them　what　to　eat　and　drink　and　what　to　avoid　that　they　might
  keep　well　in　the　hot　climate。　And　finally　after　many　years　of
  wandering　they　came　to　a　land　which　seemed　pleasant　and
  prosperous。　It　was　called　Palestine；　which　means　the　country
  of　the　‘‘Pilistu''　the　Philistines；　a　small　tribe　of　Cretans　who
  had　settled　along　the　coast　after　they　had　been　driven　away
  from　their　own　island。　Unfortunately；　the　mainland；　Palestine；
  was　already　inhabited　by　another　Semitic　race；　called　the
  Canaanites。　But　the　Jews　forced　their　way　into　the　valleys
  and　built　themselves　cities　and　constructed　a　mighty　temple
  in　a　town　which　they　named　Jerusalem；　the　Home　of　Peace。
  As　for　Moses；　he　was　no　longer　the　leader　of　his　people。　He
  had　been　allowed　to　see　the　mountain　ridges　of　Palestine　from
  afar。　Then　he　had　closed　his　tired　eyes　for　all　time。　He　had
  worked　faithfully　and　hard　to　please　Jehovah。　Not　only　had
  he　guided　his　brethren　out　of　foreign　slavery　into　the　free　and
  independent　life　of　a　new　home　but　he　had　also　made　the　Jews
  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