Holy Land ca. 1250 BCE Scenario Dev Thread

[Maimonides]

I've been doing allot of research & have decided to add two more civs: Amalekites & Arameans. See the OP for more details.

I'm thinking of removing the Sea Peoples. My research has shown that it's very probable the Philistines were the Sea Peoples. The Philistines arrived about the same time the Egyptians reported granting land to the Sea Peoples. It was thought that the land granted was in the Nile delta, but it's possible that the region around Gaza was the land which also explains why the Philistines settled there. The archaeology seems to back up this theory. Of course, there's no way to know for sure.

The map has been progressing well. I just have to add elevation to the Sinai. Accurately placing ancient settlements is much easier with the terrain filled in.

Wow, you sure know alot. I can tell this scenario is going to be awesome. You're certainly qualified.

Qualified to find the history, archaeology & geography to put this together. Not qualified to make a Civ scenario. I have allot to learn & the editor is aggravating to the extreme. My determination remains intact.

Darn, sorry, I got my terminology mixed up.
I meant Abrahamaic not Aramaic. Silly me.

Well, there are one or two bits of the Bible in Aramaic - none pertaining to this period, though.

This discussion prompted me to research the Arameans a little more. What I found led me to add them.

The Arameans founded at least three independant kingdoms when the Hittites fell. The one concerning this scenario is known as Aram Damascus because Damascus was it's capitol. Damascus is just off the northeast edge of this map, but the northeast corner of the map was ruled by Aram Damascus during the period of this scenario. According to the Bible, a king of Aram Damascus besieged & razed the Philistine city-state of Gat during this period. The archaeology of the site believed to have been Gat reveals that the site was destroyed during this time period & not reoccupied until the 1st Crusade when the Crusaders built a small fortress there.

The Arameans were later conquered by the Assyrians, but their language went on to become the dominant language of the region. Now knowing all this, I can't leave them out.

I think the Phoenicians do feature in the first Firaxis Conquest, so they've not been entirely neglected in the Civ world. That Conquest also featured Cedars of Lebanon as a LM terrain too.

Thanks for the reminder! I went back & played that Conquest again. They used Hiram for the Phoenician king. He was the king of Tyre credited with providing cedar & iron for the construction of Solomon's Temple. I'll use him for now until I can find an earlier Phoenician king.

I still see Lebanese cedar as a resource, not a terrain. It was a very important commodity in the region's trade.

I was struck by how lousy that map is. It looks like they added most of the terrain randomly.

I think this is a great scenario idea.

Ever since an israelite civ was made (King David leaderhead) i've been waiting for a Hebrew scenario!

Thanks! I guess I got tired of waiting.

Maybe I'll use the David leaderhead for Joshua. Nobody knows what any of those guys looked like anyway...

 

[utro43]

This is a very interesting scenario idea.
I have been wanting to do something like this myself.

As far as the Philistine cities go, the Bible only mentions five.

Gaza
Ash′dod
Ash′ke-lon
Ek′ron
Gath

For centuries each of these cities was ruled over by an 'axis lord' (Joshua 13:3).

I firmly believe that removing Philistia would be a tragic mistake (I really can't imagine why you
would even consider it, that would be like telling the story of Ghandi and not mentioning Brittan!)
the Philistines had such a powerful role in the story of the ancient Israelites,
and are one of the most recognized peoples from Biblical history.

Just think of the fantastic accounts of engagements between the Jews and the Philistines!

For example, what about when Jonathan and his amour-bearer attacked the Philistine outpost at Michmash,
where the axis lords had drawn up a massive force to "pacify" Israel once and for all.
The Philistines had dis-armed the people of Israel, taken all their weapons of war, and removed the blacksmiths,
but since Saul was the king they allowed him and his son to keep their ceremonial armor and swords.

So, Prince Jonathan who was a valiant warrior, and his loyal armor-bearer managed to sneak away from King Saul,
and met the Philistines. The two of them charged uphill, the Jonathan tripped the enemy soldiers, and his armor-bearer
put them to death.

"13 And Jon′a-than kept going up on his hands and his feet, and his armor-bearer after him; and they began to fall
before Jon′a-than, and his armor-bearer was putting them to death behind him.
14 And the first slaughter with which Jon′a-than and his armor-bearer struck them down amounted to about
twenty men within about half the plowing line in an acre of field."

They killed 20 Philistines this way, with only one sword between the two of them!
By demonstrating such courage and valor, the Hebrew mercenaries that were part of the Philistine army,
turned, and started fighting with their prince! This led to an epic battle, which ended in a glorious victory for Israel!
The whole story is really awesome, it's in 1 Samuel 13:3–14:23.


And you want to take the Philistines out of the mod?

 

[Plotinus]

I think he said he wanted to take the Sea Peoples out of the scenario, on the grounds that they are not really distinct from the Philistines, who remain in it.

 

[utro43]

oooooooohhhhhhhhhh
hahahahaha well, i didn't need to write that essay then after all.
that's what happens when you post in wee hours of the morn. lol

here's a cool idea for a tech....

"King Asa's Reforms"
gives some sort of defensive wall.

 

[Virote_Considon]

I think that, due to the fact that you are actually nowhere near reaching the 31 civ limit, you should also keep the Sea People as a separate entity to the Philistines.

The Sea People would start off on an unreachable island or two, and have Hidden Nationality Raiders (who would also be amphibious) and Galleys (Who only carry the Raiders, through use of either the "Foot Unit" or "Tactical Missile" flags) produced via some improvements/wonders pre-placed in the island(s).

Well, that's a suggestion, if you want it.

 

[Maimonides]

Plotinus, thanks for clearing that up for utro43.

Utro43, the Philistines are definitely staying in.

I've been doing lots of research & the OP has been updated.

-The Sea Peoples are out. Archaeologists almost universally believe that the Philistines were one of the Sea Peoples. Actually, the Philistines seem to have comprised several tribes of the Sea Peoples. For instance, the Egyptians refered to the Philistines of Ashkelon as the "SKL." The Hebrews called them the "Shekel." Hence, the name of Ashkelon. A group of Sea People called the Shardanu conquered Akko. I will probably use the names of Sea People tribes for barbarians.

-Petra has been changed to Selah. Selah was the name of the site during this period. "Petra" was a Greek name given to the site in the 2nd century BCE. The Edomites conquered the site around 1200 BCE & later moved their capitol there. Their earlier capitol will be their starting capitol in this scenario. I can't remember it's name ATM. Selah will be a starting city for the Edomites, though. The Nabateans displaced the Edomites between the 6th & 4th centuries BCE.

-I'm considering adding the Jebusites as a civ. They were the group of Canaanites that ruled the city-state of Jeruslaem before David conquered it. On one hand, I don't want to use too many subgroups as civs. On the other hand, it might make the scenario more historically accurate & make it harder for Jerusalem to be conquered. Opinions are welcome.

-I will probably lower the shield cost of the Palace. Capitols shifted rapidly during this period.

I've found some fantastic resources online researching this scenario. I plan to add some links to the OP.

This is a very interesting scenario idea.
I have been wanting to do something like this myself.

Thanks! Your Warrior Pharoah scenario looks very interesting, too.

As far as the Philistine cities go, the Bible only mentions five.

Gaza
Ash′dod
Ash′ke-lon
Ek′ron
Gath

Yup. They're in. I need to decide which one to make their capitol. The Bible also mentions other Philistine sites & archaeology seems to confirm them. Testing will be necessary to decide how many starting cities they should have besides the ones you mention. I'm worried they will be overpowered if they start with as many sites as my research is turning up.

For centuries each of these cities was ruled over by an 'axis lord' (Joshua 13:3).

The word used is "seran" which is best translated as "captain" or maybe "lord." I'm pretty sure the word "axis" does not appear in the Hebrew Bible.

For example, what about when Jonathan and his amour-bearer attacked the Philistine outpost at Michmash,
where the axis lords had drawn up a massive force to "pacify" Israel once and for all.

Michmash is actually a canyon or ravine. Supposedly, Allenby used that account to plan his drive on Jerusalem during WWI.

The two of them charged uphill, the Jonathan tripped the enemy soldiers, and his armor-bearer
put them to death.

"13 And Jon′a-than kept going up on his hands and his feet, and his armor-bearer after him; and they began to fall
before Jon′a-than, and his armor-bearer was putting them to death behind him.

I take that passage to mean that Jonathan was striking them down & his bearer was delivering the death blows. Jonathan tripping several well-armed Philistine warriors sounds like a scene from a Mel Brooks or a Three Stooges movie.

here's a cool idea for a tech....

"King Asa's Reforms"
gives some sort of defensive wall.

I'm not familliar with that. I'll check it out. I do need ideas for Wonders.

If the archaeology shows that a site had a wall around 1200 BCE, it will start with a wall in this scenario. Examples are Tyre, Jericho, Hazor & Lachish.

I think that, due to the fact that you are actually nowhere near reaching the 31 civ limit, you should also keep the Sea People as a separate entity to the Philistines.

Sorry. See above.

The Sea People would start off on an unreachable island or two, and have Hidden Nationality Raiders (who would also be amphibious) and Galleys (Who only carry the Raiders, through use of either the "Foot Unit" or "Tactical Missile" flags) produced via some improvements/wonders pre-placed in the island(s).

Well, that's a suggestion, if you want it.

I do want lots of suggestions. Thanks! Keep 'em coming!

The Phoenicians should be able to reach anywhere in the Mediterranean on this map. Cyprus is off this map's edge & there are no significant islands. I'm a stickler when it comes to the accuracy of historical maps.

 

[utro43]

I take that passage to mean that Jonathan was striking them down & his bearer was delivering the death blows. Jonathan tripping several well-armed Philistine warriors sounds like a scene from a Mel Brooks or a Three Stooges movie.

actually, it's quite clear. they climbed the ravine, Jonathan ran forward,
crouched down, and tripped up the Philistines and his armor-bearer killed them.
there were "no swords in Israel", so they had to share. it only succeeded because God was helping them.

but this point of conjecture is a good example of something your going to run
into allot with this kind of a mod, and i believe why no one has done one of
the sort yet. it all comes down to "fact" or "faith".

the question is, when there appears to be a contradiction,
are you going to go with "fact" or "faith"?

that was one thing that had me worried about doing such a mod.
i don't want to get into religion here (i'm not a fundamentalist or anything),
but i do feel that as this develops, we will hear many different viewpoints
about different subjects, and maybe some people will even get offended.

but i think it will be worth it.

 

[Quinzy]

Perhaps a more... um... "faith" based mod will be a unique change of pace? I mean, on based on fact would suit me to a T but well, you can't go wrong with something more individual I mean just look at the throng of Scifi, fantasy etc mods out there.

 

[Plotinus]

When it comes to ancient history of this kind, it's not about "fact" and "faith" (a dubious dichotomy if ever I heard one: if I have faith that something is true, does that render it non-factual?) but simply how literally you want to take an ancient account. It's like making a scenario about the Trojan War: you'd have to choose between making one based closely on the Iliad, as if it were real history, or making one based on what historians think actually happened. Either kind of scenario would be good, it just depends on which you want (rather like my Rood and the Dragon compared to Azmorg's Camelot! - one tries to be based on the real history while the other is based on the myths). You face a similar choice in this case, although I think it's actually less of a stark one because as I understand it the basic outline of history presented in the books of Judges, Kings, and Chronicles is not enormously dissimilar to that found in other sources. The more contentious parts of the biblical narrative, such as the various divine interventions, are the sort of things that are unlikely to feature much in a Civ scenario anyway (unless of course you choose to make them Wonders or have something like a Prophet unit with magical powers, of course, which would actually be pretty cool).

 

[utro43]

yes, your right Plotinus.
both can be blended, i was basically making the point that it can be shaky
ground at times is all. i think it'll be awesome! and i REALLY hope we'll get some
new units too!

 

[soul_warrior]

very interesting INDEED.

id like to help.

as i am living in Israel, and speak native hebrew, maybe i can help research sites, names, etc.
also a half bird history major. (studied for 2 years, then went for a computer degree)

PM me if you want any points researched.

* how many and which civs do you plan on having?
* lists of wonders?
* names of leaders?

could i offer to write any of the civilopdeia items?
ask - and ill find you answers.


about editing and graphics, sorry,no cant do.

 

[Maimonides]

here's a cool idea for a tech....

"King Asa's Reforms"
gives some sort of defensive wall.

I'm not familliar with that. I'll check it out. I do need ideas for Wonders.

If the archaeology shows that a site had a wall around 1200 BCE, it will start with a wall in this scenario. Examples are Tyre, Jericho, Hazor & Lachish.

Here's what I found:

Asa was Solomon's great grandson & king of Judah. He instituted a crackdown on paganism & prostitution.

A reform doesn't really constitute a technology, but perhaps it could be a Small Wonder or an Improvement that decreases corruption. I remain open to ideas.

but this point of conjecture is a good example of something your going to run
into allot with this kind of a mod, and i believe why no one has done one of
the sort yet. it all comes down to "fact" or "faith".

the question is, when there appears to be a contradiction,
are you going to go with "fact" or "faith"?

Great question! This scenario is a bit of both, but hopefully more fact. Here's an example:

Faith

-Joshua existed.
-The Hebrews brought down the walls of Jericho by following the instructions of G-d & marching around the city blowing horns.
-Joshua ordered that Jericho never be rebuilt.
-The Tribe of Benjamin settled the area & rebuilt Jericho.

Fact

-Canaanite culture was replaced by Hebrew culture between 1250 BCE & 1000 BCE.
-Jericho was rebuilt shortly after being destroyed.

I would be happy to give other examples. Basically, I'm incorporating faith & fact by using Joshua as the Hebrew leader & starting the scenario with the Hebrews outside the walls of Jericho.

I am a bit worried about including the Amalekites as a civ. The Bible is the only source that mentions them, but I need somebody to occupy that area at the start & they seem to be the best candidates.

Honestly, I haven't really found any contradictions between the Bible & other sources. Texts from Egypt, Moab, Aram, etc. pretty much tell the same story of this period. Archaeological finds don't really contradict anything, either. If you know of a contradiction, I'd love to hear it so I can look into it.

On second thought, there is one big contradiction. The Bible states that Solomon's kingdom extended to the Euphrates River. There is no archaeological record of Hebrew influence in upper Syria & no other written source extant even hints at this. That's not a problem where this scenario is concerned, however. Here, it's up to the players & the AI whether or not the Hebrew conquest extends that far.

that was one thing that had me worried about doing such a mod.
i don't want to get into religion here (i'm not a fundamentalist or anything),
but i do feel that as this develops, we will hear many different viewpoints
about different subjects, and maybe some people will even get offended.

but i think it will be worth it.

My intention is certainly not to offend anyone. If a discussion of different viewpoints arises, I see that as an unintended positive consequence.

Perhaps a more... um... "faith" based mod will be a unique change of pace? I mean, on based on fact would suit me to a T but well, you can't go wrong with something more individual I mean just look at the throng of Scifi, fantasy etc mods out there.

This scenario isn't really intended to be "faith based." I just think this place & time are very interesting & would be fun to replay in Civ. The Hebrew Bible is an important source, but I'm relying heavily on archaeology to place & assign the starting cities & decide what Improvements they should have. Hopefully, this will be considered a historical scenario when it's complete.

How closely it matches the Bible will depend on how each individual game unfolds. It's very possible that the Hebrews will be wiped off the map by the Philistines or Moabites or vice versa...

 

[utro43]

How closely it matches the Bible will depend on how each individual game unfolds. It's very possible that the Hebrews will be wiped off the map by the Philistines or Moabites or vice versa...

and that is where strategy will become soooo vital!
just be sure not to give them any mounted units right off the bat,
since God told them NOT to use calvary of any kind in combat, so as to prove
his support for them. infantry only at the start !

 

[Maimonides]

-In a flurry of activity D), I've placed several more starting cities-mostly in Judea & Philistia. I still haven't finished the elevation terrain in the Sinai. It's very tedious to do accurately & I've been enjoying my research.

-Thanks to the Israel Antiquities Authority, I've suprisingly discovered that Arad was not occupied at the start of this scenario. The site flourished in the Early Bronze Age, but was totally abandoned long before 1250 BCE. The Bible mentions an unamed "king of Arad," but the king in question must have ruled the region, not the city. This is a case where I'm following the archaeology more closely than the Bible. An Israelite settlement was constructed on the site, but not until about the reign of Solomon. The Israelite site is highly unusual because it includes the only other Israelite temple known at the time (besides Jerusalem). Therefore, Arad won't be a starting city, but it will be in the Israelite's city list.

-I've also discovered some very interesting data on Beit She'an. Despite being located relatively far north, it looks like it will start as an Egyptian site. It was an important Egyptian administration center. The archaeology shows that it was Egyptian well into this scenario. Then it spent a century under Canaanite rule before being burned to the ground (by David supposedly).

The Bible mentions it as a city not conquered by Joshua. It then says that Saul & his sons were impaled on the walls of Beit She'an after the battle of Mount Gilboa. It is then listed as an administration center of Solomon.

Beit She'an was destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BCE. The site became a thriving center again during the Hellenistic, Roman & Byzantine periods known as Scythopolis.

-I'm going to replace the term "Hebrew" with the term "Israeilite." The words are interchangeable, but most scholarship, religious & secular, uses "Israelite" so I'm switching for continuuity.

When it comes to ancient history of this kind, it's not about "fact" and "faith" (a dubious dichotomy if ever I heard one: if I have faith that something is true, does that render it non-factual?) but simply how literally you want to take an ancient account. It's like making a scenario about the Trojan War: you'd have to choose between making one based closely on the Iliad, as if it were real history, or making one based on what historians think actually happened. Either kind of scenario would be good, it just depends on which you want (rather like my Rood and the Dragon compared to Azmorg's Camelot! - one tries to be based on the real history while the other is based on the myths).

I guess I'm going more for Rood than Camelot here. The Bible certainly does provide an important insight on this period & will provide allot of flavor to the scenario, though.

You face a similar choice in this case, although I think it's actually less of a stark one because as I understand it the basic outline of history presented in the books of Judges, Kings, and Chronicles is not enormously dissimilar to that found in other sources.

Agreed. That's what I'm finding again & again as I research this scenario. There are many non-Biblical sources that closely or totally match the Biblical account. That being said, there is also a big lack of corroborating evidence for some parts of the Biblical account. For example, the Arameans recorded the same kings of Israel/Samaria & Aram Damascus that the Bible records, but I can't find a single non-Biblical reference to David or Solomon.

The more contentious parts of the biblical narrative, such as the various divine interventions, are the sort of things that are unlikely to feature much in a Civ scenario anyway (unless of course you choose to make them Wonders or have something like a Prophet unit with magical powers, of course, which would actually be pretty cool).

Did the prophets/judges of this period have extrahuman powers? The Bible records Moses turning a stave into a snake, parting water, making water come from a rock in the desert, etc., but he came before this period. The prophets/judges seem to have been very wise & been able to communicate directly with G-d, but I can't think of an instance of them performing Moses-like miracles. I need to reread the account.

very interesting INDEED.

Thanks!

id like to help.

as i am living in Israel, and speak native hebrew, maybe i can help research sites, names, etc.
also a half bird history major. (studied for 2 years, then went for a computer degree)

PM me if you want any points researched.

Thanks! You are this scenario's official wet dream! I have two requests for you to start with:

1. Can you find any reference to mounted warfare during this time period? I haven't been able to find a single one. I'm asking about horsemen, not chariots for which there are numerous sources.

2. Any info on Ezion Geber would be useful. I'm trying to place it. The Bible says it was near Eilat, but nobody knows exactly where. Knowing that ancient Eilat was in the current location of Aqaba, I'm tempted to place Ezion Geber where modern Eilat is.

Hebrew links are OK, but English is best as I read Hebrew slowly.

I'd like to keep research discussions public so people can follow the conversation & development of this scenario.

* how many and which civs do you plan on having?
* lists of wonders?
* names of leaders?

1. See the OP (1st post).
2. Unknown this early. I'm thinking Solomon's Temple will be a Great Wonder.
3. See the OP. Can you find a Tyrian king from 1250 BCE to 1200 BCE?

could i offer to write any of the civilopdeia items?

Absolutely, but it's a little early for that. The Tech Tree & Improvements have yet to be worked out. I'll get back to you when the time is right.

ask - and ill find you answers.

Thanks so much!

just be sure not to give them any mounted units right off the bat,

I agree. I can't find ANY reference to mounted combat during this period. Here's what I've found:

1. There's no question the Egyptians had chariots.
2. The Bible & archaeology both support the Philistines having chariots. They probably shouldn't have them at the start, though. They landed right about at the start of this scenario. It should have taken them at least a few years after that to have enough horses to mount major chariot warfare.
3. The Aram Stele found at Dan was commisioned by a king of Aram Damascus. Which king is unknown, but it was probably Ben Hadad I or Hazael. It celebrates his conquest of Dan & states that he captured chariots & horses from the kingdom of Israel.

That's about it... If any other civ used chariots or mounted warfare during this period, I need to know about it. The coastal plains are about the only areas on the map that would have worked well for mounted or wheeled combat. The stirrup wasn't introduced for several more centuries. The rest of the terrain is hard enough to hike through, let alone ride. According to the Bible, the Israelites defeated the Philistines in a battle by choosing terrain unsuited for their chariots.

since God told them NOT to use calvary of any kind in combat, so as to prove
his support for them. infantry only at the start !

Could you point out what verses that comes from? If not, it's no big deal. I need to reread the entire Biblical account of this period. My memory is getting foggy.

 

[soul_warrior]

checking out Etzion Geber, and mounted (horsemen) warfare.

* i cant recall any horsemen of the era, not "army" types atleast, but that ios from memory only.

**** Etzion Gever

בשנת 1937 זיהה גליק את עציון-גבר, הנמל שממנו התנהל סחר זה, בתל אל-חלייפה, בקצה ים סוף (בין אילת לעקב&#1492.
source in hebrew

i looks to be, like you said, right between Akaba and Eilat, and a bit to the north.
there is a bit of uncertainty about the exact location, and i have found a few mentions of it being IN Eilat.

i think it is possible that its a northern adjacent town to Eilat, maybe closer to the Timna Copper mines?
it seems they ha a copper processing plant there, so id bet it was closer north, maybe in a suberb of eilat

for our purposes id either make a joint city (eilat), or pop it closer to Timna (unless you have a settlement planed there)

 

[soul_warrior]

6 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

7 And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking.

8 Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge.

bible link

i would take this as a typical ratio of troops.

that is to say, horsemen, per se, were not that common, and were used primarily as scouts.
chariots, especially the heavy egyptian type were the primary heavy unit.
i cant seem to find mention of the other peoples cavalry habits, but it does mention that horses were widely used.

*that is my personal interpertation, based on memory and some knowledge.

maybe keep the 2 move (maybe even make it 3 move, and lower the attack rate to 1?
lower the shield cost too? 15-20?
a warrior scout of sorts?
make it available to all nations, with a horse resource?

*****
what are your plans regarding the chariot units?
- id make IRON and Horses compulsory for them, maybe even make it similar to the Roman Legionary I, II, III, from the scenarios?

 

[Plotinus]

That's 1 Kings 4:26 in the usual notation. Of course, 2 Chronicles 1:14 says that Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, suggesting a rather less overwhelming force than the account in Kings.

 

[soul_warrior]

sorry about that Plotinus, im no theologian

overall, i still think that chariots were the main heavy weapon of the era, with horses being for light work.

i will look further into these issues later this weekend.

 

[Plotinus]

Yes, there are millions of little discrepancies between Kings and Chronicles, over things like this. It looks like one of the aims of the author of Chronicles was to "correct" Kings, although whether that means he had access to better sources, I don't know.

 

[utro43]

Could you point out what verses that comes from? If not, it's no big deal. I need to reread the entire Biblical account of this period. My memory is getting foggy.

Sorry, let me re-phrase that.
They actually weren't FORBIDDEN to use them,
but rather, encouraged not to rely on them.

----
God’s chosen people of ancient times, the Israelites, though, were not to be like the Egyptians and other contemporary nations that considered horses and chariots indispensable to safety and independence. Israel’s kings were forbidden to increase horses for themselves. (De 17:14-16)
-------

14 “When you eventually come into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, and you have taken possession of it and have dwelt in it, and you have said, ‘Let me set a king over myself like all the nations who are round about me’; 15 you should without fail set over yourself a king whom Jehovah your God will choose. From among your brothers you should set a king over yourself. You will not be allowed to put over yourself a foreigner who is not your brother. 16 Only he should not increase horses for himself, nor make the people go back to Egypt in order to increase horses; whereas Jehovah has said to YOU, ‘YOU must never go back again by this way.’
-De 17:14-16

----

Also, keep in mind that chariots were more or less useless in the mountainous
area the Israelites occupied.

Looking AWESOME btw, I'm almost done with my mod, so I'd be happy to help
in anyway you'd like.

Hey, here's just a crazy unit idea maybe a certain theologian will make (hint hint).
An Israelite worker/warrior. Remember when they rebuilt Jerusalem, after the return from exile?
They were working with a tool in one hand and a sword in the other. It just makes sense for a nation
of slaves.