.

The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise; and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the sea."[14197] The first to strike of the two great antagonists was Egypt.

Psamatik I., who was advanced in years at the time of Assyria's downfall,[14198] died about B.C.610, and was succeeded by a son still in the full vigour of life, the brave and enterprising Neco.

Neco, in B.C.608, having made all due preparations, led a great expedition into Palestine,[14199] with the object of bringing under his dominion the entire tract between the River of Egypt (Wady el Arish) and the Middle Euphrates.

Already possessed of Ashdod[14200] and perhaps also of Gaza[14201] and Askelon,[14202] he held the keys of Syria, and could have no difficulty in penetrating along the coast route, through the rich plain of Sharon, to the first of the mountain barriers which are interposed between the Nile and the Mesopotamian region.