13　希臘人

與此同時，印歐部落的赫楞人占領了希臘

金字塔已有上千年的歷史，開始顯出殘敗的跡象。英明的巴比倫國王漢謨拉比在地下長眠了幾百年后，一支小牧人部落離開家鄉(xiāng)，沿多瑙河向南流浪，尋找新的牧場。他們自稱赫楞人，是丟卡利翁和皮拉之子赫楞的后裔。根據古代神話，很久以前，主神宙斯住在奧林匹斯山，由于無法忍受人心的日漸險惡，他發(fā)洪水淹死了世上所有人，只有赫楞的父母二人逃脫。

我們對這些早期的赫楞人并不了解。修昔底德是一位歷史學家，專門研究雅典的沒落。他在描述希臘的最早祖先時說，這些人“不值得多費筆墨”。這可能是一句實話。早期的赫楞人野蠻無禮。他們過著像豬一樣的生活，把敵人的尸體扔給兇殘的牧羊犬。他們根本不尊重別人的權力，對希臘半島的當地人（佩拉斯吉人）進行迫害，占良田、牽牲畜、搶妻女。他們還寫了無數首贊歌，頌揚亞加亞部落人的勇敢。因為是亞加亞人帶領赫楞人的先鋒隊闖進了塞薩利和伯羅奔尼撒之間的山區(qū)。

在高高的巖石頂上，他們隨處可見愛琴海人的城堡，卻不敢進攻。因為他們

But here and there, on the tops of high rocks, they saw the castles of the ?geans and those they did not attack for they feared the metal swords and the spears of the ?gean soldiers and knew that they could not hope to defeat them with their clumsy stone axes.

For many centuries they continued to wander from valley to valley and from mountain side to mountain side. Then the whole of the land had been occupied and the migration had come to an end.

That moment was the beginning of Greek civilisation. The Greek farmer, living within sight of the ?gean colonies, was finally driven by curiosity to visit his haughty neighbours. He discovered that he could learn many useful things from the men who dwelt behind the high stone walls of Mycen? and Tiryns.

He was a clever pupil. Within a short time he mastered the art of handling those strange iron weapons which the ?geans had brought from Babylon and from Thebes. He came to understand the mysteries of navigation. He began to build little boats for his own use.

And when he had learned everything the ?geans could teach him he turned upon his teachers and drove them hack to their islands. Soon afterwards he ventured forth upon the sea and conquered all the cities of the ?gean.Finally in the fifteenth century before our era he plundered and ravaged Cnossus and ten centuries after their first appearance upon the scene the Hellenes were the undisputed rulers of Greece, of the ?gean and of the coastal regions of Asia Minor.Troy, the last great commercial stronghold of the older civilisation, was destroyed in the eleventh century B.C., European history was to begin in all seriousness.

害怕愛琴海士兵的金屬劍和矛，更知道自己不可能憑著拙劣的石斧打敗對手。

幾個世紀里，他們穿過一個又一個山谷，翻越一座又一座高山。最后，他們占領了大片土地，遷徙的生活也就結束了。

希臘的文明正是從那一刻開始的。希臘的農夫目睹了愛琴海殖民者的生活，終于抵不住好奇，來拜訪他傲慢的鄰居。他發(fā)現，從這些居住在邁錫尼和梯林斯高墻內的人那里可以學到很多有用的技能。

他是一個聰明的學生，很快就掌握了使用那些奇怪鐵器的方法，而這些方法還是愛琴海人從巴比倫人和底比斯人那里學來的。他逐漸領悟到航海的秘訣，并開始為自己造小船。

把愛琴海人的所有知識學到后，他恩將仇報，把老師趕回了海島。不久，他出征愛琴海，攻占了愛琴海的所有城市。最后在公元前15世紀，他洗劫了克諾索斯。登上歷史舞臺1000年后，赫楞人成為希臘、愛琴海和小亞細亞沿岸地區(qū)無可非議的主人。特洛伊是古文明的最后一個大型商業(yè)中心，也在公元前11世紀被毀。歐洲歷史即將莊嚴地翻開第一頁。