the story of mankind-第7节

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stumbled　upon　a　new　and　unsuspected　continent。　An　Austrian

bishop　equipped　an　expedition　which　was　to　travel　eastward

and　find　the　home　of　the　Grand　Duke　of　Muscovy；　a

voyage　which　led　to　complete　failure；　for　Moscow　was　not

visited　by　western　men　until　a　generation　later。　Meanwhile

a　certain　Venetian　by　the　name　of　Barbero　had　explored　the

ruins　of　western　Asia　and　had　brought　back　reports　of　a　most

curious　language　which　he　had　found　carved　in　the　rocks　of

the　temples　of　Shiraz　and　engraved　upon　endless　pieces　of

baked　clay。



But　Europe　was　busy　with　many　other　things　and　it　was

not　until　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　that　the　first

‘‘cuneiform　inscriptions''　（so…called　because　the　letters　were

wedge…shaped　and　wedge　is　called　‘‘Cuneus''　in　Latin）　were

brought　to　Europe　by　a　Danish　surveyor；　named　Niebuhr。

Then　it　took　thirty　years　before　a　patient　German　school…

master　by　the　name　of　Grotefend　had　deciphered　the　first　four

letters；　the　D；　the　A；　the　R　and　the　SH；　the　name　of　the　Persian

King　Darius。　And　another　twenty　years　had　to　go　by

until　a　British　officer；　Henry　Rawlinson；　who　found　the　famous

inscription　of　Behistun；　gave　us　a　workable　key　to　the　nail…

writing　of　western　Asia。



Compared　to　the　problem　of　deciphering　these　nail…writings；

the　job　of　Champollion　had　been　an　easy　one。　The

Egyptians　used　pictures。　But　the　Sumerians；　the　earliest

inhabitants　of　Mesopotamia；　who　had　hit　upon　the　idea　of

scratching　their　words　in　tablets　of　clay；　had　discarded　pictures

entirely　and　had　evolved　a　system　of　V…shaped　figures　which

showed　little　connection　with　the　pictures　out　of　which　they

had　been　developed。　A　few　examples　will　show　you　what　I

mean。　In　the　beginning　a　star；　when　drawn　with　a　nail　into

a　brick　looked　as　follows：　｛illust。｝　This　sign　however　was　too

cumbersome　and　after　a　short　while　when　the　meaning　of

‘‘heaven''　was　added　to　that　of　star　the　picture　was　simplified

in　this　way　｛illust。｝　which　made　it　even　more　of　a　puzzle。

In　the　same　way　an　ox　changed　from　｛illust｝　into　｛illust。｝

and　a　fish　changed　from　｛illust。｝　into　｛illust。｝　The　sun

was　originally　a　plain　circle　｛illust。｝　and　became　｛illust。｝

If　we　were　using　the　Sumerian　script　today　we　would　make　an

｛illust。｝　look　like　｛illust。｝。　This　system　of　writing　down　our

ideas　looks　rather　complicated　but　for　more　than　thirty　centuries

it　was　used　by　the　Sumerians　and　the　Babylonians　and

the　Assyrians　and　the　Persians　and　all　the　different　races

which　forced　their　way　into　the　fertile　valley。



The　story　of　Mesopotamia　is　one　of　endless　warfare　and

conquest。　First　the　Sumerians　came　from　the　North。　They

were　a　white　People　who　had　lived　in　the　mountains。　They

had　been　accustomed　to　worship　their　Gods　on　the　tops　of

hills。　After　they　had　entered　the　plain　they　constructed　artificial

little　hills　on　top　of　which　they　built　their　altars。　They

did　not　know　how　to　build　stairs　and　they　therefore　surrounded

their　towers　with　sloping　galleries。　Our　engineers

have　borrowed　this　idea；　as　you　may　see　in　our　big　railroad

stations　where　ascending　galleries　lead　from　one　floor　to　another。

We　may　have　borrowed　other　ideas　from　the　Sumerians

but　we　do　not　know　it。　The　Sumerians　were　entirely　ab…

sorbed　by　those　races　that　entered　the　fertile　valley　at　a　later

date。　Their　towers　however　still　stand　amidst　the　ruins　of

Mesopotamia。　The　Jews　saw　them　when　they　went　into　exile

in　the　land　of　Babylon　and　they　called　them　towers　of　BabIlli；

or　towers　of　Babel。



In　the　fortieth　century　before　our　era；　the　Sumerians　had

entered　Mesopotamia。　They　were　soon　afterwards　over…

powered　by　the　Akkadians；　one　of　the　many　tribes　from　the

desert　of　Arabia　who　speak　a　common　dialect　and　who　are

known　as　the　‘‘Semites；''　because　in　the　olden　days　people　believed

them　to　be　the　direct　descendants　of　Shem；　one　of　the

three　sons　of　Noah。　A　thousand　years　later；　the　Akkadians

were　forced　to　submit　to　the　rule　of　the　Amorites；　another

Semitic　desert　tribe　whose　great　King　Hammurabi　built　himself

a　magnificent　palace　in　the　holy　city　of　Babylon　and　who

gave　his　people　a　set　of　laws　which　made　the　Babylonian　state

the　best　administered　empire　of　the　ancient　world。　Next　the

Hittites；　whom　you　will　also　meet　in　the　Old　Testament；　over…

ran　the　Fertile　Valley　and　destroyed　whatever　they　could　not

carry　away。　They　in　turn　were　vanquished　by　the　followers

of　the　great　desert　God；　Ashur；　who　called　themselves　Assyrians

and　who　made　the　city　of　Nineveh　the　center　of　a　vast

and　terrible　empire　which　conquered　all　of　western　Asia　and

Egypt　and　gathered　taxes　from　countless　subject　races　until

the　end　of　the　seventh　century　before　the　birth　of　Christ　when

the　Chaldeans；　also　a　Semitic　tribe；　re…established　Babylon　and

made　that　city　the　most　important　capital　of　that　day。

Nebuchadnezzar；　the　best　known　of　their　Kings；　encouraged

the　study　of　science；　and　our　modern　knowledge　of　astronomy

and　mathematics　is　all　based　upon　certain　first　principles　which

were　discovered　by　the　Chaldeans。　In　the　year　538　B。C。　a

crude　tribe　of　Persian　shepherds　invaded　this　old　land　and

overthrew　the　empire　of　the　Chaldeans。　Two　hundred　years

later；　they　in　turn　were　overthrown　by　Alexander　the　Great；

who　turned　the　Fertile　Valley；　the　old　melting…pot　of　so　many

Semitic　races；　into　a　Greek　province。　Next　came　the　Romans

and　after　the　Romans；　the　Turks；　and　Mesopotamia；　the　second

centre　of　the　world's　civilisation；　became　a　vast　wilderness

where　huge　mounds　of　earth　told　a　story　of　ancient　glory。







MOSES



THE　STORY　OF　MOSES；　THE　LEADER　OF　THE

JEWISH　PEOPLE





SOME　time　during　the　twentieth　century　before　our　era；

a　small　and　unimportant　tribe　of　Semitic　shepherds　had　left

its　old　home；　which　was　situated　in　the　land　of　Ur　on　the　mouth

of　the　Euphrates；　and　had　tried　to　find　new　pastures　within

the　domain　of　the　Kings　of　Babylonia。　They　had　been　driven

away　by　the　royal　soldiers　and　they　had　moved　westward

looking　for　a　little　piece　of　unoccupied　territory　where　they

might　set　up　their　tents。



This　tribe　of　shepherds　was　known　as　the　Hebrews　or；　as

we　call　them；　the　Jews。　They　had　wandered　far　and　wide；

and　after　many　years　of　dreary　peregrinations　they　had　been

given　shelter　in　Egypt。　For　more　than　five　centuries　they

had　dwelt　among　the　Egyptians　and　when　their　adopted　country

had　been　overrun　by　the　Hyksos　marauders　（as　I　told

you　in　the　story　of　Egypt）　they　had　managed　to　make　themselves

useful　to　the　foreign　invader　and　had　been　left　in　the

undisturbed　possession　of　their　grazing　fields。　But　after　a

long　war　of　independence　the　Egyptians　had　driven　the

Hyksos　out　of　the　valley　of　the　Nile　and　then　the　Jews　had

come　upon　evil　times　for　they　had　been　degraded　to　the　rank

of　common　slaves　and　they　had　been　forced　to　work　on　the

royal　roads　and　on　the　Pyramids。　And　as　the　frontiers　were

guarded　by　the　Egyptian　soldiers　it　had　been　impossible　for

the　Jews　to　escape。



After　many　years　of　suffering　they　were　saved　from　their

miserable　fate　by　a　young　Jew；　called　Moses；　who　for　a　long

time　had　dwelt　in　the　desert　and　there　had　learned　to　appreciate

the　simple　virtues　of　his　earliest　ancestors；　who　had　kept

away　from　cities　and　city…life　and　had　refused　to　let　themselves

be　corrupted　by　the　ease　and　the　luxury　of　a　foreign

civilisation。



Moses　decided　to　bring　his　people　back　to　a　love　of　the　ways

of　the　patriarchs。　He　succeeded　in　evading　the　Egyptian

troops　that　were　sent　after　him　and　led　his　fellow　tribesmen

into　the　heart　of　the　plain　at　the　foot　of　Mount　Sinai。　During

his　long　and　lonely　life　in　the　desert；　he　had　learned　to

revere　the　strength　of　the　great　God　of　the　Thunder　and　the

Storm；　who　ruled　the　high　heavens　and　upon　whom　the　shepherds

depended　for　life　and　light　and　breath。　This　God；　one

of　the　many　divinities　who　were　widely　worshipped　in　western

Asia；　was　called　Jehovah；　and　through　the　teaching　of　Moses；

he　became　the　sole　Master　of　the　Hebrew　race。



One　day；　Moses　disappeared　from　the　camp　of　the　Jews。

It　was　whispered　that　he　had　gone　away　carrying　two　tablets

of　rough…hewn　stone。　That　afternoon；　the　top　of　the　mountain

was　lost　to　sight。　The　darkness　of　a　terrible　storm　hid　it　from

the　eye　of　man。　But　when　Moses　returned；　behold！　there　stood

engraved　upon　the　tablets　the　words　which　Jehovah　had　spoken

unto　the　people　of　Israel　amidst　the　crash　of　his　thunder　and

the　blinding　flashes　of　his　lightning。　And　from　that　moment；

Jehovah　was　recognised　by　all　the　Jews　as　the　Highest　Master

of　their　Fate；　the　only　True　God；　who　had　taught　them　how

to　live　holy　lives　when　he　bade　them　to　follow　the　wise　lessons

of　his　Ten　Commandments。



They　followed　Moses　when　he　bade　them　continue　their

journey　through　the　desert。　They　obeyed　him　when　he　told

them　what　to　eat　and　drink　and　what　to　avoid　that　they　might

keep　well　in　the　hot　climate。　And