WI: A Third Hittite Empire is established.
- Thread starter Phaeton
- Start date
Phaeton said:
as I said below...
I am working on it. I was in an auto accident last Thursday and my back is kind of messed up, which makes it difficult to sit at my computer for more than a few minutes at the time. So it is going slower than I would like it to. But I will get it done soon.
THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE, 600-500 BC
604 BC--Death of King Nabu-apal-usur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as Nebuchadnezzar II.
600-575 BC--Intermittent warfare between Babylonia and Hatti. Shortly after assuming
the throne, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon wages war on Hatti in an attempt to wrest
control of the trade routes through Syria and Palestine from the Hittite King.
Nebuchadnezzar makes nearly annual invasions of Syria, but his armies are unable to
defeat those of the Hittite king, and he gains nothing. The struggle is very exhausting for
both empires, and serious fighting peters out by about 588 BC. But a formal peace treaty
is not finally agreed upon, based on status quo ante bellum, until 570 BC.
c. 600 BC--Confucious teaches in China.
597 BC--Death of King Arnuwanda IV of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Tuwanuwa III.
594 BC--Solon founds the Athenian democracy. He is heavily influenced by his
observations of Egyptian society and law during a visit to Egypt a few years before.Â*
593 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. He is succeeded by Psamtik II.
590 BC--Death of King Tuwanuwa III of Hatti in battle against the Babylonians.
Tuwanuwa had no heirs at the time of his death, and he is succeeded by his brother,
Sharkhurunuwa.
589-575 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt decides to take advantage of the warfare
between Hatti and Babylon to sieze the Hebrew Kingdom. Egyptian armies invade the
kingdom, and although the Hebrews fight valiantly, they are over-run. Psamtik carries
King Eliakim of the Hebrews away in chains, and installs an Egyptian governor in
Jerusalem. The Egyptians also land an invasion force on Cyprus, and sieze most of the
island. However, Eliakim’s son, Jehoiachin, and his mother manage to escape from the
Egyptians along with much of the Hebrew army, and take refuge with the Great King of
Hatti. Finally, in 580 BC, as the war between Hatti and Babylon winds down, King
Sharkhurunuwa of Hatti and Prince Jehoiachin of the Hebrews leads their armies
southward. They meet the forces of Egypt, now commanded by Pharaoh Wahibre, in
battle near Jerusalem, and the Egyptians are severely defeated. The allies spend the next
five years reducing the fortified cities in the region still held by the Egyptians, and in the
process learn that King Eliakim has died while in Egyptian custody. Jehoiachin is
declared King of the Hebrews, and is restored to his kingdom in 575 BC. He reaffirms
the long-standing alliance between his kingdom and the Great King of Hatti.
588 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Wahibre.
585 BC--King Cyaxares of the Medes dies, and is succeeded by Astyages.
585-583 BC--A final Scythian invasion causes great damage to the Median kingdom
before they Scythians are finally defeated and forced to retreat back north of the Caucasus
Mountains by King Astyages.
582 BC: The Pythian games are established in Delphi and the Isthmian games are
established in Corinth.
580 BC--First attempt by the Greeks to drive the Phoenicians out of Sicily. The attempt
is unsuccessful.Â*
c. 580 BC--Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, in addition to being a warrior king, is a great
builder. In Babylon he builds eight monumental gates, the Esagila complex, a
seven-storey ziggurat, and the Hanging Gardens. The last of these will be accounted one
of the seven wonders of the world.
579 BC--Death of King Eliakim of the Hebrew Kingdom while in the custody of the
Egyptians. He is succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin.
576-570 BC--War between Babylonia and the Medes. King Nebuchadnezzar attempts to
conquer the region of Anshan (the former Elamite homeland), which is ruled by the
Persian Achaemenid Dynasty (who are, in turn, vassals of the Median kings). King
Kambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan calls on his overlord, King Astyages of the Medes,
for aid, and a six year war between Babylonia and the Medes is the result. The Medes
make inroads into Babylonia’s northern territories, and King Nebuchadnezzar concludes
peace with Hatti in order to devote his full attention to the Medes. He is able to drive the
Medes out of his northern provinces, and a stalemate results. A peace treaty is finally
signed in 570 BC.
576 BC Death of King Sharkhurunuwa of Hatti. He is succeeded by Tudhaliyas V.
574 BC--King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti signs a peace treaty with Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt.
Egypt renounces it’s claim to the Hebrew Kingdom in exchange for recognition of
Egypt’s claim to Cyprus. Tudhaliyas agress to this in order to gain peace on his southern
border, and finds the exchange well worth his while. The Great Kings of Hatti will not be
troubled by further Egyptian incursions for a long time.
570 BC--Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt receives an appeal for aid from the King of Libya
against the Greek colony at Cyrene, which has, since it's founding in 630 BC, had strained
relations with the native Libyans of the region. Wahibre leads an Egyptian army
westward, but it is severely defeated by the Greeks of Cyrene. A revolt breaks out
among the native Egyptian contingent of the army, where rumour has it that the Pharaoh
intentionally lead them to defeat. As Herodotus would later write..."The Egyptians
blamed him for this and rebelled against him; for they thought that the Pharaoh had
knowingly sent his men to their doom, so that after their death his rule over the rest of the
Egyptians would be strengthened. Bitterly angered by this, those who returned home and
the friends of the slain rose against him.â€Â*Also in this year, the first coins are minted by
Athens.
569-566 BC--Civil War in Egypt. In response to the rebellion in the native Egyptian
contingents of the army, Wahibre sends Ahmosi, his son and one of his most trusted
generals, to negotiate with the rebels. But when Ahmosi arrives at the rebel camp, the
rebels "put a helmet on his head from behind, saying it was the token of royalty," and
declare him the new king. Ahmosi decides "it’s good to be the king," goes over to the
rebels, and leads the rebel army against Wahibre. Wahibre rallies the mercenary
contingent of the army and attempts to put down the insurrection with these forces, but is
defeated and forced to flee from Sais. Ahmosi is crowned Pharaoh, and takes the throne
as Ahmosi II. However, Wahibre I continues to claim the kingship, and gathers another
mercenary army while in exile in Upper Egypt. Finally, in 566 BC, Wahibre I, at the head
of his mercenary army, attempts to retake the throne of Egypt from Ahmosi II. He is
defeated and killed.
569-525 BC--Reign of Pharaoh Ahmosi II in Egypt. Ahmosi drastically reduces the
proportion of mercenaries in the Egyptian army and reduces the term of service for native
troops, ending a continual problem with army revolts. Ahmosi also establishes the
world's first income tax. According the Herodotus, he established a law that "every year
each one of the Egyptians should declare to the ruler of his district, from what source he
got his livelihood, and if any man did not do this or did not make declaration of an honest
way of living, he should be punished with death." The new tax puts the royal treasury on
a more stable footing than it has been in many centuries. Ahmosi also disposes of the
goods of the temples as he sees fit. Just as the military nobles had been neutralized by
absorbing many of them into the royal administration, the priests are turned into officials
of the monarchy too, and their upkeep and that of their temples becomes the
responsibility of the royal treasury. The threat to the monarchy posed by the power of the
priestly class is broken. Thus by the end of Ahmose II’s reign the foundations have been
laid for a very stable, prosperous, and secure society.
565 BC--Death of King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti. He is succeeded by Mursili III.
562 BC--Death of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He is succeeded by Amel
Marduk.
560 BC--King Amel Marduk of Babylon is assassinated by his brother-in-law,
Nergalsharusur, who usurps the throne. Also in this year, the temple of Artemis at
Ephesus is built. This temple will eventually become one of the seven wonders of the
world.Â* Also in this year, King Jehoiachin of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by his
son, Shealtiel.
559 BC--Death of King Kambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan. Kurush (Cyrus) II comes to
the throne. Like his father, Kurush is a vassal of the Median king, Astyages.
556 BC--Death of King Nergalsharusur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his young son,
Labashi Marduk. Labashi Marduk will enjoy a long and successful reign (in OTL, he was
murdered within a year and the throne usurped by Nabonidus, who came from the city of
Haran in the north and who seems to have been a commoner with no relation to the royal
family. Since Haran is a Hittite city in this timeline and not a part of the Babylonian
Empire, Nabonidus is not in Babylon to usurp the throne).
555 BC--Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt invades and conquers the city of Cyrene in Libya.Â*
The region will be a permanent part of the Egyptian Empire for many years.
550 BC--Kurush (Cyrus) II of Anshan revolts against King Astyages of Media. Astyages
is defeated and killed. Kurush takes control of the Median Empire, which will henceforth
be known as the Persian Empire. Also in this year, Carthage allies with the Etruscans
against the Greeks. A Carthaginian force led by Malchus defeats the Greeks in Sicily, but
is vanquished in Sardinia. Malchus is banished, and in response marches on Carthage, but
is caught and executed.
550-500 BC--La Tene culture develops; Celtic culture reaches its peak. Celtic tribes
expand from their homeland in central Europe and begin moving east, south, and west.
c. 550 BC onward--Carthaginian presence in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Carthaginian colonies formed along coast of Africa, Algeria, Hadrumetum, Leptis.
549 BC--Death of King Shealtiel of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, Josiah II
(in OTL named Zerubabbel...â€Child of Babylonâ€...but since there was no Babylonian
Captivity in this ATL, the child gets a different name).
547-544 BC--War between Hatti and Persia. In 547 BC, King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persia
attempts an invasion of Hatti. But the flexible and hard-hitting Hittite army, under the
capable leadership of King Mursili III, severely defeats the Persians. Kurush is severely
wounded, but manages to escape, and will survive his wounds. The following year, and
each year thereafter, King Mursili III will invade the Persian Empire. The Persians are
gradually pushed back out of the former lands of Urartu, and King Kurush finally sues for
peace in 544 BC. A treaty is signed in which Persia cedes the former lands of Urartu to
Hatti.
546 BC--The Tyrant Peisistratus overthrows democracy in Athens, and Sparta forms the
Peloponnesean League.
543 BC--King Labashi Marduk of Babylon makes a treaty of alliance with King Mursili
III of Hatti. The alliance is aimed at Persia.
540-539 BC--King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persia invades Babylonia. His army defeats that
of Babylon at the city of Opis, on the Tigris River (near the site of present-day Baghdad),
and he lays siege to the city of Babylon itself. King Labashi Marduk calls on his ally,
King Mursili III of Hatti, for aid. Mursili arrives outside Babylon with the main Hittite
army in the spring of 539 BC, and a battle is fought in which King Kurush of Persia falls,
struck down by a Hittite arrow. The Persian army is scattered, and the siege of Babylon is
lifted. However, the Hittite/Babylonian forces also take heavy losses, and are too
exhausted to follow up with an invasion of Persia. Although no formal treaty is signed,
the war effectively ends.
539-532 BC--Civil War in Persia. The death of King Kurush II in battle outside Babylon
has thrown the Persian Empire into turmoil. The Medes, under a prince who claims
descent from King Cyaxares, revolt against the Persians. In addition, various factions
within the Achaemenid royal house vie for power. Finally, however, one of the sons of
King Kurush emerges victorious, and takes the throne as King Kambujiya (Cambyses) II.
Kambujiya will suppress the Medes, reorganize the Persian empire and armed forces, and
also re-orient the focus of Persian military efforts from the west to the east. In
furtherance of the latter of these, he concludes a treaty with Hatti and Babylon, officially
ending the war begun by his father in 540 BC.
535 BC--Carthage, with the Etruscans, destroys the Phocaean colony in Corsica and
closes Sardinia-Corsica off to the Greeks.
530 BC--Pythagoras founds Mathematics. Also in this year, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)
II of Persia launches the first of several invasions of India.
530-500 BC--Persian conquest of northern India. In yearly campaigns, King Kambujiya
(Cambyses) II of Persia and his successor, King Darayavahush (Darius) I, conquer most
of northern India, defeating the various native kings and incorporating their kingdoms
into the Persian Empire.
529 BC--Death of King Labashi Marduk of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as King Nebuchadnezzar III.
c. 527 BC--Prince Siddhartha Gautama is enlightened and becomes the Buddha, founding
a new religion.
525 BC--Death of Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Psamtik III.
c. 525 BC--The first Greek Tragedies are written. Among the writers are Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides.
523-522 BC--Civil War in the Persian Empire. In 523 BC, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)
II is killed in battle in India. Upon his demise, there is a struggle for the succession to the
Persian throne. Gaumata, a pretender who claims to be a son of King Kurush (Cyrus) II
named Smerdis who had actually been killed by Kambujiya some years earlier, assumes
the throne, but is disputed by another prince of the Achaemenid House, who finally
defeats Gautama in 522 BC and assumes the throne as King Darayavahush
(Greek--Darius) I.
521 BC--Death of King Mursili III of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, Hattusili Tesub
III. Hattusili Tesub III, who was a somewhat elderly man when he assumed the Kingship,
dies later that same year, and is succeeded by his grandson, Suhis Tesub III. Suhis Tesub
III’s father had been killed in a hunting accident shortly after Suhis Tesub was born, and
therefore the new King is a minor child at the time of his succession. A civil war breaks
out as one of the King’s cousins, Prince Talmi Tesub, contests his right to the throne.
521-519 BC--King Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon takes adantage of the chaos caused by
the civil war in Hatti to sieze the lands between the Harbur and Euphrates rivers. He lays
siege to the Hittite fortress city of Carchemish, but is unable to take the city. The new
Hittite King Talmi Tesub, upon ascending the throne, signs a treaty recognizing the
Babylonian title to the dispute region. Relations between Babylon and Hatti are never
again to be good.
519 BC--End of the civil war in Hatti. King Suhis Tesub III of Hatti is captured and put
to death (At the orders of Talmi Tesub, the unfortunate young king is castrated and
allowed to bleed out, symbolizing the end of the old dynasty), and Prince Talmi Tesub
usurps the throne, founding a new dynasty. The new king will reign as King Talmi Tesub
I.
512-510 BC--King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia declares war on King
Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon. Babylon’s army is defeated in battle by the Persians near
the city of Nippur, and the Persians take Babylon itself in 510 BC. Nebuchadnezzar III is
captured and put to death, and the Babylonian kingdom comes to an end, absorbed into
the Persian Empire.
510 BC--Athens joins the Peloponesean League, and the temple of Ceres at Paestum (in
Italy) is built. Also in this year, King Josiah II of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by
his son, Abiud.
509-485 BC--Period of sporadic warfare between Hatti and Persia. King Darayavahush
(Darius) I follows up his conquest of Babylon with an invasion of Hatti, but is defeated
near Carchemish in 509 BC. The Persian King, who is a devout Zoroastrian and
considers it his mission to conquer for the glory of Ahura Mazda, will not sign a treaty
with the Hittites, and a state of low-intensity warfare continues between the two
empires...with periodic Persian invasions of Hatti and Hittite counter-invasions of
Persia...for almost a quarter of a century, until Darayavahush finally dies in 485 BC.
Neither side gains much from these conflicts, which prove exhausting for both empires.
509 BC--Revolution in Rome. The last Etruscan King, Tarquinius Superbus, is expelled.
Founding of the Roman Republic.
508 BC--Attack on Rome by the Etruscan general Lars Porsena. Rome is able to
withstand the attack. Several Roman noblewomen, including Cloelia, swim the Tiber
River to escape from Lars Porsenna and his men.Â*Also in this year, the last of the Tyrants
is overthrown in Athens, and democracy is restored. Cleisthenes grants full rights to all
free men of Athens.
507 BC--First treaty between Carthage and Rome.
506 BC--A planned invasion of Rome by ousted King Tarquinius Superbus and an army
of Etruscans is defeated by the Latin League and Greeks lead by Aristodemos of Cumae
in a battle at Aricia. Also in this year, a Roman noble named Horatius Cocles stops an
invasion, when he bars the bridge into Rome. While he is defending the bridge, the
consuls Sp. Lartius and T. Herminius chop it down to prevent the enemy crossing.
Horatius swims, fully armored across the Tiber to safety.
505 BC--Death of King Talmi Tesub I of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Suppliluliuma IV. Also in this year, a temple to Apollo is built at Delphi.
501-498 BC--Revolt of the Greek cities in Ionia (coastal Asia Minor). The Greeks of
these cities call on their brethren in mainland Greece for aid. Only the city of Athens
responds. But even with Athenian aid, the Greek forces are no match for the military
power of the Great King of Hatti, and the revolt is crushed within three years.
Beginning of a period of conflict between Hatti and the Greek city states of mainland
Greece.
c. 500 BC--Celtic tribes begin moving into Britain.
604 BC--Death of King Nabu-apal-usur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as Nebuchadnezzar II.
600-575 BC--Intermittent warfare between Babylonia and Hatti. Shortly after assuming
the throne, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon wages war on Hatti in an attempt to wrest
control of the trade routes through Syria and Palestine from the Hittite King.
Nebuchadnezzar makes nearly annual invasions of Syria, but his armies are unable to
defeat those of the Hittite king, and he gains nothing. The struggle is very exhausting for
both empires, and serious fighting peters out by about 588 BC. But a formal peace treaty
is not finally agreed upon, based on status quo ante bellum, until 570 BC.
c. 600 BC--Confucious teaches in China.
597 BC--Death of King Arnuwanda IV of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Tuwanuwa III.
594 BC--Solon founds the Athenian democracy. He is heavily influenced by his
observations of Egyptian society and law during a visit to Egypt a few years before.Â*
593 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. He is succeeded by Psamtik II.
590 BC--Death of King Tuwanuwa III of Hatti in battle against the Babylonians.
Tuwanuwa had no heirs at the time of his death, and he is succeeded by his brother,
Sharkhurunuwa.
589-575 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt decides to take advantage of the warfare
between Hatti and Babylon to sieze the Hebrew Kingdom. Egyptian armies invade the
kingdom, and although the Hebrews fight valiantly, they are over-run. Psamtik carries
King Eliakim of the Hebrews away in chains, and installs an Egyptian governor in
Jerusalem. The Egyptians also land an invasion force on Cyprus, and sieze most of the
island. However, Eliakim’s son, Jehoiachin, and his mother manage to escape from the
Egyptians along with much of the Hebrew army, and take refuge with the Great King of
Hatti. Finally, in 580 BC, as the war between Hatti and Babylon winds down, King
Sharkhurunuwa of Hatti and Prince Jehoiachin of the Hebrews leads their armies
southward. They meet the forces of Egypt, now commanded by Pharaoh Wahibre, in
battle near Jerusalem, and the Egyptians are severely defeated. The allies spend the next
five years reducing the fortified cities in the region still held by the Egyptians, and in the
process learn that King Eliakim has died while in Egyptian custody. Jehoiachin is
declared King of the Hebrews, and is restored to his kingdom in 575 BC. He reaffirms
the long-standing alliance between his kingdom and the Great King of Hatti.
588 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Wahibre.
585 BC--King Cyaxares of the Medes dies, and is succeeded by Astyages.
585-583 BC--A final Scythian invasion causes great damage to the Median kingdom
before they Scythians are finally defeated and forced to retreat back north of the Caucasus
Mountains by King Astyages.
582 BC: The Pythian games are established in Delphi and the Isthmian games are
established in Corinth.
580 BC--First attempt by the Greeks to drive the Phoenicians out of Sicily. The attempt
is unsuccessful.Â*
c. 580 BC--Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, in addition to being a warrior king, is a great
builder. In Babylon he builds eight monumental gates, the Esagila complex, a
seven-storey ziggurat, and the Hanging Gardens. The last of these will be accounted one
of the seven wonders of the world.
579 BC--Death of King Eliakim of the Hebrew Kingdom while in the custody of the
Egyptians. He is succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin.
576-570 BC--War between Babylonia and the Medes. King Nebuchadnezzar attempts to
conquer the region of Anshan (the former Elamite homeland), which is ruled by the
Persian Achaemenid Dynasty (who are, in turn, vassals of the Median kings). King
Kambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan calls on his overlord, King Astyages of the Medes,
for aid, and a six year war between Babylonia and the Medes is the result. The Medes
make inroads into Babylonia’s northern territories, and King Nebuchadnezzar concludes
peace with Hatti in order to devote his full attention to the Medes. He is able to drive the
Medes out of his northern provinces, and a stalemate results. A peace treaty is finally
signed in 570 BC.
576 BC Death of King Sharkhurunuwa of Hatti. He is succeeded by Tudhaliyas V.
574 BC--King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti signs a peace treaty with Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt.
Egypt renounces it’s claim to the Hebrew Kingdom in exchange for recognition of
Egypt’s claim to Cyprus. Tudhaliyas agress to this in order to gain peace on his southern
border, and finds the exchange well worth his while. The Great Kings of Hatti will not be
troubled by further Egyptian incursions for a long time.
570 BC--Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt receives an appeal for aid from the King of Libya
against the Greek colony at Cyrene, which has, since it's founding in 630 BC, had strained
relations with the native Libyans of the region. Wahibre leads an Egyptian army
westward, but it is severely defeated by the Greeks of Cyrene. A revolt breaks out
among the native Egyptian contingent of the army, where rumour has it that the Pharaoh
intentionally lead them to defeat. As Herodotus would later write..."The Egyptians
blamed him for this and rebelled against him; for they thought that the Pharaoh had
knowingly sent his men to their doom, so that after their death his rule over the rest of the
Egyptians would be strengthened. Bitterly angered by this, those who returned home and
the friends of the slain rose against him.â€Â*Also in this year, the first coins are minted by
Athens.
569-566 BC--Civil War in Egypt. In response to the rebellion in the native Egyptian
contingents of the army, Wahibre sends Ahmosi, his son and one of his most trusted
generals, to negotiate with the rebels. But when Ahmosi arrives at the rebel camp, the
rebels "put a helmet on his head from behind, saying it was the token of royalty," and
declare him the new king. Ahmosi decides "it’s good to be the king," goes over to the
rebels, and leads the rebel army against Wahibre. Wahibre rallies the mercenary
contingent of the army and attempts to put down the insurrection with these forces, but is
defeated and forced to flee from Sais. Ahmosi is crowned Pharaoh, and takes the throne
as Ahmosi II. However, Wahibre I continues to claim the kingship, and gathers another
mercenary army while in exile in Upper Egypt. Finally, in 566 BC, Wahibre I, at the head
of his mercenary army, attempts to retake the throne of Egypt from Ahmosi II. He is
defeated and killed.
569-525 BC--Reign of Pharaoh Ahmosi II in Egypt. Ahmosi drastically reduces the
proportion of mercenaries in the Egyptian army and reduces the term of service for native
troops, ending a continual problem with army revolts. Ahmosi also establishes the
world's first income tax. According the Herodotus, he established a law that "every year
each one of the Egyptians should declare to the ruler of his district, from what source he
got his livelihood, and if any man did not do this or did not make declaration of an honest
way of living, he should be punished with death." The new tax puts the royal treasury on
a more stable footing than it has been in many centuries. Ahmosi also disposes of the
goods of the temples as he sees fit. Just as the military nobles had been neutralized by
absorbing many of them into the royal administration, the priests are turned into officials
of the monarchy too, and their upkeep and that of their temples becomes the
responsibility of the royal treasury. The threat to the monarchy posed by the power of the
priestly class is broken. Thus by the end of Ahmose II’s reign the foundations have been
laid for a very stable, prosperous, and secure society.
565 BC--Death of King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti. He is succeeded by Mursili III.
562 BC--Death of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He is succeeded by Amel
Marduk.
560 BC--King Amel Marduk of Babylon is assassinated by his brother-in-law,
Nergalsharusur, who usurps the throne. Also in this year, the temple of Artemis at
Ephesus is built. This temple will eventually become one of the seven wonders of the
world.Â* Also in this year, King Jehoiachin of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by his
son, Shealtiel.
559 BC--Death of King Kambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan. Kurush (Cyrus) II comes to
the throne. Like his father, Kurush is a vassal of the Median king, Astyages.
556 BC--Death of King Nergalsharusur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his young son,
Labashi Marduk. Labashi Marduk will enjoy a long and successful reign (in OTL, he was
murdered within a year and the throne usurped by Nabonidus, who came from the city of
Haran in the north and who seems to have been a commoner with no relation to the royal
family. Since Haran is a Hittite city in this timeline and not a part of the Babylonian
Empire, Nabonidus is not in Babylon to usurp the throne).
555 BC--Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt invades and conquers the city of Cyrene in Libya.Â*
The region will be a permanent part of the Egyptian Empire for many years.
550 BC--Kurush (Cyrus) II of Anshan revolts against King Astyages of Media. Astyages
is defeated and killed. Kurush takes control of the Median Empire, which will henceforth
be known as the Persian Empire. Also in this year, Carthage allies with the Etruscans
against the Greeks. A Carthaginian force led by Malchus defeats the Greeks in Sicily, but
is vanquished in Sardinia. Malchus is banished, and in response marches on Carthage, but
is caught and executed.
550-500 BC--La Tene culture develops; Celtic culture reaches its peak. Celtic tribes
expand from their homeland in central Europe and begin moving east, south, and west.
c. 550 BC onward--Carthaginian presence in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Carthaginian colonies formed along coast of Africa, Algeria, Hadrumetum, Leptis.
549 BC--Death of King Shealtiel of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, Josiah II
(in OTL named Zerubabbel...â€Child of Babylonâ€...but since there was no Babylonian
Captivity in this ATL, the child gets a different name).
547-544 BC--War between Hatti and Persia. In 547 BC, King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persia
attempts an invasion of Hatti. But the flexible and hard-hitting Hittite army, under the
capable leadership of King Mursili III, severely defeats the Persians. Kurush is severely
wounded, but manages to escape, and will survive his wounds. The following year, and
each year thereafter, King Mursili III will invade the Persian Empire. The Persians are
gradually pushed back out of the former lands of Urartu, and King Kurush finally sues for
peace in 544 BC. A treaty is signed in which Persia cedes the former lands of Urartu to
Hatti.
546 BC--The Tyrant Peisistratus overthrows democracy in Athens, and Sparta forms the
Peloponnesean League.
543 BC--King Labashi Marduk of Babylon makes a treaty of alliance with King Mursili
III of Hatti. The alliance is aimed at Persia.
540-539 BC--King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persia invades Babylonia. His army defeats that
of Babylon at the city of Opis, on the Tigris River (near the site of present-day Baghdad),
and he lays siege to the city of Babylon itself. King Labashi Marduk calls on his ally,
King Mursili III of Hatti, for aid. Mursili arrives outside Babylon with the main Hittite
army in the spring of 539 BC, and a battle is fought in which King Kurush of Persia falls,
struck down by a Hittite arrow. The Persian army is scattered, and the siege of Babylon is
lifted. However, the Hittite/Babylonian forces also take heavy losses, and are too
exhausted to follow up with an invasion of Persia. Although no formal treaty is signed,
the war effectively ends.
539-532 BC--Civil War in Persia. The death of King Kurush II in battle outside Babylon
has thrown the Persian Empire into turmoil. The Medes, under a prince who claims
descent from King Cyaxares, revolt against the Persians. In addition, various factions
within the Achaemenid royal house vie for power. Finally, however, one of the sons of
King Kurush emerges victorious, and takes the throne as King Kambujiya (Cambyses) II.
Kambujiya will suppress the Medes, reorganize the Persian empire and armed forces, and
also re-orient the focus of Persian military efforts from the west to the east. In
furtherance of the latter of these, he concludes a treaty with Hatti and Babylon, officially
ending the war begun by his father in 540 BC.
535 BC--Carthage, with the Etruscans, destroys the Phocaean colony in Corsica and
closes Sardinia-Corsica off to the Greeks.
530 BC--Pythagoras founds Mathematics. Also in this year, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)
II of Persia launches the first of several invasions of India.
530-500 BC--Persian conquest of northern India. In yearly campaigns, King Kambujiya
(Cambyses) II of Persia and his successor, King Darayavahush (Darius) I, conquer most
of northern India, defeating the various native kings and incorporating their kingdoms
into the Persian Empire.
529 BC--Death of King Labashi Marduk of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as King Nebuchadnezzar III.
c. 527 BC--Prince Siddhartha Gautama is enlightened and becomes the Buddha, founding
a new religion.
525 BC--Death of Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Psamtik III.
c. 525 BC--The first Greek Tragedies are written. Among the writers are Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides.
523-522 BC--Civil War in the Persian Empire. In 523 BC, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)
II is killed in battle in India. Upon his demise, there is a struggle for the succession to the
Persian throne. Gaumata, a pretender who claims to be a son of King Kurush (Cyrus) II
named Smerdis who had actually been killed by Kambujiya some years earlier, assumes
the throne, but is disputed by another prince of the Achaemenid House, who finally
defeats Gautama in 522 BC and assumes the throne as King Darayavahush
(Greek--Darius) I.
521 BC--Death of King Mursili III of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, Hattusili Tesub
III. Hattusili Tesub III, who was a somewhat elderly man when he assumed the Kingship,
dies later that same year, and is succeeded by his grandson, Suhis Tesub III. Suhis Tesub
III’s father had been killed in a hunting accident shortly after Suhis Tesub was born, and
therefore the new King is a minor child at the time of his succession. A civil war breaks
out as one of the King’s cousins, Prince Talmi Tesub, contests his right to the throne.
521-519 BC--King Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon takes adantage of the chaos caused by
the civil war in Hatti to sieze the lands between the Harbur and Euphrates rivers. He lays
siege to the Hittite fortress city of Carchemish, but is unable to take the city. The new
Hittite King Talmi Tesub, upon ascending the throne, signs a treaty recognizing the
Babylonian title to the dispute region. Relations between Babylon and Hatti are never
again to be good.
519 BC--End of the civil war in Hatti. King Suhis Tesub III of Hatti is captured and put
to death (At the orders of Talmi Tesub, the unfortunate young king is castrated and
allowed to bleed out, symbolizing the end of the old dynasty), and Prince Talmi Tesub
usurps the throne, founding a new dynasty. The new king will reign as King Talmi Tesub
I.
512-510 BC--King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia declares war on King
Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon. Babylon’s army is defeated in battle by the Persians near
the city of Nippur, and the Persians take Babylon itself in 510 BC. Nebuchadnezzar III is
captured and put to death, and the Babylonian kingdom comes to an end, absorbed into
the Persian Empire.
510 BC--Athens joins the Peloponesean League, and the temple of Ceres at Paestum (in
Italy) is built. Also in this year, King Josiah II of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by
his son, Abiud.
509-485 BC--Period of sporadic warfare between Hatti and Persia. King Darayavahush
(Darius) I follows up his conquest of Babylon with an invasion of Hatti, but is defeated
near Carchemish in 509 BC. The Persian King, who is a devout Zoroastrian and
considers it his mission to conquer for the glory of Ahura Mazda, will not sign a treaty
with the Hittites, and a state of low-intensity warfare continues between the two
empires...with periodic Persian invasions of Hatti and Hittite counter-invasions of
Persia...for almost a quarter of a century, until Darayavahush finally dies in 485 BC.
Neither side gains much from these conflicts, which prove exhausting for both empires.
509 BC--Revolution in Rome. The last Etruscan King, Tarquinius Superbus, is expelled.
Founding of the Roman Republic.
508 BC--Attack on Rome by the Etruscan general Lars Porsena. Rome is able to
withstand the attack. Several Roman noblewomen, including Cloelia, swim the Tiber
River to escape from Lars Porsenna and his men.Â*Also in this year, the last of the Tyrants
is overthrown in Athens, and democracy is restored. Cleisthenes grants full rights to all
free men of Athens.
507 BC--First treaty between Carthage and Rome.
506 BC--A planned invasion of Rome by ousted King Tarquinius Superbus and an army
of Etruscans is defeated by the Latin League and Greeks lead by Aristodemos of Cumae
in a battle at Aricia. Also in this year, a Roman noble named Horatius Cocles stops an
invasion, when he bars the bridge into Rome. While he is defending the bridge, the
consuls Sp. Lartius and T. Herminius chop it down to prevent the enemy crossing.
Horatius swims, fully armored across the Tiber to safety.
505 BC--Death of King Talmi Tesub I of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Suppliluliuma IV. Also in this year, a temple to Apollo is built at Delphi.
501-498 BC--Revolt of the Greek cities in Ionia (coastal Asia Minor). The Greeks of
these cities call on their brethren in mainland Greece for aid. Only the city of Athens
responds. But even with Athenian aid, the Greek forces are no match for the military
power of the Great King of Hatti, and the revolt is crushed within three years.
Beginning of a period of conflict between Hatti and the Greek city states of mainland
Greece.
c. 500 BC--Celtic tribes begin moving into Britain.
Incredibly minor point.
Excellent, one note. You're a bit early on the Greek Tragedies. Aeschylus was born about 525 BC but didn't one his first prize for tragedy until he was 41.
robertp6165 said:
Excellent, one note. You're a bit early on the Greek Tragedies. Aeschylus was born about 525 BC but didn't one his first prize for tragedy until he was 41.
another great Installment Robert and the map was great as usual, I only have one question...I'f the Persians decide to conquer the subcontient of India that might put them in place with relations with the city-states of china which shall have an more drastic consequences than in OTL? Will The Hittite empire continue to expand into Central Asia or even Russia?
Phaeton said:
That is very possible. However, there are some rather formidable geographic barriers they would have to surmount before that happened, and China right now is in decline and on the verge of the beginning of the Warring States period. So they are not going to be expanding outward to meet the Persians anytime soon.
Phaeton said:
They are going to be busy with the Persians and Greeks for a while. And Egypt is still there to make trouble too. In order for them to survive, they are going to have to take at least one of these out in the next century...I haven't decided who just yet.
Robert....could you possibly add this to your Last Installment.
The Californian archeologist Dr.Jeannine Davis-Kimball in 1994/95 examined at the Kazakh border near the town of Pokrovka in southern Russia 50 burial mounds.
They contained the sceletons of women, buried together with weapons and suggest that the tales told by the Greek may have a real background.
Nomades, known as Sauromates, buried their dead at this site from about 600 b.Chr. After about 400 b.Chr. the burial mounds of Pokrovka were used by Sarmates, another nomad tribe, possibly related to the Sauromates.
Generally here females were buried with a wider variety and larger quantity of artifacts than males, and seven female graves contained iron swords or daggers, bronce arrowheads, and whetstones to sharpen the weapons. Other women were buried with sacral or household items apparently according to their occupation at their lifetime.
Some scholars have argued that weapons found in female burials served a purely ritual purpose, but the bones tell a different story. The bowed leg bones of one 13 to 14-year-old girl attest a life on horseback, and a bent arrowhead found in the body cavity of another woman suggest that she had been killed in battle.
Archaeological research into the existence of the Amazons is only a recent phenomena. For years the Amazons were thought of as a purely mythological phenomena with little backing in scientific evidence. It was not until quite recently (within the mid-90's) that excavations in the Altai mountain range of Mongolia, that actual hard evidence surfaced which could possible relate to the Amazons (the research is continually on-going, please visit the Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads for more information and current excavations). In 1993, Natalia Polosmak set out for the Ukok Plateau, precariously located where four countries, China, Russia, Kazikstan, and Mongolia, meet. Polosmak and her team of archaeologists set out to unearth a kurgan, a burial structure of an ancient peoples known as the Pazyryk. When the excavation of the kurgan concluded, Polosomak and her team had found the remains of an ancient Pazyryk woman. The unearthed Pazyryk woman was tall, 5'7", deliberately mummified, had elaborate tattoo's on her amazingly well preserved skin, was surrounded by numerous burial goods including an extremely long feathered head piece, and was buried in a coffin carved from an entire larch tree. The find was dated to around the 5th century BC, around the time of Herodotus.
(Migration map of the Scythians from the Altai Mountain region)
Polosomak's find is commonly referred to as the 'Siberian ice maiden', and is only one find of many which has added to a continuum of information about the Eurasian nomads since the time of ancient Greece. Following Polosomak's discovery, other unearthed kurgans have had similar finds, mummified bodies with elaborate tattoos, some buried with horses, and in some instances, women and men buried with weapons, which obviously were not for ornamental purposes. Some of the mummified bodies show signs of being bow-legged, indicative of a life led on horseback. Other bodies show wear from battle wounds or similar disputes. Such finds indicate several things, that life within the Eurasian steppes during the 5th century was difficult, and that the tribe to which the ice-maiden belonged was nomadic, traveled a great deal, and held the status of women greatly.
Although further evidence remains to be found, theories have circulated that the ice maiden and her tribe were in fact a part of a nomadic tribe known as the Scythians. The Scythians settled into the northern part of modern day Turkey and the Black Sea region during the 7th century BC and continued their occupation of that territory well into the 5th century BC. The Scythians had an extensive artistic tradition, and a knowledge of the equestrian arts. Similarities do exist between the artistic style and lifestyles of the ice maiden, and the Scythian peoples. According to numerous sources, the Scythians originally came from the Altai mountain region of Eurasia.
According to Herodotus the Scythians incorporated the Amazons into their tribe. According to Greek myth the Amazons existed as a completely autonomous tribe. The obvious questions thus follow: were the Amazons actually Scythian women who fought alongside the men, were they a branch off the original Scythian tribe who chose to live by the tenets ascribed to them by classical Greek myth, or did they just exist as an extended myth influenced by the high status the Scythians attributed to women? These questions cannot be entirely ascertained from present archaeological evidence. Certainly the Scythians held the status of women to a high degree, and burials have been found where women show actual signs of being in battle or of leading a tough life, but were these women the actual Amazons of Greek mythology?
The Californian archeologist Dr.Jeannine Davis-Kimball in 1994/95 examined at the Kazakh border near the town of Pokrovka in southern Russia 50 burial mounds.
They contained the sceletons of women, buried together with weapons and suggest that the tales told by the Greek may have a real background.
Nomades, known as Sauromates, buried their dead at this site from about 600 b.Chr. After about 400 b.Chr. the burial mounds of Pokrovka were used by Sarmates, another nomad tribe, possibly related to the Sauromates.
Generally here females were buried with a wider variety and larger quantity of artifacts than males, and seven female graves contained iron swords or daggers, bronce arrowheads, and whetstones to sharpen the weapons. Other women were buried with sacral or household items apparently according to their occupation at their lifetime.
Some scholars have argued that weapons found in female burials served a purely ritual purpose, but the bones tell a different story. The bowed leg bones of one 13 to 14-year-old girl attest a life on horseback, and a bent arrowhead found in the body cavity of another woman suggest that she had been killed in battle.
Archaeological research into the existence of the Amazons is only a recent phenomena. For years the Amazons were thought of as a purely mythological phenomena with little backing in scientific evidence. It was not until quite recently (within the mid-90's) that excavations in the Altai mountain range of Mongolia, that actual hard evidence surfaced which could possible relate to the Amazons (the research is continually on-going, please visit the Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads for more information and current excavations). In 1993, Natalia Polosmak set out for the Ukok Plateau, precariously located where four countries, China, Russia, Kazikstan, and Mongolia, meet. Polosmak and her team of archaeologists set out to unearth a kurgan, a burial structure of an ancient peoples known as the Pazyryk. When the excavation of the kurgan concluded, Polosomak and her team had found the remains of an ancient Pazyryk woman. The unearthed Pazyryk woman was tall, 5'7", deliberately mummified, had elaborate tattoo's on her amazingly well preserved skin, was surrounded by numerous burial goods including an extremely long feathered head piece, and was buried in a coffin carved from an entire larch tree. The find was dated to around the 5th century BC, around the time of Herodotus.
(Migration map of the Scythians from the Altai Mountain region)
Polosomak's find is commonly referred to as the 'Siberian ice maiden', and is only one find of many which has added to a continuum of information about the Eurasian nomads since the time of ancient Greece. Following Polosomak's discovery, other unearthed kurgans have had similar finds, mummified bodies with elaborate tattoos, some buried with horses, and in some instances, women and men buried with weapons, which obviously were not for ornamental purposes. Some of the mummified bodies show signs of being bow-legged, indicative of a life led on horseback. Other bodies show wear from battle wounds or similar disputes. Such finds indicate several things, that life within the Eurasian steppes during the 5th century was difficult, and that the tribe to which the ice-maiden belonged was nomadic, traveled a great deal, and held the status of women greatly.
Although further evidence remains to be found, theories have circulated that the ice maiden and her tribe were in fact a part of a nomadic tribe known as the Scythians. The Scythians settled into the northern part of modern day Turkey and the Black Sea region during the 7th century BC and continued their occupation of that territory well into the 5th century BC. The Scythians had an extensive artistic tradition, and a knowledge of the equestrian arts. Similarities do exist between the artistic style and lifestyles of the ice maiden, and the Scythian peoples. According to numerous sources, the Scythians originally came from the Altai mountain region of Eurasia.
According to Herodotus the Scythians incorporated the Amazons into their tribe. According to Greek myth the Amazons existed as a completely autonomous tribe. The obvious questions thus follow: were the Amazons actually Scythian women who fought alongside the men, were they a branch off the original Scythian tribe who chose to live by the tenets ascribed to them by classical Greek myth, or did they just exist as an extended myth influenced by the high status the Scythians attributed to women? These questions cannot be entirely ascertained from present archaeological evidence. Certainly the Scythians held the status of women to a high degree, and burials have been found where women show actual signs of being in battle or of leading a tough life, but were these women the actual Amazons of Greek mythology?
The Hittites adopted many of the gods of the Sumerians and Old Babylonians. The odd thing about the Hittites, though, is that they seemed to have recognized that all gods were legitimate gods. Whenever they conquered a people, they adopted that people's gods into their religious system, in much the same way the uji , or clans, in early Japan would adopt the gods of rival uji when they had conquered them. As far as history is concerned, this has tremendous consequences for the history of the Hebrews. The Assyrians seem to have adopted the same tolerance towards other religions, which allowed the Jewish faith to persist after the Jewish state was decimated by the Assyrians. And the Assyrians seem to have adopted the same tendency to adopt the gods of conquered people, so the Assyrian conquerors of Palestine adopted the Hebrew god, Yahweh, into their religion. This eventually led to the only major religious schism in Hebrew history, the schism between Jews and Samaritans (there are still Samaritans alive today).
Is this still relevant in your TL ?, and I'f annyone is intrestined in The Hittite civilization...here is an great site to visit http://ragz-international.com/hittites.htm
Is this still relevant in your TL ?, and I'f annyone is intrestined in The Hittite civilization...here is an great site to visit http://ragz-international.com/hittites.htm
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THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE, 500-400 BC
THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE, 500-400 BC
c. 500 BC--Celtic tribes begin moving into Britain.
498 B.C.--Athens at war with Aegina. Also in this year, Hippocrates and Theron seize
control in Syracuse and attempt to throw the Phoenicians off the western part of the
island. They are unsuccessful, once again.
494 B.C.--The First Secession of the Plebeians in Rome takes place. Creation of the
tribunes of the plebs, two of whom are elected annually. Creation of the office of aedile
for the plebeians of Rome, held by two men.
489 B.C.--Death of King Cleomenes of Sparta.
487 BC--Death of King Abiud of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as
King Eliakim II.
485 BC--Death of King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,
Xshayarsha (Greek--Xerxes) I. Xshayarsha, who wants to concentrate on continuing the
conquest of the Indian subcontinent, shortly afterward concludes a treaty with King
Suppiluliuma IV of Hatti, ending the decades-long war between the two empires.
481 BC--Athens, Sparta, and other Greek cities form the Hellenic League against Hatti.
480 BC--A Carthaginian force under Hamilcar the Magonid is defeated by Sicilian
Greeks at Himera cutting off Carthaginian access to the East. Hamilcar commits suicide
on the battlefield. In the wake of this defeat a revolution overthrows the Magonid
dynasty and establishes the Court of 104 Magistrates. Beginning of the Carthaginian
Republic. Also in this year, King Suppiluliuma IV of Hatti dies, and is succeeded by
Telepinu III.
480 BC onward--King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia and his successor, Artaxshassa
(Greek--Artazerxes) I, wage war on the Tamil states in southern India. The Persians
encounter great difficulties in the mountainous, jungle-choked terrain. But by the end of
the century, the entire Indian subcontinent will be under Persian control. Persian trading
ships begin traveling to the city states of the Indonesian archipelago and, eventually, to
the coastal cities of China, bringing back spices, silk, fine Chinese pottery and bronze
work, and Persia is greatly enriched by these contacts.
480-477 BC--Hittite campaign against Greece. With the ending of the war with Persia in
485 BC, the Great King of Hatti can now turn his attention to the troublesome Greeks to
the west of his realm. Ever since the Ionian revolt of two decades ago, Hatti has been
engaged in low-intensity warfare with the Greek city-states of the Greek mainland,
especially Athens. Most of this conflict has been in the form of naval encounters in the
Aegean, with neither side gaining much advantage. In 480 BC, the new King of Hatti,
Telepinu III, decides to take a more active stance against “Greek Piracy†in the Aegean,
and begins making preparations for an invasion. Telepinu sends envoys to the various
Greek city states, as well as to the kings of the Thracian tribes and of Macedon,
demanding submission. The Thracians chieftains and King Alexander I of Macedon, as
well as many Greek cities, submit, but the most powerful (cities such as Athens, Sparta,
and Corinth) do not. These cities, along with many others, form the Hellenic League to
resist Hatti. In 478 BC, the Hittites land a large force in Thrace, and march through
Thrace and Macedon into northern Greece. The Greek allies attempt a defense at the
Pass of Thermopylae, where the Hittite advantage in cavalry will be neutralized.
However, the Hittite heavy infantry is as good as anything the Greeks have, there are a
LOT more of them, and they are supported by a large force of archers, which the Greeks
lack. The Greeks are forced to abandon the pass. The Hittites pursue, and manage to
bring the Greeks to battle again on an open plain near the city of Plataea. The Hittites
rout the Greek forces, killing King Leonidas of Sparta (who was in command of the
Greek forces) and the Athenian general Miltiades (who was second in command of the
combined force). The Hittites then advance into Attica and lay siege to Athens.
However, the Hittites then suffer two major disasters. First, the Greek fleet defeats that
of the Hittites near the island of Salamis, making resupply of the Hittite army very
problematic while opening up the supply route for the defenders of Athens. And then in
early 477 BC, a plague breaks out which decimates the Hittite force. One of the
casualties of this plague is none other than King Telepinu III of Hatti. His successor,
King Muwatalli IV, decides to abandon the siege and withdraw his army from Greece.
This he manages to do, although his army is harassed by the Greeks during it’s retreat
north through Macedon and Thrace, before the end of 477 BC.
479-450 BC--Re-buffed in Sicily, Carthage focuses on Africa, conquering most of what is
now Tunisia. Colonies in North Africa founded or strengthened. Mago's expedition
crosses the Sahara.
477 BC--Representatives from the Greek city-states of Asia Minor and the islands
scattered throughout the Aegean Sea, meet on the island of Delos—a sacred island
associated with the cult of Apollo—to discuss an alliance with the Athenians. They swear
oaths of alliance to each other and to Athens; thus is born the Delian League. This new
league has several purposes besides defense; one of these is to wage a military campaign
against the Hittites to free those Greek cities that are still under the control of Hatti.
Although Athens is the leader of the League, each city-state has one vote—the League is
essentially a democratic alliance between equals. Also in this year, King Telepinu III of
Hatti dies, and is succeeded by his son, who reigns as Muwatalli IV.
477-450 BC--Wars of the Delian League against Hatti. Although the Kings of Hatti will
not attempt another invasion of Greece itself, they are successfully able to defend their
possessions in Asia Minor against the forces of the Delian League. But the war is
damaging and costly for both sides. Finally, in 450 BC, the Great King of Hatti offers to
grant limited self-government to the Greek cities of the Anatolian coast, in exchange for
an end to the war. Pericles of Athens, leader of the Delian League, sees that the Greeks
won’t get a better deal without unacceptable costs, and agrees. A treaty is signed which
ends the war between the Hittites and the Greeks.
475 BC--Death of King Eliakim II of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as King Azor.
c. 475 BC--Beginning of the Period of the Warring States in China. Since 1122 BC, the
Emperors of the Chou (Zhou) Dynasty have maintained a loose hegemony over the
various city-states which comprise China. But this has been weakening for some time,
and several large and powerful states have arisen, including Chin (Qin), Chi (Qi), Chu,
Yan, Han, Chao (Zhao), and Wei (Wu). All of these have recognized the legal hegemony
of the Chou Emperor, while doing pretty much as they please. By 475 BC, however, the
last pretense is thrown off, and the authority of the Chou Emperor is confined to his own
small and insignificant kingdom in central China. Over the next couple of centuries, the
new states will war against each other, and the more powerful will gradually absorb the
weak. In the end, there can be only one...
472 BC--Carystus, a town on the island of Euboea, is forced into the Delian League. This
is the first time a Greek state has been forced into the League against it's will, establishing
a dangerous precedent.
469 BC--The island of Naxos tries to secede from the Delian League. It is invaded and
captured by League forces, who force it back into the alliance. Thus another dangerous
precedent is established which will lead, eventually, to the transformation of the League
into the Athenian Empire.
465 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia. He is succeeded by Artaxshassa
(Greek--Artaxerxes) I. Artaxshassa continues his father’s policies, focusing his military
efforts on southern India, while maintaining peace with the states to the west.
461-451 BC--First Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Sparta is jealous of
the power Athens has amassed as leader of the Delian League, and declares war. The war
lasts a decade, is indecisive, and a peace is agreed to in 451 BC.
461 BC--Pericles comes to power in Athens. His rule will become known as Athens'
Golden Age. Also in this year, King Azor of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by his
son, who reigns as King Zadok. King Zadok will prove to be a disastrous ruler for the
Hebrews, as he has pretensions of restoring the complete independence of the Hebrews
and re-establishing the Hebrews as a great power. In furtherance of these goals, he begins
intriguing with the Pharaoh of Egypt against his overlord, the Great King of Hatti.
458 BC--King Muwatalli IV dies, and is succeeded by his son Ini Tesub. Ini Tesub dies
later that same year in an outbreak of plague which is ravaging the Hittite capital, and is
succeeded by his son, who reigns as Talmi Tesub II. Within weeks after ascending the
throne, however, Talmi Tesub himself falls victim to the plague, and is succeeded by his
young son, who reigns as King Ura Tarhundas III. However, since the new King is still a
minor, his uncle actually rules as regent for the first years of his reign.
458-450 BC--Period of relative instability and weakness in the Hittite Empire. The
regent, one Labarnash, is a poor ruler, and revolts break out in several regions of the
empire which take several years to put down.
458 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho III. He is succeeded by Psamtik IV. However,
Psamtik IV also dies later this year, and is succeeded by Ahmosi III.
457-455 BC--In 457 BC, King Zadok of the Hebrews makes an alliance with Pharaoh
Ahmosi III of Egypt, and declares the treaty between his kingdom and the Great King of
Hatti (who has been, for some time, more of an overlord than an ally, exacting annual
tribute from the Hebrews) to be null and void. The Hittites, being caught up in problems
of their own, do not respond. But Zadok soon finds that he has made a poor choice of
allies. In 456 BC, Pharaoh Ahmosi betrays his newfound ally, and the Egyptian army
invades the Hebrew Kingdom. The Hebrew army is defeated near Gaza, and King Zadok
is killed in the fighting. The Egyptians lay siege to Jerusalem, which falls the next year.
The Egyptians burn and loot the Temple of Solomon, and carry off much of the Hebrew
upper class population, including the royal family, to exile in Egypt. The Hebrew
Kingdom ceases to exist, and the territory is absorbed by Egypt.
454 BC--The Treasury of the Delian League, which had, up to this time, been kept on the
holy island of Delos, is moved to Athens, signifying the transition of the League from a
voluntary association of Greek States lead by Athens, to an empire ruled by Athens.
450 BC--The Law of the Twelve Tables is established in Rome. Also in this year, King
Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti comes of age, and takes over the reigns of government.
Fortunately for Hatti, Ura Tarhundas is everything his uncle, regent Labarnash, was not...a
strong and charismatic leader, and a gifted military commander. He quickly sets the
Hittite house in order, quelling the simmering revolts which have been festering
throughout the empire for the past five years.
c. 450 BC--At around this time, Herodotus writes the first-ever non-theological history,
and Hippocrates establishes the foundations of modern medicine. Also at about this time,
Celtic tribes reach Spain.
448-442 BC--War between Hatti and Egypt. Pharaoh Ahmosi III of Egypt follows up his
conquest of the Hebrews with an invasion of Syria, determined to restore Egypt to the full
limits of its ancient empire. However, King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti defeats the
Egyptians near Damascus, and follows up with an invasion of Egypt itself the following
year. By 442 BC, the Hittites have established control over Lower Egypt (the Delta
region). Pharaoh Ahmosi III is captured and executed, but his son, Crown Prince
Psamtik, escapes to Thebes, where he wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt as Pharaoh
Psamtik V, and continues the war against Hatti. King Ura Tarhundas of Hatti allows the
exiled Hebrews to return to their homeland and to rebuild their temple...but does not
restore the land to its former independent status. The land of Israel becomes a province
of the Hittite Empire. King Ura Tarhundas also formally annexes the Phoenician city
states at this time.
c. 440 BC onward--The Hebrews are rebuilding their Temple, but major changes have
taken place in the Hebrew religion during the fifteen years of the “Egyptian Captivity.â€
The loss of the Temple, and the centralized worship it represented, has lead to an early
form of rabbinic synagogue worship becoming the norm among the Hebrews (both
among the Exiles and those who remained in the Land of Israel). The restoration of the
Temple will not change this. The two will operate, side by side and in competition with
each other, for centuries to come. Gradually, a split will develop among the Hebrews
between those who favor the Temple Priests and those who favor the Rabbis. This will
have profound effects later on.
441 BC--Death of King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti in battle against the forces of Pharaoh
Psamtik V of Upper Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Urhi Tesub I.
Urhi Tesub, unlike his father, is not a great leader, and the empire suffers during his
reign. But fortunately for Hatti, he will reign for only six years.
440-432 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik V of Upper Egypt, taking advantage of the weakness of
the new Hittite King, manages to expel the Hittite garrisons from Lower Egypt. He will
reign, unmolested, as Pharaoh of a united Egypt for several years. But the situation will
not last.
438 BC--With funds taken from the treasury of the Delian League, Pericles begins
construction of the Parthenon in Athens.
437-426 BC--The Fidenaean War between Rome and the city of Fidenae. Rome is
victorious. This marks the beginning of Roman expansion in Italy.
435 BC--Death of King Urhi Tesub I of Hatti. He dies childless, and is succeeded by his
brother, who reigns as King Warpalawa I. Warpalawa is a virtual carbon copy of his
great father, King Ura Tarhundas III, and Hatti is blessed by another strong King.
Warpalawa will have a very long and successful reign.
432 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik V of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Pharaoh Psamtik VI.
431-404 BC--Second Peloponnesian War between the Peloponnesian League (Sparta and
allies) and the Delian League (Athens and subject states). Sparta is heavily financed by
Hatti, whose kings have maintained their enmity for Athens, even though the war
between them ended two decades ago.
430-415 BC--Hittite conquest of Egypt. In 430 BC, King Warpalawa I of Hatti invades
Egypt, intending to re-establish Hittite control there and end, once and for all, the
Egyptian threat to his southern border. In a campaign lasting fifteen years, Hittite forces
establish control over the land of Egypt. Pharaoh Psamtik VI is captured and executed in
415 BC, and his son, Crown Prince Necho, flees to the court of King Amanineteyerike of
Kush. With the death of the Pharaoh, the last vestiges of Egyptian resistance collapse, and
Egypt is incorporated as a province of the Hittite Empire.
429 BC--Pericles dies in an outbreak of plague in Athens. No leader of his caliber will
arise to replace him, and this is a major factor in the final defeat of Athens in the war with
Sparta.
424 BC--Death of King Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) I. He is succeeded by Xshayarsha
(Xerxes) II. Xshayarsha will be a somewhat weak ruler, and will focus on internal matters
rather than foreign expansion during his reign.
415 BC--Athens attempts to capture Syracuse in Sicily, but fails. This is the beginning of
the long road to final defeat in the Peloponnesian Wars.
410 BC--Phoenicians in Hispania join with Celtiberians to secede from Carthage, denying
the state important silver and copper revenues. Overland tin trade is cut off. Also at this
time, Himilco's expeditions in the Atlantic and Hanno's expeditions to Morocco and
Senegal take place.
409 BC--Carthage initiates attempts to conquer Sicily. Hannibal, grandson of Hamilcar,
takes the fortified towns of Selinus and Himera by use of siege towers.
406-396 BC--Rome conquers the Etruscan city of Veii.
405 BC--Hannibal Mago and hundreds of troops die in epidemic outside the fortified
town of Acragas. Himilco, his relative, takes over command, but is defeated by a force
out of Syracuse, and has his route of supply disrupted in naval action. Syracusan forces
strengthen the garrison. A Carthaginian squadron breaks through Greek blockade—the
besieged escape under cover of night, Punic forces collect spoils. Later that year, Himilco
takes town of Gela, defeating a Syracusan force, and then takes town of Camarina.
Finally, Himilco marches on Syracuse itself, but his army is laid low by epidemic, and
Himilco seeks peace. By the terms of the treaty, Syracuse grants control of most of Sicily
and must pay tribute to Carthage. The treaty confirms Dionysius I as dictator (tyrannos) of
Syracuse. First Sicilian War concluded.
404 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) II of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,
Darayavahush (Darius) II. His brother, Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes), revolts against him,
however, and Darayavahush is overthrown later that same year. His brother takes the
throne as Artaxshassa II. Also in this year, Sparta and it’s allies force the surrender of
Athens, ending the Second Peloponnesian War. After the Athenian defeat, the Athenian
democracy is replaced by an Oligarchy called The Thirty Tyrants.
403 BC--The Thirty Tyrants are overthrown in Athens. Restoration of the
democracy. Also in this year, King Warpalawa I “Egypt Smiter†of Hatti dies, and is
succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Arnuwanda V.
401 BC--Kurush (Cyrus), younger brother of King Artaxshassa II of Persia, revolts and
attempts to usurp the throne, but is defeated. However, in contrast to OTL, Xenophon
and the 10,000 predominently Athenian Greek mercenaries are not with him. They have,
instead, found employment in the armies of Hatti.
c. 400 BC--Aristophanes is writing the world's first comedic plays. Also at about this
time, Celtic tribes cross the Alps and settle in northern Italy. They displace the Etruscans
from the Po River valley, which hereafter is known as Gallia Cisalpina.
THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE, 500-400 BC
c. 500 BC--Celtic tribes begin moving into Britain.
498 B.C.--Athens at war with Aegina. Also in this year, Hippocrates and Theron seize
control in Syracuse and attempt to throw the Phoenicians off the western part of the
island. They are unsuccessful, once again.
494 B.C.--The First Secession of the Plebeians in Rome takes place. Creation of the
tribunes of the plebs, two of whom are elected annually. Creation of the office of aedile
for the plebeians of Rome, held by two men.
489 B.C.--Death of King Cleomenes of Sparta.
487 BC--Death of King Abiud of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as
King Eliakim II.
485 BC--Death of King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,
Xshayarsha (Greek--Xerxes) I. Xshayarsha, who wants to concentrate on continuing the
conquest of the Indian subcontinent, shortly afterward concludes a treaty with King
Suppiluliuma IV of Hatti, ending the decades-long war between the two empires.
481 BC--Athens, Sparta, and other Greek cities form the Hellenic League against Hatti.
480 BC--A Carthaginian force under Hamilcar the Magonid is defeated by Sicilian
Greeks at Himera cutting off Carthaginian access to the East. Hamilcar commits suicide
on the battlefield. In the wake of this defeat a revolution overthrows the Magonid
dynasty and establishes the Court of 104 Magistrates. Beginning of the Carthaginian
Republic. Also in this year, King Suppiluliuma IV of Hatti dies, and is succeeded by
Telepinu III.
480 BC onward--King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia and his successor, Artaxshassa
(Greek--Artazerxes) I, wage war on the Tamil states in southern India. The Persians
encounter great difficulties in the mountainous, jungle-choked terrain. But by the end of
the century, the entire Indian subcontinent will be under Persian control. Persian trading
ships begin traveling to the city states of the Indonesian archipelago and, eventually, to
the coastal cities of China, bringing back spices, silk, fine Chinese pottery and bronze
work, and Persia is greatly enriched by these contacts.
480-477 BC--Hittite campaign against Greece. With the ending of the war with Persia in
485 BC, the Great King of Hatti can now turn his attention to the troublesome Greeks to
the west of his realm. Ever since the Ionian revolt of two decades ago, Hatti has been
engaged in low-intensity warfare with the Greek city-states of the Greek mainland,
especially Athens. Most of this conflict has been in the form of naval encounters in the
Aegean, with neither side gaining much advantage. In 480 BC, the new King of Hatti,
Telepinu III, decides to take a more active stance against “Greek Piracy†in the Aegean,
and begins making preparations for an invasion. Telepinu sends envoys to the various
Greek city states, as well as to the kings of the Thracian tribes and of Macedon,
demanding submission. The Thracians chieftains and King Alexander I of Macedon, as
well as many Greek cities, submit, but the most powerful (cities such as Athens, Sparta,
and Corinth) do not. These cities, along with many others, form the Hellenic League to
resist Hatti. In 478 BC, the Hittites land a large force in Thrace, and march through
Thrace and Macedon into northern Greece. The Greek allies attempt a defense at the
Pass of Thermopylae, where the Hittite advantage in cavalry will be neutralized.
However, the Hittite heavy infantry is as good as anything the Greeks have, there are a
LOT more of them, and they are supported by a large force of archers, which the Greeks
lack. The Greeks are forced to abandon the pass. The Hittites pursue, and manage to
bring the Greeks to battle again on an open plain near the city of Plataea. The Hittites
rout the Greek forces, killing King Leonidas of Sparta (who was in command of the
Greek forces) and the Athenian general Miltiades (who was second in command of the
combined force). The Hittites then advance into Attica and lay siege to Athens.
However, the Hittites then suffer two major disasters. First, the Greek fleet defeats that
of the Hittites near the island of Salamis, making resupply of the Hittite army very
problematic while opening up the supply route for the defenders of Athens. And then in
early 477 BC, a plague breaks out which decimates the Hittite force. One of the
casualties of this plague is none other than King Telepinu III of Hatti. His successor,
King Muwatalli IV, decides to abandon the siege and withdraw his army from Greece.
This he manages to do, although his army is harassed by the Greeks during it’s retreat
north through Macedon and Thrace, before the end of 477 BC.
479-450 BC--Re-buffed in Sicily, Carthage focuses on Africa, conquering most of what is
now Tunisia. Colonies in North Africa founded or strengthened. Mago's expedition
crosses the Sahara.
477 BC--Representatives from the Greek city-states of Asia Minor and the islands
scattered throughout the Aegean Sea, meet on the island of Delos—a sacred island
associated with the cult of Apollo—to discuss an alliance with the Athenians. They swear
oaths of alliance to each other and to Athens; thus is born the Delian League. This new
league has several purposes besides defense; one of these is to wage a military campaign
against the Hittites to free those Greek cities that are still under the control of Hatti.
Although Athens is the leader of the League, each city-state has one vote—the League is
essentially a democratic alliance between equals. Also in this year, King Telepinu III of
Hatti dies, and is succeeded by his son, who reigns as Muwatalli IV.
477-450 BC--Wars of the Delian League against Hatti. Although the Kings of Hatti will
not attempt another invasion of Greece itself, they are successfully able to defend their
possessions in Asia Minor against the forces of the Delian League. But the war is
damaging and costly for both sides. Finally, in 450 BC, the Great King of Hatti offers to
grant limited self-government to the Greek cities of the Anatolian coast, in exchange for
an end to the war. Pericles of Athens, leader of the Delian League, sees that the Greeks
won’t get a better deal without unacceptable costs, and agrees. A treaty is signed which
ends the war between the Hittites and the Greeks.
475 BC--Death of King Eliakim II of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who
reigns as King Azor.
c. 475 BC--Beginning of the Period of the Warring States in China. Since 1122 BC, the
Emperors of the Chou (Zhou) Dynasty have maintained a loose hegemony over the
various city-states which comprise China. But this has been weakening for some time,
and several large and powerful states have arisen, including Chin (Qin), Chi (Qi), Chu,
Yan, Han, Chao (Zhao), and Wei (Wu). All of these have recognized the legal hegemony
of the Chou Emperor, while doing pretty much as they please. By 475 BC, however, the
last pretense is thrown off, and the authority of the Chou Emperor is confined to his own
small and insignificant kingdom in central China. Over the next couple of centuries, the
new states will war against each other, and the more powerful will gradually absorb the
weak. In the end, there can be only one...
472 BC--Carystus, a town on the island of Euboea, is forced into the Delian League. This
is the first time a Greek state has been forced into the League against it's will, establishing
a dangerous precedent.
469 BC--The island of Naxos tries to secede from the Delian League. It is invaded and
captured by League forces, who force it back into the alliance. Thus another dangerous
precedent is established which will lead, eventually, to the transformation of the League
into the Athenian Empire.
465 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia. He is succeeded by Artaxshassa
(Greek--Artaxerxes) I. Artaxshassa continues his father’s policies, focusing his military
efforts on southern India, while maintaining peace with the states to the west.
461-451 BC--First Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Sparta is jealous of
the power Athens has amassed as leader of the Delian League, and declares war. The war
lasts a decade, is indecisive, and a peace is agreed to in 451 BC.
461 BC--Pericles comes to power in Athens. His rule will become known as Athens'
Golden Age. Also in this year, King Azor of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by his
son, who reigns as King Zadok. King Zadok will prove to be a disastrous ruler for the
Hebrews, as he has pretensions of restoring the complete independence of the Hebrews
and re-establishing the Hebrews as a great power. In furtherance of these goals, he begins
intriguing with the Pharaoh of Egypt against his overlord, the Great King of Hatti.
458 BC--King Muwatalli IV dies, and is succeeded by his son Ini Tesub. Ini Tesub dies
later that same year in an outbreak of plague which is ravaging the Hittite capital, and is
succeeded by his son, who reigns as Talmi Tesub II. Within weeks after ascending the
throne, however, Talmi Tesub himself falls victim to the plague, and is succeeded by his
young son, who reigns as King Ura Tarhundas III. However, since the new King is still a
minor, his uncle actually rules as regent for the first years of his reign.
458-450 BC--Period of relative instability and weakness in the Hittite Empire. The
regent, one Labarnash, is a poor ruler, and revolts break out in several regions of the
empire which take several years to put down.
458 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho III. He is succeeded by Psamtik IV. However,
Psamtik IV also dies later this year, and is succeeded by Ahmosi III.
457-455 BC--In 457 BC, King Zadok of the Hebrews makes an alliance with Pharaoh
Ahmosi III of Egypt, and declares the treaty between his kingdom and the Great King of
Hatti (who has been, for some time, more of an overlord than an ally, exacting annual
tribute from the Hebrews) to be null and void. The Hittites, being caught up in problems
of their own, do not respond. But Zadok soon finds that he has made a poor choice of
allies. In 456 BC, Pharaoh Ahmosi betrays his newfound ally, and the Egyptian army
invades the Hebrew Kingdom. The Hebrew army is defeated near Gaza, and King Zadok
is killed in the fighting. The Egyptians lay siege to Jerusalem, which falls the next year.
The Egyptians burn and loot the Temple of Solomon, and carry off much of the Hebrew
upper class population, including the royal family, to exile in Egypt. The Hebrew
Kingdom ceases to exist, and the territory is absorbed by Egypt.
454 BC--The Treasury of the Delian League, which had, up to this time, been kept on the
holy island of Delos, is moved to Athens, signifying the transition of the League from a
voluntary association of Greek States lead by Athens, to an empire ruled by Athens.
450 BC--The Law of the Twelve Tables is established in Rome. Also in this year, King
Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti comes of age, and takes over the reigns of government.
Fortunately for Hatti, Ura Tarhundas is everything his uncle, regent Labarnash, was not...a
strong and charismatic leader, and a gifted military commander. He quickly sets the
Hittite house in order, quelling the simmering revolts which have been festering
throughout the empire for the past five years.
c. 450 BC--At around this time, Herodotus writes the first-ever non-theological history,
and Hippocrates establishes the foundations of modern medicine. Also at about this time,
Celtic tribes reach Spain.
448-442 BC--War between Hatti and Egypt. Pharaoh Ahmosi III of Egypt follows up his
conquest of the Hebrews with an invasion of Syria, determined to restore Egypt to the full
limits of its ancient empire. However, King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti defeats the
Egyptians near Damascus, and follows up with an invasion of Egypt itself the following
year. By 442 BC, the Hittites have established control over Lower Egypt (the Delta
region). Pharaoh Ahmosi III is captured and executed, but his son, Crown Prince
Psamtik, escapes to Thebes, where he wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt as Pharaoh
Psamtik V, and continues the war against Hatti. King Ura Tarhundas of Hatti allows the
exiled Hebrews to return to their homeland and to rebuild their temple...but does not
restore the land to its former independent status. The land of Israel becomes a province
of the Hittite Empire. King Ura Tarhundas also formally annexes the Phoenician city
states at this time.
c. 440 BC onward--The Hebrews are rebuilding their Temple, but major changes have
taken place in the Hebrew religion during the fifteen years of the “Egyptian Captivity.â€
The loss of the Temple, and the centralized worship it represented, has lead to an early
form of rabbinic synagogue worship becoming the norm among the Hebrews (both
among the Exiles and those who remained in the Land of Israel). The restoration of the
Temple will not change this. The two will operate, side by side and in competition with
each other, for centuries to come. Gradually, a split will develop among the Hebrews
between those who favor the Temple Priests and those who favor the Rabbis. This will
have profound effects later on.
441 BC--Death of King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti in battle against the forces of Pharaoh
Psamtik V of Upper Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Urhi Tesub I.
Urhi Tesub, unlike his father, is not a great leader, and the empire suffers during his
reign. But fortunately for Hatti, he will reign for only six years.
440-432 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik V of Upper Egypt, taking advantage of the weakness of
the new Hittite King, manages to expel the Hittite garrisons from Lower Egypt. He will
reign, unmolested, as Pharaoh of a united Egypt for several years. But the situation will
not last.
438 BC--With funds taken from the treasury of the Delian League, Pericles begins
construction of the Parthenon in Athens.
437-426 BC--The Fidenaean War between Rome and the city of Fidenae. Rome is
victorious. This marks the beginning of Roman expansion in Italy.
435 BC--Death of King Urhi Tesub I of Hatti. He dies childless, and is succeeded by his
brother, who reigns as King Warpalawa I. Warpalawa is a virtual carbon copy of his
great father, King Ura Tarhundas III, and Hatti is blessed by another strong King.
Warpalawa will have a very long and successful reign.
432 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik V of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as Pharaoh Psamtik VI.
431-404 BC--Second Peloponnesian War between the Peloponnesian League (Sparta and
allies) and the Delian League (Athens and subject states). Sparta is heavily financed by
Hatti, whose kings have maintained their enmity for Athens, even though the war
between them ended two decades ago.
430-415 BC--Hittite conquest of Egypt. In 430 BC, King Warpalawa I of Hatti invades
Egypt, intending to re-establish Hittite control there and end, once and for all, the
Egyptian threat to his southern border. In a campaign lasting fifteen years, Hittite forces
establish control over the land of Egypt. Pharaoh Psamtik VI is captured and executed in
415 BC, and his son, Crown Prince Necho, flees to the court of King Amanineteyerike of
Kush. With the death of the Pharaoh, the last vestiges of Egyptian resistance collapse, and
Egypt is incorporated as a province of the Hittite Empire.
429 BC--Pericles dies in an outbreak of plague in Athens. No leader of his caliber will
arise to replace him, and this is a major factor in the final defeat of Athens in the war with
Sparta.
424 BC--Death of King Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) I. He is succeeded by Xshayarsha
(Xerxes) II. Xshayarsha will be a somewhat weak ruler, and will focus on internal matters
rather than foreign expansion during his reign.
415 BC--Athens attempts to capture Syracuse in Sicily, but fails. This is the beginning of
the long road to final defeat in the Peloponnesian Wars.
410 BC--Phoenicians in Hispania join with Celtiberians to secede from Carthage, denying
the state important silver and copper revenues. Overland tin trade is cut off. Also at this
time, Himilco's expeditions in the Atlantic and Hanno's expeditions to Morocco and
Senegal take place.
409 BC--Carthage initiates attempts to conquer Sicily. Hannibal, grandson of Hamilcar,
takes the fortified towns of Selinus and Himera by use of siege towers.
406-396 BC--Rome conquers the Etruscan city of Veii.
405 BC--Hannibal Mago and hundreds of troops die in epidemic outside the fortified
town of Acragas. Himilco, his relative, takes over command, but is defeated by a force
out of Syracuse, and has his route of supply disrupted in naval action. Syracusan forces
strengthen the garrison. A Carthaginian squadron breaks through Greek blockade—the
besieged escape under cover of night, Punic forces collect spoils. Later that year, Himilco
takes town of Gela, defeating a Syracusan force, and then takes town of Camarina.
Finally, Himilco marches on Syracuse itself, but his army is laid low by epidemic, and
Himilco seeks peace. By the terms of the treaty, Syracuse grants control of most of Sicily
and must pay tribute to Carthage. The treaty confirms Dionysius I as dictator (tyrannos) of
Syracuse. First Sicilian War concluded.
404 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) II of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,
Darayavahush (Darius) II. His brother, Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes), revolts against him,
however, and Darayavahush is overthrown later that same year. His brother takes the
throne as Artaxshassa II. Also in this year, Sparta and it’s allies force the surrender of
Athens, ending the Second Peloponnesian War. After the Athenian defeat, the Athenian
democracy is replaced by an Oligarchy called The Thirty Tyrants.
403 BC--The Thirty Tyrants are overthrown in Athens. Restoration of the
democracy. Also in this year, King Warpalawa I “Egypt Smiter†of Hatti dies, and is
succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Arnuwanda V.
401 BC--Kurush (Cyrus), younger brother of King Artaxshassa II of Persia, revolts and
attempts to usurp the throne, but is defeated. However, in contrast to OTL, Xenophon
and the 10,000 predominently Athenian Greek mercenaries are not with him. They have,
instead, found employment in the armies of Hatti.
c. 400 BC--Aristophanes is writing the world's first comedic plays. Also at about this
time, Celtic tribes cross the Alps and settle in northern Italy. They displace the Etruscans
from the Po River valley, which hereafter is known as Gallia Cisalpina.
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Interesting. I'm intrigued as to what your going to do with Alexander (and afraid he might end up going west).
DominusNovus said:
yes, that is very definitely a possibility. But not necessarily against Rome. Rome is kind of an insignificant state right now (and will continue to be for some time). Carthage is the big power out there, and is picking on the Greeks right now. So he might decide to go and take out Carthage. Or maybe he heads east as in OTL and is killed? I guess I'll figure it out.
robertp6165 said:yes, that is very definitely a possibility. But not necessarily against Rome. Rome is kind of an insignificant state right now (and will continue to be for some time). Carthage is the big power out there, and is picking on the Greeks right now. So he might decide to go and take out Carthage. Or maybe he heads east as in OTL and is killed? I guess I'll figure it out.
Ohhh, hellenize Carthage! Yeah, I like that. Of course, you could always have him take out the Hittites, they don't have to last to the present. Or, they could lose Anatolia, and hold out in just Syria, Judea, and Egypt. A byzantine type of Hittite empire. Or, they acknowledge him as their lord, while retaining territorial integrity, only to throw off whichever general decides to push them around after Alex's death.
I like how Persia conquered India, btw. Now, if we can manage to get Alex past the Hittites, and into Persia...
Maybe Persia decides to take an interest in the black sea city states, with pisses of the greeks, leading to Alexander bypassing the Hittites and coming down through the caucasus. It sounds kinda tricky though.