Aigyptos Has Risen! (Rise, Aegyptus v2.0)

[Grouchio]

IS ANYBODY THERE?!

[NikoZnate]

Damn, I thought there was an update

[Arrix85]

Originally Posted by NikoZnate

Damn, I thought there was an update

me too.

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Hi guys, really sorry I haven't brought an update out. I've been picking up my pace of schoolwork in preparation for doing the IB Diploma next year, and my work shifts changed to take up most of my weekend.

I haven't abandoned this TL though, and I have made a start on the update and drew out some maps, but I just need to find some time to finish the update.

Right now though, I can't put a date on when I'll publish it but I am trying to work on it.

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Oh no! What's this?

Chapter II: Eyes Turned Skywards
Part I


Extent of the Coptic Rebellion in early May, 624AD. With the yellow representing areas firmly under control of the Alexandrian Heptarchy, turquoise representing disputed areas, and blue representing areas under the control of the Persians. Red dots represent a center of rebellion, and the blue-gold city is the Persian provincial capital of Egypt, Seyân[1]. The gold line represents the point where Coptic ceases to be the majority spoken language.

-29th of May, 624AD, somewhere near Thebes.

Tigy stood with his bare feet partially submerged in the desert sand. Above him, the sun's heat was multiplied a thousand times by the great magnifying glass of the sea-blue sky. Sweat trickled down his face, curling around his creased brow and his jutted jaw. He was donned in a tunic, with some leather covering his vitals. In his right hand, a short spear. In his left, a rudimentary leather shield. His slender frame of fourteen years bulked under the weight of the weaponry and armour, but Tigy was unmoved, he had come here with a purpose.

"Soldiers of Khme! Take up your arms! Xine!"

That was his purpose. His calling. Tigy, as well as the rest of the rag-tag army marched towards the Persians in front of them. They were better equipped, better trained and were led by better men. They stood erect in perfect formation, and their priests made their way through their ranks handing out blessings. But they were not defending their homeland and they lacked the zeal that burned in the hearts of the Egyptians.

"Matoi!"[2], called the commander of the Egyptian forces, "Mishe! Destroy your foes!"

The fire of zeal in Tigy became a roaring inferno, and he charged forwards, hooting and screaming. Others around him did the same, bursting from their ranks in a display of fervour,

"No! Stay in formation!"

The words went straight over Tigy's head. But in front of him, the Persians didn't flee or faint in the face of the mighty Copts. They stood completely still, emanating an air of ruthless professionalism. As Tigy dashed forwards, he noticed an ornately armoured Persian raise his hand silently.

Then the arrows came.

***

Excerpt from The Coptic Dream: An Early History of the Modern Egyptian State.
© 1939 by Henri-Louis de Mâcon, Western Historiography Press.

"... What we know as the 'Great Alexandrian Street Riot of 624' was a great victory for the Egyptians. During the riot, the Persian military parade was overwhelmed by the rioters and Dimitrios Scylitzis's Legion successfully secured the city's defences. When a Persian vasht[3] camped outside the city attempted the recapture Alexandria, they were repulsed by Scylitzis, who would then lead a counterattack and completely eradicate the Persians from the Alexandria region. Of course, the aforementioned were merely skirmishes in comparison to the military action to follow. In the following weeks of March and April, Scylitzis would lead an assault on the Nile Delta, while Isaias Marangoudakis brought his auxiliary regiments down the Nile, successfully besieging and capturing Memphis and Lykonpolis. But Marangoudakis and Scylitzis were not the only Egyptian military forces at play, the actions of the Alexandrian Heptarchy, that is, the seven leaders of the rebellion, inspired similar rebellions in Berenice, Naukratis and Thebes. Nonetheless, these early successes were answered at the end of April, when Shahrbaraz ordered a ruthless series of counterattacks on Thebes, plus the very recently captured cities of Lykonpolis and Memphis ..."

***

-10th of June, 624AD, the Fortress of Lykonpolis.

Asim Psati and Vasilios Kymineianos strolled through the great double-doors of the fortress. Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty structure, and their shadows stretched across the barely-lit floor.

"Isaias!" called Vasilios, "Isaias, where are you?"

For a brief moment, nothing but his echo greeted Vasilios, but then, "In here!" a voice answered from a chamber to their right. They followed the voice down the chamber, until they reached a small, dank but warmly lit room. Inside the room, was Isaias Marangoudakis himself, as well as three or four senior commanders. They were all seated on creaky wooden chairs around a stone table. On the table, a flask of beer was sitting there, half-full. Isaias ushered them inside.

"My friends!" he mused, standing up to salute both of them, "What news?"

Vasilios had travelled from the north, having helped organised relief for Scylitzis's troops in the Delta. Negotiating with the Romans in Africa hadn't been easy, but Vasilios had immense skill in negotiating. After all, it's what he did for a living. But Asim had come from the South, as he had led the Theban troops in a hopeless battle against a Persian regiment that had come seemingly out of nowhere.

"Well..." said Asim, stepping forward, "Thebes... Is not looking good. A Persian army led by Shahraplakan[4] came out of nowhere and decimated our troops. I tried to command them... But they broke formation, and charged forth in an utter mess... They were slaughtered."

This was not the news that Isaias had been expecting, and it hit him like a brick. He placed a palm against his forehead and sat down slowly, "Why didn't you let an experienced commander take charge?"

A stifling pause filled the room. "There... There were none. Isaias, we're suffering an immense shortage of officers down there. I mean, our troops are unprofessional and our commanders are lacking or utterly incompetent."

"So what do you suggest we do?" asked Isaias, looking at the pair of them,

"Isaias, we need your help. I know you think defending the only part of the Nile we actually properly control is important, but you can't cross rivers if you're not willing to swim against the current."

Isaias leaned back in his chair and studied the map of Egypt laid down in front of him. One of his senior officers, a man named Philippikos, offered a suggestion, "Sir, Abanoub and I could defend Lykonpolis - "

But Isaias cut him off, "Sssht! We'll hear what's going on in the north first."

"Very well" said Vasilios, "Actually, the Nile Delta is faring reasonably well. Scylitzis has recruited two more legions and has outlined Seyân as his objective. He's heading straight towards it like a raging bull."

"Sounds like Scylitzis" chuckled Isaias,

"Yes, quite. Well anyway, Kyrillos is stuck in Memphis organising the defenders, as Rhahzadh[5] has besieged the city - "

"Hang on! Scylitzis left Kyrillos in charge of a siege? What? The man is a bureaucrat, not a warrior! What on earth was Scylitzis thinking?"

"Errm... I didn't ask" said Vasilios sheepishly. Honestly, Vasilios thought Scylitzis was up to no good. But he didn't voice those thoughts, "But regardless, Scylitzis is making exceptional progress."

Isaias folded his arms and thought. Indeed, over the last month he had remain stationary, consolidating Egyptian control over the region. He had made it so that this was the only part of the Nile in all of Egypt which was firmly Egyptian, and had pushed Hormuzan[6] and his army far eastwards into the desert after the Persian had attempted to besiege Lykonpolis in mid-May. But maybe it was time to start the advance again.

"Very well" said Isaias, "I will take 15 000 troops south and meet Shahraplakan on the field of battle. Abanoub... You go and aid Kyrillos. Recruit soldiers from the countryside if you must, but I can only spare you about 2 000 of my own. Philippikos, you stay here and defend."

The assembled men nodded in universal agreement.

"It is decided then" whispered Asim.

***

Excerpt from Generals of Egypt: Past and Present.
© 1941 by Ludvik Sigurd Bødtker, F.W.D Printing Press.

"... Dimitrios Scylitzis is certainly an intriguing character. Some contemporary historians assert that it was him, along with Isaias Marangoudakis, who gave Aigyptos independence from the Persians, and while this view is certainly contrarian, it does highlight a very valid point: That Dimitrios Scylitzis's Delta campaign certainly aided the Egyptians immensely. While Marangoudakis marched towards Thebes, Scylitzis bulldozed through the Delta, reaching the gates of Seyân in mid-June of 624AD. Seyân was the Persian headquarters in Egypt, and was an important port town as well as the gateway into the Sinai and beyond. Scylitzis knew that taking this city would certainly throw the Persians into disarray, so perhaps it is mightily peculiar that he left Kyrillos in Memphis for dead, rather than help liberate the city, thus gaining a significant manpower boost from one of Egypt's largest population centers. But, it is probably accurate to say that Scylitzis has his own independent political motives. And although it is hard to say exactly what they were, it is likely that they had a part to play in his early death ..."

***


Death-mask of Dimitrios Scylitzis, dated to approximately 625AD.

-21st of June, 624AD, outside the walls of Seyân.

The sands of the Sinai perforated the air like smell of sweat that radiated off the ranks of soldiers below. From his high-point on a small knoll, Dimitrios Scylitzis could clearlt see the city of Seyân, Sassanian banners decorating the walls. Too easy, he thought. His advance through the Nile Delta had been swift and almost effortless, the Persians had been sparse and few in number, probably owing to the fact that the recent revolt of Shahrbaraz had thrown the whole Persian military off balance.

"Men!" he called from his perch, the wind rippling through his beard, "Beyond us are the Persians! Those villainous scum, who have tried to take our homes, our wives, out livelihood! They've molested the fair skin of Egypt and had their way with her, but no longer! Men, beyond you is the city of Pelousion, the headquarters of the Persians. It is from here that the Persians 'manage' Egypt. From here their armies march. And from here our victory bells will ring!"

The army below him roared with enthusiasm, "All hail!" they barked in response.

"Men! Turn your eyes skywards, towards the lord! Pray for us, and he will protect! May the hand of our Lord guide us!"

Dimitrios Scylitzis grinned slightly and turned his back to his troops. The capture of this city was crucial to the campaign, but also to him - to Dimitrios. He needed the influence, the fame and the wealth this victory would bring him. Well, that and for the second part of his plan to succeed.

"Sir, the men are ready. Shall we?" asked an aide, breaking Dimitrios out of his thought process, "If don't attack in the next month, the Persians may bring in reinforcements from Judaea."

"Yes... Prepare the rams and the ladders"

Rams and ladders. That was all that was needed. Too easy.

Or so he thought.

***

-24th of June, 624AD, somewhere near Thebes.

"Sir!", a voice whispered in the background, like a wind through distant mists,

Oh god... W-what...?

"Sir! Sir!", the voice broke through Isaias's sleep, "Sir, get up!"

"What is it?" crowed Isaias's rubbing his eyes, "W-why so early?"

"Sir, Thebes is under assault! As we speak, Shahraplakan has broken camp and is assaulting the walls!"

"What!" barked Isaias, suddenly very awake. He tore out of his tent, barely clothed. Indeed, in the far distance, on the very periphery of the horizon, smoke was rising. And just two days away! his brain moaned.

"Get everyone up" he told the courier who had awoken him, "Get everyone up! AWAKEN THE CAMP!"

In a matter of mere moments, the bells were ringing, voices were yelling and Isaias's troops were running about. Some, like Isaias, were hardly clothed. Others ran from tent-to-tent, holding vessels of soup in hands. Still others were hurriedly distributing spears amongst the soldiers.

"Get in formation, we're moving out!" screeched Isaias above the chaos. He marched forwards towards his noble stallion, slapping on armour as he went. He was furious: Shahraplakan had acted completely out of the blue, he hadn't even been besieging Thebes before he suddenly assaulted it! In fact, the Persian had been camped about a half a days march downriver, where it had been thought he was awaiting reinforcements. That crafty fox.

"H-Hey!" called a voice from behind Isaias, "Isaias, what... W-what is happening?"

Isaias wheeled around to face a bleary-eyed Vasilios, "Vasilios!" barked Isaias, but then the alarmed general paused for a moment. Considering the situation deeply, arms folded, "Vasilios," he continued, this time calm and slowly, "Ride to Lykonpolis. Tell Philippikos we're engaging the enemy outside of Thebes."

Vasilios stood there for a moment, confused. "Errm... Alright then... And Asim?"

"Don't worry about Asim!"

Isaias mounted his horse as Vasilios scurried into the dusty distance. He watched for a brief moment, then turned to face the direction of Thebes. But it was not the horizon to which he looked, instead, Isaias had his head tilted upwards, his eyes turned skywards.

***

So yeah, this update serves mainly three purposes: To flesh out the characters a bit more, especially the two generals, to give an idea of exactly how the Egyptian Independence was achieved, because I felt that in Rise, Aegyptus! Everything was a bit... Rushed... And also to serve as a springboard for the next update, which will probably be very centered on the battles/sieges. Yay! Hmm.

Footnotes:
[1]: Seyân is the Aramaic name for Pelousion, which was an important port town and a gateway to and beyond the Sinai. It was chosen as the HQ of the Persians not so much because of it's size or importance, but because it was as far away from the rest of Egypt and as close to Persia as possible, while still being in Egypt.
[2]: Matoi means soldiers.
[3]: a vasht is a Persian military unit about the size of a regiment.
[4]: Shahraplakan was an important Persian general who served OTL in the Sassanian-Byzantine War of 602–628. He won a string of victories in the North theatre of the war, but was inevitably defeated.
[5]: Rhahzadh was another Persian general, but he was of Armenian origin. Rhahzadh was known for challenging Heraclius to single combat, but during this duel he was killed when Heraclius speared his horse and crushed him
[6]: Yet another Persian general, Hormuzan was extremely loyal to Shahrbaraz, and IOTL, would actually die trying to defend his government against usurpers.

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

I made this little linguistic map based on this (with some minor edits, such as the arrival of the Slavs), which should roughly give an idea of which languages are where.

Image is clickable for a larger version. But if that doesn't work, click here.

Where 1 is Thracian intermixed with Slavic, 2 is Abkhaz, 3 is Zan, 4 is Syriac intermixed with Greek, 5 is Svan, 6 is Bulgar intermixed with Khazar, 7 is Gothic, 8 is Khazar, 9 is Armenian intermixed with Georgian, 10 is Eastern Aramaic intermixed with Persian and 11 is Georgian.

[Arrix85]

awesome! I really look forward to see how the rebellion unfolds. And Thanks for the maps, loved them.

[Cuāuhtemōc]

I'm glad that the map I linked to a while ago has served of use to you. And the update is fantastic; it's a good thing to see this timeline back up and running.

[Grouchio]

I wonder what kind of equipment the Egyptian rebels are using...

Also, I found pictures of Sharbaraz!

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Originally Posted by Arrix85

awesome! I really look forward to see how the rebellion unfolds. And Thanks for the maps, loved them.

Thanks! I'll be sure to use more of them in the future, seeing as they are like.

Originally Posted by Cuāuhtemōc

I'm glad that the map I linked to a while ago has served of use to you. And the update is fantastic; it's a good thing to see this timeline back up and running.

No doubt! Thanks again for that link, it's very helpful.
And I'm glad as always that you liked the update.

Originally Posted by Grouchio

I wonder what kind of equipment the Egyptian rebels are using...

Well, the forces under the command of Scylitzis, the legions, would be almost identical to the Roman comitatenses or the limitanei in the way of their equipment and organisation. So this would mean chain and leather armour, a helmet, some javelins, a shield and a short sword.

So you might see the comitatenses armed like number 1.

As for the forces under the command of Isaias, a mix of ex-Persian auxiliaries and recruited peasants, would be armed either like a typical Persian paighan, so some basic leather cladding, a wood or wickerwork shield and a long spear, some mismatched articles of Roman-style equipment or both.

The forces in Thebes, Memphis and Berenice would be armed with a mixture of peasant weaponry and armour (leather, pitchforks, basic spears) and whatever equipment they could salvage from the Persians/Romans. Sometimes this meant surprising finds, such as the equipment of a clibanarii or a Zhayedan.

As for cavalry, it'd almost always be Roman-style horsemen. So you'd find heavily-armoured cataphracti, the typical semi-armoured type of Roman cavalry and some cavalrymen imitating the equites Dalmatae. Remember, the Persians have only been in Egypt for five years, so there would be a lot of leftover Roman equipment from the Egyptian legions.

Originally Posted by Grouchio

Also, I found pictures of Sharbaraz!

Ah, marvellous!

[Jonathan Edelstein]

Nice update. The pacing is much better this time around: the greater attention to the details of the rebellion and the personalities involved gives a better sense of how and why things are happening.

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Edelstein

Nice update. The pacing is much better this time around: the greater attention to the details of the rebellion and the personalities involved gives a better sense of how and why things are happening.

Thank you very much. The attention to the personalities and the details is something I'm trying to work on... So it's great that you like that.

[Grouchio]

Say....how are the Avars doing with their big new tracts of Hellenic land?
Who's currently ruling? Could the Khaganate fragment in time?

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Originally Posted by Grouchio

Say....how are the Avars doing with their big new tracts of Hellenic land?

Reasonably well. Remember, the majority of the lands conquered by the Avars from Byzantium had already been heavily settled by the Slavs decades before, and being that the Avar Khaganate is a tribal confederacy, the lands in the South Balkans will do well as long as the Avar-Slavic relations are kept cordial. The only area where we might see significant trouble is in the geographically-isolated northern Morea or Thrace, which is of yet unsettled by the Slavs.

Originally Posted by Grouchio

Who's currently ruling?

Who's currently ruling? Honestly, I have no idea of his name. After Bayan II, there are no records of the third Khagan's name. But for now, let's call him "Bayan III".

Originally Posted by Grouchio

Could the Khaganate fragment in time?

Well that really depends. Avar politics were very touchy-feely: the stability of the empire relied almost entirely on the relationship that the ruling Avars had with their client tribes (the south Slavs, the Wends, the Onogurs). An example of this was when Samo and his Slavic tribes in the north revolted against the Avars, it nearly obliterated the entire Avar Empire. In the short run (10, 15 years...), I'd say the Avars are alright. Their type of symbiotic, benevolent relationships with other regional tribes both within and outside their empire means they're much more stable than other tribal polities. But in the future... Who knows.

[Grouchio]

Thanks for the info. Which has made me think hard.

Do you know how Bayan I settled the Avars into Pannonia? While I was reading about him (here), I learned that apparently HE was the reason something convinced Alboin to invade Italy with his Lombards (as well as giving him a skull cup of the defeated Gepid king whose daughter he forced to drink from, sealing his fate when she had him assassinated a few years later, by gosh!), as well as for why the Slavs migrated into the depopulated Balkans (and wreaked havoc for Grecophilic historians like me). Also, he is very possibly responsible for The rise of Islam! Why? Well in 582 Bayan was able to get a huge ransom of 100k gold pieces per year from the newly crowned Maurice. Ten years later Maurice made peace with Persia and attacked the Avars with great vengeance, nearly destroying them in a great campaign until in 602, when Phocas and the army mutinied and killed Maurice and his family, because Mauricedecreed that the army should stay for winter beyond the Danube, misjudged the situation of this mutiny, and repeatedly ordered his troops to start a new offensive rather than returning to winter quarters. After a while, his troops gained the impression that Maurice no longer mastered the situation and killed him under Phocas. (Because of the Avar threat!) This caused Shah Khosrou II (who Maurice helped win his throne and was probably a good friend to him) to attack the Byzantines out of revenge (and even if it was just to conquer Byzantine land, Maurice not being assassinated might prevent him from doing so for several years, buying time) and start that 20 year-long war that would leave both sides exhausted in manpower and material, leaving them helpless to the emergent Rashidun Caliphate that would then swallow up most of Byzantium and all of Persia and have antiquity go to shit. Seriously, Maurice's reign is often considered the end of Classical antiquity !

So...

What if Bayan ( or some other Avar Khagan) decided not to invade the Pannonian plain but instead head south into the greater Khorasan from their homeland in order to escape the Gokturks, and thus cause trouble for the Sassanids instead? Would that seem plausible? What if Alboin decided to allow the Migrating Slavs into Italy with him instead? Would antiquity in the Balkans linger on? Could this leave both Persia and Byzantium strong enough to resist Islamic invasion?

[B_Munro]

Something oddly modern about the Princess's dress: give her some sneakers and put her down in a folk music festival circa 1970, would anyone find her strange?

Bruce

[FDW]

Interesting TL, I'll be interested to see how this revised version works out.

[TaylorS]

This is a wonderful timeline!

Given your foreshadowing of an Arab Muslim Constantinople, I suspect there is a lot of "fun" in store for the Balkans!

[Grouchio]

So when could I expect the next chapter? Next week? A month from now? Next year?

[God-Eater of the Marshes]

Originally Posted by Grouchio

Thanks for the info. Which has made me think hard.

Do you know how Bayan I settled the Avars into Pannonia? While I was reading about him (here), I learned that apparently HE was the reason something convinced Alboin to invade Italy with his Lombards (as well as giving him a skull cup of the defeated Gepid king whose daughter he forced to drink from, sealing his fate when she had him assassinated a few years later, by gosh!), as well as for why the Slavs migrated into the depopulated Balkans (and wreaked havoc for Grecophilic historians like me). Also, he is very possibly responsible for The rise of Islam! Why? Well in 582 Bayan was able to get a huge ransom of 100k gold pieces per year from the newly crowned Maurice. Ten years later Maurice made peace with Persia and attacked the Avars with great vengeance, nearly destroying them in a great campaign until in 602, when Phocas and the army mutinied and killed Maurice and his family, because Mauricedecreed that the army should stay for winter beyond the Danube, misjudged the situation of this mutiny, and repeatedly ordered his troops to start a new offensive rather than returning to winter quarters. After a while, his troops gained the impression that Maurice no longer mastered the situation and killed him under Phocas. (Because of the Avar threat!) This caused Shah Khosrou II (who Maurice helped win his throne and was probably a good friend to him) to attack the Byzantines out of revenge (and even if it was just to conquer Byzantine land, Maurice not being assassinated might prevent him from doing so for several years, buying time) and start that 20 year-long war that would leave both sides exhausted in manpower and material, leaving them helpless to the emergent Rashidun Caliphate that would then swallow up most of Byzantium and all of Persia and have antiquity go to shit. Seriously, Maurice's reign is often considered the end of Classical antiquity !

So...

What if Bayan ( or some other Avar Khagan) decided not to invade the Pannonian plain but instead head south into the greater Khorasan from their homeland in order to escape the Gokturks, and thus cause trouble for the Sassanids instead? Would that seem plausible? What if Alboin decided to allow the Migrating Slavs into Italy with him instead? Would antiquity in the Balkans linger on? Could this leave both Persia and Byzantium strong enough to resist Islamic invasion?

As for Bayan invading Khorasan, this could be a possibility, but remember that Khorasan is arid and not nearly as fertile as the Pannonian plains. The fertility and the boons it offered for a primarily horse-based people is the main reason why the Avars went there in the first place. But, if the Avars migrated to Khorasan for whatever reason (let's say a power already based in the Pannonian Plains for example), than I think your hypothesis might be correct to an extent... Unless the Sassanian king does exactly what Maurice did!

But also, take into account that at this point, a Byzantine-Sassanian war was more or less inevitable, relations had been heating up decades prior, and previous Byzantine-Sassanian wars had been largely inconclusive. Even without the invasion of the Avars, after Maurice's death, you'd need an exceptional reason for war not to start sooner or later. Khosrau II was known to be ambitious and bold, and the justification for invading the Byzantines in 608 (to 'avenge the death of Maurice') is widely regarded as a cover for his real motive: which was simply to annex as much Byzantine territory as feasibly possible.

But really, your idea is very interesting. While I don't think the Avars would migrate to Khorasan without an exceptional reason, alternate movements of the Avars could certainly have an immense impact. And even if the death if the Sassanians and the Byzantines still have a war, no Avars in the Pannonian Plains could mean that the war would have an immensely different outcome for certain.

Originally Posted by B_Munro

Something oddly modern about the Princess's dress: give her some sneakers and put her down in a folk music festival circa 1970, would anyone find her strange?

Bruce

Or you could put thick-rimmed glasses and put her in a Starbucks circa now, and would anyone find her strange?

Originally Posted by FDW

Interesting TL, I'll be interested to see how this revised version works out.

Thanks! Your interest is why I write this.

Originally Posted by TaylorS

This is a wonderful timeline!

Given your foreshadowing of an Arab Muslim Constantinople, I suspect there is a lot of "fun" in store for the Balkans!

Thank you! And yes, much phun shall be had.

Originally Posted by Grouchio

So when could I expect the next chapter? Next week? A month from now? Next year?

Earlier than next year, that's all I can say.