Blood in the Vineyard: An Ancient Near East TL

[Eparkhos]

After seeing a thread about the lack of good Ancient Near East TLs on the forums, I revived a TL that I made last year about an alternate Iron Age.

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On an early morning in 874 BC a minor noble, Nabet of Yis're'el, is woken by a man at his front door. He was a messenger from the Mamlek of Yis'rael, 'Ah'ab, summoning Nabet to his palace in Sham'ron. When Nabet arrives in the palace, he is greeted in person by 'Ah'ab himself. The Mamlek asks to buy one of Nabet's vineyards, specifically his late father's plot in Yis're'el. Nabet politely refuses and 'Ah'ab dismisses him, irritated by his refusal.


Later that night, 'Ah'ab's wife, 'Ishavel, asks why he was so upset. 'Ah'ab responds by cursing out Nabet for refusing him. 'Ishavel suggests killing Nabet and taking his land, and so two days later the poor man is dragged out of his home in the dead of night and executed at dawn in Yis're'el on trumped-up charges. Nabet's son Yehu flees into the hills, leaving 'Ah'ab to take over the land.


In the hills, Yehu meets the hermit-prophet Eliyahu and the two become friends. Eliyahu leads the young man to Yerushalayim, the capital of the neighboring kingdom of Yehudah. In the Temple of Yedidyah, Eliyahu annoints Yehu as Mamlek of Yis'rael in the eyes of Y--H. Yehoshapet, the Mamlek of Yehudah, fierce rival of 'Ah'ab and devout follower of Y--H, provides Yehu with 1500 men to overthrow 'Ah'ab. In early 873 Yehu crosses the border and burns the Temple of An'ata at Bet'el, a deliberate provocation that 'Ah'ab couldn't ignore...

 

[Chickennuggetscientist]

This seems interesting... What is the POD?

 

[Dolan]

Hmm, Judean conquest of Israel, I see....

 

[Marc Anthony]

the corect term for king is meleh' (מלך) and ah'ab lkved in the century bce. but it's good

 

[Eparkhos]

A week after Yehu sacked Bet'el, 'Ah'ab finally responded. He led twelve chariots and 400 skirmishers to drive off the invaders, having received an erroneous report that Yehu had only 500 men. 'Ah'ab approached the city from the north, but the Y----ist camp was in the hills to the south of the city. As the Yis'raelite army marched across the ruined city, they were forced to split up as the chariots picked their way through the ruins.

Yehu's scouts spotted them right away and skirmishers are sent out to engage them while the main army mobilized. The skirmishers hit the main Yis'raelite force while their in the ruins, resulting in 'Ah'ab emerging from Bet'el with only five chariots and no infantry. This realization combined with the advancing Y----ist force causes 'Ah'ab to retreat.

This victory leads to a rush of Y----ist zealots joining Yehu. The rebels march north through the eastern hills, burning the mostly Ba'alist towns and sending a very clear message to the Ammonites that the Yis'raelites were weak. By early 872 BC Ammonite and Moabite raiders were flooding over the border, forcing 'Ah'ab to divert resources to drive off the attacks.

In late 872 'Ah'ab finally beats back the raiders, and together with his brother-in-law Prince Ba'al-mazar of Sur leads a combined force of 5,000 infantry and 1,000 Numidian cavalry against the 3,000 rebels camped outside of Dan....

 

[Dolan]

and 1,000 Numidian cavalry

Numidian Cavalry...

NUMIDIAN?

Tell me, how they crossed 4500 km just for mercenary work in a Levantine petty Kingdom from their original locations at Algiers and Morocco? At 700 BC, even? It's something when foreign mercenaries fight for enermous Diadochi Kingdoms, Kart-hadast during their peak, or Roman Generals, it's something else when the employer is a freaking petty Kingdom.

Arab or Bedouin makes more sense. But things that would make better sense considering Ahab is Phoenician Cavalry.

 

[Eparkhos]

Numidian Cavalry...

NUMIDIAN?

Tell me, how they crossed 4500 km just for mercenary work in a Levantine petty Kingdom from their original locations at Algiers and Morocco? At 700 BC, even?

Arab or Bedouin makes more sense.

Background:
The city-states of Kition and Salamis had been struggling for hegemony since the 1000s BC. Kition was a Surian client state, but during the decline of the 'Abiyaba'alic Dynasty (920-879 BC) it had begun to loose significant ground to the Cypriots and Greeks. When 'Ettoba'al overthrew the 'Abiyaba'alids in 879 BC, he poured resources back into Kition in the hopes of securing its copper mines.

Instead, it turns it the Surian Viet Nam, with the war still dragging on fifteen years later. In 886 BC, the Surians were so worn down that they began drawing on their colonies to send men. The distant colony of Atiq'wa instead sent 1,000 Numidian cavalry. Since cavalry aren't very good at fighting in rough terrain, they were just kicking around in Sur, waiting for the contracts to expire.

 

[Dolan]

Instead, it turns it the Surian Viet Nam, with the war still dragging on fifteen years later. In 886 BC, the Surians were so worn down that they began drawing on their colonies to send men. The distant colony of Atiq'wa instead sent 1,000 Numidian cavalry. Since cavalry aren't very good at fighting in rough terrain, they were just kicking around in Sur, waiting for the contracts to expire.

Hmmm... make sense though, but seriously? 1000 Numidian Cavalry, which was pretty much valuable mercenary light cavalry, ended up being spent on helping what was arguably petty Kingdom of Yisrael?

It only makes sense when their employer being father of Izevel tho...

 

[Eparkhos]

'Ah'ab - Ahab
An'ata - Warrior Goddess

Ba'al-mazar - Ba'aleser
Bet'el - Bethel

Eliyahu - Elijah
'Ettoba'al - Ithoba'al

Dammesq - Aramean Damascus

'Ishvael - Jezebel

Nabet - Naboth

Sham'on - Samaria
Sur - Tyre

Yarden - Jordan River
Yedidyah - Solomon
Yehu - Jehu (Not the OTL king)
Yehudah - Judah
Yehoshapet - Jehoshaphat
Yerushalayim - Jerusalem
Yis'rael - Israel
Yis're'el - Jezreel

 

[Eparkhos]

Hmmm... make sense though, but seriously? 1000 Numidian Cavalry, which was pretty much valuable mercenary light cavalry, ended up being spent on helping what was arguably petty Kingdom of Yisrael?

It only makes sense when their employer being father of Izevel tho...

OTL 'Ettoba'al seemed to be obsessed with conquering Cyprus, to the point of ignoring an Assyrian invasion so as to not divert resources. It would cost less to just use the mercs he had on hand to back up 'Ah'ab rather than deal with a fanatical and thus hostile neighbor.

 

[Dolan]

OTL 'Ettoba'al seemed to be obsessed with conquering Cyprus, to the point of ignoring an Assyrian invasion so as to not divert resources. It would cost less to just use the mercs he had on hand to back up 'Ah'ab rather than deal with a fanatical and thus hostile neighbor.

Well, it kind of make sense now, but color me surprised since the ancient Near East wars doesn't seem to be places where hiring mercenaries from far, far away, even from the colonies, would make sense.

IMHO, it was more likely that the Tsur colonies of North Africa would actually sent just gold and maybe a hundred or so Junior Officers to give them battle experience, expecting to recruit mercenaries from either local population or hiring the much closer Greek Mercenaries.

 

[Eparkhos]

Well, it kind of make sense now, but color me surprised since the ancient Near East wars doesn't seem to be places where hiring mercenaries from far, far away, even from the colonies, would make sense.

IMHO, it was more likely that the Tsur colonies of North Africa would actually sent just gold and maybe a hundred or so Junior Officers to give them battle experience, expecting to recruit mercenaries from either local population or hiring the much closer Greek Mercenaries.

I really just used the Numidians to set up a Chekov's gun, but if I didn't it would have been Hellenes.

 

[Dolan]

I really just used the Numidians to set up a Chekov's gun, but if I didn't it would have been Hellenes.

Ok, my bad for questioning that lol.

 

[Eparkhos]

Ok, my bad for questioning that lol.

Hey, always remember *quote about curiosity* and you'll go far!

*90s kids sitcom outro plays*

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

This seems interesting... What is the POD?

Well, Ahab successfully seizing Naboth's vineyard. Although if the Jehu mentioned is the Biblical king who caused Jezebel to be thrown down from a high window, he wasn't Naboth's son but "son of Nimshi". So that might be the POD.

 

[Eparkhos]

Well, Ahab successfully seizing Naboth's vineyard. Although if the Jehu mentioned is the Biblical king who caused Jezebel to be thrown down from a high window, he wasn't Naboth's son but "son of Nimshi". So that might be the POD.

No, ATL Jehu is different from Jehu so n of Nimshi.

The POD is that 'Ah'ab clumisly murdering a major landholder and failing to make it look like an accident Sparks enough discontent for him to get overthrown.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

No, ATL Jehu is different from Jehu so n of Nimshi.

The POD is that 'Ah'ab clumisly murdering a major landholder and failing to make it look like an accident Sparks enough discontent for him to get overthrown.

Okay. Cool. Looking forward to more

 

[Eparkhos]

In the spring of 871, the Y----ist and Ba'alist forces finally met at Dan. The battle is fairly complicated, so I created a series of maps for the battle:

Initial positions:

The Yehuites were unaware of the presence of the Surians, and the Yis'realites of the zealots behind the ridge.

The Surians round the ridge in an attempt to flank the Y----ist forces, only to run smack into the zealots. The Numidians, even as the superior horsemen as they are, are armed only with ranged weapons and quickly become bogged down as the fanatics swarm around the cavalry.
'Ah'ab and his heavy infantry advance over the Jordan and spread out to engulf the Yehuite infantry

The Numidians route and the zealots wheel north, pressing in on the Yis'raelite flank.
Yehu and his heavy infantry take a page from Ataman Eretgrulogu (Shameless plug for A New Alexiad) and launch a full-out charge at the enemy lines while they are still forming up. The initial charge pushes far into the Yis'raelite lines.

As the zealots charge into the Yis'raelite flank the conscripts in reserve panic and route, leaving the heavy infantry unsupported as the Yehuite heavy infantry continue to surge forward. The left flank collapses and routes.

As the leading edge of the charge slows, 'Ah'ab and his bodyguard are thrust into melee, his banner briefly falling. With the left flank gone and the right flank encircled, the standard falling sparks the center to collapse and the Yis'raelites to route. 'Ah'ab manages to survive unscathed

Outcome:

Close Yehuite Victory
2,500 Yis'raelite dead or wounded, 1,500 deserted : 1,000 Yehuite dead

The Battle of Dan (881 BC) is a textbook definition of a long-odds victory. It remains one of the most well-known battles in ancient history to this day thanks to the extensive records from all three factions.

 

[Eparkhos]

After the heavy losses taken at Dan, 'Ah'ab and his 2,000 or so remaining men retreat north-west across the Yarden Valley, hoping to reach the Litanu River and follow it to the coast; While it would have been much faster to retreat south-west back towards Samaria, such a movement would have brought the Ba'alists directly through the lands of the tribes of Naptali and Zevulun, who were both very warlike and very Y----ist. Unwilling to risk being trapped in some waterless valley by the aforementioned tribesmen, 'Ah'ab would instead play it safe. This, however, would be do his undoing.

However, it would not come from the obvious quarter, as Yehu didn't move to pursue him. Instead, he demanded the surrender of Dan's elders, who quickly accepted after seeing their relief force routed beneath their walls. Yehu subjected the city to three days of sacking, ordering both the altars of the Baals and their attendants to be crushed under the hooves of oxen (After stripping them of their precious metal, of course). He then marches south-west, where he finds the ~1500 or so remaining Numidians camped on the slops of Mt. Odem, a day's ride from Dan. Yehu surrounds them and issues an ultimatum: either join him, at 3/4 of their previous rate or die. The Numidians, both surrounded and far from home, agree.

He then sends out riders to the elders of Naptali and Zevulun, asking them to join him overthrowing the infidel king. At the same time, he sends a rider to Ber-Hadad of Dammesq, offering a tribute of 100 talents of silver per year upon his installation in exchange for non-interference. Ber-Hadad agrees, but it is not the tribute that stays his hand, but rather the presence of the Y----ist army at Dan; It would be both easier and safer to wait to move on before invading.

The leaders of the two aforementioned tribes eagerly agreed, Naptali raising 4,000 light and 2,000 heavy infantry and Zevulun raising 1,000 light and 500 heavy. These forces camp on the plain of Kinnereth, on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Yehu joins them in early 880, creating a Y----ist host composed of 6,000 light infantry, 4,500 heavy, and and 1,500 cavalry. He spent that year criss-crossing the plains north of the sea, subjecting the Y----ist cities to his rule and the Baalist cities to tribute. In the fall of 880, he also accepted the submission of the tribe of Yissakar, to the south of the sea.

However, neither 'Ah'ab or Ber-Hadad spent the year idle. The former returned to Sham'on in spring 880, where he set about raising another host. He gathered 8,000 light and 5,000 heavy infantry from the lands of Mahnashe, 2,000 light from Dan and 1,000 light from Binyaamen, 1,000 heavy from Efrayim, by the end of 880. He gathered this host together and wintered at Beth Shahan, on the border with Yissakar. 'Ah'ab also sent messengers to Ber-Hadad, asking him to invade the lands held by Yehu in exchange for a payment of 1,000 talents of silver. Ber-Hadad, already planning an invasion, readily agreed.

As for Ber-Hadad, he had raised a force of 9,000 light infantry, 5,000 heavy infantry, and 3,000 cavalry and wintered at the town of Edre'i, southwest of the Sea of Galilee. From this location, he could turn against either 'Ah'ab or Yehu. However, he decided that it would be best to strike at Yehu, crush him quickly, then turn and assault 'Ah'ab to force him to pay tribute. In spring 879, he crossed the border and marched towards the Sea of Galilee.

Yehu had wintered at Gad'ara, just north of where the Yarmuk flows into the Yarden, with his entire force. As such, when news of Ber-Hadad's invasion reached him, he marched east to meet him. However, upon seeing the size of the Dammesqian army, Yehu instead turned and retreated to the heights of the left bank of the Yarmuk, predicting that the Dammesqians would follow the river into the flat-lands of the Yarden valley. He was correct, and as the invaders advanced along the river they came under bombardment from the slings and bows of the Y----ist skirmishers. This caused some losses amongst the Dammesqians, but the primary effect was to enrage them and make them eager for blood. As the Dammesqians advanced, Yehu began to realize that they would not turn back before reaching the lowlands, and so ordered his heavy infantry to form up at the very edge of the heights, where the exit was less than half a mile wide. However, the initial, enraged Dammesqian charge broke through the first Y----ist line and caused the lines behind that to fall back; had it not been for a fortuitous sand-storm rolling in off of the hills, the Dammesqians likely could have routed Yehu's men; However, with this seemingly divine shield, Yehu was able to fall back four miles to the small town Matzada, where he reorganized his force and set them into battle formation.

 

[ImperialxWarlord]

Glad this TL is back!

I’ve been meaning this and I kept forgetting: why is Yawheh’s name never fully spelled out?