absorbed most of the native population and driven the rest into the
mountains.

[Illustration: 018.jpg MAP OF KINGDOM OF TYRE, THE CAMPAIGN OF
SENNACHERIB]

A hybrid civilisation had developed among these early Greek settlers,
amalgamating the customs, religions, and arts of the ancient eastern
world of Egypt, Syria, and Chaldoa in variable proportions: their script
was probably derived from one of the Asianic systems whose monuments
are still but partly known, and it consisted of a syllabary awkwardly
adapted to a language for which it had not been designed. A dozen petty
kings, of whom the majority were Greeks, disputed possession of the
northern and eastern parts of the island, at Idalion, Khytros, Paphos,
Soli, Kourion, Tamassos, and Ledron. The Phoenicians had given way at
first before the invaders, and had grouped themselves in the eastern
plain round Kition; they had, however, subsequently assumed the
offensive, and endeavoured to regain the territory they had lost.
Kition, which had been destroyed in one of their wars, had been rebuilt,
and thus obtained the name of Qart-hadshat, "the new city."*

* The name of this city, at first read as Amtikhadashti, and
identified with Ammokhostos or with Amathous,--_Amti-
Khadash_ would in this case be equivalent to _New
Amathous_,--is really Karti-Khadashti, as is proved by the
variant reading discovered by Schrader, and this is
identical with the native name of Carthage in Africa. This
new city must have been of some antiquity by the time of
Elulai, for it is mentioned on a fragment of a bronze vase
found in Cyprus itself: this fragment belonged to a King