. A smaller history of Greece, from the earliest times to the Roman conquest. groups arethe large islands of Crete and Bhodes. The physical features of the country exercised an importantinfluence upon the political destinies of the people. Greece is oneof the most mountainous countries of Europe. Its surface isoccupied by a number of small plains, either entirely surrounded bylimestone mountains or open only to the sea. Each of the prin-cipal Grecian cities was founded in one of these small plains; and,as the mountains which separated it from its neighbours were loftyand rugged, each city grew
. A smaller history of Greece, from the earliest times to the Roman conquest. groups arethe large islands of Crete and Bhodes. The physical features of the country exercised an importantinfluence upon the political destinies of the people. Greece is oneof the most mountainous countries of Europe. Its surface isoccupied by a number of small plains, either entirely surrounded bylimestone mountains or open only to the sea. Each of the prin-cipal Grecian cities was founded in one of these small plains; and,as the mountains which separated it from its neighbours were loftyand rugged, each city grew up in solitary independence. But at thesame time it had ready and easy access to the sea, and Arcadia wasalmost the only political division that did not possess some territoryupon the coast. Thus shut out from their neighbours by moun-tains, the Greeks were naturally attracted to the sea, and became amaritime people. Hence they possessed the love of freedom andthe spirit of adventure, which have always characterized, more orless, the inhabitants of maritime districts. b 2. Athena (Minerva) superintending the building of the Argo. CHAPTEE II. ORIGIN OF THE GREEKS AXD THE HEROIC AGE. Xo nation possesses a history till events are recorded in writtendocuments ; and it was not till the epoch known by the name of theFirst Olympiad, corresponding to the year 776 , that the Greeksbegan to employ writing as a means for perpetuating the memoryof any historical facts. Before that- period everything is vagueand uncertain ; and the exploits of the heroes related by the poetsmust not be regarded as historical facts. The Pelasgians are universally represented as the most ancientinhabitants of Greece. They were spread over the Italian aswell as the Grecian peninsula; and the Pelasgic language thusformed the basis of the Latin as well as of the Greek. They weredivided into several tribes, of which the Hellenes were probablyone : at any rate, this people, who originally dwelt in the south o
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