Chapter Ii--the Last Days of the Old Eastern World

THE MEDIAN WAR--THE LAST NATIVE DYNASTIES OF EGYPT--THE EASTERN WORLD ON THE EVE OP THE MACEDONIAN CONQUEST.

The Persians in 512 B.C.--European Greece and the dangers which its independence presented to the safety of the empire--The preliminaries of the Median wars: the Scythian expedition, the conquest of Thrace and Macedonia--The Ionic revolt, the intervention of Athens and the taking of Sardes; the battle of Lade--Mardonius in Thrace and in Macedonia.

The Median wars--The expedition of Datis and Artaphernes: the taking of Eretria, the battle of Marathon (490)--The revolt of Egypt under Khabbisha; the death of Darius and the accession of Xerxes I.--The revolt of Babylon under Shamasherib--The invasion of Greece: Artemision, Thermopylae, the taking of Athens, Salamis--Platsae and the final retreat of the Persians: Mycale--The war carried on by the Athenians and the league of Delos: Inaros, the campaigns in Cyprus and Egypt, the peace of Oallias--The death of Xerxes.

Artaxerxes I. (465-424): the revolt of Megabyzos--The palaces of Pasargadae. Persepolis, and Susa; Persian architecture and sculpture; court life, the king and his harem--Revolutions in the palace--Xerxes I., Sekudianos, Darius II.--Intervention in Greek affairs and the convention of Miletus; the end of the peace of Gallias--Artaxerxes II. (404-359) and Gyrus the Younger: the battle of Kunaxa and the retreat of the ten thousand (401).

Troubles in Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt--Amyrtxus and the XXVIIIth Saite dynasty--The XXIXth Sebennytic dynasty--Nephorites I, Hakoris, Psammutis, their alliances with Evagoras and with the states of Continental Greece--The XXXth Mendesian dynasty--Nectanebo I, Tachos and the invasion of Syria, the revolt of Nectanebo II.--The death of Artaxerxes II.--The accession of Ochus (359 B.C.), his unfortunate wars in the Delta, the conquest of Egypt (342) and the reconstitution of the empire.

The Eastern world: Elam, Urartu, the Syrian kingdoms, the ancient Semitic states decayed and decaying--Babylon in its decline--The Jewish state and its miseries--Nehemiah, Ezra--Egypt in the eyes of the Greeks: Sais, the Delta, the inhabitants of the marshes--Memphis, its monuments, its population--Travels in Upper Egypt: the Fayum, Khemmis, Thebes, Elephantine--The apparent vigour and actual feebleness of Egypt.

Persia and its powerlessness to resist attack: the rise of Macedonia, Philippi --Arses (337) and Darius Codomannos (336)--Alexander the Great--The invasion of Asia--The battle of Granicus and the conquest of the Asianic peninsula--Issus, the siege of Tyre and of Gaza, the conquest of Egypt, the foundation of Alexandria--Arbela: the conquest of Babylon, Susa, and Ecbatana--The death of Darius and the last days of the old Eastern world.