CHAPTER CXXXII.

graphical Description - Sketch of History Asia Minor - Conquests of Persia, Alexider, the Saracens, &c. - Ancient Divis

ns - Modern Divisions.

SIA MINOR is a large peninsula, and forms the ern extremity of Asia. It is bounded on the by the Euxine or Black Sea, on the east by Ara and Syria, on the south by the Mediterranean, on the west by the Egean Sea (Grecian Archi50) and the Propontis, (Sea of Marmora.) It cones the western portion of Asiatic Turkey, and is separated from the European territory of Turkey e Sea of Marmora, and the narrow strait called Bosphorus. The water which separates Constanle from the western point of Asia Minor is about le and a half wide.

he term Asia Minor, or Lesser Asia, was origiapplied to the western parts only; but, about the h century, it was extended to the whole territory. region is now called Anatolia, or Natolia, which is The East, or the part where the sun rises. It uivalent to the French term Levant, often used plication to the shores along the western extremf the Mediterranean.

he length of Asia Minor, from east to west, is t five hundred miles; the width, two hundred and . Its extent is nearly one hundred thousand e miles, or about half that of France. Its lati

tude is that of our Middle States, but the cli much warmer. In the north, along the Black S winters bring snow and ice. In the elevated regions, the winters are very severe. In the

the seasons resemble those of Georgia. He fruits are figs, oranges, lemons, citrons, and Corn, wine, oil, honey, coffee, myrrh and f cense, are abundantly produced in the country the whole, the soil, climate, and productions Minor are greatly varied, and many parts are exce ly fertile. The coasts of the Black Sea are the finest portions of Asia Minor. The western also, along the Ægean, are productive, and hav been celebrated for their delicious climate.

The rivers of Asia Minor are small, but celebr history. The Halys (now Kizil-Ermak, or Red rises in Anti-Taurus. It flows between Paphl and Pontus. It is the largest river in Asia Mi whole course being about three hundred an miles. The Iris (Yeshil Ermak) is a consic river. The Thermodas (Tarmeh) passed throu plain Themiscyra, the abode of the fabled Am The Sangairus (Sakaria) is next to the Halys in All these, and many minor streams, rise in the Taurus range of mountains, and flow into the Blac The rivers of the south are small. The Granicus vola,) celebrated for the first battle of Alexande the Persians, flows into the Propontis. The H and its tributary, the Pactolus, were noted for th found in their sands. The Meander was rema

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west. The southern range is called Taurus, the northern, Anti-Taurus. The tops of some of these are twelve thousand feet high, and are covered with perpetual snow. Many parts of these mountains are celebrated in history. Mount Cragus was the supposed

of the Roman bridges are still in use. Along the leading routes are relays of horses, stationed at wide intervals, and at the principal towns. The most frequented road is that from Constantinople to Smyrna. The regular public communication, between these two points, is but twice a month; but the government keeps a corps of Tartar couriers, for the transmission of intelligence.

Along the eastern coast of Asia Minor, on the Mediterranean, are the fine islands of Cyprus, Rhodes, Cos, Icaria, Samos, Chios, and Lesbos: the history of these is intimately connected with that of the contiguous territory upon the main land.

The political history of Asia Minor forms a large chapter in the annals of the world. Forming the western portion of Asia, it has been the theatre of numerous struggles for sovereignty. It has witnessed alike the personal prowess and the martial deeds of Achilles, Darius, Xerxes, Alexander, Hannibal, Mithridates, Pompey, Cæsar, Timour, Bajazet, and Mahomet II.

In early times, this country seems to have been occupied by a variety of races and tribes, gathered from different portions of Europe and Asia. Herodotus says that it contained thirty nations in his day. about 450 B. C. The Phrygians claim to be the most ancient people. The Lydians, under Crœsus, were the first to establish an extensive dominion. But, at an earlier period, the Greeks had established various colonies along the western shores and the islands that skirt them.

Although the interesting historical transactions connected with Asia Minor have been numerous, there is little unity of history to connect them. The various

st the Greeks in the Trojan war. Troy, in that contest, drew auxiliaries from Caria, Lycia, , Phrygia, &c., so that it became almost a conf Asia against Greece. Afterwards, in the rees of the refined and effeminate Ionia, we find an perfection of the sciences, poetry, music, and ure-then unknown to Greece - though that ry, in arts as well as in arms, soon eclipsed the of its masters. In Asia Minor, too, the kingdom dia was early famous, first for political power, much more, afterwards, for wealth and luxurious inacy. These unwarlike states soon yielded to rms of Persia; they were included within its -e, and their arts and resources served only to the pomp of the great king and his satraps. In umiliating condition, they lost all their former attainments, though sometimes they fell under the of the Athenians, and were ruled by Greeks, _d of barbarians.

er the conquest of Persia by Alexander, and the Macedonian empire fell suddenly to pieces, of the most conspicuous among the fragments kingdoms established by his successors in Asia . It was here that Antigonus and Demetrius eted a great portion of the resources with which made so mighty a struggle for the supremacy g the Macedonian chiefs. After their fall arose Lingdom of Pergamus, whose princes, by their ability and the alliance of the Romans, became, time, the most powerful in Asia. Their glory, ver, was surpassed by that of a kingdom formed = opposite quarter of the peninsula,

that of Pon

- by the energetic character and daring exploits of idates. Under this able warrior, the last great was made for independence, in opposition to the asping ambition of Rome. With Mithridates, this ition sunk to rise no more. Asia Minor was reto the condition of a Roman province, and few and feeble attempts to shake off the yoke. r the emperors, this country was chiefly distined in ecclesiastical history by the formation of olic churches, and the assemblage of general eils, of which those of Nice and Chalcedon, in ular, had an important influence on the belief worship of the Christian world.

otected by its distance from Arabia and the tain chain of Taurus, Asia Minor escaped, in a measure, the destructive tide of Saracen invaIt was not, however, equally well sheltered from nroads of that great succession of barbarous es, who, under the appellation of Turks, poured from the central and northern regions of the hent, and, after conquering Persia, crossed the rates, and took permanent possession of this ry. The Turkish empire of the first invaders me divided and crushed by the early successors e crusaders, and sunk into a languishing and st expiring state. Suddenly, however, from its rose the family of Othman, who, collecting the ish remnant, and combining it with the neighbor

the Ottoman empire at Constantinople.

Asia Minor, in its present state, is perhaps t interesting portion of the great empires which large a space in ancient history. It is tyranniz by a brutal despotism, which has seated itsel the ancient inhabitants, without imbibing any of the genius or the arts for which they were guished. Hence this part of the world exci curiosity rather by the remembrance of what was, than by any thing which it now offers to th It is filled with the mighty monuments of greatness- vast structures erected by ancient and republics, in which Oriental splendor and tude are combined with the exquisite art and ma of Greece and Rome. The most profound er are excited by the prospect of the vicissitudes of glory exhibited on this varied theatre of history the degradation of the present race of its inha serves only to render more conspicuous the gre of those whose place they have occupied.

The ancient divisions of Asia Minor were lows: Mysia, which included Ilium, or the ki of Troy, Lydia, Caria, Eolia, Ionia, Doris, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, Pontus, Phrygia, Pam Pisidia, Cilicia, Cappadocia, and Galatia; to some geographers add Little Armenia, or the w part of the country of that name. Under the Asia Minor has been divided into pachalics, the cipal of which are Anadoli in the west, Trebizo the north, Sivas and Koniek in the interior, and in the south.

Asia Minor may be considered as more entirely ish than any other part of the Ottoman empire it is from this country that the Porte has gen drawn those vast bodies of irregular cavalry have formed the chief mass of the Turkish a The peninsula has not, however, been exempt that spirit of revolt which has lately shown its threatening to the Ottoman power. The dir pachas have been accustomed to act almost style of independent princes, and to make wa peace with each other, regardless of the expostul of the sultan.

The population of Asia Minor may be estima from four to five millions. This consists of T Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, in the towns. I country, there are many people of nomadic h bearing the general names of Turcomans. The cipal towns in Asia Minor at the present day Smyrna, Tocat, Trebizond, Boli, and Angora. Se (Chrysopolis,) opposite Constantinople, is the where the Persians collected their tribute. It i custom of the wealthy Turks of Constantinople buried in a fine cemetery here. Scutari is an e rium for the caravans which carry on the trade the East. Ephesus, Sardis, (Sart,) and various places renowned in history, display only the ves of former greatness, amid present decay and lation.

a Minor. The former was bounded north by s, or the country of the Trojans, east by Phrygia, by Æolia, and west by the Egean. A portion was sometimes called Phrygia Minor. Mysia r was bounded north by the Propontis and Bia, east by Phrygia, south by Troas, and west by Propontis. The whole country was anciently ned the finest part of Asia Minor, being very and well watered with rivulets. Its name is d from the Lydian word mysos, a beech; these being abundant here.

Darly times, the Mysians were a brave and wareople. According to Herodotus, they crossed sphorus into Thrace, subdued all the people of untry, and even carried their arms as far south essaly. Diodorus Siculus affirms that Mysia onquered by Ninus the Assyrian, and that this and his successors reigned over the country for wears; but all this is very doubtful. The first king mentioned in history is Olympus. He is have married the niece of Dardanus, king of Telephus was the reigning monarch at the 'the Trojan war. He took the part of Troy the Greek invaders, and, according to Homer, ngerously wounded by Achilles. After some e Greeks persuaded him to abandon his allies, ad neuter. He had two sons - Eurypylus and The latter was said to have led a colony of into Italy, from whom the Latins descended. is part of history is very obscure, and we only th certainty that Mysia shared the fate of the Asia Minor, in falling under the Persian doand from thence into the hands of Alexander Hon and his successors. In the year 283 B. C., m was founded at Pergamus, in Mysia Major, tærus, a Paphlagonian of mean descent, who ded the castle of this city, then under the govof Lysimachus, king of Thrace. Philetsærus e standard of revolt, seized the royal treasosited in the castle, and, by these means, ed a body of mercenary troops. He was thus o preserve his usurped authority; and he ver Pergamus till the eighteenth year of his n he died, leaving the government to his umenes. This prince took advantage of the s then prevailing among the Seleucidæ, and onsiderable extent of territory to his dominwas succeeded (241 B. C.) by Attalus, the of Pergamus who assumed the name of king. uls were at this time very formidable in r, and had rendered many nations tributary that quarter. Attalus refused the tribute been previously exacted by them from the s. A war ensued, in which he defeated the expelled them from his territories. Eny this success, he carried his arms into the 5 countries, and made several important This, however, was soon followed by a Fortune. Seleucus Callinicus, king of Syria, d all the territories which had been taken

cities of Smyrna, Phocæa, Teos, and Colophon received the submission of the people of the neig ing regions, who sent ambassadors to congratulat on his success, and offer their assistance. He have pursued his victorious career still further when he had reached the banks of the Megistu eclipse of the moon took place. This so terrifie Gallic auxiliaries, which constituted the main str of his army, that they refused to march any fa and Attalus was compelled to return to Perga The Romans despatched an ambassador to him, v he received with extraordinary magnificence; a treaty was concluded with the republic, which secured the king in all his possessions. In the with Philip of Macedon, Attalus marched with an to the assistance of the Romans. When he rea Thebes, in Bœotia, he made a speech to the peop that city, for the purpose of engaging them to in the war against Philip. In the midst of his course, he was seized with an apoplexy, and fell speechless; but, on recovering a little, he desire attendants to convey him, by sea, to Pergamus, v he died, (198 B. C.) This prince was a friend to I ture, and a generous patron of learned men. said to have ordered the grammarian Daphidas thrown headlong from a rock, for speaking disres fully of Homer. He also wrote several books, are quoted by Strabo, Pliny, and others.

Attalus was succeeded by his eldest son, Eun He continued the alliance which his father had with Rome, and assisted the republic in war, for he was rewarded by an addition of territory conq from the king of Syria. On his return from a v Rome, he was waylaid in a mountainous pa Greece by two assassins, hired by Perseus, kir Macedon. They attempted to kill him by r down great stones upon him as he was passing th a narrow defile. He was dangerously wound the head and shoulder, and carried, in a state of i sibility, to Egina. The report of his death was s over all Asia Minor, and fully believed at Rome. brother Attalus immediately took possession o throne of Pergamus, and married Stratonice, the of Eumenes.

The king, however, suddenly recovered his s at Egina, and, in a short time, was completely c Attalus was astonished at the intelligence that Eur was alive, and approaching his capital. He ins laid aside the ensigns of royalty, and went out to him in a friendly manner. Eumenes, who was acquainted with all that had happened, embrace wife and brother with great affection, but whis in the ear of the latter, "Do not be in a hurry fo queen till you are sure I am dead." This wa only notice which he ever took of the transactior he ever afterward treated them both with und ished affection.

The intelligence of the recovery of Eumenes c great rejoicing at Rome, and a league was im ately formed to take vengeance on the king of