Complete historical compendium; or, Short history of the human race; ancient, mediaeval and modern

Front matter

Shelf_(!.rS4

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ii?

COMPLETE

Preface

The great popularity of the author's Illustrated Universal History — as attested by a circulation of 35,000 copies throughout the United States, during the past eight years — has encouraged the author to follow up that publication by a new work, giving a philosophical view of the progress of the human race in civilization — namely, an account of the manners and customs, rehgions, science, literature and art of the difterent peoples of ancient, mediaeval, and modern times, as well as to record the civil, political, and military events in the history of nations. Knowing this to be a fast age, when the great mass of the people can not find time to read or study voluminous works, the author has endeavored to give the history of mankind in a nutshell — in other words, he has endeavored to give a full history of the human race in as few words as possible.

The work is divided into three parts, each containing the record of an important era in the history of the world. Part First contains an historical account of the ancient world — the period from the earliest dawn of civilization to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, A. D. 476. Part Second embraces the history of the Middle Ages — the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Discovery of America, A. D. 1492. Part Third comprises a record of the modern epoch — the period from the Discovery of America to the present time.

Great historical events have been arranged logically rather than chronologically, and great care has been taken to detail facts in proportion to their relative importance. The author has also taken great pains to omit what is irrelevant, and he has selected from the great mass of historical matter those events which have exerted a controlling influence upon the destinies of the world.

The greatest prominence is given to the annals of those nations of ancient and modern times which have acted a leading part on the stage of the world's history; and, with this view, Greece and Rome are made to stand out with their due prominence among the nations of antiquity, while Germany, France, England and America are exhibited as the leading actors in the modern drama.

To assist the reader in acquiring and retaining a knowledge of the facts related, and to observe their historical relation, the subject-matter of this work is arranged in chapters, and these chapters are divided into sections; while each subject is minutely analyzed, and the outlines of the various subjects furnish appropriate headings for the different paragraphs.

History begins with the origin of nations and the establishment of civil and political institutions. The fabulous and mythical portions of the histories of the different nations are either wholly omitted in the historical text of this work, or dwelt upon very lightly.

4 PREFACE.

After the historical matter is a sketch of the British Constitution ; also the Constitution of the United States, the American Declaration of Independence, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a sketch of the historic legends, a table of important historical events, and a table of sovereigns and rulers.

With these few introductory remarks, the author submits this little volume to the public, with the hope that it may supply a long-felt want in the province of hisiorical publications.

I. S. CLARE.

Lancaster, Pa., August i, 1SS4.

Section I. The Empire and the Church 159

Section II. Feudal France under the Capet and Valois Dynasties. . . 165 Section III. Feudal England under the Norman and Plantagenet Dynasties 169

Section IV. Italian States 174

Section V. Spain and Portugal 178

Section VI. Scotland and the Northern and Eastern Nations of Europe . 179 Section VII. The Mogul and Ottoman Empires 184

CONTENTS. 7

PAGE

Section I. The Consulate and the Empire, or Napoleon Bonaparte's Career 308

. Section II. Progress of the United States of America 318

Section III. New States-System and Revolutions of 1820, 1830, and 1848 . 328 Section IV. Anti-Slavery Struggle and Civil War in the United States . 341

Section V. Times of Napoleon III. and Prince Bismarck 353

Section VI. Progress of Civihzation in the Nineteenth Century . . . .372

8 CONTENTS.

SUPPLEMENT.

British Cottstittitiou t.Q'X

Declaration of Independence 412

Proclamation of Emancipation 415

So7'ereigns and Rulers 4150

Introduction

1. Definition of History. — History is a record of the events which have occurred among mankind, embracing an account of the rise and fall of nations, and other great changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race.

2. History in a special sense. — In a more limited sense, History is a record of the progress of mankind in civilization; and, therefore, deals especially with those nations which have performed great achievements and exerted a commanding influence upon the fortunes of the human race.

3. Triple division of History. — History is generally divided into three great epochs :

/. Ancient History — beginning with the first appearance of historic records, and ending with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, A. D. 476.

2. Medieval History, or the History of the Middle Ages — extending from the fall of Rome, A. D. 476, to the Discovery of America, A. D. 1492.

J. Modern History — embracing the period from the Discovery of America to the present time.

4. Double division. — Sometimes, however, the world's history is divided into only two great periods — Ancient and Modern; Ancient History embracing the whole period before the fall of Rome, A. D. 476, and Modern History comprising the entire period since that event. This double division is perhaps the more logical of the two, as ancient civilization passed away with the extinction of the Roman Empire, while modern nations and modern institutions tooktheir rise from that point. The triple division, however, is the more convenient, and for that reason we shall follow it in this work.

5. Sacred and Profane History. — History is also divided into Sacred and Profane History ; the former being that which is contained in the sacred scriptures, and the latter that which is recorded in other books.

^9)

lo INTRODUC7'IOi\:

6. Ecclesiastical and Civil or Political History. — Ecclesiastical History is the history of the Christian Church. Civil or Political History deals with the rise, progress, and fall of nations.

7. The History of Civilization. — The History of Civilization is that department of History which treats of the progress of different nations in the arts, sciences, literature, and social culture.

8. Philosophy of History. — The Philosophy of History treats of the events of the past in connection with their causes and consequences, and deduces from them certain principles, which may serve as a guide to statesmen in conducting the affairs of nations.

9. Aids to History. — Concerning the human race outside of nations, there is much important knowledge furnished by different sciences. Among these sciences are:

1. Ethnology, or the science of the various races or types of mankind.

2. Archeology, or the science of the ancient works of man.

3. Philology, or the science of language.

4. Anthropology, or the science which deals with man in natural history.

10. Chronolog-y. — Chronology is that department of history which treats of the precise time or date of each event with respect to some fixed time called an era, or epoch.

11. Time and Dates. — Christian nations compute time from the birth of Christ, while Mohammedan nations reckon from the Hegira, or Mohammed's flight from Mecca, which event occurred in the year 622 of the Christian era. The Ancient Greeks dated from the first Olympiad, 776 years before the Christian era; the Ancient Romans from the founding of Rome, 753 years before the Christian era. B. C. means Before Christ, and A. D., or Afino Domini, signifies In the year of aur Lord. No dates can be established with certainty for events in Ancient History of any period more-than five centuries before Christ.

12. Great Historians. — Among the writers of history of antiquity was the great Hebrew lawgiver, Moses, the earliest sacred historian. The greatest historians of Ancient Greece were Herod'otus, "the Father of History," Thucyd'ides, Xen'ophon, Cte'sias, Diodo'rus Sic'ulus, Polyb'ius, Stra'bo, and Plu'tarch. Ancient Rome produced Liv'y, Tac'itus, Sal'lust, Corne'lius Ne'pos, Plin'y, and others. Josephus was the great Jewish historian of antiquity, and Manetho the most eminent historian of Ancient Egypt. In modern times the greatest historians have been the Italian, Macchiavelli ; the Englishman, Gibbon; the Scotchmen, Robertson, Hume, and Macaulay; the Frenchmen, Sismondi, Thiers, and Guizot; and the Americans, Prescott, Bancroft, and Motley.

13. Mankind and its divisions. — Asia is tKe cradle of the human race. In the region between the Euphrates and the Indus, and the Arabian Sea and the Hindoo Koosh, mankind spent its infancy. Mankind has been classed in five great divisions, or races — the Caucasian, the Mongolian, the Ethiopian, the Malay, and the American.

14. Forms of Government. — In the Prehistoric Ages — that is, the ages before recorded history — the /a/r/a^ry^^/ form of government prevailed ; each father, or head of a family, governing the whole family. Since the formation of nations there have been various forms of government — Autocracy , despotism, or absolute monarchy, where the supreme power is vested in the monarch himself, without any restraint or limitation ; Limited or constitutional monarchy, where the power of the monarch is limited by law or by constitutions giving the nobility, or aristocracy, and the masses some share in the government ; Aristocracy, or government by nobles, or aristocrats ; Theocracy, or government by the Church in the name of the Deity ; Hierarchy, or government by priests ; and Detnocracy, or government by the people in general. The last named form of government is also called Republicanism, though there have been several kinds of republics — aristocratic, by the few, and democratic, by the masses.

15. Tarieties of Religion. — Man is naturally a religious being. A. world-wide religious sentiment seems to prevail, but there have been many varieties or manifestations of this sentiment. Thus we have Monotheism, or the belief in one God ; Polytheism, or the belief in many gods; Pantheism, or the system which regards the whole universe, with all its laws, and the different manifestations of natufe, as the Supreme Being. Many polytheistic and pantheistic nations have made idols, or images, as figures or representations of their deities, and for this reason have been called idolators, pagans, or heathen. The four great monotheistic religions of the world have been the ancient Persian religion of Zoroaster ; Judaistn, or the religion of the Jews; Christianity; and Mohammedanism, or Islam. The leading polytheistic religions were those of the ancient Egyptians, Chaldaeans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Greeks,,.

Romans, and Scandinavians. The chief pantheistic religions have been the two great religions of Hindoo origin — Brahmanism and Buddhism.

16. Recent pliilologrical researches. — The origin of nations is involved in obscurity, which has only quite recently been partially removed by the diligent study and research of modern scholars. Investigations into the affinities of various languages has given us some new knowledge of this interesting and important subject. Comparing the languages of most of the modern European nations with those spoken by the ancient Romans, Greeks, Persians, and Hindoos, we observe that all these languages have a common origin, entirely different from those spoken by the ancient Chaldseans \kal-de' -a?is\ Assyrians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Arabs, and Egyptians ; these latter being related to each other, but not to those of the nations previously named.

17. Tlie Caucasian the historical race. — The only race which has figured in history is the Caucasian. The history of the civilized world is the history of the Caucasian race. The great historical nations belong to this race. The only nations outside of the Caucasian race attaining any degree of civilization have been the Chinese, the Japanese, the ancient Peruvians, and the Aztecs, or

.ajicient Mexicans.

18. Branches of the Caucasian race. — The Caucasian race has been 'divided by modern philologists into three great branches :

1. The Aryan, or Indo-European branch — embracing most of the nations of Europe and America ; also the Hindoos, and the ancient Medes and Persians.

2. The Semitic branch — comprising the Hebrews, or Israelites, the Arabs, and the ancient Syrians and Assyrians ; while the ancient Chaldseans, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians — Hamitic nations — also spoke the Semitic languages.

3. The Turanian branch — including the ancient Scythians, Parthians, and Bactrians ; also many of the modern Central Asian races, as well as the Ottoman Turks, and the Magyars, or Hungarians.

19. Aryaas, Semites, and Turanians compared. — The Aryan race has always played the leading part in civilization, and has been the most active in the world's history. The Aryans are noted for political development, having carried civil, political, and religious freedom to the highest degree of perfection ; while the Semitic race is noted for religious development, having given rise to three great

INTR OD UCTION.

monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, or Mohammedanism. The Turanian races have been nomadic in their habits, wherein they have differed from the Aryan, or agricultural races.

20. Asia compared with Europe. — Besides being the cradle of the human race, Asia is the birth-place of the great religions and the home of absolute despotism. The two great pantheistic religions — Brahmanism and Buddhism ; also the great monotheistic religions — Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism — arose in Asia; while Asiatic governments to-day are what they have been from time immemorial — absolute monarchies, or despotisms; no republic or constitutional monarchy ever having flourished on Asiatic soil. Europe, on the contrary, inhabited by the progressive Aryan race, has carried political institutions to the highest state of development; civil, political, and religious liberty having had a steady growth. Asiatic civilization has been stationary, while European civilization has been progressive. The Asiatics are passive and submissive; the Europeans active, vigilant, and aggressive. Europe has also colonized other portions of the globe ; the greater part of the present populations of North and South America being the descendants of Europeans who settled in the New World, and who drove away, or assimilated with, the aborigines ; while Europeans have also settled in portions of Africa, Asia, and Oceanica. The Asiatics, on the other hand, do not colonize.

BRANCHES OF THE CAUCASIAN, THE ONLY HISTORICAL RACE.

I. ARYAN, OR INDO-EUROPEAN BRANCH.

1. Hindoos.

2. Medes and Persians.

3. Hellenes, or Greeks.

4. Latin, or Romanic Nations.

1. Ancient Romans.

2. Italians.

3. French.

4. Spaniards and Spanish Americans.

5. Portuguese and Brazilians.

6. Flemings, or Belgians.

7. Roumanians.

5. Germanic, or Teutonic Nations.

1. Germans.

2. Danes. |

3. Swedes. V Scandinavians.

4. Norwegians, j

5. Dutch, or Hollanders.

6. English and Anglo-Americans (Anglo-Saxons).

6. Celtic Nations.

1. Ancient Britons, Gauls, and Spaniards.

2. Irish.

3. Welsh.

4. Scotch Highlanders.

5. Bretons (West of France).

7. Slavonic Nations.

1 . Russians.

2. Poles.

3. Bohemians.

4. Servians.

II. SEMITIC BRANCH.

I. Hebrews, or Israelites. "^

2- Arabs. I g^^j^^^

3. Syrians. | ^

4. Assyrians. J

5. Chald^eans, or Babylonians. 1

6. Phcenicians and Carthaginians. tt„^:^^^ -^ T- r Hamites.

7. Egyptians and Ethiopians.

8. Moors and Berbers. J

III. TURANIAN BRANCH.

1. Scythians

2. Parthians. \- Ancient Turanians 3 Bactrians

4. Tartars.

5. Turks.

6. Hungarians, or Magyars. V Modern Turanians.

7. Bulgarians.

8. Albanians.

Chapter I. Ancient Oriental Nations

SECTION I.— ANCIENT EGYPT.

1. Antiquity of Egypt. — In Egypt we first find a civil government and political institutions established. Egyptian history is the oldest history. The monuments, records, and literature of Egypt are more ancient than those of Chaldaea and India, the next two oldest nations. The ruins and monuments of ancient civilization found in Egypt render that country one of the most interesting on the globe. Egypt has been called ^' the gift of the Nile.'' The country has always been kept fertile by the annual inundations of the Nile, occasioned by the heavy rains in the high-lands of Abyssinia. Egypt was anciently divided into three great divisions — Upper Egypt, Middle Egypt, and Lower Egypt.

2. Periods of Egyptian History. — The Nile valley was early occupied by Hamitic tribes speaking the Semitic languages. Egyptian history is divided into three periods :

1. The Old Empire — from 2700 B. C. to 2100 B. C.

2. The Middle Empire — from 2100 B. C. to 1525 B. C.

3. The New Empire — from 1525 B. C. to 525 B. C.

3. The Old Empire. — The oldest obelisks, most of the pyramids, the Labyrinth, and Lake Moe'ris were constructed during this most ancient period of Egyptian history. Egypt was then divided into a number of petty kingdoms. This period is very obscure, although it seems to be tolerably well settled that Me'nes was the first Egyptian king.

4. Tlie Middle Empire. — The Middle Empire was the period of the Hyksos, or Shepherd Kings, who, coming from Arabia, invaded and conquered Egypt about 2100 B. C. This most dismal period of Egyptian history was not distinguished by any great monuments. The Egyptian people were greatly oppressed by their foreign conquerors, the Hyksos.

5. The New Empire. — About 1525 B. C. the Hyksos were driven out of Egypt, and the whole country was then united into one kingdom under a native Theban dynasty. Egypt was divided into a number of provinces called nomes. The New Empire was the most brilliant period of Egyptian history. The best known of the Egyptian kings of this period were Thot'mes UL, who conquered Syria and Nineveh ; Thotmes IV., who caused the great Sphynx to be constructed ; Rame'ses I.; and Rameses H. — whom the Greeks called Sesos'tris — who made extensive conquests in Asia and Africa, and adorned Egypt and Ethio'pia (now Nu'bia) with many splendid edifices. The exploits of these kings are recorded in hieroglyphics on the monuments. She'shonk — called Shishak in the Bible — attacked Judah and took Jerusalem, carrying away the treasures of the Temple and the palace. Psammeticus, who reigned over Egypt in the seventh century before Christ, invited Greek soldiers and settlers into his kingdom, for the purpose of weakening the priestly power; whereupon 240,000 Egyptians settled in Ethiopia. Necho \ne'ko\, the successor of Psammeticus, made Egypt a naval and maritime power, carried Jeho'ahez of Judah captive to Egypt, but was defeated by Nebuchadnez'zar of Babylon in the great battle of Carchemish, on the Euphrates.

6. Conquest of Egypt by the Persians. — The last of the Pharaohs, or native kings of Egypt, was Psammen'itus, who was defeated in the bloody battle of Pelusium, and put to death by the victorious Camby'ses, King of Persia, who treated the Egyptians with great severity (B. C. 525). Egypt then became a province of the great Me'do-Persian Empire. Two centuries later, the country Avas conquered by the famous Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great. Since the loss of its ancient independence, the land of the Pharaohs has been successively subject to the sway of the Persians, the Macedo'nians, the Romans, the Sar'acens, the Mam'elukes, and the Turks; the last of whom still hold the country tributary.

7. Civilization of tlie Eg-yptians.— The fertilizing of the soil by the annual inundation of the Nile, and the irrigation of the country by

ANCIENT ORIENTAL NATIONS.

means of numerous canals, contributed to make Egypt the great granary of antiquity, and agriculture received much attention from the Egyptians. This great ancient people excelled in the useful arts, such as weaving cotton and linen cloth, and working in copper and brass ; in the fine arts, such as music, painting, sculpture, and architecture ; and in the sciences, such as geometry, arithmetic, chemistry, and medicine. The Egyptians were acquainted with the art of writing at an early period ; and on rolls oi papyrus, the paperplant, they recorded the deeds of their ancestors. Their prayers and instructions as to the future state were recorded in the Books of the Dead, or religious manuscripts. The ruins of grand edifices and magnificent columns fully testify to their great skill in architecture. An extensive commerce was carried on with other countries; gold, ivory, ebony, skins, and slaves, being brought from Ethiopia, incense from Arabia, and spices from India ; and in exchange for these articles, grain and cloth were exported ; but as the Egyptians had not attained much skill in the art of ship-building, their trade was carried on principally by the Greek and Phoenician merchants.

8. The great cities of Memphis and Thebes. — The capital of Middle Egypt, or Heptan'omis, was Memphis, the City of the Pharaohs, the founding of which is ascribed to the first Egyptian king, Me'nes. This great city was located on the west side of the Nile, in the region containing the most splendid of the pyramids, which extend for a distance of seventy miles on the west side of the Nile. Among the ruins of Memphis are those of the Labyrinth, a building consisting of a number of intricate passages communicating with each other. The capital of Upper Egypt, or the Thebais, was the magnificent city of Thebes, the founding of which is also attributed to Menes. by some writers, while others think that Thebes was built many centuries later. Thebes is said to have extended over twenty-threemiles, and to have had 100 gates. Its immense size and great splendor are still attested by the ruins of magnificent temples, splendid palaces, colossal statues, obelisks, sphinxes, the tombs of kmgs ■ hewn in the solid rock, and the subterranean catacombs. The ruins, of Thebes extend for seven miles along both banks of the Nile.

9. The Pyramids and Sphynx. — The Nile valley is studded with, ruins of ancient cities. The Pyramids — believed to have been erected as the tombs of the Egyptian kings — are the most imposing, monuments ever erected by human hands. They are found in. groups — the largest three being those of Ghizeh \_£^e'za\ near Cairo \ki'ro\ in the vicinity of the ancient Memphis. The largest of the •

Pyramids of Ghizeh — said to be about 4,000 years old — is built of vast stone blocks, is 450 feet high, and its base covers thirteen acres. It is said to have been built by King Cheops \_^c'oJ>s']; that 100,000 men were forced to work upon this pyramid at a time, that a new army of laborers were employed every three months, and that the building of the Pyramid occupied forty years. Near the Pyramid of Ghizeh is the Great Sphynx, or woman -headed lion, 188 feet long and 60 feet high, cut from solid rock. Between its gigantic paws were found the remains of a temple, wherein sacrifices were offered to the huge figure.

10. Egyptian castes. — There was a close relation between the government and religion of Egypt, and the division into castes was a part of the religion of the country. The ancient Egyptians were a brown race, and were divided into seven distinct classes, or castes. The most highly respected of these castes were the priests and the warriors ; next, the tillers of the soil, merchants, tradesmen, and sailors ; while the shepherds, who composed the lowest caste, were greatly despised.

11. Eg'yptian religion. — The ancient Egyptian religion embraced some lofty and noble conceptions. The priests and the learned believed in a monotheism, and considered it impious to represent the Supreme Being by images and idols, but they made him known to the masses by personifying his various attributes, as Phtah the Creator, Ainun the Revealer, and Osiris the Benefactor and Judge. Isis was the wife of Osiris. Besides this polytheism the masses indulged in a horrible animal worship, and certain beasts, birds, reptiles, and plants were considered sacred. The bull-deity, Apis, at Memphis, represented Osiris, and at his death was buried with the greatest pomp and solemnity. Other animal deities were the sacred calf at Heliop'olis, the sacred sheep at Sais and Thebes, and the sacred crocodiles at Ombos and Arsinoe. The cat, the ibis, and the beetle were particular objects of worship. The death of a cat in a private house caused the whole family to shave their eyebrows in token of their grief. The annual overflowing of the Nile was always celebrated by a nine days' feast in honor of Osiris, the Benefactor of men. The Egyptians believed in a future state, and that its happiness depended upon well-doing in this world. Judges were selected to try the dead, and any one was at liberty to bring accusations against the deceased. If it was clearly shown that the deceased had led an evil life, the body was not honored with a burial. Even kings were subjected to this solemn judgment, and

ANCIENT ORIENTAL NATIONS.

the fear which it inspired exercised a wholesome influence over all classes. It was also believed that the soul must appear before a judgment-seat of the gods, and that it could not enter the abode of the blessed unless acquitted by these last judges, and sealed by them as justified, when the body was returned to its earthly abode. The belief that the soul would return to the body from which it had departed caused great care to be taken to preserve the body from decay, and hence the custom of embalming the dead, and hence also the pyramids, which were built by the kings to preserve their mortal remains from decay. After embalming the body, joyous feasts were held in the house of its earthly abode for a month or year, after which it passed the sacred lake, and was interred in a tomb richly ornamented. In recent years, the mortal remains of these ancient Egyptians — known as mummies — have been brought from the land of the Pharaohs to adorn our museums.

Section Ii.— Chald^a, Assyria, And Babylonia

1. Empii'es in tlie ralleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris. — The

valleys of the Euphra'tes and the Ti'gris were early inhabited by Semitic and Hamitic tribes ; and three great empires successively flourished in this region: i. The Chaldaean \kal-d^-m{\, or Early Babylonian Empire (B. C. 2500-1250). 2. The Assyrian Empire (B. C. 1250-625). 3. The Later Babylonian Empire (B. C. 625- 538).

2. The ChaWsean Empire. — The Chaldaean, or Early Babylonian Empire was the first great monarchy of Western Asia. The Hebrew Scriptures mention Nimrod, "the mighty hunter before the Lo7-d,^'' as the founder of this ancient empire, and of its great cities — Bab'ylon, E'rech, Ac'cad, and Cal'neh. Ur, at this early period, was a greater city than Babylon.

3. Civilization of tlie Chaldees. — At this early period — earlier than 2000 B. C. — the Chaldees {kal-dee^l made considerable progress in the arts, especially in architecture. Their materials in building were brick and bitumen, with which they constructed edifices of vast size, the ruins of which have been discovered recently. Monuments have also been exhumed, bearing inscriptions in cune'iform, or wedge-shaped characters, which give us some light on early Chaldaean history. The Chaldees were skillful in various arts. Gems were cut, polished, and engraved; metals of various kinds were wrought and fashioned into arms, ornaments, and implements; and delicate fabrics were manufactured by their looms. The primitive Chaldees worshiped the heavenly bodies, and made considerable progress in the study of astronomy.

4. Tlie Assyrian Empire. — Nineveh. — The Assyrians were a Semitic people, and became independent of Chaldsea about 1250 B. C. Assyria rapidly grew into a powerful monarchy, and in turn subjected Chaldsea to its sway. The early capital of Assyria was Asshur, but at a later period Ca'lah became the capital and chief city. At a still later period, Nin'eveh became the Assyrian capital. Nineveh was situated on the east bank of the river Tigris, and was surrounded by a wall 100 feet high, flanked with 1,500 towers, each 200 feet high. This great and magnificent city is believed to have had in its grandest period a population of about 800,000 souls.

5. Periods of Assyria. — Assyria's history embraces three periods:

1. The period of its subjection to Chaldcea, ending 1250 B. C;

2. The Old Assyrian Empire (B. C. 1250-745); 3. The New or Lower Assyrian Empire (B. C. 745-625). The last Assyrian king of the first period was Tig'lathi-Nin I., supposed to be the legendary Ninus, the mythical founder of Nineveh. The most important Assyrian monarchs of the second period were the famous Asshurizir-pal, supposed to be the fabulous Sardanap'alus; Vul-lush III., whose wife was the Babylonian princess, Sam'mura'mit, the legendary Semir'amis; and Tig'lath-Pile'ser I., after whose reign the Assyrian Empire rapidly declined, and Chalda^a, or Babylonia, became independent for a time (B. C. 747-680).

6. New or Lower Assyrian Empire. — The seven Assyrian monarchs of the third period, or the New or Lower Assyrian Empire (B. C. 745-625), were all, but the last, great conquerors. Tig'lath-Pile'ser II. — the restorer of Assyrian greatness — conquered Egypt, Syria, Phcenicia, the Philistines, Israelites, and Arabs. Shalmane'ser IV. subdued Phcenicia, but failed in his attack on Tyre, and began the siege of Samaria. Sargon — who recorded many conquests in his palace at Khorsabad — took Samaria and carried the Israelites captive to Assyria, defeated the Egyptians and reduced Cyprus. Sargon's son and successor, Sennac'herib, took Babylon, defeated the Egyptians, carried 200,000 Jews captive to Babylon, but lost an army in a second expedition against Judah, and was murdered by his sons. Esarhad'don conquered a large part of Western Asia and Egypt and Ethiopia; took Manasseh, king of Judah, a prisoner, but restored him to his throne; and resided alternately at Babylon and Nineveh. Esarhad'don's son and successor, Asshur-bani-pal, conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, Armenia, Susiana, and Arabia; built a magnificent palace; founded a royal library at Nineveh; and patronized music and the arts. Sar'acus — the last Assyrian king — was a weak monarch, and was unable to check Scythian invasions.