Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/14

 ; CONTEXTS. the Ionic cities. Unavailing suggestion of Thales to merge the twcle Ionic cities into one Pan-Ionic city at Teos. Capture of Ephcsns. Croesus becomes king of all Asia -westward of the Halys. New and im- portant era for the Hellenic world commencing with the conquests of Croesus. Action of the Lydian empire continued on a still larger scale bv the Persians 219-2G3 CHAPTER XVIII. FHEXICIANS. Phcnicians and Assyrians members of the Semitic family of the human race. Early presence of Phenician ships in the Grecian seas in the Homeric times. Situation and cities of Phenicia. Phenician commerce flourished more in the earlier than in the later times of Greece. Pheni- cian colonies Utica, Carthage, Gades, etc. Commerce of the Pheni- cians of Gades towards Africa on one side and Britain on the other. - Productive region round Gades, called Tartessus. Phcnicians and Carthaginians the establishments of the latter combined views of em- pire with views of commerce. Phenicians and Greeks in Sicily and Cyprus the latter partially supplant the former. Iberia and TartC-ssii* unvisited by the Greeks before about 630 B. c. Memorable voyage of the Samian Kolseus to Tartessus. Exploring voyages of the Phokseans, between 630-570 B. c. Important addition to Grecian geographical knowledge, and stimulus to Grecian fancy, thus communicated. Circum- navigation of Africa by the Phenicians. This circumnavigation was really accomplished doubts of critics, ancient and modern, examined. Caravan-trade by land carried on by the Phenicians 264-289 CHAPTER XIX. ASSYRIANS. BABYLON. Assvrians their name rests chiefly on Nineveh and Babylon. Chaldffifltu at Babylon order of priests. Their astronomical observations. Babylonia its laborious cultivation and fertility. City of Babylon its dimensions and walls. Babylon only known during the time of its degradation yet even then the first city in Western Asia. Immense command of human labor possessed by the Babylonian kings. Collective civilization in Asia, without individual freedom or development. Gradu sited contrast between Egyptians, Assyrians, Phenicians, and Greeks. Deserts and predatory tribes surrounding the Babylonians. Appendix, u Nineveh and its Remains," by Mr. Layard 290-307 CHAPTER XX. EGYPTIANS. Phenicians the link of commerce between Egypt and Assyria. Herodo- tw earliest Grecian informant about Egypt. The Nile in tho time of