evidently correspond to the dynasties of _Manes_,

[Illustration: 041greek.jpg]

or "Ghosts," of Manetho, and are probably intended for the early kings
of Hierakonpolis.

The mention of the Followers of Horus as "Smiths" is very interesting,
for it would appear to show that the Semitic conquerors were notable
as metal-users, that, in fact, their conquest was that old story in the
dawn of the world's history, the utter overthrow and subjection of the
stone-users by the metal-users, the primeval tragedy of the supersession
of flint by copper. This may be, but if the "Smiths" were the Semitic
conquerors who founded the kingdom, it would appear that the use of
copper was known in Egypt to some extent before their arrival, for we
find it in the graves of the late Neolithic Egyptians, very sparsely
from "sequence-date 30" to "45," but afterwards more commonly. It was
evidently becoming known. The supposition, however, that the "Smiths"
were the Semitic conquerors, and that they won their way by the aid of
their superior weapons of metal, may be provisionally accepted.

In favour of the view which would bring the conquerors by way of the
Wadi Hammamat, an interesting discovery may be quoted. Immediately
opposite Den-dera, where, according to the legend, the battle between
the _Mesniu_ and the aborigines took place, lies Koptos, at the mouth of
the Wadi Hammamat. Here, in 1894, underneath the pavement of the ancient
temple, Prof. Petrie found remains which he then diagnosed as belonging
to the most ancient epoch of Egyptian history. Among them were some
extremely archaic statues of the god Min, on which were curious
scratched drawings of bears, _crioceras-shells_, elephants walking over