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THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE
An Alternate History Timeline
by Robert Perkins
An Alternate History Timeline
by Robert Perkins
PART ONE--THE EARLY YEARS (1200 BC to 800 BC)
c. 1200 BC--The Second Hittite Empire falls to attacks by invading Phrygian and Kaska tribesman. The capital at Hattusas is burned and abandoned. Many Hittites flee south ofthe Taurus mountains and take refuge in the city-states of Cilicia (at this time calledKizzuwanda) and northern Syria, many of which are inhabited by the Luwians, a peoplewho are ethnically and culturally similar to the Hittites and speak a related language.
c. 1200-1000 BC--Dark Ages in the aftermath of the barbarian invasions which broughtdown the Second Hittite Empire. During this period, sixteen powerful city states arise inCilicia and northern Syria. These states are culturally Hittite, and speak a mixture ofHittite, Canaanite, and Luwian. Their rulers consider themselves to be the heirs of theGreat Kings of Hatti (the old Hittite Empire), but they squabble among themselves,weakening all of them.
1168 BC--The Kassite Dynasty of Babylon is overthrown by the Elamite KingShutruk-nahhunte. Babylon is captured and plundered (It is at this time that the famousstele of the Law Code of Hammurabi is taken to the Elamite capital at Susa). TheElamites rule Babylonia for the next 30 years.
1156 BC onward--The Second Dynasty of Isin comes to power in Babylonia. In theaftermath of the overthrow of the Kassite dynasty by the Elamites, a new dynasty arises inthe town of Isin under Marduk-kabit-ahheshu, (1156–1139 BC) who by the end of hisreign will retake Babylon and re-establish the independence of Babylonia from theElamites.
1125-1103 BC--Reign of King Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon. He invades and conquersmost of Elam.
1115-1077 BC--Reign of King Tiglath Pileser I of Assyria. Assyria invades the regioninhabited by the Hittites and extracts tribute, but does not remove the Hittite dynastiesruling over the cities. In 1081 he defeats King Marduk-nadin-ahhe of Babylon andconquers Babylonia, ending the Second Dynasty of Isin.
c. 1100 BC--Over the past 3 centuries, Aramaean nomads have been infiltrating theSyrian region. By 1100 BC, they are powerful enough that they take control of some ofthe southern Hittite cities, such as Damascus. However, the twelve cities of the northremain under Hittite dynasties, albeit with the addition of Aramaean elements to theirpopulation.
1076-934 BC--Aramaean invasions of Mesopotamia. Incursions by Aramaean nomadsseverely weaken Assyria. Assyria loses control over the Hittite cities of Syria, and entersa period of decline. Also during this time, Babylonia is invaded by Aramaeans andChaldeans, and breaks up into small tribal states. It will be some time before the countryis re-united.
c. 1000 BC--Most of the Hittite and Aramaean cities of Syria are temporarily under thesway of the United Hebrew Kingdom of Kings David and Solomon. The Hittite cities ofKizzuwanda (Cilicia) remain independent.
c. 1000 BC onward--Greek Colonization of the east coast of Asia Minor. Also at aboutthis time, the alphabet is developed by the Phoenicians. Phoenician traders and colonistswill spread it far and wide over the succeeding centuries, where it will be adapted bymany peoples, including, eventually, the Greeks and Romans. Also at this time, the Sabaeans, a Semitic tribe living in southwestern Arabia, unite and form the Kingdom of Sheba. Approximate time of the legendary visit of the Queen of Sheba to the court of Hebrew King Solomon. The Sabaeans are traders in frankincense and myrrh, precious resins obtained from trees which grow only in southern Arabia and which are greatly prized for use in religious rituals.
965 BC--Death of King Solomon of Israel. The Hebrew Kingdom is divided in twain,with the ten northern tribes forming the Kingdom of Israel and the two southern tribesforming the Kingdom of Judah. The House of David continues to rule in Judah, but Israelwill be ruled by a series of dynasties over the next two centuries. The two Israelitekingdoms will be often at war over the succeeding years. The Hittite and Aramaean citiesof Syria regain their independence...indeed, Damascus gains independence even before Solomon’s death (c. 970 BC), when the Aramaean chieftain Hezion (Rezon from theBible) seizes the city and establishes his dynasty there.
c. 950 onward--Growth of the power of the Aramaean city-state of Damascus. Damascusbrings the other Aramaean cities under it’s control.
935-911 BC--Reign of King Ashur-Dan II, who begins to once again rebuild Assyria’sstrength.
c. 930 BC--Death of King Hezion/Rezon of Damascus. He is succeeded by his son,Tab-Rammon (Tabrimmon from the Bible).
c. 925 BC--Tuwanuwa I, the King of Azatiwataya (modern Karatepe, inKizzuwanda/Cilicia) unites the twelve Hittite cities under his rule. He claims the title,Great King of Hatti, and this is recognized by his vassal rulers in the other Hittite cities.Also at about this time, Pharaoh Shesonq of Egypt invades Judah and Israel and sacks theTemple at Jerusalem.
c. 900 BC--The various city-states and principalities around Lake Van are united to formthe Kingdom of Urartu. Urartu, whose population is largely Hurrian in origin(descendants of the people who once formed the powerful kingdom of Mitanni) will beone of the great enemies of Assyria, and sometime ally of Hatti.
c. 900 BC onward--Phoenician traders begin to found colonies overseas in north Africa,Spain, Sicily and Sardinia.
891 BC--King Tuwanuwa I of Hatti dies, and is succeeded by his son, who rules asTuwanuwa II.
c. 890 BC--Death of King Tab-Rammon of Damascus. His son, Ben Hadad I, comes tothe throne of the Aramaean city-state of Damascus.
c. 885 BC--War between the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. King Asa of Judah makes atreaty with Ben Hadad I of Damascus, and King Baasha of Israel is defeated. Both Israeland Judah become tributaries of Damascus.
884-859 BC--Reign of King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria. He fights several wars with theHatti, but is unable to defeat it, in large part due to alliances made by the Great Kings ofHatti (Tuwanuwa II and Muwatalli III) with King Aramu of Urartu (in the Armenianmountains) and Kings Ben Hadad I and Ben Hadad II of Damascus.
881-870 BC--Reign of Omri of Israel. In 881 BC, Omri usurps the throne of Israel. SinceKing Ben Hadad I of Damascus is heavily engaged in warfare against Assyria, Omri isable to free Israel from its tributary status. Omri moves the capital to Samaria, which isheavily fortified, and extends Israelite control over Ammon and Moab to the southeast ofIsrael.
870-848 BC--Reign of King Ahab, son of Omri of Israel. Most of his reign will be spentwarring, usually successfully, against the Kings of Damascus (except for one notableinstance where he fought as the ally of King Ben Hadad II against Assyria). However, inthe end, he will die in battle against the forces of Ben Hadad II at the Battle of RamothGilead in 848 BC.
c. 860 BC--King Ben Hadad I of Damascus dies, and is succeeded by Ben Hadad II.
860 BC--Aramu comes to the throne of Urartu. He makes an alliance with KingTuwanuwa II of Hatti against Assyria.
859-853 BC--Reign of King Shalmaneser III of Assyria. He continues his father’s warsagainst Hatti and Urartu.
857 BC--Death of King Tuwanuwa II of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who takes thethrone as King Muwatalli III (reckoning the line from the kings of the same name whohad ruled the old Hittite Empire).
855 BC--Marduk-zakir-shumi I comes to the throne of Babylon, beginning a new dynastywhich will re-unite the country.
853 BC--Battle of Qarqar. King Muwatalli III of Hatti allies himself with King Ahab ofIsrael and King Benhadad II of Damascus against King Shalmaneser III of Assyria.Shalmaneser is killed and his army is routed.
853-843 BC--Civil War in Assyria. The death of King Shalmaneser III at Qarqar has lefta power vacuum in Assyria, as his oldest son, the crown prince Ashur-dain-apla, is a boyof fifteen years. Various claimants vie for power for the next decade, and Assyrianpower is greatly diminished by this internecine warfare. Somehow, the youngest son ofShalmaneser survives the brutal infighting and comes to the throne as KingShamshi-Adad V in 843 BC.
851 BC--Marduk-bel-usati rebels against his brother, King Marduk-zakir-shumi I ofBabylon. Marduk-zakir-shumi (unable to call on Assyria as he did in OTL) isoverthrown, and his brother takes the throne. He will continue his brother’s efforts tounify Babylonia.
c. 850 BC--Following the victory against Shalmaneser III of Assyria, the alliance of Hatti,Damascus, and Israel breaks up as old animosities resurface.
849-845 BC--King Ahab of Israel makes an alliance with King Jehoshaphat of Judah andKing Muwatalli III of Hatti against Damascus. King Ben Hadad II is hard pressedfighting a two front war, but manages to kill Ahab of Israel at the Battle of RamothGilead in 848 BC, effectively taking Israel out of the war. Judah makes peace withDamascus shortly afterward. Ben Hadad then concentrates all of his forces against Hatti.Neither side is able to make much headway, however, and a peace treaty is signed in 845BC.
c. 845 BC--Mesha, king of the city of Dibon in Moab, revolts against Israel andre-establishes the independence of Moab. In commemoration of his victory, he sets up astele (what in OTL will be known as the “Moabite Stone”). Ahab’s weak successors askings of Israel, Ahaziah and Joram, are unable to restore Israelite control over Moab.
843 BC--King Ben Hadad II of Damascus is murdered by Hazael, an influential courtofficial, who usurps the throne. Also in this year, the civil war in Assyria ends and KingShamshi Adad V takes the throne. Shamshi-Adad once again begins building Assyrianstrength. However, Assyria will not be strong enough to attack it’s neighbors for sometime, and indeed will be hard-pressed to survive the onslaught of the Kings of Urartuover the next few decades.
842 BC--King Muwatalli III of Hatti dies, and is succeeded by Hattusili Tesub I.Recognizing the growing threat posed by Assyria, he forms an alliance with King Aramuof Urartu, King Hazael of Damascus, and King Mita of the Mushki (Midas ofPhrygia...Phrygia was apparently ruled by a line of Kings who all were called eitherGordias or Midas) against Assyria. Also in this year, the House of Omri in Israel (in theperson of King Joram) is overthrown by Jehu, one of the king’s generals. Jehu assumesthe throne of Israel.
841 BC--Threatened with attack by Hazael of Damascus, King Jehu of Israel formallysubmits to King Shamshi Adad V of Assyria. However, Shamshi Adad is in no positionto campaign against Hazael, and Jehu’s action succeeds only in enraging Hazael againsthim.
840 BC--Death of King Aramu of Urartu. His son, Sardur I, comes to the throne. Sardurbreaks the alliance with Hatti and the Mushki, while maintaining an alliance with Hazaelof Damascus.
840-800 BC--Period of Urartian expansion. Under the warrior kings Sardur I, Ishpuinis,and Menuas, the Kingdom of Urartu expands at the expense of Assyria, Phrygia, andHatti. By the end of the period, the Mushki have been pushed back to the Halys River,and both Assyria and Hatti are virtual vassals of the Urartian king, paying yearly tributes.
837 BC onward--Wars of Hazael of Damascus against Israel and Judah. King Jehu ofIsrael attempts to make an alliance with King Hattusili Tesub I of Hatti, but with nosuccess (Hatti is embroiled in conflict with the Urartians by this time). By the end of hisreign, Hazael will take all of Israel’s possessions east of the Jordan, advance as far asGath in the Philistine Plain, and threaten Jerusalem itself. Israel and Judah become tributary states of Damascus.
823 BC--Death of King Hattusili Tesub I of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, HattusiliTesub II. The new king reorganizes the army, reducing the proportion of chariots in favorof light and medium cavalry (lancers and archers). The new military thus created is quiteformidable.
818-812 BC--King Shamshi Adad V of Assyria wars with Babylon. He defeats KingBaba-aha-iddina in battle and pushes all the way south to the Persian Gulf, but Babylonitself is not taken, and Babylonia remains independent.
815 BC--King Hattusili Tesub II of Hatti, using his newly reorganized army, defeats KingIshpuinis of Urartu, who was besieging the city of Carchemish. The advance of Urartu tothe west is halted, and no Hittite territory falls to the Urartians. However, Hatti will paytribute to the King of Urartu in the succeeding years. Also in this year, King Jehu of Israeldies, and is succeeded by his son Jehoahaz. Hazael of Damascus continues his waragainst Israel, and the new King proves no more able to resist than his father.
c. 815 BC--Carthage is founded by an expedition from the Phoenician city of Tyre.
811 BC--Death of King Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria. He is succeeded by his minor son,Adad Nirari III. Adad Nirari’s mother, Queen Sammuramat (Semiramis) rules as regentfor the first few years of his reign.
808-783 BC--Reign of King Adad Nirari III of Assyria. Adad Nirari reaches adulthood in808 BC and assumes the throne of Assyria. His reign will be filled with warfare,primarily against Urartu. However, he will also war against Hatti and Damascus, as wellas conduct campaigns in Babylonia to the south and against the Medes to the east.
804 BC--King Adad Nirari III of Assyria attacks Hazael of Damascus. Hazael allieshimself with King Hattusili Tesub II of Hatti, and the Assyrian army is defeated in battleoutside the city of Kadesh. Adad Nirari retires to Assyria, and will not trouble Syriaagain for the rest of his reign.
801 BC--Death of King Hazael of Damascus. He is succeeded by his son, Ben Hadad III.
800 BC--Death of King Hattusili Tesub II of Hatti. His son takes the throne as KingTelepinu II. Also in this year, King Jehoahaz of Israel dies, and is succeeded by Jehoash.
800 BC--Death of King Hattusili Tesub II of Hatti. His son takes the throne as KingTelepinu II, and will become known as “Telepinu the Great” because of hisaccomplishments during his long reign. Also in this year, King Jehoahaz of Israel dies,and is succeeded by Jehoash.
c. 800 BC--The Etruscans arrive in Italy. Also at about this time, the Greek version of thePhoenician alphabet is first used, and the earliest iron age societies...proto-Celticpeoples...develop in Germany and Austria.
c. 800 BC onward--Greece is gradually emerging from the Dark Ages following the fallof the Mycenaean civilization. An increase in trade and the establishment ofgovernmental defense fortifications allows for the emergence of Greek city-states (thePolis) from tribal communities. These grow up around marketplaces and include citiessuch as Athens, Thebes, Sparta, Corinth and Megara on the Greek mainland. For the mostpart, the Greek city-states are similar in their political evolution, with the exception ofSparta's elite dictatorship. Most begin their political histories as monarchies, evolve tooligarchies, are overthrown during the age of the tyrants (c. 650-500 BC) and eventuallyestablish democracies in the sixth and fifth centuries. Of the Greek city-states, Athensand Sparta will be the two most important.
PART TWO: 800-700 BC
798 BC--Death of King Joash of Judah. He is succeeded by Amaziah.
c. 795 BC--King Ben Hadad III is a weak ruler, and not at all in the mold of his illustriousforebears. The other Aramaean cities revolt against his rule, and the powerful Damascenestate breaks up.
c. 794 BC--King Amaziah of Judah declares war against Israel, but is defeated andcaptured by King Jehoash of Israel. He will remain a prisoner of Jehoash until the latter’sdeath in 784 BC. His sixteen-year-old son, Azariah, is named King in his stead.
790 BC--King Telepinu II of Hatti, seeing an opportunity for territorial expansion, makesan alliance with King Jehoash of Israel and King Azariah of Judah against Damascus.
c. 790 BC--Greek colonists found the trading settlement of Al Mina in Syria, where they tradewith the Hittites. Contact is established between the two civilizations for the first timesince the fall of the Second Hittite Empire.
789-784 BC--Hatti, Israel, and Judah wage war on Damascus. The Kings of Hatti haveadapted Assyrian siege technology (battering rams, siege towers), and Damascus is takenin 784 BC. King Ben Hadad III is captured and executed. Israel and Judah recover all thelands taken from them by Damascus, and Hatti absorbs Damascus itself, along with theother Aramaean city states (which, upon the surrender of Damascus, surrender to KingTelepinu of Hatti).
785 BC--Death of King Menuas of Urartu. Argishtis I takes the throne. Argishtis is evenmore expansionist than his predecessors, and generally makes life miserable for hisneighbors with incessant warfare.
784-750 BC--Israel and Judah expand. Israel re-takes Ammon and Moab, Judah takesEdom and Philistia. Both Kingdoms prosper mightily and maintain their alliance withHatti.
784 BC--Death of King Jehoash of Israel. He is succeeded by Jeroboam II. It is JeroboamII who recovers Ammon and Moab for Israel. Jeroboam releases King Amaziah of Judah,who returns to his own land, where he resumes the Kingship.
780 BC--Recognizing the common threat posed by the expansionist kings of Urartu toboth of their kingdoms, King Telepinu II of Hatti and King Adad Nirari III of Assyriaconclude a treaty of alliance against Urartu. When Adad Nirari III dies a few years later,Telepinu will renew the agreement with the new king, Shalmaneser IV, and then againwith Shalmaneser’s successor, Ashur Dan III.
780-768 BC--King Telepinu II of Hatti and Kings Adad Nirari III, Shalmaneser IV, andAshur Dan III wage war against Urartu. The combined armies of Assyria and Hatti aretoo powerful for the Urartians to resist, and the armies of Urartu are gradually beatenback and many of their fortress cities are taken by siege. However, the Urartian capital ofTushpa is not taken, and a treaty is finally signed in 768 BC which ends the war. The power of Urartu is effectively broken, and although it will continue as a player in middleeastern politics and warfare for over a century more, it will never again threaten Hatti orAssyria as it did previously. Hatti expands northward, and takes back the old Hittitehomeland in the bend of the Halys River (which the Urartians had taken from thePhrygians in the previous century).
783 BC--Death of King Adad Nirari III of Assyria. Shalmaneser IV takes the throne.
776 BC--First recorded Olympic Games are held at Olympia in Greece.
773 BC--Death of King Shalmaneser IV of Assyria. Ashur Dan III takes the throne.
c. 770 BC--Carthage founds a colony at Gadir, on the coast of Iberia. The city provides agateway to Spanish silver.
769 BC--King Amaziah of Judah, despite his successes against the Edomites andPhilistines since the war with Damascus, has fallen into idolatry, and the people revoltagainst him. He flees to Lachish, where he is murdered. He is succeeded by his son,Azariah.
c. 765-745 BC onward--Assyria, despite it’s participation in the victory over Urartu a fewyears earlier, falls into a period of decline as local rebellions and plague ravage thekingdom.
765 BC--Death of King Telepinu II “the Great” of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, whotakes the throne as King Suppiluliuma III. Suppiluliuma begins rebuilding the old Hittitecapital at Hattusas, which he plans to use as a northern administration center.
763 BC--Death of King Argishtis I of Urartu. Sardur II takes the throne.
755 BC--Death of King Ashur Dan III of Assyria. Ashur Nirari V takes the throne.
753 BC--Founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus (legendary).
750 BC--King Azariah of Judah is struck down with leprosy. His son Jotham reigns asregent from this time onward.
c. 750 BC onward--Greek colonization of the Black Sea and the western Mediterraneanbegins.
c. 750-650 BC--Hoplite phalanx adopted by cities of Greece. Previously fighting wascarried out by a relatively few warriors who fought with a shield, sword and spear with no armor andwere not organized in a phalanx. Hoplites had defensive armor and fought in closeformation.
748 BC--Death of King Jeroboam II of Israel. He is succeeded by his son, Zachariah.However, Zachariah will rule for only six months before being murdered by one of hiscourt officials, Shallum, who usurps the throne. Shallum does not enjoy his ill-gottengains long, however, as he is, in turn, murdered by another official named Menahem, whoalso usurps the throne. Menahem will rule for ten years.
745 BC--Military coup in Assyria. King Ashur Nirari V is overthrown, and an armygeneral takes the throne as King Tiglath Pileser III. Tiglath Pileser will abandon thealliance with Hatti, and will resume Assyria’s aggressively expansionist policies, leadingto virtually continuous warfare throughout his reign.
746-744 BC--King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria receives an appeal for aid from KingNabun-nasir of Babylon, who is beset by invading Aramaean tribes. Tiglath Pileserdefeats the Aramaeans and reduces Babylonia to a tributary state.
743 BC--Elam has been in a disunified state since the defeat inflicted upon it by KingNebuchadnezzar I of Babylon over 300 years ago. In this year, a new dynasty comes topower at Susa which will re-unify the country. King Khumbanigash I takes the throne asthe first king of a united Elam, which will become a major power in the succeeding years.
743-741 BC--War between Assyria and Hatti. In 743 BC, Tiglath Pileser III of Assyriainvades Hatti and tries to sieze the cities of Haran and Carchemish. The cities stronglyresist, and Tiglath Pileser becomes involved in a protracted siege at both cities. KingSuppiluliuma III of Hatti makes an alliance with King Sardur II of Urartu andSuppliluliuma’s vassal, King Menahem of Israel, against Assyria. The allies meetTiglath Pileser’s army in battle outside of Carchemish in 742 BC. The Assyrians arevictorious, but at huge cost, and have to abandon their sieges and return to Assyria. Thefollowing year, King Suppliluliuma leads the allied forces into Assyria, where they meetTiglath Pileser again in battle, this time outside the city of Ashur. The Assyrians thistime meet defeat, and Tiglath Pileser sues for peace. A treaty is agreed upon later thatyear. Urartu and Hatti both take some minor territory from Assyria. King Tiglath PileserIII plots revenge.
c. 740 BC--For many years, Egypt has been a fragmented land, with as many as four rivaldynasties ruling at the same time from cities such as Tanis, Sais, Leontopolis,Herakleopolis, Hermopolis, Thebes, and Memphis. But in about 740 BC, this is about tochange due to outside intervention. King Piankhi of Kush leads his army northward, andconquers Egypt as far north as Thebes. Within a few years he receives oaths of loyaltyfrom the various rival kings of Egypt, effectively unifying the country for the first time ina century and a half. Under his dynasty, the 25th (Kushite) Dynasty, Egypt will begin totake an active role in the affairs of the middle east once more.
740 BC--Death of King Azariah of Judah. Regent Jotham succeeds to the throne.
740-738 BC--Since c. 850 BC, the Medes, a group of Indo-Iranian tribes, have beensettling in the region east of the Zagros Mountains, and their power has been growing,especially since they have often allied themselves with Urartu. However, they have nevermanaged to unite, and the Assyrians have been able to keep these fierce tribesmen incheck. Beginning with Shalmaneser II in 836 BC, Assyrian kings have campaignedagainst them. King Tiglath Pileser III continues this tradition, campaigning against the Medes from 740-738 BC. He is unable to conquer them, but devastates their country andcarries away much booty. Median power is greatly reduced.
739 BC--King Sardur II of Urartu breaks the alliance with Hatti. Border warfare betweenthe two kingdoms begins which will continue on for some time. Tiglath Pileser III ofAssyria, of course, will take advantage of this.
738 BC--King Mita (Midas) III comes to the throne of Phrygia. He will war against Hattiin an unsuccessful attempt to regain the former Phrygian lands east of the Halys River.Mita will also be known for his fabulous wealth, giving rise to the legend of “Midas ofthe Golden Touch.” Also in this year, King Suppiluliuma III of Hatti dies. He issucceeded by his son, who takes the throne as King Ura-Tarhundas I. Also in this year,King Menahem of Israel dies, and is succeeded by his son, Pekahiah.
736 BC--King Pekahiah of Israel is assassinated by one of his generals, Pekah, whousurps the throne.
735 BC--Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria invades Urartu. No territory is annexed by Assyria...this was more of a raid than an actual war of conquest. His armies carry away a lot of booty, however, and Urartu is weakened.
c. 735-716 BC--First Messenian War. Sparta conquers the neighboring state of Messenia.The population of Messenia is enslaved and becomes the “helot” class in Spartan society.
734 BC--Chaldeans take power in Babylonia. In the last century, Babylonia was reunifiedunder a native dynasty. However, the state has remained weak, and has been under thedomination (but not direct rule) of Assyria during most of this time. In 734, theChaldeans, a tribe related to the Aramaeans who had settled in the region three centuriesbefore, sieze power in Babylon and found their own dynasty under a king calledUkin-zer. This dynasty will be much more aggressive, and will make Babylonia a majorplayer in world politics again over the succeeding years. Also in this year, King Sardur IIof Urartu dies. Rusas I takes the throne.
733 BC--King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria lays siege to the Hittite border city of Haran.The city falls before King Ura-Tarhundas I of Hatti can intervene, and is sacked. Whenthe King of Hatti does arrive with his army, he is defeated by Tiglath Pileser’s Assyrianhost, but the cost to the Assyrians is so high that they accept an offer of peace from theHittite King. Hatti cedes the city of Haran, along with the territories it took from Assyria in 741 BC, to Assyria.
732 BC--Death of King Jotham of Judah. His son, Ahaz, succeeds to the throne. Ahazwill fall into idolatry, and will be very unpopular in Judah. Also in this year, King Pekahof Israel is assassinated one of his generals, Hoshea, who usurps the throne.
731-728 BC--King Ukin-zer of Babylon makes an alliance with King Khumbanigash I ofElam against Assyria. Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria invades Babylonia, and in a campaignwhich lasts for almost four years, finally defeats the allied Babylonian and Elamitearmies and King Ukin-zer is captured and executed in 728 BC. King Tiglath Pileserdeclares himself King of Babylonia...the first Assyrian monarch to do so. He reigns there under the name King Pulu (and thus becomes known as Pul in the pages of the Bible).
c. 728 BC--The Medes are united for the first time by King Deioces.
726 BC--King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria dies, and is succeeded by his son,Shalmaneser V. Like his father, Shalmaneser rules Babylonia as well, reigning under thename of King Ululas.
c. 725 BC--The Cimmerians, a nomadic Indo-Iranian people living in the region north ofthe Black and Caspian Seas, are defeated by the Scythians and forced out of theirhomeland. The Cimmerians had been using war chariots, but quickly adopted Scythianlight cavalry tactics after being defeated by said people. Some of them settle in theCrimea (giving that peninsula their name), but most will flee south through the CaucasusMountains into Anatolia and Mesopotamia, where they will cause great destruction.
722-721 BC--King Shalmaneser V of Assyria is assassinated in 722 BC, and civil warbreaks out in Assyria. The final victor, Shalmaneser’s younger brother, will take thethrone as King Sargon II in 721 BC.
721 BC--The assassination of King Shamaneser V of Assyria has lead to chaos inBabylonia. In Babylon, a Chaldean chieftain related to the former King Ukin-zertakes the throne, reigning as King Marduk-apal-iddina II (who will be known asMerodach Baladan in the Bible). The new king is not content to be an Assyrian vassal,and he will begin intriguing with the kings of other lands in an attempt to form an allianceaimed at the destruction of Assyria, and he quickly concludes an alliance with KingKhumbanigash I of Elam against Assyria. King Sargon II of Assyria tries to nip theconspiracy in the bud with an invasion of Babylonia, but is defeated by the combinedBabylonian and Elamite forces and forced to retreat to Assyria.
720 BC--The Cimmerians burst out of the Caucasus and invade the Kingdom of Urartu.King Rusas I attempts a pre-emptive attack, but is defeated. Urartu is looted as far southas Lake Urmia, but their fortified cities are not taken by the nomads, and the kingdomsurvives (albeit severely weakened). This proves to be a temporary incursion by the Cimmerians. They will return, however. Also in this year, King Marduk apal-iddina ofBabylon, who has been negotiating with King Ura-Tarhundas I of Hatti, concludes atreaty of alliance with Hatti. King Ura-Tarhundas had been impressed by the victory ofBabylon and Elam over King Sargon of Assyria the previous year, and this is whatpersuades him to join the anti-Assyrian alliance.
720-710 BC--The alliance of Babylon, Elam, and Hatti declare war on Assyria in 720 BC.In a series of grinding campaigns which will consume the next decade, the three powersdestroy Assyrian power forever. The great cities of Assyria are taken, one by one, andsacked, and the Assyrian armies are defeated. The final straw comes when King Rusas Iof Urartu joins the anti-Assyrian alliance. King Sargon II is killed in battle outsideNineveh in 712 BC. His son, Sennacherib, is unable to recover the situation, and is himself killed when Nineveh itself falls to siege in 710 BC. Assyria disappears from themap as an independent state. The victorious allies divide the land between them.
Ura-Tarhundas I of Hatti takes the region west of the Harbur River. KingMarduk-apal-iddina II of Babylon takes everything east of the Habur River and south ofthe junction of the Upper Zab and Tigris Rivers (including the cities of Nuzi and Ashur).King Argishtis II of Urartu (who had succeeded his father, Rusas I, in 714 BC) takes theterritory west of the Habur River and north of the junction of the Upper Zab and TigrisRivers, including the cities of Nineveh, Calah, and Sargon’s capital at Dur Sharrukin.
King Shutruk-Nahhunte II of Elam (who had succeeded his father, Khumbanigash I, in717 BC) is pretty much left out in the cold, and this, along with the disputed nature of theborder between Babylon and Urartu (who have no obvious natural boundary betweenthem, unlike the Hittites with their border on the Harbur River), will lead to much warfarein the succeeding decades.
717 BC--Death of King Khumbanigash I of Elam. He is succeeded by King Shutruk-Nahhunte II.
715 BC--King Ahaz of Judah dies, and is succeeded by his son, Hezekiah.
714 BC--Death of King Rusas I of Urartu. Argishtis II takes the throne.
712 BC--Death of Pharaoh Piankhi of Egypt/Kush. He is succeeded by his son, Shabaka.Shabaka will, shortly after assuming the throne, attack the last remaining native Egyptianstronghold, the city-state of Sais, which is ruled by Pharaoh Bocchoris of the 24thDynasty. The city falls, and Bocchoris is slain. But some of his family survive, and willeventually return to throne of Egypt as the 26th Dynasty.
709-705 BC--War between Babylon and Elam, as King Shutruk-Nahhunte II tries to makegood his claim to some of the spoils from the recent war with Assyria. The war isinconclusive.
705-702 BC--Pharaoh Shabaka of Egypt, flush with his victory over Sais, decides toexpand his empire into Asia. Accordingly, in the year 705 BC he invades Judah andIsrael. While King Hoshea of Israel immediately submits to Shabaka and joins him in theassault on Judah, King Hezekiah of Judah calls on King Ura-Tarhundas I of Hatti for aid.King Ura-Tarhundas responds by leading an army southward against the Egyptians. The two forces meet in the Valley of Jezreel, near the town of Meggido. A bloody battle isfought in which the forces of Hatti and Judah emerge victorious. Shabaka retreats toEgypt, and abandons his ally, King Hoshea of Israel, to his fate. The kings of Hatti andJudah then invade Israel, and lay siege to Hoshea in his stronghold at Samaria. The cityfalls, after a siege lasting 2 years, in 702 BC. Hoshea is captured and executed, and King Ura-Tarhundas gives the land of Israel to King Hezekiah of Judah, in exchange for a vowof fealty from said monarch. For the first time in over 200 years, the twelve tribes ofIsrael are re-united under the rule of the House of David.
701 BC--Death of King Ura-Tarhundas I of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who takesthe throne as King Suhis Tesub I.
PART THREE: 700-600 BC
c. 700 BC onwards--Cimmerian invasions of Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
700 BC--Death of Pharaoh Shabaka of Egypt/Kush. He is succeeded by Sabataka. TheCimmerians invade Urartu again and once again, devastate the kingdom. But they areunable to take the fortified cities, and the kingdom survives, for the time being. Seeingwhat is happening in the neighboring kingdom, King Suhis Tesub I of Hatti orders areorganization of the Hittite army. The chariot force is disbanded and converted tocavalry (each chariot demobilized allows two cavalrymen to be added to the army).
Alsoat this time, King Suhis Tesub I demands, and receives, tribute from the Phoeniciancity-states on the Lebanese coast. From this date onward, the Phoenician cities will be(although nominally independent) virtual vassals of the Great King of Hatti.
699 BC--Death of King Shuttruk Nahhunte II of Elam. He is succeeded by Khallushu.
697 BC--Also in this year, the Cimmerians invade Hatti, but are defeated by the recentlyrevamped Hittite army, which has a much larger preponderance of cavalry and is muchmore mobile. King Suhis Tesub I then bribes the Cimmerians and gives them freepassage over his lands to attack the Phrygian Kingdom, which has been a constant thornin the side of Hatti since King Mita III ascended the throne almost 40 years ago.
695 BC--The Cimmerians sack the kingdom of Phrygia and settle there. King Mita(Midas) III commits suicide in his capital at Gordium when the city falls to theCimmerians. He is succeeded by Gordios IV, who reigns as a weak vassal of theCimmerians.
c. 695 BC--King Gyges of Lydia, who has reigned as the vassal of King Mita III ofPhrygia since 718 BC, establishes the independence of Lydia at the death of King Mita.The new king of Phrygia, Gordios IV, is unable to restore Phrygian rule in the area.Gyges of Lydia will war with the Cimmerians throughout his reign.
695-694 BC--War between Elam and Babylonia. King Marduk-apal-iddina II of Babylonis defeated and killed, and Elam conquers Babylonia. King Khallushu of Elam installsthe first of a series of vassal kings on the Babylonian throne, who takes the throne asNergal-Ushezib.
694 BC--Pharaoh Sabataka of Egypt/Kush invades the United Hebrew Kingdom and layssiege to Jerusalem. King Hezekiah calls on his ally, King Suhis Tesub I of Hatti, andtogether the allies once again defeat the invading Egyptian/Kushite forces. Sabatakaretreats to Egypt, and the Hebrews are left in peace for a while.
693 BC--Death of King Khallushu of Elam. He is succeeded by King Kutir Nakhkhunte.Also in this year, the vassal king of the Elamites in Babylon, Nergal-Ushezib, attempts arebellion but is defeated. The Elamites formally annex Babylonia into the ElamiteEmpire. The Elamites install Mushezib-Marduk I as their vassal king at Babylon.Mushezib-Marduk I will prove a loyal vassal for the Elamite kings, and will enjoy a longreign.
692 BC--Death of King Kutir Nakhkhunte of Elam. He is succeeded by KhummaMenanu.
690 BC--Death of King Suhis Tesub I of Hatti, he is succeeded by his son, Suhis TesubII. Also in this year, the Cimmerian chieftain Dugdamme deposes and murders KingGordios IV of Phrygia, ending the Phrygian dynasty. Dugdamme declares himself Kingand the land is renamed Cimmeria. Under Dugdamme’s rule, the Cimmerians willcontinue to raid the neighboring kingdom of Lydia, with various degrees of success.
689 BC--Death of King Khumma Menanu of Elam. He is succeeded by KhummaKhaldash I.
688 BC--Death of Pharaoh Sabataka of Egypt/Kush. He is succeeded by his nephew,Taharka. Taharka will prove a very aggressive ruler and will attempt to establishEgyptian control over Palestine and Syria.
687-670 BC--War between Elam and Urartu over the disputed border between the twoEmpires. Urartu will not survive (see entries below).
686 BC--Death of King Hezekiah of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who takesthe throne as King Manasseh. Manasseh was very impressed by the “divine protection”his father, a loyal follower of the Hebrew national god, Yahweh, seemed to enjoy, and incontrast to OTL, will go down in history as an extremely pious ruler.
685 BC--Death of King Argishtis II of Urartu. He is succeeded by Rusas II. Rusas II willbe the last king of Urartu.
685-679 BC--War between Egypt and Hatti. Pharaoh Taharka invades the UnitedHebrew Kingdom in 685 BC. King Manasseh once again invokes the alliance with Hatti,and King Suhis Tesub II leads a Hittite army southward in 684 BC, defeating theEgyptians near the town of Hazor and forcing them to retreat back to Egypt. Taharka,however, doesn’t give up. He intrigues with the Kings of the Philistine cities (who aretributary to the Hebrews) and the Phoenician city-states (who are tributary to Hatti), andin 682 BC rebellions break out in those regions. Taharka lands troops to support the
Phoenicians while leading the main Egyptian army into Palestine yet again.
The strategy istemporarily successful, and because the Hittites are busy putting down the Phoenicians,Jerusalem is captured in 681 BC, and Taharka establishes Egyptian control over most ofPalestine. King Manasseh escapes to the fortress city of Lachish, where he withstands asiege. In 679 BC, however, King Suhis Tesub II leads the main Hittite army southward once again, and once again, the Egyptians are defeated. Taharka retreats once again, andthis time is pursued by the Hittite army, who once again defeat the Egyptians at Pelusium.Taharka then sues for peace, and a treaty is agreed upon, ending the war. King Manassehis restored to his throne.
681 BC--Death of King Khumma Khaldash I of Elam, he is succeeded by KhummaKhaldash II.
676 BC--King Khumma Khaldash II of Elam is assassinated and the throne is usurped byShilhak-In-Shushinak, a general in the Elamite army.
675 BC--Death of King Deioces of the Medes. He is succeeded by Phraortes, who inalliance with Elam, will destroy Urartu. Also in this year, Pharaoh Taharka of Egyptleads his army into Palestine once again. This time it is just a raid, however...theEgyptians sack a few towns and then take their booty back to Egypt before the Hittitescan intervene.
c. 675 BC--The Persians, a group of Indo-European tribes related to the Medes, move intothe Elamite region known as Anshan. Their chieftain, Hakhamanish (Achaemenes to theGreeks) is recognized as King of Anshan by King Shilhak-In-Shushinak of Elam, andbecomes vassal of the Elamite King.
673 BC--King Shilhak-In-Shushinak of Elam, who is at war with Urartu, makes analliance with King Phraortes of the Medes against Urartu. The tide of war turnsdecisively against Urartu. Urartu, which has never really recovered from the devastationwrought by the Cimmerians 30 years ago, is utterly defeated within three years. Thefortified towns of Urartu are taken and sacked, and the people either killed or enslaved.
670 BC--Tushpa, the capital city of Urartu, falls. In the fighting King Rusas II is killed,ending the Urartian dynasty. Urartu disappears from the map, and is divided between theElamites (who take the old Assyrian lands conquered by Urartu in the last century) andthe Medes (who take the Urartian homeland itself).
c. 670 BC--Miletus (Greek city on the Aegean Coast of Asia Minor) begins foundingcolonies both in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea.
666 BC--Death of King Suhis Tesub II of Hatti, he is succeeded by his son, UraTarhundas II.
665-660 BC--641-637 BC--Over years, Hatti has had much contact with the Greeks,especially through the trading settlement founded by the Greeks at Al-Mina in Syria.These contacts have increased dramatically recently as the Hittites have come into directcontact with the Greek cities of Ionia. One major impact of this is the increasingavailability of Greek mercenaries to the Hittite kings. Up to now these have been hireddirectly, to serve as a small, but important portion of the Hittite infantry. But in 665 BC,the new King Ura Tarhundas II decides to re-organize, re-train, and re-equip the Hittiteinfantry on the Greek model. Greek mercenary officers and Greek armorers are hired, andthe reorganization will be completed within five years. The new army thus created is themost powerful in the near east. The infantry phalanx is supported by a force of armoredfoot archers, as well as by light cavalry archers and armored cavalry armed with lance andbow. It is a highly flexible, disciplined and dangerous force.
663 BC--King Mushezib-Marduk I of Babylon dies. King Shilhak-In-Shushinak of Elamallows his son, Mushezib-Marduk II, to assume the throne as Elam’s vassal ruler.
660 BC--Pharaoh Taharka of Egypt/Kush dies, and is succeeded by Tamwetamani.Tamwetamani will be a weak king, and the neighbors of Egypt will enjoy a period ofrelative peace during his reign.
c. 660-625 BC--Scythian invasions of Anatolia, Iran, and Mesopotamia. The Scythiansare beaten back by the Elamites in Mesopotamia and the Hittites in Anatolia, but theytemporarily bring the Medes under their control, and greatly weaken the Kingdom ofElam.
c. 660 BC--King Gyges of Lydia introduces the world's first standardized money, in theform of electrum coins, stamped with the king's seal. The idea will eventually spreadthroughout the world, and replace barter economies with money economies.
659 BC--Death of King Dugdamme of Cimmeria. He is succeeded by his son, who rulesas King Dugdamme II.
657 BC--Megara founds Byzantium.
654 BC--Carthage, a colony of the Phoenician city of Tyre located in OTL Tunisia on theNorth African coast, founds a colony in the Balearic Islands at Ibiza.
653 BC--Death of King Shilhak-In-Shushinak of Elam. He is succeeded by Khumbanigash II. Also in this year, Pharaoh Tamwetamani of Egypt/Kush dies. He issucceeded by Atlanersa. Atlanersa, like his father, will be a weak ruler, and will notengage in aggression against his neighbors. Also in this year, King Phraortes of theMedes dies, and is succeeded by Cyaxares.
652 BC--King Gyges of Lydia is killed in battle with the Cimmerians. His capital atSardis is sacked, but the crown prince, Ardys, escapes, and the Lydians are able torecover within a few years.
651 BC--Death of King Khumbanigash II of Elam. He is succeeded byAtta-Khumma-In-Shushinak.
650 BC--Death of King Ura Tarhundas II of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, KuziTesub. Also in this year, Perdiccas Temenid founds the Macedonian kingdom with capitalat Aegeae (Vergina).
649 BC--Rebellion of Babylonia against Elam. The revolt is crushed. Also in this year,King Cyaxares of the Medes re-establishes Median independence from the Scythians.
649-642 BC--King Dugdamme II of Cimmeria, thinking that the new king of Hatti mightbe easy pickings, attacks Hatti. King Kuzi Tesub proves to be more than Dugdammebargained for, and the Cimmerians are severely defeated. Kuzi Tesub then allies himselfwith King Ardys of Lydia and launches a series of yearly campaigns into Cimmeria,aimed at the destruction of that kingdom and the final elimination of the Cimmerian threat once and for all. The Hittite capture the Cimmerian capital at Gordium in 642 BC,and King Dugdamme is slain. Kuzi Tesub occupies all of the former lands of Phrygiashortly thereafter. The Cimmerians cease to be a threat, and will eventually be absorbedinto the population of Anatolia under Hittite rule. King Ardys of Lydia is not happy at notgaining much of anything from the war, but is unable to do anything about it.
648 BC--Death of King Atta-Khumma-In-Shushinak of Elam. He is succeeded byIndabigash.
647 BC--Death of King Indabigash of Elam. He is succeeded by Khumma Khaldash III.
643-620 BC--War between Elam and the Medes. The Medes, under King Cyaxares, willtotally defeat and conquer Elam over a period of 23 years, aided by rebellions by theKings of Anshan and Babylon which force the Elamites to fight a war on three fronts.
643 BC--Death of Pharaoh Atlanersa of Egypt/Kush. He is succeeded bySenkamanisken. Senkamanisken will once again begin to interfere in Palestine in Syria,financing rebellious Philistine and Phoenician kings (these revolts will be crushed, butwill cause much inconvenience to the Hebrew and Hittite kings). These activities willeventually lead the King of Hatti to reply in kind, with dramatic consequences.
642 BC--Death of King Manasseh of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, Amon.Unlike his father, Amon is not a faithful follower of Yahweh, and he quickly stirs upresentment against himself.
640 BC--King Amon of the Hebrews is assassinated. He is succeeded by his son, Josiah.Josiah will prove a pious and popular King. Also in this year, King Hakhamanish of thePersians dies, and is succeeded by his son, Kurush (Greek--Cyrus) I. Also in this year,Sparta adopts a militaristic form of government.
638 BC--Death of King Mushezib-Marduk II of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son,Nabu-Nasir II, who also reigns as the vassal of the kings of Elam. Also in this year, KingKuzi Tesub of Hatti invades Lydia. King Ardys is defeated in battle, and is besieged inhis capital at Sardis. Ardys, recognizing that he cannot prevail against the might of Hatti,offers to submit to the Great King, and the offer is accepted. Lydia remains nominallyindependent, but will be a vassal state of the Hittite Empire.
635-625 BC--In a series of campaigns which span a decade, King Kuzi Tesub of Hattireduces the Greek cities of Ionia to vassalage. Like Lydia, they remain nominallyindependent, but pay tribute to the Great King of Hatti, who they recognize as theiroverlord.
632 BC--Athens abolishes the monarchy in favor of an oligarchy.
631-622 BC--Revolution in Egypt. For the past century, Egypt has chafed under the ruleof the foreign kings of Kush (who are reigning in Egypt as the 25th Dynasty). The city ofSais has as it’s nomarch a man named Psamtik, who is descended from the last Pharaohof the Saite 24th Dynasty. He has been for some time, intriguing with King Kuzi Tesubof Hatti, seeking support for a rebellion against the Kushite rulers of Egypt. Psamtik has gained financial support for his efforts, but no promise of troops or other direct aid.However, the financial aid proves to be enough. Psamtik builds an army around a core ofGreek mercenaries, and in 631 BC marches against the forces of Pharaoh Senkamanisken.
Senkamanisken is defeated outside Memphis, and flees to the south, setting up his base atThebes. Psamtik is left in control of Lower Egypt (the Delta Region), where he declareshimself Pharaoh, beginning the 26th Dynasty. For the next nine years, there will bewarfare between Upper Egypt (under Senkamanisken) and Lower Egypt (under Psamtik).
631 BC to 609 BC--In a long reign, Pharaoh Psamtik I establishes the pattern of kingshipwhich will prevail in the new 26th dynasty. The attitude of the Saite Pharaohs towardsthe kingship will be radically different from the Egyptian tradition. The lifestyle of thepharaohs of Sais will be much less ostentatious, to the point of being considered frugal bycontemporary writers. And there will be no return to the ancient traditions under later kings. Psamtik will strengthen royal power over the provincial warlords and thepriesthood by abrogating feudal and clerical immunities and privileges. Psamtik will alsoencourage Greek settlement within Egypt. Psamtik will make extensive use of Greekmercenaries in the army, and Psamtik will build a cities, the greatest of which is calledNaukratis, where Greek scholars and merchants will be settled, and endow these Greekcommunities with land and rights. Psamtik will also cultivate friendly relations withHatti, by whose aid he was able to overthrow the Kushite tyranny over Egypt.
c. 630 BC--Birth of Zarathustra (Zoroaster). Over his lifetime, Zarathustra will found anew religion, which will become known as Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism is a dualisticreligion; in Zarathustra's cosmos, the universe is under the control of two contrary gods,Ahura-Mazda, the creating god who is full of light and good, and Ahriman, the god ofdark and evil. These two evenly matched gods are in an epic struggle over creation; at theend of time, Ahura-Mazda and his forces will emerge victorious. All of creation, all gods,all religions, and all of human history and experience can be understood as part of thisstruggle between light and dark, good and evil.
Zoroastrianism, however, is a manifestlyeschatological religion; meaning and value in this world is oriented towards the end ofhistory and the final defeat of Ahriman and all those gods, humans, and other animateforces arrayed on the dark side of creation. This will eventually have profound
consequences as Zoroastrianism gradually becomes the primary religion of the Persiansand their kings of the Achaemenid line. Since Zoroastrianism recognizes that all the godsworshipped by other peoples are really gods...some as underlings of Ahura-Mazda andsome servants of Ahriman...the Persian kings will come to see as their mission the tearing down of religions for evil gods and the shoring up of religions of gods allied withAhura-Mazda.
630 BC--The kings of Anshan transfer their allegiance to Cyaxares and become vassals ofthe Medes. The Persians join in the war against Elam, which begins to go badly for thelatter kingdom.
c.630 BC--Greek settlers from Thera found the city of Cyrene, on the northern coast ofLibya.
626 BC--Revolution in Babylonia. The Chaldean chieftain Nabu-apal-usur (Nabopolassar) overthrows the Elamite vassal king King Nabu-Nasir II, rebels againstElam and allies himself with Cyaxares of the Medes. The forces of Elamite KingKhumma Khaldash III attempt to put down the rebellion, but are defeated outsideBabylon, and the Elamite king is killed. His son takes the throne as King ShutrukNahhunte III. He will be the last King of Elam.
622 BC--The reunification of Egypt. Psamtik I of the Saite 26th Dynasty, ruler of LowerEgypt, captures Thebes, capital of Upper Egypt and seat of the Kushite 25th Dynasty.Upper Egypt’s Pharaoh, Senkamanisken, is killed, and his successor, Anlamani, is forcedto flee to the Kushite capital of Napata. Psamtik begins wearing the Double Crown ofEgypt, symbolizing the reunification of the country under his rule. Anlamani rules asKing of Kush only.
621 BC--Death of King Kuzi Tesub of Hatti. He is succeeded by his nephew, who takesthe throne as Arnuwanda IV. Also in this year, Draco establishes the first Athenian codeof law. The code is extremely harsh (Draco's name will become synonymous withharsh...or DRACONIAN...measures in future times).
620 BC--King Shutruk Nahhunte III of Elam is killed when the Elamite capital city ofSusa falls to the forces of the Median King Cyaxares and King Nabu-apal-usur ofBabylon. End of the Elamite dynasty...and the Elamite Kingdom. King Kurush (Cyrus) Iof Anshan (acting as the vassal of Cyaxares) and Nabu-apal-usur of Babylon divide thethe Elamite homeland between them. Babylon and the Medes divide the northern Elamitepossessions in old Assyria.
618-612 BC--Revolt of the Greek cities of Ionia against Hatti. King Ardys of Lydia joinsthe revolt and allies himself with the Greeks. King Arnuwanda IV crushes the revolt,however, and both Lydia and the Ionian Greek cities are formally annexed by the HittiteEmpire.
616 BC--The Etruscans conquer the small Latin town of Rome in Italy. Tarquinius IPriscus becomes King of Rome. Etruscan kings will reign there for the next 100 years.
610 BC--Also in this year, Miletus founds a trading post in Egypt.
609 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik I of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns asPharaoh Necho II (reckoning from Psamtik’s father, Necho, who was a Prince of Saisunder domination by the Kushite 25th Dynasty).
605 BC--Death of King Josiah of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his eldest son,Eliakim.
605-601 BC--King Arnuwanda IV of Hatti invades and conquers the island of Cyprus.
605-600 BC--Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt has renewed Egypt’s ties to the Phoeniciantrading cities, especially Tyre and Sidon. In 605 BC, he hires Phoenician shipwrights tobuild a fleet for the exploration of the African coast. The Egyptian exploration fleet isbuilt at an Egyptian port on the Red Sea, and in 603 BC, it sets sail. The fleet, manned bya mixed force of Egyptian soldiers and Phoenician sailors, sails south along the African coast. Each autumn they come ashore and plant the land in whatever part of the coastthey have reached, and there await the harvest; then, having gathered the crop, they sailon. And so, in this manner, they circumnavigate the African continent. In 600 BC theypass through the Pillars of Heracles (the Straits of Gibraltar) and return to Egypt.Although they have many wondrous tales to tell, they do not bring back any news of greatvalue. No further expeditions are sent out by Egypt.
604 BC--Death of King Nabu-apal-usur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, whoreigns as Nebuchadnezzar II.
600 BC--Death of King Kurush (Cyrus) I of the Persians. He is succeeded by Kambujiya(Greek-Cambyses) I. Also in this year, Rome conquers the city of Alba Longa, andCarthage fails to prevent the establishment of the Phocaean Greek colony at Massilia(Marseilles).
PART FOUR: 600-500 BC
600-575 BC--Intermittent warfare between Babylonia and Hatti. Shortly after assumingthe throne, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon wages war on Hatti in an attempt to wrestcontrol of the trade routes through Syria and Palestine from the Hittite King.Nebuchadnezzar makes nearly annual invasions of Syria, but his armies are unable todefeat those of the Hittite king, and he gains nothing. The struggle is very exhausting forboth empires, and serious fighting peters out by about 588 BC. But a formal peace treatyis not finally agreed upon, based on status quo ante bellum, until 570 BC.
c. 600 BC--Confucious teaches in China.
597 BC--Death of King Arnuwanda IV of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reignsas Tuwanuwa III.
594 BC--Solon founds the Athenian democracy. He is heavily influenced by hisobservations of Egyptian society and law during a visit to Egypt a few years before.
593 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. He is succeeded by Psamtik II.
590 BC--Death of King Tuwanuwa III of Hatti in battle against the Babylonians.Tuwanuwa had no heirs at the time of his death, and he is succeeded by his brother,Sharkhurunuwa.
589-575 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt decides to take advantage of the warfarebetween Hatti and Babylon to sieze the Hebrew Kingdom. Egyptian armies invade thekingdom, and although the Hebrews fight valiantly, they are over-run. Psamtik carriesKing Eliakim of the Hebrews away in chains, and installs an Egyptian governor inJerusalem. The Egyptians also land an invasion force on Cyprus, and sieze most of theisland. However, Eliakim’s son, Jehoiachin, and his mother manage to escape from theEgyptians along with much of the Hebrew army, and take refuge with the Great King of Hatti.
Finally, in 580 BC, as the war between Hatti and Babylon winds down, KingSharkhurunuwa of Hatti and Prince Jehoiachin of the Hebrews leads their armiessouthward. They meet the forces of Egypt, now commanded by Pharaoh Wahibre, inbattle near Jerusalem, and the Egyptians are severely defeated. The allies spend the nextfive years reducing the fortified cities in the region still held by the Egyptians, and in theprocess learn that King Eliakim has died while in Egyptian custody. Jehoiachin isdeclared King of the Hebrews, and is restored to his kingdom in 575 BC. He reaffirmsthe long-standing alliance between his kingdom and the Great King of Hatti.
588 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Wahibre.
585 BC--King Cyaxares of the Medes dies, and is succeeded by Astyages.
585-583 BC--A final Scythian invasion causes great damage to the Median kingdombefore they Scythians are finally defeated and forced to retreat back north of the CaucasusMountains by King Astyages.
582 BC: The Pythian games are established in Delphi and the Isthmian games areestablished in Corinth.
580 BC--First attempt by the Greeks to drive the Phoenicians out of Sicily. The attemptis unsuccessful.
c. 580 BC--Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, in addition to being a warrior king, is a greatbuilder. In Babylon he builds eight monumental gates, the Esagila complex, aseven-storey ziggurat, and the Hanging Gardens. The last of these will be accounted oneof the seven wonders of the world.
579 BC--Death of King Eliakim of the Hebrew Kingdom while in the custody of theEgyptians. He is succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin.
576-570 BC--War between Babylonia and the Medes. King Nebuchadnezzar attempts toconquer the region of Anshan (the former Elamite homeland), which is ruled by thePersian Achaemenid Dynasty (who are, in turn, vassals of the Median kings). KingKambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan calls on his overlord, King Astyages of the Medes,for aid, and a six year war between Babylonia and the Medes is the result. The Medesmake inroads into Babylonia’s northern territories, and King Nebuchadnezzar concludespeace with Hatti in order to devote his full attention to the Medes. He is able to drive theMedes out of his northern provinces, and a stalemate results. A peace treaty is finallysigned in 570 BC.
576 BC Death of King Sharkhurunuwa of Hatti. He is succeeded by Tudhaliyas V.
574 BC--King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti signs a peace treaty with Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt.Egypt renounces it’s claim to the Hebrew Kingdom in exchange for recognition ofEgypt’s claim to Cyprus. Tudhaliyas agress to this in order to gain peace on his southernborder, and finds the exchange well worth his while. The Great Kings of Hatti will not betroubled by further Egyptian incursions for a long time.
570 BC--Pharaoh Wahibre of Egypt receives an appeal for aid from the King of Libyaagainst the Greek colony at Cyrene, which has, since it's founding in 630 BC, had strainedrelations with the native Libyans of the region. Wahibre leads an Egyptian armywestward, but it is severely defeated by the Greeks of Cyrene. A revolt breaks outamong the native Egyptian contingent of the army, where rumour has it that the Pharaohintentionally lead them to defeat. As Herodotus would later write..."The Egyptiansblamed him for this and rebelled against him; for they thought that the Pharaoh hadknowingly sent his men to their doom, so that after their death his rule over the rest of theEgyptians would be strengthened. Bitterly angered by this, those who returned home andthe friends of the slain rose against him.” Also in this year, the first coins are minted by Athens.
569-566 BC--Civil War in Egypt. In response to the rebellion in the native Egyptiancontingents of the army, Wahibre sends Ahmosi, his son and one of his most trustedgenerals, to negotiate with the rebels. But when Ahmosi arrives at the rebel camp, therebels "put a helmet on his head from behind, saying it was the token of royalty," anddeclare him the new king. Ahmosi decides "it’s good to be the king," goes over to therebels, and leads the rebel army against Wahibre. Wahibre rallies the mercenarycontingent of the army and attempts to put down the insurrection with these forces, but isdefeated and forced to flee from Sais. Ahmosi is crowned Pharaoh, and takes the throneas Ahmosi II. However, Wahibre I continues to claim the kingship, and gathers anothermercenary army while in exile in Upper Egypt. Finally, in 566 BC, Wahibre I, at the headof his mercenary army, attempts to retake the throne of Egypt from Ahmosi II. He isdefeated and killed.
569-525 BC--Reign of Pharaoh Ahmosi II in Egypt. Ahmosi drastically reduces theproportion of mercenaries in the Egyptian army and reduces the term of service for nativetroops, ending a continual problem with army revolts. Ahmosi also establishes theworld's first income tax. According the Herodotus, he established a law that "every yeareach one of the Egyptians should declare to the ruler of his district, from what source hegot his livelihood, and if any man did not do this or did not make declaration of an honestway of living, he should be punished with death." The new tax puts the royal treasury ona more stable footing than it has been in many centuries. Ahmosi also disposes of thegoods of the temples as he sees fit. Just as the military nobles had been neutralized byabsorbing many of them into the royal administration, the priests are turned into officialsof the monarchy too, and their upkeep and that of their temples becomes the responsibility of the royal treasury. The threat to the monarchy posed by the power of thepriestly class is broken. Thus by the end of Ahmose II’s reign the foundations have beenlaid for a very stable, prosperous, and secure society.
565 BC--Death of King Tudhaliyas V of Hatti. He is succeeded by Mursili III.
562 BC--Death of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He is succeeded by Amel Marduk.
560 BC--King Amel Marduk of Babylon is assassinated by his brother-in-law,Nergalsharusur, who usurps the throne. Also in this year, the temple of Artemis atEphesus is built. This temple will eventually become one of the seven wonders of theworld. Also in this year, King Jehoiachin of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by hisson, Shealtiel.
559 BC--Death of King Kambujiya (Cambyses) I of Anshan. Kurush (Cyrus) II comes tothe throne. Like his father, Kurush is a vassal of the Median king, Astyages.
556 BC--Death of King Nergalsharusur of Babylon. He is succeeded by his young son,Labashi Marduk. Labashi Marduk will enjoy a long and successful reign (in OTL, he wasmurdered within a year and the throne usurped by Nabonidus, who came from the city ofHaran in the north and who seems to have been a commoner with no relation to the royalfamily. Since Haran is a Hittite city in this timeline and not a part of the BabylonianEmpire, Nabonidus is not in Babylon to usurp the throne).
555 BC--Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt invades and conquers the city of Cyrene in Libya. The region will be a permanent part of the Egyptian Empire for many years.
550 BC--Kurush (Cyrus) II of Anshan revolts against King Astyages of Media. Astyagesis defeated and killed. Kurush takes control of the Median Empire, which will henceforthbe known as the Persian Empire. Also in this year, Carthage allies with the Etruscansagainst the Greeks. A Carthaginian force led by Malchus defeats the Greeks in Sicily, butis vanquished in Sardinia. Malchus is banished, and in response marches on Carthage, but is caught and executed.
550-500 BC--La Tene culture develops; Celtic culture reaches its peak. Celtic tribesexpand from their homeland in central Europe and begin moving east, south, and west.
c. 550 BC--The Sabaeans of southern Arabia build a huge, earth-filled dam near their capital city of Marib, which enables the irrigation of 250,000 acres of land. The population increase this allows enables the Kingdom of Sheba to dramatically expand it's power in southwestern Arabia. Also at about this time, the Nabataean Arabs of northern Arabia begin moving into the land of Edom, causing many Edomites to emigrate northward. The Edomites are gradually absorbed into the Hebrew population. However, the Hebrew Kings (and later the Hittite Kings) prevent the Nabataeans from forming an independent state. Instead, they form a trading class within the larger society of the region, serving as middlemen in the frankincense and myrrh trade between the Sabaeans to the south and the Hittites and other kingdoms to the north.
c. 550 BC onward--Carthaginian presence in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.Carthaginian colonies formed along coast of Africa, in Algeria, including Hadrumetum, Leptis.
549 BC--Death of King Shealtiel of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, Josiah II(in OTL named Zerubabbel...”Child of Babylon”...but since there was no BabylonianCaptivity in this ATL, the child gets a different name).
547-544 BC--War between Hatti and Persia. In 547 BC, King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persiaattempts an invasion of Hatti. But the flexible and hard-hitting Hittite army, under thecapable leadership of King Mursili III, severely defeats the Persians. Kurush is severelywounded, but manages to escape, and will survive his wounds. The following year, andeach year thereafter, King Mursili III will invade the Persian Empire. The Persians are gradually pushed back out of the former lands of Urartu, and King Kurush finally sues forpeace in 544 BC. A treaty is signed in which Persia cedes the former lands of Urartu toHatti.
546 BC--The Tyrant Peisistratus overthrows democracy in Athens, and Sparta forms thePeloponnesean League.
543 BC--King Labashi Marduk of Babylon makes a treaty of alliance with King MursiliIII of Hatti. The alliance is aimed at Persia.
540-539 BC--King Kurush (Cyrus) II of Persia invades Babylonia. His army defeats thatof Babylon at the city of Opis, on the Tigris River (near the site of present-day Baghdad),and he lays siege to the city of Babylon itself. King Labashi Marduk calls on his ally,King Mursili III of Hatti, for aid. Mursili arrives outside Babylon with the main Hittitearmy in the spring of 539 BC, and a battle is fought in which King Kurush of Persia falls,struck down by a Hittite arrow. The Persian army is scattered, and the siege of Babylon islifted. However, the Hittite/Babylonian forces also take heavy losses, and are tooexhausted to follow up with an invasion of Persia. Although no formal treaty is signed,the war effectively ends.
539-532 BC--Civil War in Persia. The death of King Kurush II in battle outside Babylonhas thrown the Persian Empire into turmoil. The Medes, under a prince who claimsdescent from King Cyaxares, revolt against the Persians. In addition, various factionswithin the Achaemenid royal house vie for power. Finally, however, one of the sons ofKing Kurush emerges victorious, and takes the throne as King Kambujiya (Cambyses) II.Kambujiya will suppress the Medes, reorganize the Persian empire and armed forces, andalso re-orient the focus of Persian military efforts from the west to the east. Infurtherance of the latter of these, he concludes a treaty with Hatti and Babylon, officiallyending the war begun by his father in 540 BC.
535 BC--Carthage, with the Etruscans, destroys the Phocaean colony in Corsica andcloses Sardinia-Corsica off to the Greeks.
530 BC--Pythagoras founds Mathematics. Also in this year, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)II of Persia launches the first of several invasions of India.
530-500 BC--Persian conquest of northern India. In yearly campaigns, King Kambujiya(Cambyses) II of Persia and his successor, King Darayavahush (Darius) I, conquer mostof northern India, defeating the various native kings and incorporating their kingdomsinto the Persian Empire.
529 BC--Death of King Labashi Marduk of Babylon. He is succeeded by his son, whoreigns as King Nebuchadnezzar III.
c. 527 BC--Prince Siddhartha Gautama is enlightened and becomes the Buddha, foundinga new religion.
525 BC--Death of Pharaoh Ahmosi II of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, Psamtik III.
c. 525 BC--The first Greek Tragedies are written. Among the writers are Aeschylus,Sophocles, and Euripides.
523-522 BC--Civil War in the Persian Empire. In 523 BC, King Kambujiya (Cambyses)II is killed in battle in India. Upon his demise, there is a struggle for the succession to thePersian throne. Gaumata, a pretender who claims to be a son of King Kurush (Cyrus) IInamed Smerdis who had actually been killed by Kambujiya some years earlier, assumesthe throne, but is disputed by another prince of the Achaemenid House, who finally defeats Gautama in 522 BC and assumes the throne as King Darayavahush (Greek--Darius) I.
521 BC--Death of King Mursili III of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, Hattusili TesubIII. Hattusili Tesub III, who was a somewhat elderly man when he assumed the Kingship,dies later that same year, and is succeeded by his grandson, Suhis Tesub III. Suhis TesubIII’s father had been killed in a hunting accident shortly after Suhis Tesub was born, andtherefore the new King is a minor child at the time of his succession. A civil war breaksout as one of the King’s cousins, Prince Talmi Tesub, contests his right to the throne.
521-519 BC--King Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon takes adantage of the chaos caused bythe civil war in Hatti to sieze the lands between the Harbur and Euphrates rivers. He layssiege to the Hittite fortress city of Carchemish, but is unable to take the city. The newHittite King Talmi Tesub, upon ascending the throne, signs a treaty recognizing the Babylonian title to the disputed region. Relations between Babylon and Hatti are neveragain to be good.
519 BC--End of the civil war in Hatti. King Suhis Tesub III of Hatti is captured and putto death (At the orders of Talmi Tesub, the unfortunate young king is castrated andallowed to bleed out, symbolizing the end of the old dynasty), and Prince Talmi Tesubusurps the throne, founding a new dynasty. The new king will reign as King Talmi TesubI.
512-510 BC--King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia declares war on King Nebuchadnezzar III of Babylon. Babylon’s army is defeated in battle by the Persians nearthe city of Nippur, and the Persians take Babylon itself in 510 BC. Nebuchadnezzar III iscaptured and put to death, and the Babylonian kingdom comes to an end, absorbed intothe Persian Empire.
510 BC--Athens joins the Peloponesean League, and the temple of Ceres at Paestum (inItaly) is built. Also in this year, King Josiah II of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded byhis son, Abiud.
509-485 BC--Period of sporadic warfare between Hatti and Persia. King Darayavahush(Darius) I follows up his conquest of Babylon with an invasion of Hatti, but is defeatednear Carchemish in 509 BC. The Persian King, who is a devout Zoroastrian andconsiders it his mission to conquer for the glory of Ahura Mazda, will not sign a treatywith the Hittites, and a state of low-intensity warfare continues between the twoempires...with periodic Persian invasions of Hatti and Hittite counter-invasions of
Persia...for almost a quarter of a century, until Darayavahush finally dies in 485 BC.Neither side gains much from these conflicts, which prove exhausting for both empires.
509 BC--Revolution in Rome. The last Etruscan King, Tarquinius Superbus, is expelled.Founding of the Roman Republic.
508 BC--Attack on Rome by the Etruscan general Lars Porsena. Rome is able towithstand the attack. Several Roman noblewomen, including Cloelia, swim the TiberRiver to escape from Lars Porsenna and his men. Also in this year, the last of the Tyrantsis overthrown in Athens, and democracy is restored. Cleisthenes grants full rights to allfree men of Athens.
507 BC--First treaty between Carthage and Rome.
506 BC--A planned invasion of Rome by ousted King Tarquinius Superbus and an armyof Etruscans is defeated by the Latin League and Greeks lead by Aristodemos of Cumaein a battle at Aricia. Also in this year, a Roman noble named Horatius Cocles stops aninvasion, when he bars the bridge into Rome. While he is defending the bridge, theconsuls Sp. Lartius and T. Herminius chop it down to prevent the enemy crossing.Horatius swims, fully armored across the Tiber to safety.
505 BC--Death of King Talmi Tesub I of Hatti. He is succeeded by his son, who reignsas Suppliluliuma IV. Also in this year, a temple to Apollo is built at Delphi.
501-498 BC--Revolt of the Greek cities in Ionia (coastal Asia Minor). The Greeks ofthese cities call on their brethren in mainland Greece for aid. Only the city of Athensresponds. But even with Athenian aid, the Greek forces are no match for the militarypower of the Great King of Hatti, and the revolt is crushed within three years.Beginning of a period of conflict between Hatti and the Greek city states of mainlandGreece.
c. 500 BC--Celtic tribes begin moving into Britain.
PART FIVE: 500-400 BC
c. 500 BC--The Sabaeans are founding colonies on the coast of Ethiopia. These will become the nucleus of the later kingdom of Axum.
498 B.C.--Athens at war with Aegina. Also in this year, Hippocrates and Theron seizecontrol in Syracuse and attempt to throw the Phoenicians off the western part of theisland. They are unsuccessful, once again.
494 B.C.--The First Secession of the Plebeians in Rome takes place. Creation of thetribunes of the plebes, two of whom are elected annually. Creation of the office of aedilefor the plebeians of Rome, held by two men.
489 B.C.--Death of King Cleomenes of Sparta.
487 BC--Death of King Abiud of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns asKing Eliakim II.
485 BC--Death of King Darayavahush (Darius) I of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,Xshayarsha (Greek--Xerxes) I. Xshayarsha, who wants to concentrate on continuing theconquest of the Indian subcontinent, shortly afterward concludes a treaty with KingSuppiluliuma IV of Hatti, ending the decades-long war between the two empires.
481 BC--Athens, Sparta, and other Greek cities form the Hellenic League against Hatti.
480 BC--A Carthaginian force under Hamilcar the Magonid is defeated by SicilianGreeks at Himera cutting off Carthaginian access to the East. Hamilcar commits suicideon the battlefield. In the wake of this defeat a revolution overthrows the Magoniddynasty and establishes the Court of 104 Magistrates. Beginning of the CarthaginianRepublic. Also in this year, King Suppiluliuma IV of Hatti dies, and is succeeded byTelepinu III.
480 BC onward--King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia and his successor, Artaxshassa(Greek--Artaxerxes) I, wage war on the Tamil states in southern India. The Persiansencounter great difficulties in the mountainous, jungle-choked terrain. But by the end ofthe century, the entire Indian subcontinent will be under Persian control. Persian tradingships begin traveling to the city states of the Indonesian archipelago and, eventually, tothe coastal cities of China, bringing back spices, silk, fine Chinese pottery and bronzework, and Persia is greatly enriched by these contacts.
480-477 BC--Hittite campaign against Greece. With the ending of the war with Persia in485 BC, the Great King of Hatti can now turn his attention to the troublesome Greeks tothe west of his realm. Ever since the Ionian revolt of two decades ago, Hatti has beenengaged in low-intensity warfare with the Greek city-states of the Greek mainland,especially Athens. Most of this conflict has been in the form of naval encounters in theAegean, with neither side gaining much advantage.
In 480 BC, the new King of Hatti,Telepinu III, decides to take a more active stance against “Greek Piracy” in the Aegean,and begins making preparations for an invasion. Telepinu sends envoys to the variousGreek city states, as well as to the kings of the Thracian tribes and of Macedon,demanding submission. The Thracians chieftains and King Alexander I of Macedon, aswell as many Greek cities, submit, but the most powerful (cities such as Athens, Sparta,and Corinth) do not. These cities, along with many others, form the Hellenic League toresist Hatti.
In 478 BC, the Hittites land a large force in Thrace, and march throughThrace and Macedon into northern Greece. The Greek allies attempt a defense at thePass of Thermopylae, where the Hittite advantage in cavalry will be neutralized.However, the Hittite heavy infantry is as good as anything the Greeks have, there are aLOT more of them, and they are supported by a large force of archers, which the Greekslack. The Greeks are forced to abandon the pass. The Hittites pursue, and manage tobring the Greeks to battle again on an open plain near the city of Plataea. The Hittites
rout the Greek forces, killing King Leonidas of Sparta (who was in command of theGreek forces) and the Athenian general Miltiades (who was second in command of thecombined force). The Hittites then advance into Attica and lay siege to Athens.However, the Hittites then suffer two major disasters. First, the Greek fleet defeats thatof the Hittites near the island of Salamis, making resupply of the Hittite army veryproblematic while opening up the supply route for the defenders of Athens.
And then, in early 477 BC, a plague breaks out which decimates the Hittite force. One of thecasualties of this plague is none other than King Telepinu III of Hatti. His successor,King Muwatalli IV, decides to abandon the siege and withdraw his army from Greece.This he manages to do, although his army is harassed by the Greeks during it’s retreatnorth through Macedon and Thrace, before the end of 477 BC.
479-450 BC--Re-buffed in Sicily, Carthage focuses on Africa, conquering most of what isnow Tunisia. Colonies in North Africa founded or strengthened. Mago's expeditioncrosses the Sahara.
477 BC--Representatives from the Greek city-states of Asia Minor and the islandsscattered throughout the Aegean Sea, meet on the island of Delos—a sacred islandassociated with the cult of Apollo—to discuss an alliance with the Athenians. They swearoaths of alliance to each other and to Athens; thus is born the Delian League. This newleague has several purposes besides defense; one of these is to wage a military campaign against the Hittites to free those Greek cities that are still under the control of Hatti.Although Athens is the leader of the League, each city-state has one vote—the League isessentially a democratic alliance between equals. Also in this year, King Telepinu III ofHatti dies, and is succeeded by his son, who reigns as Muwatalli IV.
477-450 BC--Wars of the Delian League against Hatti. Although the Kings of Hatti willnot attempt another invasion of Greece itself, they are successfully able to defend theirpossessions in Asia Minor against the forces of the Delian League. But the war isdamaging and costly for both sides. Finally, in 450 BC, the Great King of Hatti offers togrant limited self-government to the Greek cities of the Anatolian coast, in exchange for an end to the war. Pericles of Athens, leader of the Delian League, sees that the Greekswon’t get a better deal without unacceptable costs, and agrees. A treaty is signed whichends the war between the Hittites and the Greeks.
475 BC--Death of King Eliakim II of the Hebrews. He is succeeded by his son, whoreigns as King Azor.
c. 475 BC--Beginning of the Period of the Warring States in China. Since 1122 BC, theEmperors of the Chou (Zhou) Dynasty have maintained a loose hegemony over thevarious city-states which comprise China. But this has been weakening for some time,and several large and powerful states have arisen, including Chin (Qin), Chi (Qi), Chu,Yan, Han, Chao (Zhao), and Wei (Wu). All of these have recognized the legal hegemonyof the Chou Emperor, while doing pretty much as they please. By 475 BC, however, the last pretense is thrown off, and the authority of the Chou Emperor is confined to his ownsmall and insignificant kingdom in central China. Over the next couple of centuries, thenew states will war against each other, and the more powerful will gradually absorb theweak. In the end, there can be only one...
472 BC--Carystus, a town on the island of Euboea, is forced into the Delian League. Thisis the first time a Greek state has been forced into the League against it's will, establishinga dangerous precedent.
469 BC--The island of Naxos tries to secede from the Delian League. It is invaded andcaptured by League forces, who force it back into the alliance. Thus another dangerousprecedent is established which will lead, eventually, to the transformation of the Leagueinto the Athenian Empire.
465 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I of Persia. He is succeeded by Artaxshassa(Greek--Artaxerxes) I. Artaxshassa continues his father’s policies, focusing his militaryefforts on southern India, while maintaining peace with the states to the west.
461-451 BC--First Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Sparta is jealous ofthe power Athens has amassed as leader of the Delian League, and declares war. The warlasts a decade, is indecisive, and a peace is agreed to in 451 BC.
461 BC--Pericles comes to power in Athens. His rule will become known as Athens'Golden Age. Also in this year, King Azor of the Hebrews dies, and is succeeded by hisson, who reigns as King Zadok. King Zadok will prove to be a disastrous ruler for theHebrews, as he has pretensions of restoring the complete independence of the Hebrewsand re-establishing the Hebrews as a great power. In furtherance of these goals, he beginsintriguing with the Pharaoh of Egypt against his overlord, the Great King of Hatti.
458 BC--King Muwatalli IV dies, and is succeeded by his son Ini Tesub. Ini Tesub dieslater that same year in an outbreak of plague which is ravaging the Hittite capital, and issucceeded by his son, who reigns as Talmi Tesub II. Within weeks after ascending thethrone, however, Talmi Tesub himself falls victim to the plague, and is succeeded by hisyoung son, who reigns as King Ura Tarhundas III. However, since the new King is still aminor, his uncle actually rules as regent for the first years of his reign.
458-450 BC--Period of relative instability and weakness in the Hittite Empire. Theregent, one Labarnash, is a poor ruler, and revolts break out in several regions of theempire which take several years to put down.
458 BC--Death of Pharaoh Necho III. He is succeeded by Psamtik IV. However,Psamtik IV also dies later this year, and is succeeded by Ahmosi III.
457-455 BC--In 457 BC, King Zadok of the Hebrews makes an alliance with PharaohAhmosi III of Egypt, and declares the treaty between his kingdom and the Great King ofHatti (who has been, for some time, more of an overlord than an ally, exacting annualtribute from the Hebrews) to be null and void. The Hittites, being caught up in problemsof their own, do not respond. But Zadok soon finds that he has made a poor choice ofallies. In 456 BC, Pharaoh Ahmosi betrays his newfound ally, and the Egyptian army invades the Hebrew Kingdom. The Hebrew army is defeated near Gaza, and King Zadokis killed in the fighting. The Egyptians lay siege to Jerusalem, which falls the next year.The Egyptians burn and loot the Temple of Solomon, and carry off much of the Hebrewupper class population, including the royal family, to exile in Egypt. The HebrewKingdom ceases to exist, and the territory is absorbed by Egypt.
454 BC--The Treasury of the Delian League, which had, up to this time, been kept on theholy island of Delos, is moved to Athens, signifying the transition of the League from avoluntary association of Greek States lead by Athens, to an empire ruled by Athens.
450 BC--The Law of the Twelve Tables is established in Rome. Also in this year, KingUra Tarhundas III of Hatti comes of age, and takes over the reigns of government.Fortunately for Hatti, Ura Tarhundas is everything his uncle, regent Labarnash, was not...astrong and charismatic leader, and a gifted military commander. He quickly sets theHittite house in order, quelling the simmering revolts which have been festeringthroughout the empire for the past five years.
c. 450 BC--At around this time, Herodotus writes the first-ever non-theological history,and Hippocrates establishes the foundations of modern medicine. Also at about this time,Celtic tribes reach Spain.
448-442 BC--War between Hatti and Egypt. Pharaoh Ahmosi III of Egypt follows up hisconquest of the Hebrews with an invasion of Syria, determined to restore Egypt to the fulllimits of its ancient empire. However, King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti defeats theEgyptians near Damascus, and follows up with an invasion of Egypt itself the following year.
By 442 BC, the Hittites have established control over Lower Egypt (the Deltaregion). Pharaoh Ahmosi III is captured and executed, but his son, Crown PrincePsamtik, escapes to Thebes, where he wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt as PharaohPsamtik V, and continues the war against Hatti. King Ura Tarhundas of Hatti allows theexiled Hebrews to return to their homeland and to rebuild their temple...but does notrestore the land to its former independent status. The land of Israel becomes a province of the Hittite Empire. King Ura Tarhundas also formally annexes the Phoenician citystates at this time.
c. 440 BC onward--The Hebrews are rebuilding their Temple, but major changes havetaken place in the Hebrew religion during the fifteen years of the “Egyptian Captivity.”The loss of the Temple, and the centralized worship it represented, has lead to an earlyform of rabbinic synagogue worship becoming the norm among the Hebrews (bothamong the Exiles and those who remained in the Land of Israel). The restoration of theTemple will not change this. The two will operate, side by side and in competition witheach other, for centuries to come. Gradually, a split will develop among the Hebrewsbetween those who favor the Temple Priests and those who favor the Rabbis. This willhave profound effects later on.
441 BC--Death of King Ura Tarhundas III of Hatti in battle against the forces of PharaohPsamtik V of Upper Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Urhi Tesub I.Urhi Tesub, unlike his father, is not a great leader, and the empire suffers during hisreign. But fortunately for Hatti, he will reign for only six years.
440-432 BC--Pharaoh Psamtik V of Upper Egypt, taking advantage of the weakness ofthe new Hittite King, manages to expel the Hittite garrisons from Lower Egypt. He willreign, unmolested, as Pharaoh of a united Egypt for several years. But the situation willnot last.
438 BC--With funds taken from the treasury of the Delian League, Pericles beginsconstruction of the Parthenon in Athens.
437-426 BC--The Fidenaean War between Rome and the city of Fidenae. Rome isvictorious. This marks the beginning of Roman expansion in Italy.
435 BC--Death of King Urhi Tesub I of Hatti. He dies childless, and is succeeded by hisbrother, who reigns as King Warpalawa I. Warpalawa is a virtual carbon copy of hisgreat father, King Ura Tarhundas III, and Hatti is blessed by another strong King.Warpalawa will have a very long and successful reign.
432 BC--Death of Pharaoh Psamtik V of Egypt. He is succeeded by his son, who reignsas Pharaoh Psamtik VI.
431-404 BC--Second Peloponnesian War between the Peloponnesian League (Sparta andallies) and the Delian League (Athens and subject states). Sparta is heavily financed byHatti, whose kings have maintained their enmity for Athens, even though the warbetween them ended two decades ago.
430-415 BC--Hittite conquest of Egypt. In 430 BC, King Warpalawa I of Hatti invadesEgypt, intending to re-establish Hittite control there and end, once and for all, theEgyptian threat to his southern border. In a campaign lasting fifteen years, Hittite forcesestablish control over the land of Egypt. Pharaoh Psamtik VI is captured and executed in415 BC, and his son, Crown Prince Necho, flees to the court of King Amanineteyerike ofKush. With the death of the Pharaoh, the last vestiges of Egyptian resistance collapse, andEgypt is incorporated as a province of the Hittite Empire.
429 BC--Pericles dies in an outbreak of plague in Athens. No leader of his caliber willarise to replace him, and this is a major factor in the final defeat of Athens in the war withSparta.
424 BC--Death of King Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) I. He is succeeded by Xshayarsha(Xerxes) II. Xshayarsha will be a somewhat weak ruler, and will focus on internal mattersrather than foreign expansion during his reign.
415 BC--Athens attempts to capture Syracuse in Sicily, but fails. This is the beginning ofthe long road to final defeat in the Peloponnesian Wars.
410 BC--Phoenicians in Hispania join with Celtiberians to secede from Carthage, denyingthe state important silver and copper revenues. Overland tin trade is cut off. Also at thistime, Himilco's expeditions in the Atlantic and Hanno's expeditions to Morocco andSenegal take place.
409 BC--Carthage initiates attempts to conquer Sicily. Hannibal, grandson of Hamilcar,takes the fortified towns of Selinus and Himera by use of siege towers.
406-396 BC--Rome conquers the Etruscan city of Veii.
405 BC--Hannibal Mago and hundreds of troops die in epidemic outside the fortifiedtown of Acragas. Himilco, his relative, takes over command, but is defeated by a forceout of Syracuse, and has his route of supply disrupted in naval action. Syracusan forcesstrengthen the garrison. A Carthaginian squadron breaks through Greek blockade—thebesieged escape under cover of night, Punic forces collect spoils. Later that year, Himilcotakes town of Gela, defeating a Syracusan force, and then takes town of Camarina.Finally, Himilco marches on Syracuse itself, but his army is laid low by epidemic, andHimilco seeks peace. By the terms of the treaty, Syracuse grants control of most of Sicilyand must pay tribute to Carthage. The treaty confirms Dionysius I as dictator (tyrannos) ofSyracuse. First Sicilian War concluded.
404 BC--Death of King Xshayarsha (Xerxes) II of Persia. He is succeeded by his son,Darayavahush (Darius) II. His brother, Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes), revolts against him,however, and Darayavahush is overthrown later that same year. His brother takes thethrone as Artaxshassa II. Also in this year, Sparta and it’s allies force the surrender ofAthens, ending the Second Peloponnesian War. After the Athenian defeat, the Atheniandemocracy is replaced by an Oligarchy called The Thirty Tyrants.
403 BC--The Thirty Tyrants are overthrown in Athens. Restoration of the democracy. Also in this year, King Warpalawa I “Egypt Smiter” of Hatti dies, and issucceeded by his son, who reigns as King Arnuwanda V.
401 BC--Kurush (Cyrus), younger brother of King Artaxshassa II of Persia, revolts andattempts to usurp the throne, but is defeated. However, in contrast to OTL, Xenophonand the 10,000 predominently Athenian Greek mercenaries are not with him. They have,instead, found employment in the armies of Hatti.
c. 400 BC--Aristophanes is writing the world's first comedic plays. Also at about thistime, Celtic tribes cross the Alps and settle in northern Italy. They displace the Etruscansfrom the Po River valley, which hereafter is known as Gallia Cisalpina.
More to come...
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