The Student's Manual of Oriental History; Medes and Persians, PH Nicians, and Arabians Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1871 edition. Excerpt: ...killed himself to avoid falling into the hands of the Assyrians. His eight sons were made prisoners, and Asshurbanipal caused seven of them to be put to death in his presence. He spared the life of but one, the eldest, Azbaal, and made him king of Aradus. From this time to the end of the reign of Esarhaddon, the fidelity of Phoenicia to the king of Nineveh remained unshaken. 4. The dominion of the Assyrian empire at this period of its greatest strength was, however, drawing to a close. In 625 B.c., Saracus, the last king of Nineveh, was besieged in his capital by Cyaxares. The Scythian invasion then occurred, and the destruction of Nineveh was deferred for a few years. After temporarily subjugating Media and defeating Cyaxares, the Scythian hordes overran the whole of Western Asia, as far as the frontiers of Egypt, where they halted, and retreated northwards. Both in their advance and retreat they passed through Phoenicia, and on each occasion laid waste the open country; but the fortified cities, protected by their walls, were able to defy the enemy, and none of the Phoenician cities shared the fate of Ascalon, that was taken and sacked by these barbarous Turanian horsemen. In 610, the Assyrian monarchy was finally destroyed; and Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, conquered all the provinces of Mesopotamia, as far as the Euphrates. Pharaoh Necho then, wishing to share the spoils of the Ninevite empire, and to follow the warlike example of the kings of the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties, crossed his frontier, defeated and killed Josiah, king of Judah, at Megiddo, and made himself master of Syria. The Phoenician towns joyfully received the Egyptians, and submitted to them without resistance; glad to be delivered from the Assyrians, whose yoke...