Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/83

Western Asia 45 The Hebrews were permitted to issue a code of religious laws, which formed the basis of their government. The Hebrew king- ship was not revived after the Exile. The high priest at Jerusalem became the nation's leader. The Jewish State thus became a religious organization with a priest at its head. 66. The Old Testament. The returned exiles arranged and copied the ancient writings of their fathers, such as the accounts of the patriarchs by the unknown historian and the books of the prophets, Amos, Isaiah, and others! They also added writings of their own. This collection forms the sacred Scriptures of the Jews down to the present day and that part of the Christian Bible called the Old Testament. 67. Summary of the Achievements of the Ancient Orient. What did the Ancient Orient really accomplish for the human race in the course of this long period we have been sketching ? It gave the world the first highly developed practical arts, like metal work, weaving, glass-making, paper-making, and many other simi- lar industries. To distribute the products of these industries among other peoples and carry on commerce, it built the earliest seagoing ships equipped with sails. It first was able to move great weights and undertake large building enterprises large even for us of today. The early Orient, therefore, brought forth the first great group of inventions, surpassed in importance only by those of the modern world. The Orient also gave us the earliest architecture in stone masonry, including the colonnade, the arch, and the tower or spire. It produced the earliest refined sculpture, from the colos- sal statues of Egypt to the finest cutting of gems. It gave us writing and the earliest alphabet. To literature it contributed the earliest examples of narrative prose, poems, historical works, and social discussions. It gave us the calendar we still use. It first introduced weights and measures and introduced business methods and trade on a large scale. It made a beginning in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. It first produced government on a large scale, whether of a single great nation or of an empire made up of a group of nations.