n of words, to the other
progenitors of European Aryan languages, especially the
Lithuanian, Slav, Greek, and Italic dialects. Keltic speech was
perhaps a little more different owing to its absorption of
non-Aryan elements; but if we can judge of prehistoric German
from what its eastern sister, the Gothic language, was like as
late as the fifth century B.C., we can, without too much
straining of facts, say that the prehistoric Greeks, when they
passed across Hungary into the mountainous regions of the
Balkans, and equally the early Italic invaders of Italy, were
simply another branch of the Teutonic peoples later in
separation than the Kelts, with whom, however, both the Italic
and the Hellenic tribes were much interwoven.... Very English or
German in physiognomy were most of the notabilities in the palmy
days of Greece, to judge by their portrait-busts and the types
of male and female beauty most in favour--as far south as
Cyprus--in the periods when Greek art had become realistic and
was released from the influence of an Aegean standard of beauty.

[Illustration: SISTOV, ON THE DANUBE]

The invasion from the North of people flowing south by way of the
Balkan Peninsula began that unhappy area's record of race-struggles and
constant warfare. The Greek civilisation had scarcely established itself
before it was attacked by an Asiatic Power--Persia. Again the Balkan
Peninsula was inevitably the scene of the conflict, and such battles as
Thermopylae and Marathon made names to resound for ever in the mouths of
men. The peril from Persia over, the Balkan Peninsula, after seeing the
struggles between the different Greek states for supremacy, was given
another great ordeal of blood by Philip of Macedonia and Alexander the
Great. Alexander carried a great invasion from Greece into the very
heart of Asia, but founded no permanent empire.

The next phase of Balkan history was under the Roman Power. When the
Roman strength had reached its zenith and entered upon the curve of
decay, it was on the Balkan boundaries of the Empire that the main
attack came. Finally, the rulers of the Roman Empire found it necessary
to concentrate their strength close to the point of attack, and the
capital was moved from Rome to Constantinople: the Roman Empire became
the Greek Empire. Thus, as we have seen in the previous chapter, the
Balkan Peninsula was chosen as the arena in whi