The Rule of the God-Kings: Egypt & Byzantium

[RikutheWizard]

Speed: Marathon
Difficulty: Regent
Modifications: Raze Penalty Decreased by 60%

The following excerpts are from a cache of manuscripts discovered in August, 1956 by a shepherd on the Saini peninsula who stumbled into a cave filled with sealed clay jars. These jars contained the now famous Red Sea Scrolls: a collection of Egypt’s ancient history.

These manuscripts are now on display in the Byzantine Louvre.


An excerpt from P534: detailing the destruction of Babylon and Jerusalem at the hands of Rameses I

Beginnings
“The rule of the eternal pharaoh started when time began, beside the verdant waters of the Nile. The grand city of Thebes began as small as the lowly tadpole, and few could imagine what it would become. The people were guarded by the Keepers of the Sun: a cohort of able-bodied warriors who served as bodyguards and peacekeepers. Times were simpler then, and peaceful.“


Rameses I
All of this changed when a Pharaoh named Rameses I declared himself the offspring of Amun-Ra and eternal ruler of the world. He mustered a small force of fearsome chariots and rode north in search of glory. All of Egypt knows of his deeds and truly he was the first god-pharaoh.


An engraving showing Rameses I riding atop his chariot, leading his army into battle

On the edge of the Negev Desert, he beheld the city of Jerusalem and marveled at its many bowmen. It would fall eventually, but he did not have the men for a full-on attack, even with the element of surprise.


He rode on across the deserts to Babylon. After pillaging the stone works, attacked a surprised group of soldiers guarding a new settlement. He razed the newly built city to the ground and sent a message to the world about what kind of ruler he would prove to become.


Negotiating a temporary truce with the Babylonians, he rode further west, hoping to raid more settlements.


He rode as far west as the Indus valley, discovering a nation that was weak and ripe for enslavement! The government was thrown into anarchy as slaves were seized and set to work back in Thebes. A new group of chariots rode from Thebes in pursuit of their liege, capturing a group of Babylonian workers and sending them on a forced march back to Egypt.


Rameses I rode back east, a victorious and experienced raider, leading a procession of slaves that would lay the foundation of a new empire.


The other group of charioteers rode north from Babylon and discovered a village of Hittites who also knew the art of the chariot. Valuable lessons were given to the charioteers and they rode south to meet up with the Sun King. This experience would prove crucial in the coming years.


The combined forces headed to Jerusalem, and attacked groups of militia brave enough to leave the city’s perimeter:


In a brilliant tactical move, Rameses I ordered the slaves to march within reach of the city. The defenders took the bait, capturing the workers. Within minutes, Rameses I rushed down upon the archers in a frenzy and struck them all down without losing a single soldier.


Seeing a great opportunity while encamped in the foothills of Israel, Rameses I ordered a daring surprise attack on the lightly defended city of Babylon. A victory here would mean the end of Babylonians.


Rameses’s son Tekumten I led a glorious charge across the Tigris and swept the surprised bowman into the city streets where they were slaughtered. Rameses then entered the city and ordered it to be razed, with no survivors and no mercy.

A relief showing the destruction of Babylon at the hands of Rameses I and his son Tekumten I

The city of Shusha was next to fall. After the first wave of horseman was driven back by the defender’s archers, Rameses I mounted another charge and rode down the royal guard protecting the chieftain. After that, it was complete route of the defenders, followed by looting, fires, and more complete destruction.


In the Sun King’s absence, the Keepers of the Sun had their hands full, repressing angry riots formed by slaves groaning under the task of making endless chariots for the king. But the slave drivers kept them in check and made sure to fill the quota. More chariots rode north to join the ever-expanding army.



Slaves suffer under the cruel reign of Rameses I

Rameses I then completely surrounded Jerusalem, starving its inhabitants while waiting for the rest of his forces to arrive. At his signal, riders charged in, heedless of the rain of arrows launched by the desperate defenders.


Many charioteers were slain in the attack, and even the King himself took an arrow to his left knee, but the result of the battle was inevitable: Jerusalem was razed, its inhabitants slaughtered, and the survivors led back to Egypt.



A fresco that depicts Jerusalem and its inhabitants being led away into Egyptian captivity at the hands of Rameses I

Rameses I rode into Thebes wounded, but a war hero. People lined the streets praising his eternal name. The pyramids were commissioned as a lasting monument to the pharaoh’s greatness.


Tekumten I was sent riding south in search of other cities to raid while the rest of the army enjoyed a time of celebration and revelry. While exploring near the rainforest south of the Nile, Tekumten was attacked by a pride of lions and found villages who gave him 135 ducats of gold as tribute.

Mycenean traders sailed south and were granted the passage of open borders. Rameses I started scheming again, ever-hungry for more glory and gold…


His army of 5,000 elite chariots rode out, in search of the Myceneans.


While passing through the burned-out ruins of Jerusalem, Rameses is heard to have remarked: “Tomorrow’s yesterday is today.” And thus, the saying remains to this day.

Rameses I ruled with absolute brutality, as shown in hieroglyphs preserved in his burial chamber.

Scouting out the lands via his open border agreement, he saw the Myceneans a ripe for the taking and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. The Pyramids were finished, and the Great Sphinx was ordered to be built right next to them.


The army charged into Athens where bloody fighting occurred. Greek archers and Hoplites proved to be mighty foes, but no match for the Pharaoh and his prowess in battle.


Sparta fell soon afterwards, but before the city of Athens was completely destroyed, Rameses’s son pleaded with the Pharaoh to spare the city. Tekumten had his own ambitions, and he envisioned a bright city by the sea, one that would rival the Sun city of Thebes.


Rameses I begrudgingly agreed and split his forces, leaving his son Tekumten I in charge of the city. He made the long journey back home, for he was growing old and wanted to see the wonders built in his name before his spirit entered the afterlife. He returned home just in time to see the completion of the Oracle. A wise seer granted the Egyptians with the knowledge of the Calendar and also writings which were made on papyrus paper.




The city of Thebes, during the rule of Rameses I

To be continued...

 

[RikutheWizard]

Tekumten I
Rameses I died circa 1028 BC. In his place, his son Tekumten began to reign. He continued to build up Athens and Thebes into glittering cityscapes, promoting Egyptian culture and internal infrastructure. Notably, Tekumten created the first library known to man in Thebes, and many scrolls were made during his reign. Egypt began exporting cotton, incense, gold, camels, and copper, and Egyptian goods were the finest in the lands.

During this time, the Great Prophet Moses was born in 889 BC in Thebes. Driven out of Egypt after killing a slave master, 40 years later he would go on to become the leader of the Jewish slaves working in Athens. He began preaching after an encounter with the God YWH while tending his sheep on the mountain of Athos.


After many years of peace, Tekumten led his army north wards to conquer the Canaanite city of Tyre. Resistance was fierce, mostly due to the Huluganni that had joined the Canaanite ranks. But the enemy forces were wiped out and the city of Tyre pacified. Carthaginian galleys ravaged the peaceful coast of Athens however, pillaging fishing boats and ransacking local crab-fisheries. A tentative peace agreement was made in 824 BC.



The Egyptians battle the Canaanite Coalition comprised of Sacred Bands, Huluganni Charioteers, and archers.


Before completing the tabernacle in Athens, Moses visited the ruins of Jerusalem:


Tekumten could not be stopped and rode into the land controlled by the Hittites and drove them from the hillsides. Their settlement was razed to the ground.


Tekumten faced a financial crisis after emptying the royal treasuries to rebuild Tyre and founding the city of Tekumta: he would need to reduce spending or face debt!
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Rameses II and the Egyptian Golden Age
Tekumten died just after completing of the Great Library of Thebes and the Great Lighthouse of Athens, sending Egypt into a golden age! Tekumten was succeeded by his son, Rameses II.


A painting of the library of Thebes before it was burned in the Nika riots. Truly, this was the beginning of the Egyptian Golden Age:


As his first act as pharaoh, Rameses II ordered the construction of the Temple of Amon-Ra in Thebes:


In 494 B.C. Cyrus of the Persians declared war on the Egyptian Kingdom and crossed the Euphrates with a band of War Elephants. These were quickly defeated in battle, but not without inflicting serious casualties on the chariot ranks.


Egyptians battle the Persians in the first Great Persian War

An invasion force was sent in retaliation and began to attack the city of Tisfun. Persians were quick to reinforce the city, and the chariot ranks suffered many casualties after what they assumed would be a quick fight. The siege of Tisfun lasted for 40 years before the city was finally captured and razed.


The Persians agreed to a peace treaty, and also gave 74 ducats of gold in tribute. The Persians the Egyptians lived peacefully for some time, engaging in spice trade and reopening their borders.


Rameses II oversaw the construction of many wonders: The Great Coliseum of Tyre. The Aqua Appia of Tekumta, the Statue of Zeus in Athens, and the Hanging Gardens of Athens. Rameses was one of the greatest of the Pharaohs, becoming even more legendary than his grandfather.

Rameses II ruling from his throne in Thebes

Hatsetphut and the End of an Age

Turmoil came to the Egyptians when Rameses II died of old age. A power vacuum was created, for Rameses II did not have any children. During the same time, Christianity was founded in the city of Tekumta circa 184 BC. The empire was thrown into many years of Anarchy while the religion changed and instituted a clergy and vassal system. In the end, the scheming Hatshepsut became grand ruler of the empire, heiress to the Kingdom of the Sun.


Seizing on the apparent chaos, the Roman Empire launched a surprise attack on Athens, but they were easily overrun by the legion of chariots defending the city.

Tyre and Tekumta also came under siege, but the attackers were eradicated during vicious battles between the elite legions of Rome and the chariots of Egypt in the forests of Lebanon.


With the discovery of Artisanry, Egypt entered the Medieval age in 101 AD. Although constantly at war with the Romans, the cities of the empire focused on building glorious cities and cathedrals.


After winning the first war with the Romans, Egypt reached the height of their power.


All but 2 of the wonders in the World until this time were built by the great Egyptian people:


Persia and Rome both declare war on Egypt in 241 AD: Egypt did not have an army to fight 2 wars! They were too busy building jails for their unruly citizens!


A new religion of Islam is founded in Tyre in 266AD when a young prophet Mohamad had a vision while wandering in the forest of Lebanon.


The Bosporus Massacre
In 281 AD: a massive Roman army crossed the Bosporus to try and seize the Holy City. The best of Rome’s elite soldiers and sieges equipment thundered across the plains. However, they met and unfortunate demise at the hands of Egyptian Horse Archers that cut their supply lines and surrounded the invaders from the front and behind. No Romans were left as survivors. The religious people of Athens were horrified at the brutality shown so close to home and began to cry out for reform and peace. Their pleas fell on deaf ears of Hatshepsut.


The Roman army massacred on the Bosporus

Almost all of the population of Athens began to pray and fast, hoping that a great prophet would arise and reform the kingdom.


After soundly defeating the Romans, the Egyptian horsemen rode East to take on the Persians (again).


“The Athenians prayers were not answered. A great merchant came to power in the city, greedy for more money and corrupt as they come. Taxes were increased and events reached a breaking point. Fed up with the decadence running rampant among the clergy and lack of reform from the Pharaohs, religious immigrants left the city of Athens en-mass and founded the city of Constantinople on the site where Bosporus Massacre took place. They declared independence from Egypt and the Pharaohs. History would never be the same.”


The Red Sea scrolls end their account here, for Egypt was plunged into great upheaval and the school of the scribes fled into exile.


To be continued…

 

[black213]

I enjoyed reading (and seeing) through this, thank you for it.

 

[LikeNothing]

PLEASE found Constantinople 1W.

I half think you plan to do that anyway, seeing how excellent your city placement has been so far.

 

[RikutheWizard]

I think the Byzantines found Constantinople before I am able to control them, sadly.

In future posts, I will try to include the pictures in the SPOILER tags for a better viewing experience. I know they are very large....

 

[LikeNothing]

Well then, I think you are more than justified to use the World Builder to add a river around it. The Bosporus and the Golden Horn are not solid land, after all.