The Massaliot league. A Hellenistic period Massalia Timeline

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300 BC.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    Hey there. I am a new member of AH and a huge fan of the Hellenistic period.
    Here is my first ATL. i hope you like it! Looking forward for any comments and recommendations.

    ***Story only thread here: Story thread***

    The Massaliot league.

    The year is 300 bc

    All the known world is changed due to Alexander the great conquests.

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    In the west the prosperous city state of Massalia is in awe of Pytheas astonishing travels. The city state has grown to size and wealth due to her skilled traders, making her one of the biggest trade cities in west mediterranean sea .

    The big growth of Carthage the last century pushed the Massaliots out of Iberia. Although still strong in naval the Massaliots started to focus more and more in expanding their trade with the Gauls.
    The pressure of Carthage had a big impact in the Massaliot politics. Massalia is now a big city of more than thirty thousands inhabitants with several city state colonies that all of them have a lot of new “noble” people from rich trade families that started to lose money from the rivals of Carthage. So finnaly after years of Carthage’s pressure and political tension the new and old nobility came to the solution to open the assembly and citizenship to all adult male Greeks born in Massalia and her colonies!
    This happened because both the new and old nobility wanted to take the people of the assembly by their side and also unite all the colonies close together against common threats based to the model of delian league.

    The assembly of all free citizens, from now on will gather annually to discuss the major issues of this new Massaliot league and elect a federal council with proportional representation of 300 senators who then elect 2 stratigous/episcopous to run the league as diarchy.In time of peace all towns of the league had to give tribute to the common treasury. In time of war all members must send their troops and ships.The 10 founding members of the Massaliot league is Massalia,Emporion,Agathe,Rhoda,Olbia,Tauroeis,Athinopolis,Antipolis,Nikaia,Monoicos

    The Massaliot league has now more than seventy thousands population.

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    By place (original time line)

    Greece
    Egypt
    Seleucid Empire
     
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    • 299 BC. Companies/World trade map.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    299 BC

    The Celto-Ligurian towns of Arelate,Cabelio,Avenio old allies and trade partners of Massalia under the pressure of Vocontii raids pledged to be part of the Massaliot league.Due to the fact that they where not of Phocaean/Greek origin, the Massaliot league made a new branch of the league for new allies that want to join, the Εteroi. Εteroi granted a second tier citizenship and had to contribute troops in time of war and tribute but from now on their foreign policy is dictated by Massaliot league. The vassalization was easy due to the fact that the three cities already had been heavily influenced from the Greek culture and around 20% of their population was of Greek origin.

    The rivalry of the new and old noble families of the Massaliot League took an interesting turn. The new nobility (dynatoi) to gain more influence founded their soft-drink company*(based on Athens companies) for the purpose of sponsor(liturgy)studies,theatre,expeditions and military actions.The first Academy of Massalia is founded later that year. The foundation of Massaliot League last year and the expansion of trade through the vassalizition the Celto-Ligurian towns started already to boost a wealthy common treasury.

    * Heh "soft drink" companies sounds weird. I should explained it better.

    In classical Athens, the institution of liturgies provided many ways for the wealthy citizens to bestow their wealth and time upon the community. The rich Athenians where kind of “sponsors” of the Academy also. In my time line, they grouped in 'soft-drink' companies/factions/political parties to gain more influence.for example in Athens OTL: In the speech Against Androtion Demosthenes describes a group of some four to ten councillors who, in collusion with Androtion, were capable of controlling the Council of Five Hundred

    So the massaliot League “soft drinks” companies are informal political parties that nobles with same interests meet in private meetings drinking watered wine and organise their agenda.

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    By place (original timeline)

    Roman Republic

    298 BC

    The old nobility of Massalia(Palaioi) respond to Dynatoi by founding their own soft drink company. The second academy of Massalia founded this year.

    Massaliot league assembly still in awe of Pytheas astonishing travels, orders a new expedition with funds from the common treasury. 2 modified biremes and 3 trade ships with 400 personnel under the leadership of Adelphius(student of Pytheas) went to explore the Rhone river.

    Vocontii started raiding again the towns of Avenio and Cabelio.

    By place (original timeline)

    Roman Republic
    Sicily
    Egypt
    • Ptolemy gives his stepdaughter Theoxena in marriage to Agathocles, the tyrant of Syracuse (in south-eastern Sicily).
    • Ptolemy finally brings the rebellious region of Cyrene under his control. He places the region under the rule of his stepson Magas.
     
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    • 297 BC. Adelphius river expedition.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    297 BC

    The expedition under Adelphius, after an establishment of a small trade hub in Allobroges tribe area, reached Vesontio, the capital of Sequani tribe, where they exchanged gifts with the local king Cosgrach, establishing an alliance and an official trade hub leaving 50 people behind. After Vesontio, they went up to explore until Luxiol and then they returned. Then they went all the way up north to the end of Saone river, where they established two trade hubs. After that they returned back home.

    • A new glorious Temple of Athena is built in Massalia with funds of the common treasury.
    • A new academy is built in Emporion by Dynatoi company.
    • A new academy is built in Nikaia by Palaioi company.
    • Both companies of Massaliot League invited scholars to their academies.
    • Cleonymus of Sparta with four hundred Spartan mercenaries is invited to re-organise the military and lead an invasion against Vocontii tribe.

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    By place (original timeline)

    Roman Republic

    •Fabius Maximus Rullianus becomes consul for the fourth time. He defeats the Samnites in a battle near Tifernum.

    Greece
     
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    • phil03

    phil03

    Suscribed,

    Massalia is an interesting teather for a timeline and a non-exploited enough at that.

    Personnaly I'd have situated earlier, at the heyday of greek colonisation of the region just before they where defeated by the etruscan at Allalia (-535) but I'm interested to see where it would go nonetheless.
     
    Sersor

    Sersor

    phil03 said:
    Suscribed,

    Massalia is an interesting teather for a timeline and a non-exploited enough at that.

    Personnaly I'd have situated earlier, at the heyday of greek colonisation of the region just before they where defeated by the etruscan at Allalia (-535) but I'm interested to see where it would go nonetheless.
    Click to expand...


    Thanks! The time period of the battle of Alalia is interesting but i am a fan of the Hellenistic era so... :D
     
    Cuāuhtemōc

    Cuāuhtemōc

    Banned
    Wouldn't it be wiser for the Massaliotes to hire Samnite or Lucanian or even Roman mercenaries? The terrain of Gaul I imagine isn't too friendly for a traditional hoplite-based army that was common in the Greek homeland.
     
    Sersor

    Sersor

    Cuāuhtemōc said:
    Wouldn't it be wiser for the Massaliotes to hire Samnite or Lucanian or even Roman mercenaries? The terrain of Gaul I imagine isn't too friendly for a traditional hoplite-based army that was common in the Greek homeland.
    Click to expand...
    You are right! Cleonymus of Sparta is invited mostly to lead the war and rearrange the army. Masaliot league is really wealthy and can afford to hire mercenaries. The
    Massaliot army durring that era in OTL consisted of Greek hoplites and Gallic and Ligurian light armed subjects and mercenaries.
    Wait for my next update, its really close to what you say.
     
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    296 BC. The Vocontia war.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    296BC

    The Vocontia war (296 BC- 295 BC)

    Cleonymus of Sparta together with the new strategos(general) Orestes of Massalia is leading an army of fifteen thousands (six thousand hoplites,one thousand cavalry,three thousand light infantry,four hundred spartan mercenaries, two thousand ligurian/gauls mercenaries paid by the two companies and three thousands celtiberians mercenaries paid by the common treasury).
    After some small battles the Massaliot army reached Vocontii capital, Vaison. The Vocontii proud warriors, storm out to face the massaliot army instead of waiting inside the walls. That was a crucial mistake for them because under military expert Cleonymus orders, the fifteen thousands, discipline army of Massaliot League crashed the eleven thousands partly under equipped army of Vocontii. The city was plundered heavily and nine thousands of the population where sold as slaves making big profits for the league that boosted the treasury .The informal alliance with the strong Averni tribe didn’t mean anything to the Vocontii since no help came. During that time the Averni were in a war with the rivals of the Aedui tribe.

    • Diplomats were sent to Rome to renew the old alliance. Since Rome was in war with the Samnites and their allies any possible help was welcomed.
    • The expedition under Adelphius is back with the report of their travels.
    • With money from the common treasury of Massalian league the first league state slave market of Massalia is built.
    • Carthage pirates raided trade ships near emporion.
    By place

    Greece
    Roman Republic
    • The temple to Bellona is erected at the south end of the prata Flaminia, later the Circus Flaminius, in Rome.
     
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    • phil03

    phil03

    With the carthaginians pirates roming around it might just be the perfect time to save the Massalian fleet from its present state of decay
     
    Cuāuhtemōc

    Cuāuhtemōc

    Banned
    Sersor said:
    heh... you are in my mind!

    Settlers will come but mostly from Magna Graecia due to the fact that the settlers from mainland Greece go to the big Hellenistic states in the east.
    Click to expand...

    Perhaps another idea would be to provide Massaliote citizenship and a plot of land to mercenaries after several years of continued service to the League. Their sons and daughters born after said bestowment of citizenship also becomes citizens - this vastly increases the number of people in the League and will diffuse a situation alike the Mercenary War that Carthage itself experienced. It might cause some ire amongst the "old-stock" Massaliote citizens.
     
    Sersor

    Sersor

    phil03 said:
    With the carthaginians pirates roming around it might just be the perfect time to save the Massalian fleet from its present state of decay
    Click to expand...
    Yes the Massaliotes will have to deal with this sooner or later. They still have some fleet available. A total of 20-30 ships mostly quadrireme and some quinquereme.
    In OTL at battle of Ebro River (217 BC) they help the Romans with 20 ships.
     
    Sersor

    Sersor

    Cuāuhtemōc said:
    Perhaps another idea would be to provide Massaliote citizenship and a plot of land to mercenaries after several years of continued service to the League. Their sons and daughters born after said bestowment of citizenship also becomes citizens - this vastly increases the number of people in the League and will diffuse a situation alike the Mercenary War that Carthage itself experienced. It might cause some ire amongst the "old-stock" Massaliote citizens.
    Click to expand...

    We are heading this way. The Massaliot league branch of the Etairoi that established in 299 BC for new allies that want to join in, is a step in this direction.

    Palaioi company i am sure they not going to like barbarians granted citizenship. Maybe a social war trigger at some point.
     
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    295 BC. Massalia map.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    295 BC

    After a series of small battles and sieges the Vocontii were defeated. Another ten thousand Vocontii sold as slaves with big profits. Their tribe is almost extinct and all their lands are empty, ready for Greeks to colonise. Diplomats send to various Greek cities of Magna Grecia and mainland Greece to promote colonist to come and take free land to ex Vocontii Area. This was a big success, more than nine thousands greeks mostly from Magna Grecia travel within the next two years, sparkling a new wave of greek colonialism to Massaliot Greece.
    • One thousand Phocaeans from Elea (Phocaean colony same as Massalia) in Magna Graecia founded a new trade hub city Mesochora in ex Vocontii lands.
    • A military unit of four thousands man together with 10 quinquereme under strategos(general) Orestes went to help Rome.
    • All the new colonist granted free land and a second tier citizenship(Etairoi).
    • Cleonymus return to Sparta.

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    By place

    Roman Republic
    Greece
    Magna Graecia
    • Greek city of Croton falls to another Syracuse tyrant Agathocle
    Gaul
    • Averni war with rivals of Aedui end in a stalemate.
     
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    • 294 BC.
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    • Sersor

    Sersor

    294 BC

    With the city of Croton in Magna Grecia under the rule of tyrant Agathocles, almost half of the town deserted(mostly the democrats). The Massaliot fleet helped more than eight thousands Croton greeks resettle to Massaliot league new lands. The destruction of Vocontii tribe and the new trade hubs in Vesontio and Mesachora help Massalia to control now almost complete the highly profitable trade of Rhone river. The relations with neighbour Gauls are improved. The alliance with the Sequani tribe is getting stronger and so are the relations with the Aedui. The Averni and Volcae tribes also start to trade again with Massalia but with caution.


    • The Massalia league reached one hundred thousands population and Massalia almost fifty thousand population.
    • The league common treasury is flourishing more and more and the same happens with the two companies.
    • Polemon an eminent Platonist philosopher and Plato's third successor as scholarch or head of the academy of Athens invited by the company of dynatoi to organise their academy.
    • Under the suggestion of Polemon the dynatoi company created their private common treasure.
    • To deal with the pirate raids near Emporion, the company of Palaioi sponsored five quinqueremes for the fleet of Massalia which now consist of fifteen quinquereme and twenty quadrireme and several smaller ships.
    • With money from the common treasury of Massalian league, Adelphius started an expedition to ptolemaic egypt to establish a formal trade route and diplomatic relations.
    By place

    Greece
    • Archidamus IV, king of Sparta, son of Eudamidas I and grandson of Archidamus III, is defeated by Demetrius Poliorcetes of Macedonia in a battle at Mantinea. Sparta is saved only because Demetrius is called away by the threatening activities of his rivals Lysimachus and Ptolemy.
    • Alexander V of Macedon is ousted by his brother, Antipater II. Therefore Alexander V turns to Demetrius Poliorcetes for help in recovering his throne. However, Demetrius Poliorcetes establishes himself on the throne of Macedonia and then murders Alexander V. Antipater II loses the throne of Macedonia but is able to survive.
    • Pyrrhus of Epirus exploits the dynastic quarrel in Macedonia involving Alexander V of Macedon, his brother, Antipater II and Demetrius Poliorcetes to take over the frontier areas of Parauaea and Tymphaea, along with Acarnania, Ampholochia, and Ambracia.
    • Lysimachus concludes a peace with Demetrius Poliorcetes whereby Demetrius Poliorcetes is recognized as ruler of Macedonia.
    Egypt
     
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