The Sack of Ashur and the Defeat of Babili Empire
(Author: Unknown. Date: Unknown. Location: Mari)
The Hittites under the ambitious if short lived Mursili I by modern historians made what had to be the most ambitious raids across the Old World to date. Though before getting into this we must look at the history of Kalam [1] at the time of this grand adventure. The three empires stretching across the land are from east to west Elam along the Jam Sea [2], The Babili Empire along the Idigna and the Purattu river [3], and further westward the Hittites coming from the Hatti highlands [4] down into Kalam. Their were also at this time various powers on the edge of gaining power during this time from the Khemeti [5] were encroaching into Kinahnu [6], the city of Ashur too sought its own influence as well as various peoples from the Hurrians, Kassites, and all manner of migratory people coming from the east and north [7].
Babili at the time of 1531BC [8] was ruled by Samsuditana, son of Ammisaduqa who throughout his reign focused his works on the example of his father in expanding and enlarging the works of the Empire from paying to religious works and expansion of the urban centers throughout his kingdom. Times were largely characterized by peace, continuing off his father until the time when Mursili I turned his sights onto the land of Kalam that is. The Hittite seeing the prosperity of the Kingdom of Babili desired it for himself, and so gathering together a fierce force he marched from the city of Khalpe [9] he set off on a 2000km quest to sack Babili.
First the army of Mursili swept through the north, passing by the Hurrians as the He-Who-Would-Be-King Kirta fought to unite the tribes and city-states under himself and there are some scant recordings left by Mursili’s personal records that following the sacking of Babili he would turn northward and subdue the Hurrians. Hearing of the intentions of Mursili, Samsuditana went into a fury to prepare the military forces of Babili and its city-state vassals to meet the Hittites-training and gathering forces hastily to meet the oncoming threat. First, Mursili swept down onto the city of Ashur, the vassal kingdom of Babili where he did greatly besiege the city and sack it but instead of moving southward for his main prize he allowed his men to wantonly loot the city which killed a large portion of the population but also caused a fatal delay.
Having been given time by the Sack of Ashur, Samsuditana gathered his forces and went on the offensive catching the Hittites by surprise south of Ashur in a ferocious battle. The battle is said to have lasted days as the forces of both sides fought to a standstill along the river banks, neither really willing to give in to one another. Though eventually something would have to give and it would be the greed of a number of the Hittites that would give way as a force of Babilians lead by Samsuditana himself it is said threatened the camp of the soldiers and their loot which struck down the morale of the Hittites and large portions of the army fled to protect their treasure. Furious, Mursili had no choice but to withdraw as Samsuditana continued to harass and pick off Mursili’s forces and men deserted. Half of his force being lost at the Battle of Ashur some sources say.
Though the real consequences of this battle were still not yet fully seen, as retreating back to Hatti, Mursili and his army were ambushed and defeated by the Hurrians under Kirta! The defeat would spell a doom for the Hittite king for soon after his return he would be assassinated and the power of his kingdom would wane. Proud of his victory, Samsuditana would return to Babili to much celebration where he continued to commemorate his victory to the gods but the battle had been fierce and had greatly bloodied the military forces of Babili. So sensing blood in the water, the Kassites went on the attack and would assault Babili but rather then go out easily, Samsuditana rallied against them and for the next few decades of his rule they would wage war against one another.
In this period from 1531-1475 to the north and east of Babili Hangalbait [10] and Elam grew steadily in strength, especially the former under Barattantar the son of Kirta who not only successfully kept the foundation of his father’s kingdom but swept the weakened Hittites out of Khalpe and extended their dominion to Ashur which became populated with their people. While in Elam under King Kidunid and his family had overthrown the last dynasty in a short war and soon began a heavy cultural ‘Elamization’ of the Susiana highlands. The stalemate between Babili and the Kassites soon ended after the death of Sansuditana and his son Apilsuda took the throne and the Kassites would barge their way into Sippar.
The Kassite king would then ask the recently throne Shaushatar of Hangalbait to help invade and sack Babylon which Shaushatar agreed and so a combined force of Hurrians and Kassites breached Babylon in 1471BC but then quickly Shaushatar would turn on the Kassites and overthrow their rule and take the entire north of the Kalam for himself. Shaushatar is recorded to have thanked this victory to his personal god, Indara. Soon after this defeat, Elam would then take the time to invade the remaining city-states of the now fractured Babilian Empire taking the lands between Ur and Nippur for themselves.
Thus while ancient Babili falls, a new kingdom and a old kingdom take their rise on the stage of the world.
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OOC:
[1] Mesopotamia (A Hellenistic term), Sumerian. Am I hinting the writer is not Hellenistic Influenced?
[2] Persian Gulf
[3] Tigris and Euphrates
[4] Anatolia
[5] Egypt
[6] Canaan/Levant
[7] Indo-Aryans
[8] For the sake of all I will use OTL time references.
[9] Aleppo
[10] Mitanni
For those of you whod on't know, the POD is generally that the Sack of Babylon does not occur and that generally a slightly stronger Babylon is able to hold off the Kassites-for a time...
...aaaaaaaand I've completely destroyed the world as we know it. Want to see what happens next?