Maimonides
Emperor
Scenario (Updated 7/13/07):
Joshua & the Israelites have crossed the Jordan River & are at the walls of the ancient Canaanite city of Jericho, birthplace of permanent agriculture. Tired of wandering in the wilderness, they want to throw off Egyptian domination & forge a kingdom to house the sacred Ark of the Covenant.
The Phoenicians are rising in power from the island fortress of Tyre as the Hittites decline. Their methods of navigation, alphabet, glass-making & monopoly of the invaluable Tyrian purple dye lend them a strong edge over the competition.
The Philistines have established five city-states along the Mediteranean. They have closely guarded metal-working skills, but lack a stong, uniting leader.
The Canaanites, probably descended from the Phoenicians, have practiced their pagan rites here for centuries. Egyptian tribute collectors don't arrive as often as they used to. Their walled, ancient cities offer protection, but they are surrounded by rivals hungry for land & the nomadic Israelites are parading around Jericho blowing horns for some reason...
The Edomites occupy a dry wasteland, but it straddles important trade routes & Selah (later Petra) is rising to profit from them.
The Moabites are largely nomadic wandering the wastes between the Dead Sea & Mesopotamia & have been the brunt of attacks from the Israelites emerging from the wilderness, but they have founded a settlement called Dibon & the Israelites have set their sights on Canaan. Perhaps they too can forge a lasting kingdom.
The Ammonites are similar to the Moabites. Will Rabbath Amman become a shining capitol or a dusty desert village?
Egypt is the region's superpower. Throughout the 2nd millenia BCE, they have dominated the Levant, but Egypt is a rich prize & recent invasions have her on the defensive. Egypt's influence is waning in the Holy Land leaving a power vacuum that must be filled...
Timeline (Updated 7/9/07):
1250 BCE to 735 BCE.
The scenario starts with the Israelite conquest of Jericho. Biblical scholars date this as early as 1450 BCE. Historians & archaeologists place the date between 1250 BCE & 1100 BCE which is more accurate, of course. I chose 1250 BCE because the Late Bronze Age ended & Iron Age I began about 1200 BCE in this area. Therefore, the Tech Tree can start with a short Bronze Age followed by Iron Age I & Iron Age II.
The Assyrians conquered Aram Damascus, Israel/Samaria & the Philistines in 735 BCE with little resistance so that makes a good end date. Israel/Samaria lasted a few more years as a vassal state before being destroyed after a revolt. Phoenicia, with the exception of Tyre, was previously conquered. The Assyrian siege of Tyre failed, but Tyre was forced to surrender tribute & part of it's population.
One Turn = one year. Civs of the period were able to launch annual military campaigns. This will also help keep Unit movement rates reasonable. The downside might be that there are over 400 turns...
Map (Updated 7/13/07):
Dimensions are 86X186. Scale is 1 tile=3 miles. Map includes southern Lebanon, northeastern Sinai, the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, a chunk of Syria around the Golan, western Jordan & Israel.
This area is very small. If I used a larger scale, it would be a tiny map & many ancient sites would have to be omitted. If I used a smaller scale, the movement rate of units would have to be ridiculously high.
I have all the coastlines finished. The Dead Sea was much larger in ancient times so I started with the current shoreline & enlarged it a bit in the south. I have the Jordan River plotted pretty well, but I need to tweak it a bit.
Here's how I am converting terrain:
Mediterranean shrub, elevation<500 meters=Plains
Mesopotamian & Arabian desert, elevation<500meters=Desert
Mediterranean shrub, elevation 500-900 meters=Hills
Mesopotamian & Arabian desert, elevation 500-900 meters=Arid Hills
Elevation over 900 meters=Mountains
Mount Hermon is the only place on the map I know of that supports snow skiing so I made it a Snow-Capped Mountain. It is by far the highest point on this map. There is some Marsh terrain in the Hulah Valley around Lake Hulah/Meram. (Meram was the Biblical name. Hulah is the modern Hebrew & Arabic name.) This is accurate. The marshes were drained for agriculture in the 1950s.
I am in the process of filling in togographical data. Hills & mountains are being set according to elevation thanks to a good, elevation color-coded satellite image I found online. The exceptions are east of the Great Rift Valley. These areas should be Hills terrain according to their elevation, but conditions on the ground are actually Mediterranean shrub & Mesopotamian desert so they are being plotted as Plains & Desert terrain with some exceptions. I just need to finish the Sinai.
The Dead Sea is a special case. I think it needs a new terrain. It's water, but it renders no food or trade production at all. It doesn't provide irrigation for neighboring tiles. It should probably just render one shield per tile for it's mineral deposits.
I'm doing fine placing ancient sites, but the locations of some important ones are still unknown. For example, the Philistine city-state of Gat should be included, but nobody knows for sure where it was. In these cases, I'm using the latest archaeological evidence I can find & taking educated guesses.
Beersheva, Jericho, Jerusalem, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Eilat, Ai, Beit Shemesh, Lachish, Ekrat, Akko, Laish, Hazor, Gaza & Tyre have been accurately placed so far.
Civilizations (Updated 7/13/07):
1. Israelites
Leader: Joshua
City List: Etzion Geber, Shechem, Ein Gedi, Dan, Beit El, Hebron, Arad, Dimona, Eilat, Beit Shemesh, Yaffo, etc. Basically, they share a city list with the Canaanites since they went on to conquer Canaan. Dan was a Phoenician settlement that was renamed Dan when the Hebrews conquered it.
Starting Cities: None.
They will start next to Canaanite Jericho with just enough forces to conquer it.
2. Philistines
Leader: Unknown. They had no unifying king. They were ruled by seranim (lords) who each controlled one of their five city-states. I need to pick one.
Cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekran, Gat, Aphek, Yaffo...
Starting Cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekran & Gat.
They were one of several groups called the "Sea Peoples." They settled the coastal plain between Gaza & the Sharon about 1200 BCE. Biblical scholars put their origin at Crete because of the Biblical term used for it. Archaeology seems to back this up. Their language was similar to Crypto-Minoan & Linear A & much of their pottery was made in Crete & Cyprus. Whatever it was, it was not Semitic like the languages of their neighbors. By 1000 BCE, they had adopted Hebrew script. They ruled the coastal plain throughout this period & held positions in the central highlands occasionally. They were capable of at least some iron working, but they had no direct access to iron ore.
3. Egyptians
Leader: Pharoah Ramses II
City List: Will need to find Egyptian sites from the period in the eastern Sinai & Negev & make them stronger than they were historically to simulate Egyptian influence.
Starting Cities: Timna, Beit She'an...
Ivory from Egypt was reported in several sources as being a valuable luxury commodity in the area so the Egyptians will have enough of it for trade.
Their power at start will need to be tweaked through testing. According to the Hebrew Bible, pharoah "Shishek" (maybe Shoshenq I, II or III) launched a military campaign as far north as Hazor in the 9th century BCE, but that's about it. They were in decline during this period having been previously invaded by the Hyksos & the Sea Peoples. They were conquered by the Assyrians right after this scenario ends.
4. Phoenicians
Leader: King Abibaal. He's the 1st Tyrian king known. He ruled 990 to 978 BCE.
City List: Tyre, Akko, Laish... Sidon & Byblos are off the northern edge of this map so Tyre will be artificially stronger to compensate. Technically, most of the Canaanite sites could be considered Phoenician as well, but I want both civs in this scenario. Laish was conquered by the Hebrews & renamed Dan. Akko was conquered just before the start of this scenario by a tribe of Sea Peoples called the Shardanu, but little is known about the Shardanu. Akko is only mentioned once in the Hebrew Bible & it's unlikely the Hebrews conquered it. Archaeology shows a major Phoenician influence there during this time period so the Phoenicians get it.
Starting Cities: Tyre, Akko, Laish, Achzib...
A luxury resource is needed for them: Dyes. Murex was a snail that lived near Tyre & Sidon that allowed them to make a very expensive & sought after purple dye.
I also envision a resource called Lebanon Cedar. Historically, Lebanese cedar was an very important trade good for the entire region. It could be a luxury or necessary for ship building. This needs more thought. The Phoenicians had access to sought-after resources & craftsmanship & I want to reflect that in this scenario.
5. Canaanites
Leader: Unknown
Cities: Long list. Many of them shared with the Israelites because the Israelites start off with no city &, historically, conquered the Canaanite ones. This needs to be worked out in greater detail.
6. Edomites
Leader: Unknown.
Cities: Selah, Eilat... I need to research more sites.
Starting Cities: Selah, Eilat...
They will have a monopoly on access to incense from Arabia & a source of iron & copper so they will probably be a viable civ. Historically, it seems they were squeezed out between the Hebrews & the Nabateans. By Roman times, this area was known as Idumaea.
7. Moabites
Leader: King Mesha.
Cities: Dibon...
According to the Hebrew Bible, they sometimes fought with & sometimes worked with the Israelites. A stele known as the Moab Stone provides a list of their cities & an example of their language. Joshua's wife was a Moabite (which is bizarre). Moab is the region east of the Dead Sea.
8. Ammonites
Leader: Unknown.
Cities: Rabbath Ammon...
Similar to the Moabites. Ammon was the region east of the Jordan River.
9. Amalekites
Leader: Unknown.
City List: Unknown.
Starting Cities: Beersheva, Kadesh Barnea...
According to the Hebrew Bible, Joshua 1st proved himself as a war leader in battles against the Amalakites. They seem to have controlled an area of the Negev between the Dead Sea & Philistia. They disappeared from history after Solomon's reign.
10. Arameans
Leader: King Ben Hadad I
City List: Unknown.
Starting Cities: Maybe Damascus. It's really off the edge of this map.
The Arameans established at least three independant kingdoms after the fall of the Hittites. One of them, Aram Damascus, controlled the territory in the northeast corner of this map during this scenario's period. According to the Hebrew Bible, a king of Aram Damascus beseiged & razed the Philistine city-state of Gat. Archaeology in 2005 & 2006 at the site believed to have been Gat bears out that the site was destroyed during this period. They were eventually conquered by the Assyrians, but their language went on to become the dominant language of the region.
Units:
I'm not sure if UUs are necessary. All these civs had pretty much the same military technology at the time. On the other hand, the Phoenicians should probably get a better ship.
I'm not sure how to handle the Ark of the Covenant. It could be a single, unbuildable unit with no defence, but a high bombard for conquering Canaanite cities. On the other hand, it could be a Princess unit. Maybe it should be an easily-built Small Wonder for the Hebrews that gives allot of Culture. There are lots of options...
Victory Conditions:
Domination, Conquest & Culture for sure. Diplomatic? It doesn't really fit the actual history. Space Race could be left off or Solomon's Temple could be built to win a "Space Race." If not, I see Solomon's Temple as a Great Wonder.
Tech Tree (Updated 7/13/07):
Three Eras: Late Bronze Age, Iron Age I & Iron Age II. The tech tree still needs to be worked out.
Does this interest anyone? As you can see, there's allot to do before this scenario is finished. All opinion, advice, research, technical input, etc. is greatly appeciated. Anyone contributing will be given credit, of course.
Joshua & the Israelites have crossed the Jordan River & are at the walls of the ancient Canaanite city of Jericho, birthplace of permanent agriculture. Tired of wandering in the wilderness, they want to throw off Egyptian domination & forge a kingdom to house the sacred Ark of the Covenant.
The Phoenicians are rising in power from the island fortress of Tyre as the Hittites decline. Their methods of navigation, alphabet, glass-making & monopoly of the invaluable Tyrian purple dye lend them a strong edge over the competition.
The Philistines have established five city-states along the Mediteranean. They have closely guarded metal-working skills, but lack a stong, uniting leader.
The Canaanites, probably descended from the Phoenicians, have practiced their pagan rites here for centuries. Egyptian tribute collectors don't arrive as often as they used to. Their walled, ancient cities offer protection, but they are surrounded by rivals hungry for land & the nomadic Israelites are parading around Jericho blowing horns for some reason...
The Edomites occupy a dry wasteland, but it straddles important trade routes & Selah (later Petra) is rising to profit from them.
The Moabites are largely nomadic wandering the wastes between the Dead Sea & Mesopotamia & have been the brunt of attacks from the Israelites emerging from the wilderness, but they have founded a settlement called Dibon & the Israelites have set their sights on Canaan. Perhaps they too can forge a lasting kingdom.
The Ammonites are similar to the Moabites. Will Rabbath Amman become a shining capitol or a dusty desert village?
Egypt is the region's superpower. Throughout the 2nd millenia BCE, they have dominated the Levant, but Egypt is a rich prize & recent invasions have her on the defensive. Egypt's influence is waning in the Holy Land leaving a power vacuum that must be filled...
Timeline (Updated 7/9/07):
1250 BCE to 735 BCE.
The scenario starts with the Israelite conquest of Jericho. Biblical scholars date this as early as 1450 BCE. Historians & archaeologists place the date between 1250 BCE & 1100 BCE which is more accurate, of course. I chose 1250 BCE because the Late Bronze Age ended & Iron Age I began about 1200 BCE in this area. Therefore, the Tech Tree can start with a short Bronze Age followed by Iron Age I & Iron Age II.
The Assyrians conquered Aram Damascus, Israel/Samaria & the Philistines in 735 BCE with little resistance so that makes a good end date. Israel/Samaria lasted a few more years as a vassal state before being destroyed after a revolt. Phoenicia, with the exception of Tyre, was previously conquered. The Assyrian siege of Tyre failed, but Tyre was forced to surrender tribute & part of it's population.
One Turn = one year. Civs of the period were able to launch annual military campaigns. This will also help keep Unit movement rates reasonable. The downside might be that there are over 400 turns...
Map (Updated 7/13/07):
Dimensions are 86X186. Scale is 1 tile=3 miles. Map includes southern Lebanon, northeastern Sinai, the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, a chunk of Syria around the Golan, western Jordan & Israel.
This area is very small. If I used a larger scale, it would be a tiny map & many ancient sites would have to be omitted. If I used a smaller scale, the movement rate of units would have to be ridiculously high.
I have all the coastlines finished. The Dead Sea was much larger in ancient times so I started with the current shoreline & enlarged it a bit in the south. I have the Jordan River plotted pretty well, but I need to tweak it a bit.
Here's how I am converting terrain:
Mediterranean shrub, elevation<500 meters=Plains
Mesopotamian & Arabian desert, elevation<500meters=Desert
Mediterranean shrub, elevation 500-900 meters=Hills
Mesopotamian & Arabian desert, elevation 500-900 meters=Arid Hills
Elevation over 900 meters=Mountains
Mount Hermon is the only place on the map I know of that supports snow skiing so I made it a Snow-Capped Mountain. It is by far the highest point on this map. There is some Marsh terrain in the Hulah Valley around Lake Hulah/Meram. (Meram was the Biblical name. Hulah is the modern Hebrew & Arabic name.) This is accurate. The marshes were drained for agriculture in the 1950s.
I am in the process of filling in togographical data. Hills & mountains are being set according to elevation thanks to a good, elevation color-coded satellite image I found online. The exceptions are east of the Great Rift Valley. These areas should be Hills terrain according to their elevation, but conditions on the ground are actually Mediterranean shrub & Mesopotamian desert so they are being plotted as Plains & Desert terrain with some exceptions. I just need to finish the Sinai.
The Dead Sea is a special case. I think it needs a new terrain. It's water, but it renders no food or trade production at all. It doesn't provide irrigation for neighboring tiles. It should probably just render one shield per tile for it's mineral deposits.
I'm doing fine placing ancient sites, but the locations of some important ones are still unknown. For example, the Philistine city-state of Gat should be included, but nobody knows for sure where it was. In these cases, I'm using the latest archaeological evidence I can find & taking educated guesses.
Beersheva, Jericho, Jerusalem, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Eilat, Ai, Beit Shemesh, Lachish, Ekrat, Akko, Laish, Hazor, Gaza & Tyre have been accurately placed so far.
Civilizations (Updated 7/13/07):
1. Israelites
Leader: Joshua
City List: Etzion Geber, Shechem, Ein Gedi, Dan, Beit El, Hebron, Arad, Dimona, Eilat, Beit Shemesh, Yaffo, etc. Basically, they share a city list with the Canaanites since they went on to conquer Canaan. Dan was a Phoenician settlement that was renamed Dan when the Hebrews conquered it.
Starting Cities: None.
They will start next to Canaanite Jericho with just enough forces to conquer it.
2. Philistines
Leader: Unknown. They had no unifying king. They were ruled by seranim (lords) who each controlled one of their five city-states. I need to pick one.
Cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekran, Gat, Aphek, Yaffo...
Starting Cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekran & Gat.
They were one of several groups called the "Sea Peoples." They settled the coastal plain between Gaza & the Sharon about 1200 BCE. Biblical scholars put their origin at Crete because of the Biblical term used for it. Archaeology seems to back this up. Their language was similar to Crypto-Minoan & Linear A & much of their pottery was made in Crete & Cyprus. Whatever it was, it was not Semitic like the languages of their neighbors. By 1000 BCE, they had adopted Hebrew script. They ruled the coastal plain throughout this period & held positions in the central highlands occasionally. They were capable of at least some iron working, but they had no direct access to iron ore.
3. Egyptians
Leader: Pharoah Ramses II
City List: Will need to find Egyptian sites from the period in the eastern Sinai & Negev & make them stronger than they were historically to simulate Egyptian influence.
Starting Cities: Timna, Beit She'an...
Ivory from Egypt was reported in several sources as being a valuable luxury commodity in the area so the Egyptians will have enough of it for trade.
Their power at start will need to be tweaked through testing. According to the Hebrew Bible, pharoah "Shishek" (maybe Shoshenq I, II or III) launched a military campaign as far north as Hazor in the 9th century BCE, but that's about it. They were in decline during this period having been previously invaded by the Hyksos & the Sea Peoples. They were conquered by the Assyrians right after this scenario ends.
4. Phoenicians
Leader: King Abibaal. He's the 1st Tyrian king known. He ruled 990 to 978 BCE.
City List: Tyre, Akko, Laish... Sidon & Byblos are off the northern edge of this map so Tyre will be artificially stronger to compensate. Technically, most of the Canaanite sites could be considered Phoenician as well, but I want both civs in this scenario. Laish was conquered by the Hebrews & renamed Dan. Akko was conquered just before the start of this scenario by a tribe of Sea Peoples called the Shardanu, but little is known about the Shardanu. Akko is only mentioned once in the Hebrew Bible & it's unlikely the Hebrews conquered it. Archaeology shows a major Phoenician influence there during this time period so the Phoenicians get it.
Starting Cities: Tyre, Akko, Laish, Achzib...
A luxury resource is needed for them: Dyes. Murex was a snail that lived near Tyre & Sidon that allowed them to make a very expensive & sought after purple dye.
I also envision a resource called Lebanon Cedar. Historically, Lebanese cedar was an very important trade good for the entire region. It could be a luxury or necessary for ship building. This needs more thought. The Phoenicians had access to sought-after resources & craftsmanship & I want to reflect that in this scenario.
5. Canaanites
Leader: Unknown
Cities: Long list. Many of them shared with the Israelites because the Israelites start off with no city &, historically, conquered the Canaanite ones. This needs to be worked out in greater detail.
6. Edomites
Leader: Unknown.
Cities: Selah, Eilat... I need to research more sites.
Starting Cities: Selah, Eilat...
They will have a monopoly on access to incense from Arabia & a source of iron & copper so they will probably be a viable civ. Historically, it seems they were squeezed out between the Hebrews & the Nabateans. By Roman times, this area was known as Idumaea.
7. Moabites
Leader: King Mesha.
Cities: Dibon...
According to the Hebrew Bible, they sometimes fought with & sometimes worked with the Israelites. A stele known as the Moab Stone provides a list of their cities & an example of their language. Joshua's wife was a Moabite (which is bizarre). Moab is the region east of the Dead Sea.
8. Ammonites
Leader: Unknown.
Cities: Rabbath Ammon...
Similar to the Moabites. Ammon was the region east of the Jordan River.
9. Amalekites
Leader: Unknown.
City List: Unknown.
Starting Cities: Beersheva, Kadesh Barnea...
According to the Hebrew Bible, Joshua 1st proved himself as a war leader in battles against the Amalakites. They seem to have controlled an area of the Negev between the Dead Sea & Philistia. They disappeared from history after Solomon's reign.
10. Arameans
Leader: King Ben Hadad I
City List: Unknown.
Starting Cities: Maybe Damascus. It's really off the edge of this map.
The Arameans established at least three independant kingdoms after the fall of the Hittites. One of them, Aram Damascus, controlled the territory in the northeast corner of this map during this scenario's period. According to the Hebrew Bible, a king of Aram Damascus beseiged & razed the Philistine city-state of Gat. Archaeology in 2005 & 2006 at the site believed to have been Gat bears out that the site was destroyed during this period. They were eventually conquered by the Assyrians, but their language went on to become the dominant language of the region.
Units:
I'm not sure if UUs are necessary. All these civs had pretty much the same military technology at the time. On the other hand, the Phoenicians should probably get a better ship.
I'm not sure how to handle the Ark of the Covenant. It could be a single, unbuildable unit with no defence, but a high bombard for conquering Canaanite cities. On the other hand, it could be a Princess unit. Maybe it should be an easily-built Small Wonder for the Hebrews that gives allot of Culture. There are lots of options...
Victory Conditions:
Domination, Conquest & Culture for sure. Diplomatic? It doesn't really fit the actual history. Space Race could be left off or Solomon's Temple could be built to win a "Space Race." If not, I see Solomon's Temple as a Great Wonder.
Tech Tree (Updated 7/13/07):
Three Eras: Late Bronze Age, Iron Age I & Iron Age II. The tech tree still needs to be worked out.
Does this interest anyone? As you can see, there's allot to do before this scenario is finished. All opinion, advice, research, technical input, etc. is greatly appeciated. Anyone contributing will be given credit, of course.
