. History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria . ir nativetroops by employing foreign mercenaries, their attemptsat Asiatic rule always issued in defeat, and just as theBabylonian sovereigns were unable to reduce them toservitude, so they on their part were powerless to gainan advantage over the sovereigns of Babylon. HenceLydia, in her youth and vigour, would have found littledifficulty in gaining the ascendency over her two recentallies, but beyond that she could not hope to push hersuccess; her restricted territory, sparse population, andoutlying position would always have debarr
. History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria . ir nativetroops by employing foreign mercenaries, their attemptsat Asiatic rule always issued in defeat, and just as theBabylonian sovereigns were unable to reduce them toservitude, so they on their part were powerless to gainan advantage over the sovereigns of Babylon. HenceLydia, in her youth and vigour, would have found littledifficulty in gaining the ascendency over her two recentallies, but beyond that she could not hope to push hersuccess; her restricted territory, sparse population, andoutlying position would always have debarred her fromexercising any durable dominion over them, and thoughabsolute mistress of Asia Minor, the countries beyondthe Taurus were always destined to elude her grasp. Ifthe Achsemenian, therefore, had confined himself, at allevents for the time being, to the ancient limits of hiskingdom, Egypt and Chaldsea would have continued tovegetate each within their respective area, and thetriumph of Croesus would, on the whole, have caused 78 THE IRANIAN CONQUEST. but little change in the actual balance of power inthe East. The downfall of Croesus, on the contrary, marked adecisive era in the worlds history. His army was the onlyone, from the point of numbers and organisation, whichwas a match for that of Cyrus, and from the day of its dis-persion it was evident that neither Egypt nor Chaldaea hadany chance of victory on the battle-field. The subjection of Babylon and Harrto, ofHamath, Damascus, Tyre andSidon, of Memphis and Thebes,now became merely a questionof time, and that not far distant;the whole of Asia, and that partof Africa which had been theoldest cradle of human civilisa-tion, were now to pass into thehands of one man and form a single empire, for the benefitof the new race which was issuing forth in irresistiblestrength from the recesses of the Iranian table-land. Itwas destined, from the very outset, to come into conflictwith an older, but no less vigorous race than itsel
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