Sardinia and Etruria, which may have derived their names, like England, from their conquerors. It seems, however, more probable that they were already in possession of those regions, since the influence of Egypt is proved to have extended as far to the west as Sardinia, by the scarabæi and other remains found in the tombs. The extent to which the Etruskans are indebted to Egyptian art is only to be realised by an examination of their tombs and of the various Italian museums. The discoveries at Cyprus and Mykene, and elsewhere in Greece, show that the influence of Egypt was directly felt among the ancient inhabitants of the Peloponnese, and the islands of the Archipelago, as was the universal opinion of the early writers of Greece and Rome. It may therefore be said to have pervaded the whole of the Mediterranean area in the fifteenth century B.C., and for how long a time before we have as yet no evidence.
We must now review the position of the great rival, and ultimately the conqueror, of Egypt—Assyria.
The Influence of Assyria.
The great seats of empire on the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris, like Egypt, have their origin concealed in the darkness of the ages; but their first authentic record is the conquest of Chaldæa, in 2280 B.C.[1] From that time forward Babylon and Nineveh extended their dominions, and ultimately became one power, advancing as far north as the Caucasus, taking possession of the copper-mines in the country of the Medes, and probably, also, of the tin mines in Khorasan, and
- ↑ Sayce, Enclop. Brit., Art. "Babylonia," p. 185.
