the story of mankind-第9章

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the　first　of　all　nations　to　worship　a　single　God。







THE　PHOENICIANS



THE　PHOENICIANS　WHO　GAVE　US　OUR

ALPHABET





THE　Phoenicians；　who　were　the　neighbours　of　the　Jews；

were　a　Semitic　tribe　which　at　a　very　early　age　had　settled　along

the　shores　of　the　Mediterranean。　They　had　built　themselves

two　well…fortified　towns；　Tyre　and　Sidon；　and　within　a　short

time　they　had　gained　a　monopoly　of　the　trade　of　the　western

seas。　Their　ships　went　regularly　to　Greece　and　Italy　and

Spain　and　they　even　ventured　beyond　the　straits　of　Gibraltar

to　visit　the　Scilly　islands　where　they　could　buy　tin。　Wherever

they　went；　they　built　themselves　small　trading　stations；　which

they　called　colonies。　Many　of　these　were　the　origin　of　modern

cities；　such　as　Cadiz　and　Marseilles。



They　bought　and　sold　whatever　promised　to　bring　them　a

good　profit。　They　were　not　troubled　by　a　conscience。　If　we

are　to　believe　all　their　neighbours　they　did　not　know　what　the

words　honesty　or　integrity　meant。　They　regarded　a　well…filled

treasure　chest　the　highest　ideal　of　all　good　citizens。　Indeed

they　were　very　unpleasant　people　and　did　not　have　a　single

friend。　Nevertheless　they　have　rendered　all　coming　generations

one　service　of　the　greatest　possible　value。　They　gave

us　our　alphabet。



The　Phoenicians　had　been　familiar　with　the　art　of　writing；

invented　by　the　Sumerians。　But　they　regarded　these　pothooks

as　a　clumsy　waste　of　time。　They　were　practical　business　men

and　could　not　spend　hours　engraving　two　or　three　letters。

They　set　to　work　and　invented　a　new　system　of　writing　which

was　greatly　superior　to　the　old　one。　They　borrowed　a　few

pictures　from　the　Egyptians　and　they　simplified　a　number　of

the　wedge…shaped　figures　of　the　Sumerians。　They　sacrificed

the　pretty　looks　of　the　older　system　for　the　advantage　of　speed

and　they　reduced　the　thousands　of　different　images　to　a　short

and　handy　alphabet　of　twenty…two　letters。




In　due　course　of　time；　this　alphabet　travelled　across　the

AEgean　Sea　and　entered　Greece。　The　Greeks　added　a　few

letters　of　their　own　and　carried　the　improved　system　to　Italy。

The　Romans　modified　the　figures　somewhat　and　in　turn　taught

them　to　the　wild　barbarians　of　western　Europe。　Those　wild

barbarians　were　our　own　ancestors；　and　that　is　the　reason　why

this　book　is　written　in　characters　that　are　of　Phoenician　origin

and　not　in　the　hieroglyphics　of　the　Egyptians　or　in　the　nail…

script　of　the　Sumerians。







THE　INDO…EUROPEANS



THE　INDO…EUROPEAN　PERSIANS　CONQUER

THE　SEMITIC　AND　THE　EGYPTIAN

WORLD





THE　world　of　Egypt　and　Babylon　and　Assyria　and　Phoenicia

had　existed　almost　thirty　centuries　and　the　venerable

races　of　the　Fertile　Valley　were　getting　old　and　tired。　Their

doom　was　sealed　when　a　new　and　more　energetic　race　appeared

upon　the　horizon。　We　call　this　race　the　Indo…European　race；

because　it　conquered　not　only　Europe　but　also　made　itself　the

ruling　class　in　the　country　which　is　now　known　as　British　India。



These　Indo…Europeans　were　white　men　like　the　Semites

but　they　spoke　a　different　language　which　is　regarded　as　the

common　ancestor　of　all　European　tongues　with　the　exception

of　Hungarian　and　Finnish　and　the　Basque　dialects　of　Northern

Spain。



When　we　first　hear　of　them；　they　had　been　living　along　the

shores　of　the　Caspian　Sea　for　many　centuries。　But　one　day

they　had　packed　their　tents　and　they　had　wandered　forth　in

search　of　a　new　home。　Some　of　them　had　moved　into　the

mountains　of　Central　Asia　and　for　many　centuries　they　had

lived　among　the　peaks　which　surround　the　plateau　of　Iran　and

that　is　why　we　call　them　Aryans。　Others　had　followed　the

setting　sun　and　they　had　taken　possession　of　the　plains　of

Europe　as　I　shall　tell　you　when　I　give　you　the　story　of　Greece

and　Rome。



For　the　moment　we　must　follow　the　Aryans。　Under　the

leadership　of　Zarathustra　（or　Zoroaster）　who　was　their　great

teacher　many　of　them　had　left　their　mountain　homes　to　follow

the　swiftly　flowing　Indus　river　on　its　way　to　the　sea。



Others　had　preferred　to　stay　among　the　hills　of　western

Asia　and　there　they　had　founded　the　half…independent　communities

of　the　Medes　and　the　Persians；　two　peoples　whose

names　we　have　copied　from　the　old　Greek　history…books。　In

the　seventh　century　before　the　birth　of　Christ；　the　Medes　had

established　a　kingdom　of　their　own　called　Media；　but　this

perished　when　Cyrus；　the　chief　of　a　clan　known　as　the　Anshan；

made　himself　king　of　all　the　Persian　tribes　and　started　upon

a　career　of　conquest　which　soon　made　him　and　his　children　the

undisputed　masters　of　the　whole　of　western　Asia　and　of　Egypt。



Indeed；　with　such　energy　did　these　Indo…European　Persians

push　their　triumphant　campaigns　in　the　west　that　they　soon

found　themselves　in　serious　difficulties　with　certain　other　Indo…

European　tribes　which　centuries　before　had　moved　into　Europe

and　had　taken　possession　of　the　Greek　peninsula　and　the　islands

of　the　AEgean　Sea。



These　difficulties　led　to　the　three　famous　wars　between

Greece　and　Persia　during　which　King　Darius　and　King

Xerxes　of　Persia　invaded　the　northern　part　of　the　peninsula。

They　ravaged　the　lands　of　the　Greeks　and　tried　very　hard　to

get　a　foothold　upon　the　European　continent。



But　in　this　they　did　not　succeed。　The　navy　of　Athens

proved　unconquerable。　By　cutting　off　the　lines　of　supplies

of　the　Persian　armies；　the　Greek　sailors　invariably　forced　the

Asiatic　rulers　to　return　to　their　base。



It　was　the　first　encounter　between　Asia；　the　ancient

teacher；　and　Europe；　the　young　and　eager　pupil。　A　great

many　of　the　other　chapters　of　this　book　will　tell　you　how　the

struggle　between　east　and　west　has　continued　until　this　very

day。







THE　AEGEAN　SEA



THE　PEOPLE　OF　THE　AEGEAN　SEA　CARRIED

THE　CIVILISATION　OF　OLD　ASIA　INTO

THE　WILDERNESS　OF　EUROPE





WHEN　Heinrich　Schliemann　was　a　little　boy　his

father　told　him　the　story　of　Troy。　He　liked　that　story


better　than　anything　else　he　had　ever　heard　and　he　made

up　his　mind；　that　as　soon　as　he　was　big　enough　to　leave　home；

he　would　travel　to　Greece　and　‘‘find　Troy。''　That　he　was　the

son　of　a　poor　country　parson　in　a　Mecklenburg　village　did

not　bother　him。　He　knew　that　he　would　need　money　but

he　decided　to　gather　a　fortune　first　and　do　the　digging　afterwards。

As　a　matter　of　fact；　he　managed　to　get　a　large　fortune

within　a　very　short　time；　and　as　soon　as　he　had　enough　money　to

equip　an　expedition；　he　went　to　the　northwest　corner　of　Asia

Minor；　where　he　supposed　that　Troy　had　been　situated。



In　that　particular　nook　of　old　Asia　Minor；　stood　a　high

mound　covered　with　grainfields。　According　to　tradition　it　had

been　the　home　of　Priamus　the　king　of　Troy。　Schliemann；

whose　enthusiasm　was　somewhat　greater　than　his　knowledge；

wasted　no　time　in　preliminary　explorations。　At　once　he　began

to　dig。　And　he　dug　with　such　zeal　and　such　speed　that　his

trench　went　straight　through　the　heart　of　the　city　for　which　he

was　looking　and　carried　him　to　the　ruins　of　another　buried

town　which　was　at　least　a　thousand　years　older　than　the　Troy

of　which　Homer　had　written。　Then　something　very　interesting

occurred。　If　Schliemann　had　found　a　few　polished　stone

hammers　and　perhaps　a　few　pieces　of　crude　pottery；　no　one

would　have　been　surprised。　Instead　of　discovering　such　objects；

which　people　had　generally　associated　with　the　prehistoric

men　who　had　lived　in　these　regions　before　the　coming　of

the　Greeks；　Schliemann　found　beautiful　statuettes　and　very

costly　jewelry　and　ornamented　vases　of　a　pattern　that　was

unknown　to　the　Greeks。　He　ventured　the　suggestion　that

fully　ten　centuries　before　the　great　Trojan　war；　the　coast　of

the　AEgean　had　been　inhabited　by　a　mysterious　race　of　men

who　in　many　ways　had　been　the　superiors　of　the　wild　Greek

tribes　who　had　invaded　their　country　and　had　destroyed　their

civilisation　or　absorbed　it　until　it　had　lost　all　trace　of　originality。

And　this