e of Assyria and
Babylonia--Revival of Hittite Civilization--An Important Period in
History--Philistines as Overlords of Hebrews--Kingdom of David and
Saul--Solomon's Relations with Egypt and Phoenicia--Sea Trade with
India--Aramaean Conquests--The Chaldaeans--Egyptian King plunders
Judah and Israel--Historical Importance of Race Movements.

Great changes were taking place in the ancient world during the
period in which Assyria rose into prominence and suddenly suffered
decline. These were primarily due to widespread migrations of pastoral
peoples from the steppe lands of Asia and Europe, and the resulting
displacement of settled tribes. The military operations of the great
Powers were also a disturbing factor, for they not only propelled
fresh movements beyond their spheres of influence, but caused the
petty States to combine against a common enemy and foster ambitions to
achieve conquests on a large scale.

Towards the close of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, of which
Amenhotep III and Akhenaton were the last great kings, two
well-defined migrations were in progress. The Aramaean folk-waves had
already begun to pour in increasing volume into Syria from Arabia, and
in Europe the pastoral fighting folk from the mountains were
establishing themselves along the south-eastern coast and crossing the
Hellespont to overrun the land of the Hittites. These race movements
were destined to exercise considerable influence in shaping the
history of the ancient world.

The Aramaean, or Third Semitic migration, in time swamped various
decaying States. Despite the successive efforts of the great Powers to
hold it in check, it ultimately submerged the whole of Syria and part
of Mesopotamia. Aramaean speech then came into common use among the
mingled peoples over a wide area, and was not displaced until the time
of the Fourth Semitic or Moslem migration from Arabia, which began in
the seventh century of the Christian era, and swept northward through
Syria to Asia Minor, eastward across Mesopotamia into Persia and
India, and westward through Egypt along the north African coast to
Morocco, and then into Spain.

When Syria was sustaining the first shocks of Aramaean invasion, the
last wave of Achaeans, "the tamers of horses" and "shepherds of the
people", had achieved the conquest of Greece, and contributed to the
overthrow of the dynasty of King Minos of Crete. Professor Ridgeway
identifies this stock, which had been fil