Outlines of the world's history, ancient, mediæval, and modern, with special relation to the history of civilization and the progress of mankind .. . tiquity. 140. There is no doubt that the Persians had a consid-erable literature, but very few fragments ofit have survived. The oldest literary monu-ment of the Iranic race is the collection called the Zend-Avesta, which contains the sacred books of the Persians,and which was compiled by Zoroaster, the great religiouslegislator of the Persians. We can form some idea of an-cient Persian poetry from a poem called the Shah Nameh,an epic composed by
Outlines of the world's history, ancient, mediæval, and modern, with special relation to the history of civilization and the progress of mankind .. . tiquity. 140. There is no doubt that the Persians had a consid-erable literature, but very few fragments ofit have survived. The oldest literary monu-ment of the Iranic race is the collection called the Zend-Avesta, which contains the sacred books of the Persians,and which was compiled by Zoroaster, the great religiouslegislator of the Persians. We can form some idea of an-cient Persian poetry from a poem called the Shah Nameh,an epic composed by Firdousi, the greatest poet of Persia,about the middle of the loth century a. d. Though writ-ten at a time long subsequent to the Persian greatness, itis yet valuable as based on ancient traditions and frag-ments of song and story. Judging the poetical faculty ofthe Persians by this epic, we should say that they weredistinguished rather for lively fancy and arabesque con-ceits than for true creative imagination such as distinguishedthe Greeks, or for the grand inspiration that breathesthrough the productions of the bards and Tub Tomb of Cvkus. THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 63 CHRONOLOGIC SUMMARY. B. c. The Medes under Cyaxares overthrow Assyria and become the leading power in Asia 625 Accession of Cyrus and supremacy of Persia .... 558 Subjugation of Lydia 554 Capture of Babylon 538 Accession of Cambyses 529 Conquest of Egypt by Cambyses 525 Accession of Uarius Hystaspes 521 Persian invasion of Greece 1 « . 490 Note on Asia Minor, — Lydia. — The peninsula of Asia Minorwas occupied from very early times by various nations; but as thesewere of secondary importance, nothing need here be said of their historysave in the case of Phrygia and Lydia. It is beUeved that the earliest dominant people of Asia Minor werethe Phrygians, who at one time occupied the whole of the people were engaged in agriculture and commerce. Their capitalwas Gordium, and the kin
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