the story of mankind-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



told　you　how　he　was　the　most　defenceless　of　the　many　animals

that　roamed　through　the　early　wilderness　of　the　five　continents；

but　being　possessed　of　a　larger　and　better　brain；　he　managed　to

hold　his　own。



Then　came　the　glaciers　and　the　many　centuries　of　cold

weather；　and　life　on　this　planet　became　so　difficult　that　man　was

obliged　to　think　three　times　as　hard　as　ever　before　if　he　wished

to　survive。　Since；　however；　that　‘‘wish　to　survive''　was　（and　is）

the　mainspring　which　keeps　every　living　being　going　full　tilt　to

the　last　gasp　of　its　breath；　the　brain　of　glacial　man　was　set　to

work　in　all　earnestness。　Not　only　did　these　hardy　people　manage

to　exist　through　the　long　cold　spells　which　killed　many

ferocious　animals；　but　when　the　earth　became　warm　and　comfortable

once　more；　prehistoric　man　had　learned　a　number　of

things　which　gave　him　such　great　advantages　over　his　less　intelligent

neighbors　that　the　danger　of　extinction　（a　very　serious

one　during　the　first　half　million　years　of　man's　residence　upon

this　planet）　became　a　very　remote　one。



I　told　you　how　these　earliest　ancestors　of　ours　were　slowly

plodding　along　when　suddenly　（and　for　reasons　that　are　not

well　understood）　the　people　who　lived　in　the　valley　of　the　Nile

rushed　ahead　and　almost　over　night；　created　the　first　centre　of

civilisation。



Then　I　showed　you　Mesopotamia；　‘‘the　land　between　the

rivers；''　which　was　the　second　great　school　of　the　human　race。

And　I　made　you　a　map　of　the　little　island　bridges　of　the　AEgean

Sea；　which　carried　the　knowledge　and　the　science　of　the　old

east　to　the　young　west；　where　lived　the　Greeks。



Next　I　told　you　of　an　Indo…European　tribe；　called　the　Hellenes；

who　thousands　of　years　before　had　left　the　heart　of

Asia　and　who　had　in　the　eleventh　century　before　our　era　pushed

their　way　into　the　rocky　peninsula　of　Greece　and　who；　since

then；　have　been　known　to　us　as　the　Greeks。　And　I　told

you　the　story　of　the　little　Greek　cities　that　were　really　states；

where　the　civilisation　of　old　Egypt　and　Asia　was　transfigured

（that　is　a　big　word；　but　you　can　‘‘figure　out''　what　it　means）

into　something　quite　new；　something　that　was　much　nobler　and

finer　than　anything　that　had　gone　before。



When　you　look　at　the　map　you　will　see　how　by　this　time

civilisation　has　described　a　semi…circle。　It　begins　in　Egypt；

and　by　way　of　Mesopotamia　and　the　AEgean　Islands　it　moves

westward　until　it　reaches　the　European　continent。　The　first

four　thousand　years；　Egyptians　and　Babylonians　and　Phoenicians

and　a　large　number　of　Semitic　tribes　（please　remember

that　the　Jews　were　but　one　of　a　large　number　of　Semitic　peoples）

have　carried　the　torch　that　was　to　illuminate　the　world。

They　now　hand　it　over　to　the　Indo…European　Greeks；　who　become

the　teachers　of　another　Indo…European　tribe；　called　the

Romans。　But　meanwhile　the　Semites　have　pushed　westward

along　the　northern　coast　of　Africa　and　have　made　themselves

the　rulers　of　the　western　half　of　the　Mediterranean　just　when

the　eastern　half　has　become　a　Greek　（or　Indo…European）　possession。



This；　as　you　shall　see　in　a　moment；　leads　to　a　terrible　conflict

between　the　two　rival　races；　and　out　of　their　struggle　arises

the　victorious　Roman　Empire；　which　is　to　take　this　Egyptian…

Mesopotamian…Greek　civilisation　to　the　furthermost　corners　of

the　European　continent；　where　it　serves　as　the　foundation　upon

which　our　modern　society　is　based。



I　know　all　this　sounds　very　complicated；　but　if　you　get　hold

of　these　few　principles；　the　rest　of　our　history　will　become　a

great　deal　simpler。　The　maps　will　make　clear　what　the　words

fail　to　tell。　And　after　this　short　intermission；　we　go　back　to

our　story　and　give　you　an　account　of　the　famous　war　between

Carthage　and　Rome。







ROME　AND　CARTHAGE



THE　SEMITIC　COLONY　OF　CARTHAGE　ON　THE

NORTHERN　COAST　OF　AFRICA　AND　THE

INDO…EUROPEAN　CITY　OF　ROME　ON　THE

WEST　COAST　OF　ITALY　FOUGHT　EACH

OTHER　FOR　THE　POSSESSION　OF　THE

WESTERN　MEDITERRANEAN　AND　CARTHAGE

WAS　DESTROYED





THE　little　Phoenician　trading　post　of　Kart…hadshat　stood

on　a　low　hill　which　overlooked　the　African　Sea；　a　stretch　of

water　ninety　miles　wide　which　separates　Africa　from　Europe。

It　was　an　ideal　spot　for　a　commercial　centre。　Almost　too　ideal。

It　grew　too　fast　and　became　too　rich。　When　in　the　sixth　century

before　our　era；　Nebuchadnezzar　of　Babylon　destroyed

Tyre；　Carthage　broke　off　all　further　relations　with　the　Mother

Country　and　became　an　independent　statethe　great　western

advance…post　of　the　Semitic　races。



Unfortunately　the　city　had　inherited　many　of　the　traits

which　for　a　thousand　years　had　been　characteristic　of　the

Phoenicians。　It　was　a　vast　business…house；　protected　by　a

strong　navy；　indifferent　to　most　of　the　finer　aspects　of　life。

The　city　and　the　surrounding　country　and　the　distant　colonies

were　all　ruled　by　a　small　but　exceedingly　powerful　group　of

rich　men；　The　Greek　word　for　rich　is　‘‘ploutos''　and　the　Greeks

called　such　a　government　by　‘‘rich　men''　a　‘‘Plutocracy。''　Carthage

was　a　plutocracy　and　the　real　power　of　the　state　lay　in

the　hands　of　a　dozen　big　ship…owners　and　mine…owners　and

merchants　who　met　in　the　back　room　of　an　office　and　regarded

their　common　Fatherland　as　a　business　enterprise　which　ought

to　yield　them　a　decent　profit。　They　were　however　wide　awake

and　full　of　energy　and　worked　very　hard。



As　the　years　went　by　the　influence　of　Carthage　upon　her

neighbours　increased　until　the　greater　part　of　the　African

coast；　Spain　and　certain　regions　of　France　were　Carthaginian

possessions；　and　paid　tribute；　taxes　and　dividends　to　the　mighty

city　on　the　African　Sea。



Of　course；　such　a　‘‘plutocracy''　was　forever　at　the　mercy　of

the　crowd。　As　long　as　there　was　plenty　of　work　and　wages

were　high；　the　majority　of　the　citizens　were　quite　contented；

allowed　their　‘‘betters''　to　rule　them　and　asked　no　embarrassing

questions。　But　when　no　ships　left　the　harbor；　when　no　ore

was　brought　to　the　smelting…ovens；　when　dockworkers　and

stevedores　were　thrown　out　of　employment；　then　there　were

grumblings　and　there　was　a　demand　that　the　popular　assembly

be　called　together　as　in　the　olden　days　when　Carthage　had

been　a　self…governing　republic。



To　prevent　such　an　occurrence　the　plutocracy　was　obliged

to　keep　the　business　of　the　town　going　at　full　speed。　They

had　managed　to　do　this　very　successfully　for　almost　five　hun…

dred　years　when　they　were　greatly　disturbed　by　certain　rumors

which　reached　them　from　the　western　coast　of　Italy。　It　was

said　that　a　little　village　on　the　banks　of　the　Tiber　had　suddenly

risen　to　great　power　and　was　making　itself　the　acknowledged

leader　of　all　the　Latin　tribes　who　inhabited　central　Italy。

It　was　also　said　that　this　village；　which　by　the　way　was　called

Rome；　intended　to　build　ships　and　go　after　the　commerce　of

Sicily　and　the　southern　coast　of　France。



Carthage　could　not　possibly　tolerate　such　competition。　The

young　rival　must　be　destroyed　lest　the　Carthaginian　rulers

lose　their　prestige　as　the　absolute　rulers　of　the　western

Mediterranean。　The　rumors　were　duly　investigated　and　in　a

general　way　these　were　the　facts　that　came　to　light。



The　west　coast　of　Italy　had　long　been　neglected　by　civilisation。

Whereas　in　Greece　all　the　good　harbours　faced　eastward

and　enjoyed　a　full　view　of　the　busy　islands　of　the　AEgean；

the　west　coast　of　Italy　contemplated　nothing　more　exciting

than　the　desolate　waves　of　the　Mediterranean。　The　country

was　poor。　It　was　therefore　rarely　visited　by　foreign　merchants

and　the　natives　were　allowed　to　live　in　undisturbed　possession

of　their　hills　and　their　marshy　plains。



The　first　serious　invasion　of　this　land　came　from　the　north。

At　an　unknown　date　certain　Indo…European　tribes　had　managed

to　find　their　way　through　the　passes　of　the　Alps　and　had

pushed　southward　until　they　had　filled　the　heel　and　the　toe　of

the　famous　Italian　boot　with　their　villages　and　their　flocks。

Of　these　early　conquerors　we　know　nothing。　No　Homer　sang

their　glory。　Their　own　accounts　of　the　foundation　of　Rome

（written　eight　hundred　years　later　when　the　little　city　had　become

the　centre　of　an　Empire）　are　fairy　stories　and　do　not　belong

in　a　history。　Romulus　and　Remus　jumping　across　each

other's　walls　（I　always　forget　who　jumped　across　whose　wall）

make　entertaining　reading；　but　the　foundation　of　the　City　of

Rome　was　a　much　more　prosaic　affair。　Rome　began　as　a　thousand

American　cities　have　done；　by　being　a　convenient　place

for　barter　and　horse…trading。　It　lay　in　the　heart　of　the　plains

of　central　Italy　The　Tiber　provided　direct　access　to　the　sea。

The　land…road　from　north　to　south　found　here　a　convenient

ford　which　could　be　used　all　the　year　around。　And　seven　little

hills　along　the　banks　of　the　river　offered　the　inhabitants　a　safe

shelter　against　their　enemies　who　lived　in　the　mountains　and

those　who　lived　beyond　the　horizon　of　the　nearby　sea。