History of Phoenicia eBook

George Rawlinson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 508 pages of information about History of Phoenicia.

History of Phoenicia eBook

George Rawlinson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 508 pages of information about History of Phoenicia.
island of Aradus, whereof it was a dependency.  Arqa was further to the south, beyond the Eleutherus, and belonged properly to Tripolis, if Tripolis had as yet been founded, or else to Botrys.  Both of them were readily accessible from the Orontes valley along the course of the Eleutherus, and, being weak, could offer no resistance.  Tiglath-pileser carried out his plans, rearranged the populations, and placed the cities under Assyrian governors responsible to himself.  There was no immediate outbreak; but the injury rankled.  Within twenty years Zimirra joined a revolt, to which Hamath, Arpad, Damascus, and Samaria were likewise parties, and made a desperate attempt to shake off the Assyrian yoke.[14135] The attempt failed, the revolt was crushed, and Zimirra is heard of no more in history.

But this was not the worst.  The harsh treatment of Simyra and Arka, without complaint made or offence given, after a full century of patient and quiet submission, aroused a feeling of alarm and indignation among the Phoenician cities generally, which could not fail to see in what had befallen their sisters a foreshadowing of the fate that they had to expect one day themselves.  Beginning with the weakest cities, Assyria would naturally go on to absorb those which were stronger, and Tyre herself, the “anointed cherub,"[14136] could look for no greater favour than, like Ulysses in the cave of Polyphemus, to be devoured last.  Luliya, or Elulaeus, the king of Tyre at the time,[14137] endeavoured to escape this calamity by gathering to himself a strength which would enable him to defy attack.  He contrived to establish his dominion over almost the whole of Southern Phoenicia—­over Sidon, Accho, Ecdippa, Sarepta, Hosah, Bitsette, Mahalliba, &c.[14138]—­and at the same time over the distant Cyprus,[14139] where the Cittaeans, or people of Citium, held command of the island.  After a time the Cittaeans revolted from him, probably stirred up by the Assyrians.  But Elulaeus, without delay, led an expedition into Cyprus, and speedily put down the rebellion.  Hereupon the Assyrian king of the time, Shalmaneser IV., the successor and probably the son of Tiglath-pileser II., led a great expedition into the west about B.C. 727, and “overran all Syria and Phoenicia."[14140] But he was unable to make any considerable impression.  Tyre and Aradus were safe upon their islands; Sidon and the other cities upon the mainland, were protected by strong and lofty walls.  After a single campaign, the Great King found it necessary to offer terms of peace, which proved acceptable, and the belligerents parted towards the close of the year, without any serious loss or gain on either side.[14141]

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History of Phoenicia from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.