Epidemics. 261 



known. In Abraham's time it was known for its resources 

 as a granary; hence resorted to in famine. 



Not far from 1500 B.C. the Ammonites, Moabites, and 

 Edomites began to settle as a people of considerable power 

 and of peculiar inventive genius and warlike habits ; how 

 long before is a matter of great difficulty to determine. 

 These all lay on the south-west of Syria. 



These several kingdoms, together with the Canaanitish 

 nations, the Caphtors or Philistines, and the Syrians to the 

 east of Acre, fell under the dominion of the kingdom of 

 Israel about 1060 to 976 B.C. 



From this period the kingdom of Israel, as a great power, 

 rapidly declined, first through permanent division in itself, 

 and now weakened by division, to the existing power of 

 Egypt, and the rising powers of Nineveh and Babylon 

 further to the east of Acre, one on the banks of the Tigris 

 and the other of the Euphrates. These two kingdoms 

 appear to have rivalled each other, and alternately to have 

 been under subjection to one or the other till about 606 B.C., 

 when Nineveh finally fell under the superior power of 

 Babylon. 



About 715, or more, B.C., Israel was absorbed into the 

 kingdom of Nineveh or Assyria; and Judah, 587 B.C., and 

 Tyre, 572 B.C., alike fell under the sway of Babylon. 

 From 606 to 538 B.C. Babylon may be considered as the 

 greatest monarchy the world had seen, whose centre was on 

 the banks of the Euphrates. 



This empire may therefore be considered as the ending of 

 a series of dynasties, of a circumscribed distance from the 

 centre assumed namely, Acre, beginning with Egypt, and 

 ending about 538 B.C. with the fall of Babylon. This, then, 

 was the last embers of a dying-out greatness which com- 

 menced to wane about 730, and went on with rapid steps 

 till the death-blow to Assyria and Tyre gave to Babylon the 



