ETHIOPIA
327
ETHIOPIA
anciently productive is now far above the highest level 1 Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his stripes ?" of the stream. The valley is, however, never broad, (Jer. xiii, 23); and it is to be observed, that whenev- the mountains seldom leaving a space of more than a I er the race of KiSH is represented on the Egyptian mile within the greater part of the region north of the monuments by a single individual, the tj'pe is that of limit of tropical rains. The aspect of the country is ' the true negro (Wilkinson, Anc. Eff. i,404, abridgm.)c little varied. On either side of the river, here nar- ; It is therefore probable that the negro race anciently
rower than in its undivided course in Upper Egypt, rise sterile sandstone and limestone mountains, the former sometimes covered by j'ellow sand-drifts. At the First Cataract, at Kahib'sheh, and at the Second Cataract, the river is obstructed, though at the second place not enough to form a rapid, by red granite and othsr primary rocks. The groves of date-palms, here
extended further to the north than at present, the whole country watered by the Kile, as far as it is known, being now peopled by a race intermediate be- tween the negro race and the Caucasian. There is no certain mention in the Bible of this intermediate race in Ethiopia, but the Egyptian and Ethiopian monu- ments afford us indications of its ancient existence in
especially fine, are the most beautiful oljjects in the its modern territory, though probably it did not then scene, but its general want of variety is often relieved ] extend as far south as now. At the present day, Ethi-
b}- the splendid remains of Egj'ptian and Ethiopian civilization, and the clearness of the air throws a pe- culiar beaut}' over ever3'thing that the traveller be- holds. As he ascends the river, the scenery, after a tim?, becomes more varied, until on the east he reach- es the Al>3'ssinian highlands, on the west the long maadows, the pasture -lands of herds of elephants.
opia is inhabited by a great variety of tribes of this race: the Kuniiz, said to be of Arab origin, nearest to Eg3'pt, are very dark ; the Niibeh, the next nation, much lighter; bej'ond them are some fair Arabs, the Caucasian Abyssinians, with scarcely any trace of ne- gro influence save in their dark color, and tribes as lilack as the true negro, or nearly so, though not of
through which flows the broad and sluggish White the pure negro type. The languages of Ethiopia are Nile. In this uppar region the climate is far less ' as various as the tribes, and appear to hold the same health}' thiin below, save in Ab3'ssinia, which, from its intermediate place between the Shemitic group and the heiglit, is drained, and enjoys an air which is rare and I Nigritian, if wc except the Ethiopic, which belongs to free from exhalations. The country is thus for the ' the former family. See Ethiopic Laxguage. most part mountainous, the ranges gradually increas- ! In all that relates to the civilization of ancient Ethi-
ing in altitude towards the S., until they attain an ele- vation of about 8000 feet in Abyssinia.
The Nile is the great fertilizer of the northern re-
opia we see the same connection with Egypt that is const-intly indicated in the Bible. So far as the Egj-p- tian sway extended, which was probably, under the
gions of Ethiopia, which dapend wholly upan its year- j empire, as far as somewhat above the junction of the ly inundation. It is only towards the junction of the ' two Niles, the religion of Egypt was probably prac-
tvvo great streams that the rains take an increasingly important share in the watering of the cultivable land. In about N. lat. 17° 40', the great river receives its first tributary, tha Astalioras, now called the Atbarah. In about N. Lit. 15° 40' is the confluence of the Blue
tised. While the tract was under Egyptian rule this was certainly the case, as the remains of the teinjjles sufficiently show. We find it as the religion of Tir- hakali iu his Ethiopian as well as his Egyptian sculp- tures, and this is also the case with the lati^r kings
and White Niles. The Blue Nile, which has its source | of Ethiopia who held no sway in Egypt. There were in .Vbyssinia, is a narrow, rapid stream, with high, steep evidently local differences, but apparentlj' nothing mud-l>anks, like the Nile in Eg^'pt; it is strongl}' ! more. Respecting the laws and forms of government charged with alluvial soil, to which it owes the dark [ the same may be supposed. We have very little evi- color which has given it its distinctive name. From | dence as to the military matters of the Ethiopians, j'et, this stream the country Ijelow derives the annual allu- j from their importance to Egypt, there can be little vial deposits. The White Nile is a colorless river, doubt that thej' were skilful soldiers. Their armies very broad and shallow, creeping slowly through were probably drawn from the Ethiopian or interme- maadows and wide marsh-lands. Of the cultivation | diate race, not from the negro. Of the domestic life and natural products of Ethiopia little need be said, as of this people we have but slight hints. Probably they do not illustrate the few notices of it in Scripture. ' thej^ were more civilized than are their modern suc- It has always been, excepting the northern part, pro- ' cessors. Their art, as seen in the sculptures of their ductive, and rich in animal life. Its wild animals kings in Ethiopian temples from Tirhakah downwards, have gradually been reduced, yet still the hippopota- is merely a copy of that of Egj'pt, showing, after the mus, the crocodile, and the ostrich abound, though the first, an inferiority in style to the contemporary works second alone is found throughout its extent. Tlie elc- : of the original art. Their character can scarcely be phant and lion are only known in its southernmost , determined from scanty statements, ajiplying, it may part. ; be, to extremely different tribes. In one particular