Persia strugles
446 BC Events (Part two)
Persian empire (by guest post writer @Achaemenid Rome )
Xerxes II continued the siege of Megabyzid Nineveh into the next year. Reinforced by Achaemenid prince Darius, the Persian army in the west maintained control over central Mesopotamia, as well as an expanding sphere of economic influence and ephemeral raids on Assyrian centers in the north. This both assured supplies to his forces, and denied them to the enemy.
Prince Darius had secured the northern riverine entrance of Nineveh, and Xerxes II the southern riverine entrance, so that towns along the Tigris could not supply the capital. The trade network along the Tigris was erased. Many towns began to starve as all supplies were drawn to Xerxes’ army.
With a crisis of food and water, and his capital surrounded, Syrian king Artabazus knew he had to strike soon. Expecting his forces to be resupplied and reinforced by his sub-satraps after the battle, Artabazus mobilized as much of the population as possible to launch an all-out strike against the besiegers.
Artabazus stationed most of his archers and peltasts (takabara) in the western part of the city, launching flaming arrows at the army of Prince Darius in the north, as well as sorties by Aramaean recruits attacking from the southwest as a misdirection. Darius assumed that the bulk of the Syrian infantry were in western Nineveh, and moved his forces there. Both sides exchanged flaming arrows. Meanwhile, Artabazus’ heavy infantry sallied out of the west and north gates.
The western contingent of infantry was bogged down by Darius’ forces; however, the northern contingent led by Artabazus pushed through the weak fortifications of the besiegers. They joined the western sortie, and Darius met them with his reserves. Artabazus rode out with his cavalry to charge Darius’ drawn out forces with great success. But once bogged down in battle, the satrap of Syria was unable to retreat and charge again.
Xerxes II became aware of the fighting at the western gates and sent his reinforced cavalry and archers to pick off the defenders. At the same time, his infantry began preparing the assault of the city by siege towers, constructed a few days before, though they were also ready to reinforce Darius if needed.
Artabazus’ sortie was surrounded and crushed at heavy losses to both sides, and Artabazus, his cavalry, and remaining heavy infantry managed a quick retreat back into the city while archers and takabara shot from the walls. Now undermanned, the satrap’s army was only numerous enough for a calculated defense, if that.
So Xerxes shored up his forces and readied his siege engines for an assault. Nineveh must fall, he reasoned, before the western vassals have a chance to respond.
The following morning, six Persian siege towers assaulted the southern walls of Nineveh, Persian infantry slaughtering the defending archers. The southern gate was battered open and Xerxes and Darius sent their troops in a combined assault.
Artabazus positioned his Greek mercenaries--hoplites--in defensive lines in the streets of the city, cutting down as many attackers as possible and even charging towards them to stop their offensive. But the Persian advance continued until the defending lines were overstretched, enough hoplites killed by arrow fire, and untrained reserves had to fill in the gaps.
The Megabyzids ceded more and more of the city as their numbers dwindled. But suddenly, one of the Syrian captains at the north gate received a message: the armies of the sub-satraps had arrived.
The captains of Melitene and Halab and the sub-satrap of Hatti joined the street combat in Nineveh. At the same time, Mardonius, the Viceroy of Cilicia, attacked the Persians from the south, hoping to surround them. Seizing the siege engines, Mardonius placed his archers on the walls, firing down on the Persians inside the city. Shield-bearers and other heavy infantry then charged forth to meet the Achaemenid forces.
Surrounded in the enemy capital, the forces of Xerxes II were thrown into a panic. Some surrendered, others fought fiercely to the death. Xerxes was killed in battle. while Darius was nowhere to be found--it was rumored that he had escaped even before Xerxes’ assault.
The eastern reaches of the Megabyzid Syrian kingdom, and the capital Nineveh, were devastated by the war. But this Persian invasion was over, for now. Artabazus I was victorious, and Mardonius of Cilicia became dangerously popular among the Syrian nobility.
Darius returned to Babylon as Persian emperor Darius II, with the difficult task of keeping dynastic politics in line after a humiliating defeat. His solution was a purge of the Persian court to prevent any challengers from rising, as well as lowered taxation and tribute from the satraps to prevent their rebellion. The occupied territories were returned to Artabazus I, and Arioxabanes of Armenia looked at Persian territory with ambitions of conquest.
