Neco (Hastings' Dictionary)

The name is written in Hierogl. Nkw; Cuneif. Niku; Heb., always preceded Pharaoh,’ 33; (2 K 23-87, 29Ch 352 364, AV Nechoh, RV Necoh) or 13; (Jer 46°, 2Ch 35”; AV Necho, RV Neco); Gr. Nex&s (Herod.), Νεχαώ (Manetho, LXX). The sources for the history of this Pharaoh, who succeeded his father Psammetichus I. as second king of the 26th Dynasty + (B.c. 610-594), are the references to him in the OT and a short notice by Herodotus.

No native monuments of historical importance from his rein have come to light. e 26th Dynasty is localized by Manetho at Sais in the Delta. It is, however, possible that, although residing principally there, the family was of Ethiopian descent (see Schifer in g. Ztschr. xxxiii. 116). Psammetichus had initiated a policy of larger commercial interests which, unknown to the Egypt of preceding dynasties, had already reached a considerable development in his son's * See vol. 1. p. 656, note.

+ He is sometimes called Neco π., to distinguish him from the prince whom Esarhaddon had set up in Memphis and Sais, and who was probably the father of Psammetichus L reign.

The monarchy relied now, both in foreign wars and against internal revolts, not upon native troops, but upon Ionian and Carian mercenarieg But Neco aimed also at a more extended in- fluence at sea, and set about constructing a canal which should, by joining the waters of the upper Delta and the Bitter Lakes, make navigation he tween the Mediterranean and Red Sea possible (Herod. ii. 158).

But the work was not finished by him: whether owing to discouragement from an oracle or to the pressure of external politics, the canal was abandoned, to be completed eventu ally by Darius.* The fleets of triremes which he built on both seas (ἐδ. 159), and the Phoenician expedition which he engaged to circumnavigate Africa (iv. 42), were further results of the same policy. The information in 2 K 23° as to his Syrian campaign (in 608) corresponds to a shorter account by Herodotus (ii. 159).

The desire to regain the lost ascendency in Asia was always in Egypt a sufficient motive for such an undertaking; the immediate inducement may have been the defence- lessness of Assyria, but recently overthrown by the onslaught of the new Panylacied monarchy. We are told that, during their northward march, the Egyptians were encountered by the army of Assyria’s vassal, Josiah of Judah, at Megiddo (2 K 23". and a mere amplification of this in 2 Ch 35”), or, according to Herod. (/.c.)

, at Magdolus (Maydw- és); that Josiah was slain, and that Neco pursued his way to the Euphrates; but, on arriving there, returned, capturing on his southward journey the town of Kadytis, and sending in gratitude his armour to the shrine of the Didymzan Apollo at Branchide. Certain points in the story are, however, obscure. The locality of the battle is either (1) Megiddo S. of Mt.

Carmel, which— though Herodotus’ πεζῇ speaks for this—would be outside Josiah’s frontier; or (2) Migdol= Magdolus, in which case there is a choice between several laces of the name, that in Egypt, S. of Pelusium, ing the least probable. 8 Ww Max Miller (in Mitt. Vorderas. Ges. 1898, 3. 54) proposes Migdal- Gad (Jos 15%’); Winckler (in Orient. Lit. Z. 1898, 395, and in Benzinger’s B. d. Kénige, 207) recalls another Migdol, the Turris Stratonis (Czsarea) S. of Akko.

Kadytis again has been taken for Jerusalem, for Kadesh on the Orontes, and—the most probable view—for Gaza (cf. Herod. iii. 5 and Jer 47}). Neco, pursuing his Asiatic policy, refused to countenance the popular election of Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, to the throne. During a second cam- paign the newly elected king was seized at Riblah, and taken to end his days in Egypt.

He was re- placed by his elder brother Eliakim, whose name was changed, perhaps in compliment to the anti- Babylonian party,|| to Jehoiakim. Through him Neco was able to exact from the Jews, as earlier Pharaohs had so often done in Syria, a consider- able fine—100 talents of silver ἘΠῚ a talent of gold (2 K 23%), Now, however, he found himself forced to face the advancing power that had destroyed Nineveh. Nebuchadrezzar Π.

, son of Nabopolassar, led a Babylonian army against him, and completely routed him at Carkemish (604). All his Syrian provinces were at the disposal of the victors (2 K * Augustus subsequently turned his attention to this canal; hence, suggests Lumbroso (/'Egitto dei Greci, 23), the name of the eastern province, Augustamnica. + Cauer in Pauly-Wissowa, RE 810, ‘statue.’ t Maspero still (letter to present writer, 1899) holds this the most probable. § Josephus (Ant. x. v.

1), it is true, has Μενδή; but presumably he misread this from Heb. 1720. (See G. A. Smith, Hist Geogr. 405). i Stade, Geschichte, 1 674. NECROMANCY NEGEB 505 247), and, for some years at any rate, the Eeyetiens ener returns to the older spelling ‘neesed’). po did not venture to interfere in Asiatic tics. In 594 Neco died, and was buried at Sais. The recorded burial of an Apis bull in his 16th year confirms the duration of the reign given by Herodotus. W. E. Crum.