V. The History of Medo-Persia

1. The Manda Hordes

Philological indications would seem to show that in extremely early times there was an invasion of the territory known as Media by a number of people from the Caucasus region, a region once crowded with peoples of Aryan affinities but with much diversity in speech. Into this territory there had previously come a people of dark complexions who may have had some racial ties with the people now called Sumerians, who inhabited Babylonia before the Semitic Babylonians entered it (see Babylonia, V., §§ 1, 3-4). The first glimpse of the land and people of Media is secured from an inscription of Anu-banini, king of the Lulubi, in the valleys of the Zagros. The style of this inscription seems to make it contemporaneous with Sargon I. (see Babylonia, VI., 3, § 1) about 3750 R.c.; Thureau-Dangin does not venture to place it so early, but classifies it merely as earlier than the first dynasty of Ur (see Babylonia, VI., 3, § 3). Whatever the date may be, the people called

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Lulubi must have come into the territory from the west or northwest to find it already occupied by the dark-skinned folk, connected above tentatively with the Sumerians, and also by the people from the Caucasus. Their title for "prince" seems to have been "Yanzu." As they entered the land from west or northwest, there came from the east the Wasyapa, or Kasyapi. These may perhaps be all grouped together and called the Umvnan Manda.

2. The Kasshites

After this early period knowledge of Media passes into darkness for many centuries, as the next intelligence comes from the period of the Kasshite dominion in Babylonia when Agum II. (see Babylonia, VI., 5, § 1, where this king is registered under the name Agum kakrime) claimed dominion not only over Babylonia, but also over some Median provinces, from which it may be inferred that the great Kasshite invasion passed also over Media, and conquered portions of its territory. Another long period is to be passed over, of which nothing is known until the reigns of Adadnirari I. and Shalmaneser I., his son, kings of Assyria about 1300 B.C., who conquered the Lulubi or Lulumi, who were again conquered about two centuries later by Nebuchadrezzar I. of Babylonia. During this entire period there is not a single mention of the people whom the Greeks called Medea. They have not yet appeared in history. All the people who have up to this time attracted attention belonged in some way to the unclassified Manda hordes.