29 At this period flourished Hermes, Triso, or Mercury; BC. Horus, Apollo, and Bacchus. At the end of six years the whole territory of Canaan was subjected to the arms of Joshua, which he divided among the twelve tribes of Judah; Issachar; Zebulon; Reuben; Simeon; Gad; Ephraim; Manasseh; Benjamin; Dan; Asher; and Naphtali. The tribe of Levi which was not comprised in this division of the land, was made good by the revenues which the twelve others agreed to pay the Levites. The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of that of Manasseh were established beyond; and the remaining on that side of the Jordan. Pandion, son of Ericthonius, succeeded him at Athens, and 1438 reigned 40 years. After having governed the Israelites for fourteen years, 1487 Joshua died, when Caleb and the elders began to govern. Polydorus, son of Cadmus, succeeded him at Thebes, under 1432 the guardianship of his uncle Nychtheus, and soon after left the kingdom to his son Labdacus. Upon the death of Joshua the ancients of the people 1430 of Israel had yielded themselves up to idolatry; for which the Lord punished them by subjecting them to serve Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. The people at length were converted, upon which the Lord gave them as a deliverer, Othniel, brother of Caleb; who delivered battle to Chushan, when he was defeated and killed; after which he was established judge of Israel and governed the people for 40 years. ENCAMPMENTS OF THE ISRAELITES. Lyncus, king of Argos, succeeded Danaus, the only one 1425 of 50 brothers who escaped being murdered by his wife B.C. From his singular skill in mining he was reputed to have seen through stone walls. 1415 1410 1407 The book of Joshua is supposed to have been written by Phinehas, the high-priest. Corinth was built by Sisiphus, son of Eolus about this time, though other writers conceive its foundation of more ancient date. Minos the first, reigned in Crete, he built the city of Cydonia, and gave laws to the Cretans, which still remained in full force in the age of the philosopher Plato. At this period iron was discovered by the Dactyli, from the accidental burning of the forests of Ida, in Crete. 1398 1395 1394 1390 XIV. CENTURY BEFORE JESUS CHRIST, FROM 1400 To 1300. Erectheus, son of Pandion, succeeded him at Athens, from whom the people formerly called Cecropii were named Athenians, and the kings thenceforward Erecthida: he reigned 50 years. The first Jubilee was celebrated by the Israelites from their arrival in Canaan. Cinyras, son of Paphus, reigned first king in Cyprus, whose immense wealth was proverbial. Ehud, the son of Gera, succeeded to Othniel of whose arm the Lord took advantage to deliver the people of Israel from the servitude of Eglon, king of the Moabites. He repaired with many Israelites in order to offer presents to the king of Moab; and they were accepted. Ehud departed, but returned soon afterwards, announcing that he had a great * The Books of Moses are the most ancient writings upon record. His history begins with that of the universe; and the laws which he gave to the Jewish people occupy a work comprising five books, known by the name of the Pentateuch, forming the commencement of the Bible, or a collection of the sacred writings inspired by the Almighty. Although this venerable historian did not flourish until long after the first events of which he makes mention, the very procrastinated lives of the patriarchs approximates the distant periods of time by which means the traditions are rendered certain and easy. Jacob, for instance, was still existing during the life time of Amram, the father of Moses; Abraham, who saw Jacob, had existed fifty-seven years with Noah, and the birth of the latter followed close upon the decease of Adam; consequently Moses was only five or six generations removed from the first created human being. The recollection of events was moreover preserved with the greater exactitude, because the details of no other histories intervened to obscure and render the recital difficult. secret to communicate to the king. Eglon in conse- B.C. quence dismissed all those who were near his person, when at the moment Ehud entered, as Eglon arose to quit his throne, the former struck him with a two-edged knife, then carefully closing to the door of the chamber, escaped precipitately from the palace. Ehud immediately repaired to mount Ephraim, where, by sound of trumpet, he collected the Hebrews, attacked the Moabites, ravaged their country, and slaughtered ten thousand of the inhabitants. Phryxus and his sister Helle, from whence the Hellespont 1384 derived its name, went to Colchi, in a vessel called the Ram, and were drowned. Ceres is conjectured to have arrived at Athens at this period and taught the Athenians husbandry, and given them laws, which were disseminated by her favourite Triptolemus. This year began the 19th Egyptian dynasty of 194 years 1376 according to Eusebius, in which they began to have kings of their own, the first being Sethos, who ruled 55 years. Adonis, son of Cinyras, and his wife (Metharme) was 1874 born; who was also called Thammuz or Shammuz, and Osiris. Tros, son of Erichthonius succeeded him in Teucria, from 1370 whence it derived the name of Troy. He reigned 60 years. Amphion was raised to the Theban throne, who is said to have given the name of Thebes to the metropolitan city, and surrounded it by a wall.. Tantalus reigned in Sipylus in Phrygia, before called Mao- 1363 nia, where he was as celebrated for his wealth as wickedness. The Eleusinian mysteries were introduced at Athens by 1356 Eumolpus. After the death of Ehud, the Israelites fell into idolatry, 1355 for which they were punished by a third servitude under Jabin, king of the Canaanites. Barak, stimulated by the prophetess Deborah, attacked Jabin and defeated him. Deborah reaped all the glory of that enterprise, for which she offered up prayers to God in a canticle, sung by her after the victory. Gideon succeeded to Barak and Deborah who had go- 1355 verned the Israelites for 40 With three hundred men years. he overthrew the Midianites, who, struck with terror, slaughtered one another to the number of twenty thousand souls. In another combat, two of their kings (Zebah and Zalmunna) were captured and killed by Gideon. Gideon then destroyed the city of Succoth for having refused him provisions. The Hebrews tendered to him the title of king, which he rejected, contenting himself with that of Judge, which he exerted for a period of 40 years. Gideon left B.C seventy sons, who were all slaughtered upon the same stone by Abimelech, with the exception of Jotham who found means to effect his escape. 1350 1331 1830 1329 Sicyon, son of Laomedon, succeeded him in Sicyon; from whence the kingdom and capital Ægiale were called Sicyonia. The city of Ilium, or Ilion, was founded by Tros, on mount Ida, and was called from his name Troy. Janus became first king of the Aborigines in Italy, and reigned 33 years. Acrisius, king of Mycena, established the Court of the Amphictyons at Delphos. 1328 The city of Crete is supposed to have been founded by the 1326 1322 1814 1307 1292 Curetes. The Isthmian games were first instituted by Sisiphus, king of Corinth. Belus the Assyrian reigned in Babylon 55 years. Apollo, and Latona his mother arrived at Delphos, where Olen Hyperboreus was his first prophet. The Olympic games, in honour of Jupiter, were established by Pelops. Olen, or Olenus, the Greek poet of Xante, whose hymns were regularly sung at Delphi on solemn occasions, flourished about this period. XIIIth CENTURY BEFORE JESUS CHRIST, FROM 1300 To 1200. Some bold adventurous navigators having quitted the gulf of Argos, under the conduct of Jason, penetrated into the Euxine sea and landed at Colchis, which was a depôt for the merchandise transported from the Indies. At this period flourished Sanchoniathon, the Phoenician historian of Berytus, who wrote the history of that nation, which conceived itself the first people in the world. The Phoenicians were among the most civilized race throughout the East, for it is to them we owe navigation, commerce, and the first principles of writing. After the productions of Moses, those of Sanchoniathon are the most ancient extant, dating as far back as 1440 years before the Christian æra, and 500 years anterior to the union of the cities of Attica under Theseus. In the days of Abraham commerce flourished among the Phoenicians, who were the Canaanites of that epoch. At the period of the Judges of Israel they had begun to colonize; Cyprus and Rhodes having been their first settlements. B.C. 1267 Ninus the son of Belus founded the Assyrian Empire. Edipus married Jocasta, not knowing her to be his mother, 1266 and became king of Thebes. After the death of Gideon, the Hebrews adored the false 1265 god Baal, and the Sichemites established Abimelech in the government, who for three years held the Israelites in a state of tyrrany. He was wounded by the blow from a stone hurled against him by a woman from the summit of a tower at Thebez, which he was besieging, and his attendant cut off his head. Tola the son of Puah, of the tribe of Issachar was the fifth judge; in whose time the Moabitess Ruth attached herself to Naomi, her mother-in-law, and recognised for her God the Lord of the Israelites. She afterwards married Boaz, son of Salmon and Rahab, and grandfather of David. The Pythian games were instituted in memory of Apollo 1263 killing the serpent Python. Theseus, eleventh king of Athens, having purged Greece 1259 of the hordes of robbers that infested the country, and more especially the isthmus of Corinth, re-established the Isthmian games, which had been discontinued on account of the murders and robberies perpetrated during the night on the grand route of the isthmus. Theseus consecrated them to the honour of Neptune, and commanded their celebration during the day, and so greatly added to their primitive splendour as to be regarded in the light of their original founder*. Polynices, son of Edipus and Jocasta, formed the pro- 1252 ject of usurping the throne of Thebes, which was occupied by his brother Eteocles; against whom he marched at the head of a powerful army, commanded by six renowned generals; Adrastus, Tideus, Capaneus, Hippomedon, Paf Each city of Greece celebrated festivals, by means of which the inhabitants were assembled; but the Pythian or Delphic games; the Isthmian, or those of Corinth; the Nemean, and the Olympian, were the four grand, festivities which collected together all the population of Greece. Very great importance was attached to the celebration of those games, which were particularly useful in every point of view, D |