Feb.4] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1890.sons-in-lawRa-sa-a-ka-kheper,husbandof his daughter Aten-Mer-t,
andTut-ankh-amen,husbandof his daughter Ankh-nes-Amen,who
werein turn succeeded by Ai, the husband of his daughter Tii,
whom I believe to have beenthe Thermuthis of Josephus.
Of Ai we are told (in the Transactionsof the Society of Biblical
Archceoiogy,Vol.VIII,p. 300) that he was fan-bearer,royalscribe,
andmasterof horse to Khuenaten, andalso a priest in the temple
of Amen, that he became king, andgainedmanyvictories, both
in the north and in the south; so that Moses mightverywell
have distinguishedhimselfin some of the southern campaignsof
this king,though not perhaps to the extent claimedby Josephus,
whosaysthat,as commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army,Moses
drovethe Ethiopians back,and tooktheircapital cityby the help
of their king'sdaughter,whom he afterwards married. Thetomb
of Ai still remainsin the mountains westof Thebes, and Lepsius
foundtherehis granite sarcophagusbrokenup, and his name every
where studiouslyerased; a fragment of the sarcophagus is in the
BritishMuseum.
Josephusnexttellsus that " the Egyptians, aftertheyhadbeen
preservedby Moses, entertainedhatredto him, andwereveryeager
in effecting theirdesignsagainst him,as suspecting that he would
take occasion fromhis good successto raise a sedition, andbring
innovationsintoEgypt,and told the king he ought to be slain," that
the king came to the same conclusion,but thatMoses,becoming
awareof their plans,fledto Midian. Myinterpretation of this is
that,as there was no heir apparentor presumptive to Ai, the nation
was divided into parties, that Moses was perhapsthe hopeand
candidatefor the throne, not only of the Hebrews but of the disc
worshippers,whohad already broughtin so many innovations; but
thatthe priests of Amen andtheirfollowersadopted Horemhebias
theircandidate,anddid all they couldto get rid of Moses ; and that
he, having failedto bring the Hebrews to his support by the slaughter
of the Egyptian (mentioned in the Old Testament, but not by
Josephus)soughtsafetyin flight.
Horemhebi(of whomthereare two statues in the British Museum)
is called the last kingof the XVIIIth dynasty,though it does not
appearthathe was descended fromany of its kings ; his queen Mut-
netem,or Netem-mut, was however probablyof royal descent. The
Museum at Turin contains a black granite group of two seated
statues of this kingand his queen, and the inscription upon it
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