The Lost Fleet
THE PRECOLUMBIAN AMERICAS TL, Part One: 746-600 BCE:
c.a 740 BCE :For many years, Egypt has been a fragmented land, with as many as four rival dynasties 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 to change due to outside intervention. King Piankhi of Kush leads his army northward, and conquers Egypt as far north as Thebes. Within a few years he receives oaths of loyalty from the various rival kings of Egypt, effectively unifying the country for the first time in a century and a half. Under his dynasty, the 25th (Kushite) Dynasty, Egypt will begin to take an active role in the affairs of the middle east once more.
688-663 BCE: Reign of Pharaoh Taharka I over Kush, during his lenglthy reign he will attempt to establish permanent Kushite Control in Palestine. He will also be memorable for sending out his massive "Lost" Fleet in an attempt to discover more valuable Gold and Iron mounds further south.
c.a. 675 BCE: Pharaoh Taharka upon hearing the stories of Hatsephpsut's Voyage to the Southern Territory of Punt hires an large crew of mostly Native Nubian and Egyptian Shipwrights to explore the Eastern Coast of Africa.
670-667 BCE: The Kushite Exploration fleet set's sail from an Port north of the Red Sea. Ten Large ships about 100 feet long. Each Ship had an Large Sail and was rowed by 50 Oarsmen. These ships were designed for sailing on the open sead. The Mast was positioned in the middle of the ship and a Helmsman standing in the stern, sterred the ship with two Big Oars. During the first Checkpoint of Punt, The ships never strayed far from the coast. At sunset, The sailors moored in sheltered harbors and spent the night ashore. Finally upon Reaching Punt's shores, the Nubian Ambasador Animedek gave gifts to the Cheif of Punt. The ships became laden with the treasures of Punt, and all the beautiful plants of the Divine Land, with heaps of Incense, with great Myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with gold from Amu, with sweet-scented woods, with all the manner incense and eye pigments, with Horses, babbons, mokeys and greyhounds, with skins of the southern panter, and with slaves and their children. Still Taharka asked them to continue further south and were able to establish contacts with the Haibru Tributary of Ophir in South Africa and were occampied by Gold Ingiots and Pygmies. Upon sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, the Fleet is caught in a viscous storm and drifts along West African Coast untill swept by the Ocean current allowing them to "Go With the Flow". The Nubians Without stored food or water, taking only a small net, fishing line and hook, and a large and small harpoon, were able to survive the Atlantic Crossing. However several die of Malnurishment and Sickness and finally Animedek lands in the Port of San Salvador in the Bahamas.
Animedek and his "Settlers arrive an set up an small trading settlement on the Island and capture several Proto-Taino and establish peacful Relations with the Natives. Animedek writes himself "The Island of Taharkis, with is Tall Trees, Gorgeous Birds, a beautiful Beach and friendly Peoples." He also Wrote using Animal Skins and Scribes "They Remained so much our friends that it was a marvel:...They came swimming to the Ships's boats, and brought us parrots and cotton thread...and many other things." In return for the Taino...The Nubians introduced and steady flow of Gold, many Natives begin the breeding of Horses,written Language and the other African Animals brought along on the Trip.
667 and Onward BCE: Nubian Expansion throught the Carribean, Under the Wise leadership of Animedek...The Nubian Colonisits (Kushites,Egyptians,Puntites, and the Pygmies of Ophir) All are able to establish successful communties on the islands of New Nubia. Against the warrior canibals The Caribs, The Colonies implement the stanrard Kushite Army using their Bronze Weapons, Their light Chariot force blows the primitive Caribs out of the Water. The Caribs are subdued by the Dark Skinned Centaurs(The Nubian Calvary). The Caribs possessed may canoes, which before the time of the Nubian Arrival, they overran all the isles of the Carribean and steal all they can. They Superior Nubian Navy built by the forests of New Kerma are finally able to subdue the Carribs and are gradualy intergrated into the formal Nubian Realm. They Build Grand Temples dedicated to the Great God Amun and cheif god of the Hybrid religon of the Egyptian and Taino Pantheons. To limit confusion, Animedek builds schools to teach the Nubian Children and the Natives, the Egyptian/Kushite language and Hieroglyphical Writing Systems. Animedek during his reign sets up an stable, and mostly peaceful Realm in the Carribean.
667 and Onward BCE :The smallpox outbreak of 667-635 which kills many of the Native Cultures upon contact with the Nubians, Smallpox is justthe first of several over the course of th rest of this century. In addition to smallpox, Old orld Diseases like measles and malaria will also make their appearance in the empire. As a result, the overall population of the Taino and Xi which stood at nearly 8 million at the arrival of the Nubians in 667 BCE, will fall to less than four million within the next two decades. But, as immunity to the diseases gradually takes hold in the population, the population will rebound and by the end of the century will stand at over ten million and growing rapidly.
666 BCE: The Proto-Taino of Taharkis(Or The Asiatics by the Nubians) tell the Provencial Govenor of Taharkis of an huge island they call Colba(Cuba). Animedek will document that these Asiatics were ornaments of Gold and seem to be strange fire eaters. The Nubians are overwhelemed by these sensation of burning Tobacco and the other wonderful Spices of the Carribean.
Later on that year, the Asiatics take Animedek to the island in which he calls New Kerma(The Egyptians names for the Kushites)(Hispaniola). "New Kerma is full of trees of endless Variteies, so high that they seem to touch the sky , and I have been told that they never loose their foliage. Some of them were covered with blossoms, some with fruit...There are palm trees of six or eight varities....There are wonderful pinewoods, and very extensive Riegns of meadowland. There is honey, and there are many kinds of birds, and a great variety of fruits...For the Isle of New Kush is a marvel." Animedek writes.
"The Asiatics are well made men of commending stature, they appear extradorniarly timid. The only arms they have are stick of cane cut when in seed, with a sharpend end, and they are afraid to use these. They believe that I come from heaven...wherever I went they ran from house to house crying out, Come! Come! and see the men from Heaven.
640 BCE: Animedek, Proveincal Govenor dies...His Title is passed down to his son Piye.
638 BCE: Piye, searching for lands west of the Nubian Isles...sets out on an grand Naval Expedition in search of it. They land on the Southern Mexican coastline near the Olmec City of La Venta. Piye writes "The Asiatic peoples known as the Xi, have established and Great Civiliazation...Those three major Xi centers are spaced from east to west across the domain so that each center could exploit, control, and provide a distinct set of natural resources valuable to the overall Xi economy. La Venta, the eastern center, is near the rich estuaries of the coast, and also could have provided cacao, rubber, and salt. San Lorenzo, at the center of the Xi domain, controlled the vast flood plain area of Coatzacoalcos basin and riverline trade routes. Laguna de los Cerros, adjacent to the Tuxtlas mountains, is positioned near important sources of basalt, a stone needed to manufacture manos, metates, and monuments. Strong marriage alliances between Xi centers helped maintain such an exchange network. The Great city of La Venta and its ruler The Great Chix-Tok, gave me an grand tour of the Massive Pyramind and My own Associated in the Great Rubber Ball Game. They chisled our faces out of Basalt and created massive Stone Heads dedicated to us. We Shall establish many fruitfil colones in this Great Land."
625-600 BCE: They Came, The Saw, and they Conquered, "Those Bastard Asiatices under the Leadership Epi-Nae gathered there Warriors using Our Weapons, Our Horses, and Our Armour against use. They Burned our settlements and sold our Nubian Population living in their territories to the Cannibalistic tribes of the South. I, Nehsi Grand Naval Commander of the Nubian Military write as I accompany my Soldiers into the heat of Battle with these Asiatics who fight with souch Passion and Stamina." Nehsi Wrote before the Grand battle of San Lorenzo which the Nubians were forced to leave their colonies in Mexico and travel back into the Carribean. Intermit Warfare will take place between the Two powers for the next Twenty five untill the econmic and Poltical strain of War takes it's tall on the Xi of Mexico leading to it's collapse in 600 BCE.
617 BCE: Piye, Proveincal Govenor dies, his title is passed down to his son Perehu.
610 BCE: Perehu, on an Naval Patrol of Taharkis discovers the Floridian Pennisula, and land's near OTL's Saint Augustine. Perehu unlike his forefather's was truly unique, he tremnt of Gold and other Riches Day in and Day out. His part were welcomed by the natives and were even invited to an Grand Party. Perehu writes " In the flickering torchlight, dozens of figures danced in the sand. Some were the locals, tall strong men, short-haired and clean-shaven, clad in loose linen shirts and knee-length breeches, and statuesque, women with long, shapely arms and legs in light sleeveless linen tunics and short skirts, with fair hair tumbling down their backs and shoulders. We looked at those women, flirting and dancing with his officers and men, he knew he was going to have a rough time getting his crews back onto the ships. The women here were very, VERY interested in the sudden appearance of so many dark-haired, olive-skinned, sinewy sea-farers and, in the two weeks that the Nubians had Landed. I hesitantly at the native Dish, A mix of white rice, shredded chicken and vegetables, swimming in a red sauce. He had watched the women make the sauce - there was some round, red, watery vegetable that they peeled, chopped up and thoroughly mashed before pouring into the pot to cook over a low fire.According to the headman, men of the village took to their boats and hunted the islands to the south for the peppers, little oblong red, green and yellow things, which they then either dried and ground into powder or chopped up fresh and added straight into the pot. I chewed my food throughly, and bite into a chunk of pepper. The heat explodes into his mouth and nostrils, so he slugs back a half-mug of the locals' excellent berry wine..." Perehu soon traded his few items with natives and promisied of his return
610 and Onward BCE: Colonization of Florida, The spread from small miltary outposts to full fledged settlemts is very slow. Many Nubian Citzens remebering the Unsuccessfullness of the Mexican Colonies are very hesitant to settle the area. Over, Time The Nubians willl spread across the Pennisula wgaing several wars across the Pennisula against the Nati Trbes(Proto-Creeks) untill finally conquering the Area in 500 BCE.
600 BCE: Perehu, Nubian Provencial Governor dies in battle with the Nati, his tittle is succeeded to his childhood friend Smenkare. Smenkare will be an intense Military Leader who will encourage several building pojects throught his reign, reorganize the Nubian Military and increasing the size of the Nubian Navy which shall be needed...to protect the Nubians from the newest threat from the east...
