duel between the two rival states, in which now one
was victorious and now the other, while neither was
ever decisively beaten. An ambassador of king Narses
to Galerius called these two states "the two eyes of the
human race." ¹

The "invincible" star of the Persians might wane
and vanish, but only to reappear in greater glory. The
political and military strength displayed by this nation
through the centuries was the result of its high intel-
lectual and moral qualities. Its original culture was
always hostile to such an assimilation as that expe-
rienced in different degrees by the Aryans of Phrygia,
the Semites of Syria and the Hanites of Egypt. Hel-
lenism and Iranism--if I may use that term-- were
two equally noble adversaries but differently educated,
and they always remained separated by instinctive
racial hostility as much as by hereditary opposition
of interests.

Nevertheless, when two civilizations are in contact
for more than a thousand years, numerous exchanges
are bound to occur. The influence exercised by Hel-
lenism as far as the uplands of Central Asia has fre-
quently been pointed out, ² but the prestige retained by
Persia throughout the ages and the extent of area
influenced by its energy has not perhaps been shown
with as much accuracy. For even if Mazdaism was
the highest expression of Persian genius and its in-
fluence in consequence mainly religious, yet it was
not exclusively so.

After the fall of the Achemenides the memory of
their empire long haunted Alexander's successors. Not
only did the dynasties which claimed to be descended
from Darius, and which ruled over Pontus, Cappa-

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