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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license Title: The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians (Vol. 1 of 6) Author: Charles Rollin Release Date: April 11, 2009 [Ebook 28558] Language: English ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIANS, CARTHAGINIANS, ASSYRIANS, BABYLONIANS, MEDES AND PER- SIANS, MACEDONIANS AND GRECIANS (VOL. 1 OF 6)*** The Ancient History Of The Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians By Charles Rollin Late Principal of the University of Paris Professor of Eloquence in The Royal College And Member of the Royal Academy Of Inscriptions and Belles Letters Translated From The French In Six Volumes Vol. I. New Edition Illustrated With Maps and Other Engravings London Printed for Longman And Co., J. M. Richardson, Hamilton And Co., Hatchard And Son, Simpkin And Co., Rivingtons, Whittaker And Co., Allen And Co., Nisbet And Co., J. Bain, T. And W. Boone, E. Hodgson, T. Bumpus, Smith, Elder, And Co., J. Capes, L. Booth, Bigg And Son, Houlston And Co., H. Washbourne, Bickets And Bush, Waller And Son, Cambridge, Wilson And Sons, York, G. And J. Robinson, Liverpool, And A. And C. Black, Edinburgh 1850 Contents Preface. .6 Book The First. The Ancient History Of The Egyptians. 180 Part The First. Description of Egypt. 180 Chapter I. Thebais. 181 Chapter II. Middle Egypt, or Heptanomis. 182 Chapter III. Lower Egypt. 201 Part The Second. Of the Manners and Customs of the Egyptians. 206 Chapter I. Concerning The Kings And Government.207 Chapter II. Concerning the Priests And Religion Of The Egyptians. 214 Chapter III. Of The Egyptian Soldiers And War. 227 Chapter IV. Of Their Arts And Sciences. 229 Chapter V. Of Their Husbandmen, Shepherds, and Artificers. 231 Chapter VI. Of The Fertility Of Egypt. 236 Part The Third. The History of the Kings of Egypt. 244 Book The Second. The History Of The Carthaginians. 286 Part The First. Character, Manners, Religion, Govern- ment. 286 Part The Second. The History of the Carthaginians. 315 Chapter I. The Foundation of Carthage. 315 Chapter II. The History of Carthage. 361 Book the Third. The History of the Assyrians. 538 Chapter I. The First Empire of the Assyrians. 538 Chapter II. The Second Assyrian Empire, both of Nineveh and Babylon. 564 Chapter III. The History of the Kingdom of the Medes. 582 Chapter IV. The History of the Lydians. 597 ivThe Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians (Vol. 1 of 6) Maps. 609 Footnotes . 623 Charles Rollin. Born 1661. Died 1741. [Transcriber's Note: The French original of this work was published 1730-38. The translation was done by Robert Lynam.] A Letter written by the Right Reverend Dr. FRANCIS ATTERBURY, late Lord Bishop of Rochester, to M. ROLLIN, in commendation of this Work. Reverende atque Eruditissime Vir, Cum, monente amico quodam, qui juxta ædes tuas habitat, scirem te Parisios revertisse; statui salutatum te ire, ut primùm per valetudinem liceret. Id officii, ex pedum infirmitate aliquandiu dilatum, cùm tandem me impleturum sperarem, frustrà fui; domi non eras. Restat, ut quod coràm exequi non potui, scriptis saltem literis præstem; tibique ob ea omnia, quibus à te auctus sum, beneficia, grates agam, quas habeo certè, et semper habiturus sum, maximas. Reverà munera ilia librorum nuperis à te annis editorum egregia ac perhonorifica mihi visa sunt. Multi enim facio, et te, vir præstantissime, et tua omnia quæcunque in isto literarum genere perpolita sunt; in quo quidem Te cæteris omnibus ejusmodi scriptoribus facilè antecellere, atque esse eundem et dicendi et sentiendi magistrum optimum, prorsùs existimo; cùmque in excolendis his studiis aliquantulum ipse et operæ et temporis posuerim, liberè tamen profiteor me, tua cum legam ac relegam, ea edoctum esse à te, non solùm quæ nesciebam prorsus, sed etiam quæ anteà didicisse mihi visus sum. Modestè itaque nimiùm de opere tuo sentis, cùm juventuti tantùm instituendæ elaboratum id esse contendis. Ea certè scribis, quæ à viris istiusmodi rerum haud imperitis, cum voluptate et fructu legi possunt. Vetera quidem et satis cognita revocas in memoriam; sed ita revocas, ut illustres, ut ornes; ut aliquid vetustis adjicias quod novum sit, alienis quod omnino tuum: bonasque picturas bonâ in luce collocando efficis, ut etiam iis, à quibus sæpissimè conspectæ sunt, elegantiores tamen solito appareant, et placeant magis. Certè, dum Xenophontem sæpiùs versas, ab illo et ea quæ à te plurimis in locis narrantur, et ipsum ubique narrandi modum videris traxisse, stylique Xenophontei nitorem ac venustam 3 simplicitatem non imitari tantùm, sed planè assequi: ita ut si Gallicè scisset Xenophon, non aliis ilium, in eo argumento quod tractas, verbis usurum, non alio prorsùs more scripturum judicem. Hæc ego, haud assentandi causâ, (quod vitium procul à me abest,) sed verè ex animi sententiâ dico. Cùm enim pulchris à te donis ditatus sim, quibus in eodem, aut in alio quopiam doctrinæ genere referendis imparem me sentio, volui tamen propensi erga te animi gratique testimonium proferre, et te aliquo saltem munusculo, etsi perquam dissimili, remunerari. Perge, vir docte admodùm et venerande, de bonis literis, quæ nunc neglectæ passim et spretæ jacent, benè mereri: perge juventatem Gallicam (quando illi solummodò te utilem esse vis) optimis et præceptis et exemplis informare. Quod ut facias, annis ætatis tuæ elapsis multos adjiciat Deus! iisque decurrentibus sanum te præstet atque incolumem. Hoc ex animo optat ac vovet Tui observantissimus FRANCISCUS ROFFENSIS. Pransurum te mecum post festa dixit mihi amicus ille noster qui tibi vicinus est. Cùm statueris tecum quo die adfuturus es, id illi significabis. Me certè annis malisque debilitatum, quandocunque veneris, domi invenies. 6° Kal. Jan. 1731. A Letter written by the Right Reverend Dr. FRANCIS ATTERBURY, late Lord Bishop of Rochester, to M. ROLLIN, in commendation of this Work. Reverend and most Learned Sir, When I was informed by a friend who lives near you, that you were returned to Paris, I resolved to wait on you, as soon as my health would admit. After having been prevented by the gout for some time, I was in hopes at length of paying my respects to you at your house, and went thither, but found you not at home. It is 4The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians (Vol. 1 of 6) incumbent on me therefore to do that in writing, which I could not in person, and to return you my acknowledgments for all the favours you have been pleased to confer upon me, of which I beg you will be assured, that I shall always retain the most grateful sense. And indeed I esteem the books you have lately published, as presents of exceeding value, and such as do me very great honour. For I have the highest regard, most excellent Sir, both for you, and for every thing that comes from so masterly a hand as yours, in the kind of learning you treat; in which I must believe that you not only excel all other writers, but are at the same time the best master of speaking and thinking well; and I freely confess that, though I had applied some time and pains in cultivating these studies, when I read your volumes over and over again, I was instructed in things by you, of which I was not only entirely ignorant, but seemed to myself to have learnt before. You have therefore too modest an opinion of your work, when you declare it composed solely for the instruction of youth. What you write may undoubtedly be read with pleasure and improvement by persons not unacquainted with learning of the same kind. For whilst you call to mind ancient facts and things sufficiently known, you do it in such a manner, that you illustrate, you embellish them; still adding something new to the old, something entirely your own to the labours of others: by placing good pictures in a good light, you make them appear with unusual elegance and more exalted beauties, even to those who have seen and studied them most. In your frequent correspondence with Xenophon, you have certainly extracted from him, both what you relate in many places, and every where his very manner of relating; you seem not only to have imitated, but attained the shining elegance and beautiful simplicity of that author's style: so that had Xenophon excelled in the French language, in my judgment he would have used no other words, nor written in any other method, upon the 5 subject you treat, than you have done. I do not say this out of flattery, (which is far from being my vice,) but from my real sentiments and opinion. As you have enriched me with your fine presents, which I know how incapable I am of repaying either in the same or in any other kind of learning, I was willing to testify my gratitude and affection for you, and at least to make you some small, though exceedingly unequal, return. Go on, most learned and venerable Sir, to deserve well of sound literature, which now lies universally neglected and despised. Go on, in forming the youth of France (since you will have their utility to be your sole view) upon the best precepts and examples.