upplanted Latin as the language of government. This transformation
further accentuated the religious differences between East and West, which
led ultimately to the separation of the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches.

*The Mohammedan invasion.* Before the middle of the seventh century Egypt
and Syria were occupied by the Saracens, whose conquest was facilitated by
the animosity of the monophysite native populations towards the rule of an
orthodox emperor. However, the loss of these territories gave fresh
solidarity to the empire in the East by restricting its authority to the
religiously and linguistically homogeneous, and thoroughly loyal,
population of Asia Minor and the eastern Balkan peninsula. This solidarity
enabled the Byzantine empire to fulfill its historic mission of forming
the eastern bulwark of Christian Europe against the Turk throughout the
Middle Ages.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

NOTE. Owing to the uncertainty of the chronological record of early Roman
history it must be admitted that little reliance can be placed upon the
accuracy of most of the traditional dates prior to 281 B. C. For this
period I have followed, in the main, Diodorus.

B. C. ? Paleolithic Age.
? Neolithic Age. Ligurian settlement in Italy.
2500-2000 Beginning of the Age of Bronze. Palafitte
Lake Villages. Terramare villages.
1000 Beginning of the Iron Age.
IX-VIII cent. Etruscan settlement in Etruria.
814 Founding of Carthage.
VIII cent. Greek colonization of Sicily and South Italy
begins.
VII-VI cent. Etruscan expansion in the Po Valley, Campania
and Latium.
508 Overthrow of Etruscan supremacy at Rome. End
of the early monarchy. The first consuls
appointed. Dedication of the Capitoline
temple. Commercial treaty with Carthage.
486 Alliance of Rome and the Latins.
466 Four tribunes of the plebs appointed.
444-2 The Decemvirate. Codification of the Law.
437 Lex Canuleia.
436 Office of military tribune with consular