Studies

1. On the map facing page 20 see what regions of Asia are less than 500 feet above sea level; less than 3000 feet; less than 9000 feet; less than 15,000 feet; over 15,000 feet. 2. On an outline map of the Orient indicate eight important rivers, two gulfs, three inland seas, the great plateaus and plains, the principal mountain ranges, two important passes, and the various countries and cities mentioned in this chapter. 3. On an outline map draw the boundaries of the Persian Empire under Darius, showing what parts were conquered by Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius, respectively. 4. For what were the following places noted: Jerusalem; Thebes; Tyre; Nineveh; and Babylon? 5. For what were the following persons famous: Hammurabi; Rameses II; Solomon; Cyrus; Nebuchadnezzar; and Darius? 6. Define and illustrate these terms: empire, kingdom, province, tributary state, satrapy. 7. Identify these dates: 606 B.C.; 539 B.C.; and 546 B.C. 8. Why was India better known in ancient times than China? 9. What modern countries are included within the limits of ancient Iran? 10. Why was a canal through the isthmus of Suez less needed in ancient times than to-day? 11. Can you suggest any reasons why the sources of the Nile remained unknown until late in the nineteenth century? 12. What is the origin of the name Delta applied to such a region as Lower Egypt? 13. Comment on the statement: "Egypt as a geographical expression is two things the Desert and the Nile. As a habitable country it is only one thing — the Nile." 14. Why did the Greek traveler, Herodotus, call Egypt "the gift of the Nile"? 15. Distinguish between Syria and Assyria. 16. What is the exact meaning of the words, Hebrew, Israelite, and Jew? Describe some features of Assyrian warfare (illustration, page 35). 17. What modern countries are included within the limits of the Persian Empire under Darius? 18. Trace on the map facing page 38 the course of the Royal Road, noting the countries through which it passed.

CHAPTER III

ORIENTAL CIVILIZATION 1

13. Social Classes

OUR present knowledge of the Orient has been gained within recent times. Less than a century ago no one could read the Rediscovery written records of the Egyptians and Babylonians. of the Orient The decipherment of the Rosetta Stone, which contained an inscription in both Greek and hieroglyphics, led

A ROYAL NAME IN HIEROGLYPHICS

(ROSETTA STONE)

to the understanding of Egyptian writing. Scholars later succeeded in interpreting the Babylonian cuneiform script. Modern excavations in the valleys of the Nile and the Euphrates have now provided them with abundant material for study in the shape

The cut shows the symbols contained in one of the oval rings, or cartouches, for Ptolemaios, the Greek name of King Ptolemy. Each symbol represents the initial letter of the Egyptian name for the object pictured. The objects in order are: a mat, a half-circle, a noose, a lion. a hole, two reeds, and a chair-back. The entire hieroglyph is read from left to right, as we read words in of books and inscriptions. English. As these are gradually de

ciphered, new light is being thrown on all features of ancient Oriental civilization.

The Oriental peoples, when their history opens, were living under the monarchical form of government. The king, to his The king as subjects, was the earthly representative of the an autocrat gods. Often, indeed, he was himself regarded as divine. The belief in the king's divine origin made obedience to him a religious obligation for his subjects. Every Oriental

1 Webster, Readings in Ancient History, chapter i, "Three Oriental Peoples as Described by Herodotus."

A block of black basalt, three feet seven inches in height, found in 1799 A.D., near the Rosetta mouth of the Nile.