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 The Wars of the Greeks and Persians 129 A PIECE OF ATHENIAN POTTERY Showing Greek merchant vessels with sails and oars venient common history in the Hebrew tradition and the Hebrew- scriptures. A new element which was increasing rapidly in this empire was the Greek element. The Greeks were becoming serious rivals to the Semites upon the sea, and their detached and vigorous intelligence made them useful and unprejudiced officials. It was on account of the Scythians that Darius I invaded Europe. He wanted to reach South Russia, the homeland of the Scythian horsemen. He crossed the Bosphorus with a great army and marched through Bulgaria to the Danube, crossed this by a bridge of boats, and pushed far northward. His army suffered terribly. It was- largely an infantry force and the mounted Scythians rode all round it, cut off its supplies, destroyed any stragglers and never came to a pitched battle. Darius was forced into an inglorious, retreat. He returned himself to Susa but he left an army in Thrace and Macedonia, and Macedonia submitted to Darius. Insurrections of the Greek cities in Asia followed this failure, and the European Greeks were drawn into the contest. Darius resolved upon the sub- jugation of the Greeks in Europe. With the Phoenician fleet at his. disposal he was able to subdue one island after another, and finally in 490 B.C. he made his main attack upon Athens. A considerable Armada sailed from the ports of Asia Minor and the eastern Mediter- ranean^ and the expedition landed its troops at Marathon to the north of Athens. There they were met and signally defeated by the Athenians. An extraordinary thing happened at this time. The bitterest rival of Athens in Greece was Sparta, but now Athens appealed to J