Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/35

 ANCIENT EGYPTIAN AND SEMITIC EMPIRES 23 Damascus continued for more than a century to defy the northern power, and to maintain a supremacy among the southern states of which it was the bulwark. Though foiled in Syria, Shalmaneser established his dominion even beyond the Taurus mountain range and in Urartu ; and in his reign and his son's, tribute was exacted from chiefs of the tribes in Media of which we now hear — the first unmistakable collision between the Semitic powers and an Aryan race. During the first half of the eighth century, Assyria was fully occupied in holding the ground it had won. The next advance took place in the reign of Tiglath-pileser iv., beginning in 745 B -C Complete disintegration was threatening to set in when this military usurper seized the throne, and very promptly made his vigour and activity felt. Chaldeans and old Baby- Tiglath-pileser lonians were fighting for the crown in Babylon, on IV - the south-east. Urartu on the north was threatening to extend dominion into Syria, and Damascus was defiant. In one campaign, Tiglath-pileser established the non-Chaldean Nabon- assar as his own subordinate in Babylon. A series of cam- paigns cleared Mesopotamia, crushed back Urartu, and brought Phoenicia into subjection ; a province was annexed from Urartu itself. Damascus and the south paid tribute, but again revolted. By this time, the southern states were divided between Syrian and Assyrian factions, and on the approach of Tiglath-pileser most of them made submission ; Damascus held Triumph of out stubbornly but fell at last, and an Assyrian Assyria, governor was appointed. Finally Babylon was brought directly under the sway of the Assyrian. It would seem that there was a constant rivalry between the priestly caste and the military caste — between church and army, so to speak. Repeatedly, a military dynasty overturned, or was overturned by, one which leaned on the priesthood. We have seen the same thing in Egypt ; for a long time a similar struggle went on in India ; something analogous will be found in the mediaeval contest between the empire and the papacy. Tiglath- pileser's son Shalmaneser was succeeded by Sargon, the nominee of the priests, and the effect was to compel the crown to rely on