Sheshonk’s son, and Takelut I., his grandson; but in the reign of Osorkon II., the son of Takelut, the Jewish monarch of the time, Asa, the grandson of Rehoboam, shook off the Egyptian yoke, re-established Judaean independence, and fortified himself against attack by restoring the defences of all those cities which Sheshonk had dismantled, and “making about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars” (2 Chron. xiv. 7).  At the same time he placed under arms the whole male population of his kingdom, which is reckoned by the Jewish historian at 580,000 men.  The “men of Judah” bore spears and targets, or small round shields; the “men of Benjamin” had shields of a larger size, and were armed with the bow (ib. ver. 8).  “All these,” says the historian, “were mighty men of valour.”  It was not to be supposed that Egypt would bear tamely this defiance, or submit to the entire loss of her Asiatic dominion, which was necessarily involved in the revolt of Judaea, without an effort to retain it.  Osorkon II., or whoever was king at the time, rose to the occasion.  If it was to be a contest of numbers, Egypt should show that she was certainly not to be outdone numerically; so more mercenaries than ever before were taken into pay, and an army was levied, which is reckoned at “a thousand thousand” (ib. ver. 9), consisting of Cushites or Ethiopians, and of Lubim (ib. xvi. 8), or natives of the North African coast-tract, With