"The Realm of Millions of Years": The World of an Atenist Egypt
- Thread starter Oracle of Sobek 𓆋
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I appreciate the positive response, guys! 
Map incoming soon! Not that anything has actually changed on that front quite yet, but it should provide some geographical and political context of what's going on in the wider world as Amenhotep III's reign and the Pax Aegyptica come to an end.
Map incoming soon! Not that anything has actually changed on that front quite yet, but it should provide some geographical and political context of what's going on in the wider world as Amenhotep III's reign and the Pax Aegyptica come to an end.
Mappity Map-Map
Et voilà! It doesn't express as much information as I normally like to in my maps, but that's mostly because there just isn't that much information to work with. Obviously, once the history of TTL starts diverging even more from OTL, I'll be able to make up whatever info I want.
Anyway, this map approximates the Egyptian Empire and its neighbours circa 1350 BCE upon the death of Amenhotep III, father of Akhenaten (and in TTL, also of Iahames). There is no change - so far - from OTL, so feel free to use this as a normal 1350 BCE map as well
Amurru, an Egyptian vassal, is coming increasingly under the sway of the Hittite Empire - ruled by Tudhaliya III - who in six years will be succeeded by his spectacularly named general, Suppiluliuma. In OTL, Suppiluliuma would take advantage of the chaos caused by Akhenaten's neglect of Egyptian state affairs to wrench control of what is now Syria/Lebanon from Egyptian hands. In TTL, he may not have as much luck, what with Iahames keeping his brother on his toes...
Et voilà! It doesn't express as much information as I normally like to in my maps, but that's mostly because there just isn't that much information to work with. Obviously, once the history of TTL starts diverging even more from OTL, I'll be able to make up whatever info I want.
Anyway, this map approximates the Egyptian Empire and its neighbours circa 1350 BCE upon the death of Amenhotep III, father of Akhenaten (and in TTL, also of Iahames). There is no change - so far - from OTL, so feel free to use this as a normal 1350 BCE map as well
Amurru, an Egyptian vassal, is coming increasingly under the sway of the Hittite Empire - ruled by Tudhaliya III - who in six years will be succeeded by his spectacularly named general, Suppiluliuma. In OTL, Suppiluliuma would take advantage of the chaos caused by Akhenaten's neglect of Egyptian state affairs to wrench control of what is now Syria/Lebanon from Egyptian hands. In TTL, he may not have as much luck, what with Iahames keeping his brother on his toes...
Good timeline, map and very original POD. I find Atenism very interesting, so, subscribed.
Bam! Pictures!
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(First off, thanks to everyone who has been giving comments and feedback! I appreciate it. Also, thanks to Kaiphranos, for linking me an excellent source on the Hittites, who will be coming into the picture soon – and another thanks to TheLordProtector for nominating this TL for a Turtledove award!)
This is essentially a summary of the first years of Akhenaten’s reign, that aside from the presence and mentions of Iahames, diverge very little from OTL except where explicitly stated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His Majesty, King of Upper and Lower Egypt - Nebma’atre, Son of Ra – Amenhotep-Heqawaset, went into the West in the 38th year of his reign; and there was great sorrow in the Two Lands and all lesser nations in its orbit. Women wept in the streets, their clothes torn and their faces smeared with ashes. The kings of subject and allied nations sent missives to the Egyptian court speaking of their grief; Tushratta, the king of Naharin [1] wrote: “When I heard that my brother [Amenhotep] had gone to his fate, on that day I sat down and wept. On that day I took no food, I took no water.”
His Majesty’s body was embalmed, the wrappings adorned with the necessary charms and amulets. In a grand cavalcade his body was carried from the House of Life [2] to his tomb in The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh - Life, Strength, Health - in The West of Waset [3]. The funeral rites were performed. His Majesty’s mouth was opened [4] that he might taste the fine foods and sweet nectars in the Land of Iaru [5] after becoming as Osiris. Yet still it all seemed impossible. His Majesty had not been merely the chosen one of Ra – he had been the Creator himself; surely the rituals of his unsurpassed jubilee had proven this. How could a god have died?
Died he had, though. And the Two Lands still needed a new king to replace their Dazzling Orb of all Lands. While it seemed as though the sun had set, this was but part of the eternal cycle. The Dazzling Sun would return, burning with a supreme new light.
He who had been the king’s son, Prince Amenhotep, ascended to the Throne of Horus as the Son of Ra Amenhotep (IV) Netjer-Heqa-Iunu [6], taking the throne name King of Upper and Lower Egypt Neferkheperure-Waenre [7]. In sorrow, there was hope, as the new king’s reign began in the customary manner. In the Nubias [8] he emulated his divine father by commissioning a temple to Amen-Ra. From the far-flung reaches of the Empire, letters and tokens of tribute poured into Egypt in celebration of His Majesty’s accession. The king of Sur [9] wrote to his sovereign: “I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, seven times and seven times. I am the dirt beneath the sandals of the king, my lord. My lord is the sun who comes forth over all lands day by day.”
As his principal advisor, His Majesty appointed his brother, the prince Iahames. Unto Iahames he conferred the titles of Vizier, Wearer of the royal Seal, Chief of the Prophets of the North and the South, and Tepy-em-Imiu-Er (“He who is Foremost among the Overseers”). There was not one in all the Two Lands who doubted the merit of these appointments, for Iahames had always excelled in the houses of learning, and was known to be uncompromising in his efficiency and integrity. It seemed that the enviable status quo would continue under the stewardship of the late Amenhotep’s capable progeny.
By the end of the first year of His Majesty’s reign, though, it soon became apparent that the new king would rule in his own way, with his own ideas. This was the year of the birth of his first child, a son by Nefertiti whom he named Tutankhaten [10]. If those who frequented the royal court thought the choice of name was an odd one, it would soon pale in comparison to His Majesty’s next construction project…
It was by now an honored tradition for monarchs of his dynasty to add to the grand temple of the Ipet-isut [11], the beating heart of the cult of Amen-Ra. Rather than adding to the Ipet-isut, however, His Majesty elected to build on the vacant land adjacent. Vast quantities of sandstone were ferried downriver to Waset from the quarries at Sjeny [12], and beyond the domain of Amen and his domain rose an entirely new temple, facing east toward the rising sun – the Aten [13] – to which it was dedicated with the name Gempaaten (“The Aten is Found”).
Gempaaten was the Ipet-isut’s opposite. Where the latter was an imposing edifice of dark halls and closed, mysterious divine spaces (quite well-suited to a god whose name means “The Hidden One”), the former’s central feature was a vast open courtyard adorned with a colonnade and twenty-foot-high statues of Amenhotep IV and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti, their garb identifying them as Shu and Tefnut, the first two children of creation (according to the myth of Iunu, around which the solar cults had been based). Amenhotep III had declared himself to be none other than the solar creator himself, and now his son declared that he and his wife were literally none other than the creator’s first progeny. The artistic style of the statues and reliefs reflected this, with bodily features deliberately distorted and the subjects rendered androgynous to the end of both emphasizing oneness with the Creator and to set the divine family apart from the rest of humanity. Unnaturally stretched and angular heads, with slit eyes, long noses and pinched chins sat atop sinewy necks upon narrow torsos, which were in turn supported by distended bellies and broad hips – a surrealistic and frightening effect that stood in stark contrast to the idealized, consistent, traditional order of the nearby Ipet-isut.
The New Style
In the third year of his reign, Amenhotep IV used Gempaaten as a stage for a Feast of the Tail, maintaining the frequency of his late father’s jubilee celebrations. The theological message was clearer than ever: Amenhotep III’s reign had not really ended… The old king had become the solar orb – the Aten – in life, and now continued to rule thusly in death; the Aten remained king, and Amenhotep IV was declaring co-regency, with himself and the creator as the two rulers. The theological leap was radical, yet entirely within the bounds of logic and orthodoxy. The new reality was reflected on the walls of Gempaaten, upon which the royal family was perpetually depicted in the presence of the Aten, in the form of solar orb with rays ending in human hands, caressing an empowering its terrestrial regents.
As a final indication that a new era in Egyptian kingship and religion had come, Amenhotep IV took a highly unusual of changing his own name, his given name, as a means of putting a seal on the new theological order. It was not unprecedented, nor particularly extraordinary for an Egyptian king to change his throne name to signify a new direction in policy or grand strategy, but a king changing the name he had been given at birth was unheard of. Yet, through the power of the Feast of the Tail, Amenhotep IV believed he had turned back time itself to the moment of creation, with his father the Aten reigning supreme, and he himself born anew as the sun’s co-regent. Therefore, he would henceforth be called Akhenaten (“Effective for the Aten”). His wife became Nefertiti-Neferneferuaten (“Beauteous are the Beauties of the Aten”), and his brother and confidant became Iahames-Paatennakhtef (“The Aten is his Strength”).
Naturally, such a drastic change in state theology, from which the Kings of Upper and Lower Egypt had drawn vindication for their rule since time immemorial, did not sit well with the priests of Amen-Ra. The rumblings of discontent, born of the feelings (real or imagined) that the new king was deliberately attempting to subvert the power of the priesthood, could soon be heard throughout the city of Waset – the city that had belonged to Amen, the Hidden One, since its humble beginnings as a market town. And the king was not at ease with the arrangement as it stood either; Gempaaten was one, comparatively modest monument to the Aten in a city where the skyline was dominated by monuments to Amen and his cult, from obelisks, to pylons, to the sprawling complex of the Ipet-isut itself. If the Aten were to be given due honor, it would need a precinct of its own, a holy city to itself, a city wherein the solar orb and its regent could reign supreme. The search was on for a new royal capital.
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Footnotes for today’s update, much? Anyway, questions, comments, criticism, etc. are encouraged, as usual!
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[1] Hanigalbat – the Mitanni kingdom.
[2] The rather paradoxical Egyptian term for a mortuary.
[3] a.k.a. “The Valley of the Kings”
[4] Ceremonially, of course.
[5] Egyptian paradise, also called “The Field of Reeds”.
[6] “The God who Rules Iunu (Heliopolis)”
[7] “Beautiful are the Manifestations of Ra – the One of Ra”
[8] What we in OTL refer to as “Nubia” was actually perceived by the Egyptians as a collection of regions, and was consistently referred to in the plural or collective.
[9] Tyre
[10] Butterflies! Tutankhaten (“Living Image of the Aten”) was the original name of Tutankhamen (the famous “King Tut”) in OTL, but this is not the same person – he has a different genome and will have a decidedly different fate.
[11] “The Most Select of Places”, the Egyptian name for the temple complex known in OTL as Karnak.
[12] Gebel el-Silsila
[13] The Egyptians made a slight distinction between Ra, the god of the sun in a divine aspect, and the Aten - the divine sun in physical, visible form. They did the same with the moon, distinguishing between Khonsu, the god, and the Iah – the divine lunar orb itself (after which Iahames was named).
The Realm of Millions of Years
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 3
The Aten Rising
The Aten
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 3
The Aten Rising
The Aten
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(First off, thanks to everyone who has been giving comments and feedback! I appreciate it. Also, thanks to Kaiphranos, for linking me an excellent source on the Hittites, who will be coming into the picture soon – and another thanks to TheLordProtector for nominating this TL for a Turtledove award!)
This is essentially a summary of the first years of Akhenaten’s reign, that aside from the presence and mentions of Iahames, diverge very little from OTL except where explicitly stated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His Majesty, King of Upper and Lower Egypt - Nebma’atre, Son of Ra – Amenhotep-Heqawaset, went into the West in the 38th year of his reign; and there was great sorrow in the Two Lands and all lesser nations in its orbit. Women wept in the streets, their clothes torn and their faces smeared with ashes. The kings of subject and allied nations sent missives to the Egyptian court speaking of their grief; Tushratta, the king of Naharin [1] wrote: “When I heard that my brother [Amenhotep] had gone to his fate, on that day I sat down and wept. On that day I took no food, I took no water.”
His Majesty’s body was embalmed, the wrappings adorned with the necessary charms and amulets. In a grand cavalcade his body was carried from the House of Life [2] to his tomb in The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh - Life, Strength, Health - in The West of Waset [3]. The funeral rites were performed. His Majesty’s mouth was opened [4] that he might taste the fine foods and sweet nectars in the Land of Iaru [5] after becoming as Osiris. Yet still it all seemed impossible. His Majesty had not been merely the chosen one of Ra – he had been the Creator himself; surely the rituals of his unsurpassed jubilee had proven this. How could a god have died?
Died he had, though. And the Two Lands still needed a new king to replace their Dazzling Orb of all Lands. While it seemed as though the sun had set, this was but part of the eternal cycle. The Dazzling Sun would return, burning with a supreme new light.
He who had been the king’s son, Prince Amenhotep, ascended to the Throne of Horus as the Son of Ra Amenhotep (IV) Netjer-Heqa-Iunu [6], taking the throne name King of Upper and Lower Egypt Neferkheperure-Waenre [7]. In sorrow, there was hope, as the new king’s reign began in the customary manner. In the Nubias [8] he emulated his divine father by commissioning a temple to Amen-Ra. From the far-flung reaches of the Empire, letters and tokens of tribute poured into Egypt in celebration of His Majesty’s accession. The king of Sur [9] wrote to his sovereign: “I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, seven times and seven times. I am the dirt beneath the sandals of the king, my lord. My lord is the sun who comes forth over all lands day by day.”
As his principal advisor, His Majesty appointed his brother, the prince Iahames. Unto Iahames he conferred the titles of Vizier, Wearer of the royal Seal, Chief of the Prophets of the North and the South, and Tepy-em-Imiu-Er (“He who is Foremost among the Overseers”). There was not one in all the Two Lands who doubted the merit of these appointments, for Iahames had always excelled in the houses of learning, and was known to be uncompromising in his efficiency and integrity. It seemed that the enviable status quo would continue under the stewardship of the late Amenhotep’s capable progeny.
By the end of the first year of His Majesty’s reign, though, it soon became apparent that the new king would rule in his own way, with his own ideas. This was the year of the birth of his first child, a son by Nefertiti whom he named Tutankhaten [10]. If those who frequented the royal court thought the choice of name was an odd one, it would soon pale in comparison to His Majesty’s next construction project…
It was by now an honored tradition for monarchs of his dynasty to add to the grand temple of the Ipet-isut [11], the beating heart of the cult of Amen-Ra. Rather than adding to the Ipet-isut, however, His Majesty elected to build on the vacant land adjacent. Vast quantities of sandstone were ferried downriver to Waset from the quarries at Sjeny [12], and beyond the domain of Amen and his domain rose an entirely new temple, facing east toward the rising sun – the Aten [13] – to which it was dedicated with the name Gempaaten (“The Aten is Found”).
Gempaaten was the Ipet-isut’s opposite. Where the latter was an imposing edifice of dark halls and closed, mysterious divine spaces (quite well-suited to a god whose name means “The Hidden One”), the former’s central feature was a vast open courtyard adorned with a colonnade and twenty-foot-high statues of Amenhotep IV and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti, their garb identifying them as Shu and Tefnut, the first two children of creation (according to the myth of Iunu, around which the solar cults had been based). Amenhotep III had declared himself to be none other than the solar creator himself, and now his son declared that he and his wife were literally none other than the creator’s first progeny. The artistic style of the statues and reliefs reflected this, with bodily features deliberately distorted and the subjects rendered androgynous to the end of both emphasizing oneness with the Creator and to set the divine family apart from the rest of humanity. Unnaturally stretched and angular heads, with slit eyes, long noses and pinched chins sat atop sinewy necks upon narrow torsos, which were in turn supported by distended bellies and broad hips – a surrealistic and frightening effect that stood in stark contrast to the idealized, consistent, traditional order of the nearby Ipet-isut.
The New Style
In the third year of his reign, Amenhotep IV used Gempaaten as a stage for a Feast of the Tail, maintaining the frequency of his late father’s jubilee celebrations. The theological message was clearer than ever: Amenhotep III’s reign had not really ended… The old king had become the solar orb – the Aten – in life, and now continued to rule thusly in death; the Aten remained king, and Amenhotep IV was declaring co-regency, with himself and the creator as the two rulers. The theological leap was radical, yet entirely within the bounds of logic and orthodoxy. The new reality was reflected on the walls of Gempaaten, upon which the royal family was perpetually depicted in the presence of the Aten, in the form of solar orb with rays ending in human hands, caressing an empowering its terrestrial regents.
As a final indication that a new era in Egyptian kingship and religion had come, Amenhotep IV took a highly unusual of changing his own name, his given name, as a means of putting a seal on the new theological order. It was not unprecedented, nor particularly extraordinary for an Egyptian king to change his throne name to signify a new direction in policy or grand strategy, but a king changing the name he had been given at birth was unheard of. Yet, through the power of the Feast of the Tail, Amenhotep IV believed he had turned back time itself to the moment of creation, with his father the Aten reigning supreme, and he himself born anew as the sun’s co-regent. Therefore, he would henceforth be called Akhenaten (“Effective for the Aten”). His wife became Nefertiti-Neferneferuaten (“Beauteous are the Beauties of the Aten”), and his brother and confidant became Iahames-Paatennakhtef (“The Aten is his Strength”).
Naturally, such a drastic change in state theology, from which the Kings of Upper and Lower Egypt had drawn vindication for their rule since time immemorial, did not sit well with the priests of Amen-Ra. The rumblings of discontent, born of the feelings (real or imagined) that the new king was deliberately attempting to subvert the power of the priesthood, could soon be heard throughout the city of Waset – the city that had belonged to Amen, the Hidden One, since its humble beginnings as a market town. And the king was not at ease with the arrangement as it stood either; Gempaaten was one, comparatively modest monument to the Aten in a city where the skyline was dominated by monuments to Amen and his cult, from obelisks, to pylons, to the sprawling complex of the Ipet-isut itself. If the Aten were to be given due honor, it would need a precinct of its own, a holy city to itself, a city wherein the solar orb and its regent could reign supreme. The search was on for a new royal capital.
*****************************************************************
Footnotes for today’s update, much? Anyway, questions, comments, criticism, etc. are encouraged, as usual!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Hanigalbat – the Mitanni kingdom.
[2] The rather paradoxical Egyptian term for a mortuary.
[3] a.k.a. “The Valley of the Kings”
[4] Ceremonially, of course.
[5] Egyptian paradise, also called “The Field of Reeds”.
[6] “The God who Rules Iunu (Heliopolis)”
[7] “Beautiful are the Manifestations of Ra – the One of Ra”
[8] What we in OTL refer to as “Nubia” was actually perceived by the Egyptians as a collection of regions, and was consistently referred to in the plural or collective.
[9] Tyre
[10] Butterflies! Tutankhaten (“Living Image of the Aten”) was the original name of Tutankhamen (the famous “King Tut”) in OTL, but this is not the same person – he has a different genome and will have a decidedly different fate.
[11] “The Most Select of Places”, the Egyptian name for the temple complex known in OTL as Karnak.
[12] Gebel el-Silsila
[13] The Egyptians made a slight distinction between Ra, the god of the sun in a divine aspect, and the Aten - the divine sun in physical, visible form. They did the same with the moon, distinguishing between Khonsu, the god, and the Iah – the divine lunar orb itself (after which Iahames was named).
That's correct! As opposed to Akhenaten and (presumably) Kiya.
This is one of the best timelines I've seen.
I'll be watching this intently, so keep it coming!
I'll be watching this intently, so keep it coming!
No problem. This is one of the most creative and well-written TLs I've seen in a long time. Excellent update, by the way.
Well, you did say "most." There were several extended periods, measured in centuries, during which this was not the case -- environmental collapse, foreign invasion(s) or rise of feudal families could and did split the country during periods of decline. And the divisions tended to be along north-south lines, which suggests that some real regional differences did persist.
Egyptian culture wasn't entirely homogeneous -- there were rival city and district gods (especially during the early period) and practices that were influenced by the neighbors who traded and sometimes ruled. Foreign settlers and conquerors would Egyptianize but would leave something of themselves behind, so the south was more Nubian and the north more Libyan and Levantine. At times these differences could be accentuated, especially when north and south were governed separately -- if the Carnarvon Tablet can be believed, for instance, many of Kamose's advisors were content enough to let the Hyksos rule the delta as long as they were supreme in Upper Egypt.
There's some evidence that the Amun-Re cult of the 18th dynasty was actually an attempt to overcome pre-existing regionalism by creating a national deity and theology. Atenism can also, possibly, be understood this way. If so, this would mean that regional distinctions remained just under the surface, at least during the first couple of generations, and that they could reassert themselves if (for example) one part of the country embraced Atenism more fully than another.
This wouldn't matter at the time of the POD, when -- as you note -- the Egyptian state was about as secure as it could possibly be. Nothing lasts forever, though, and at some point, there will be weak kings and another period of decline. At that point, depending on how it develops, Atenism could either be what holds the country together or what splits it apart.
There were definitely extended periods of disunity, but they pale in comparison to the amount of time the country was united - and popular opinion (or at least as much as we know of it) was generally geared toward reunification even if regionalism had boiled to the surface at the time. Heck, during the first intermediate period, it's thought that artisans began deliberately distorting the proportions of their work as a sign that the entire cosmos was out of alignment. The fact remains that, compared to its neighbours, in Egypt "national" disunity was the glaring exception rather than the norm.
No argument here, but I don't see that as being much more divisive that, say, cities and towns of early European nation-states having local saints, or the regional differences between the North and the South of the USA - it could boil over into something more, but generally it wasn't a problem. And Kamose's advisors essentially embody, as I see it, bronze age realpolitik - there will always be people who benefit from the status quo, no matter what else is going on.
And they may have miscalculated with that one, as far as I'm concerned - the Osiris cult in its heyday enjoyed more popularity than Amen-Re ever did! Heck, I was tempted to do a TL of an "Osirian" religion
Thanks for feedback, by the way!
Granted. The ideal was always a unitary state even when the reality was otherwise, and many kings claimed to rule all Egypt even when they didn't -- that's one of the things that makes dynasties like the 7th and 14th so confusing. And when times were good, the regional variations were just that, and didn't impede political unity.
But when things boiled over, they boiled over. You know the war between Horus and Set? That's the south conquering the north, viewed through the lens of centuries of legend and politically-motivated cultism. And the increasing demonization of Set during the New Kingdom? Partly, maybe even mostly, reaction to the Hyksos, but also a message to the delta cities that they'd better not get any ideas just because the current dynasty's capital happens to be in Thebes.
I agree that the divisions were under the surface most of the time, but they were always there and could be amplified. And, let's face it, Atenism could be a major amplifier. There's a reason why Akhenaten's reforms were reversed so soon after his death in OTL, and why he was one of the few pharaohs to suffer damnatio memoriae -- large sectors of the elites and the people didn't like having their gods uprooted, especially after the priesthood had gone to so much trouble to cast Amun-Re as a national deity.
What you need to do in this timeline -- and don't get me wrong, I really like the premise -- is make Atenism a unifying factor rather than a dividing one. And I don't think a longer-lived, stronger-willed King Tut will be enough. Atenism needs to become a true mass cult rather than the plaything of a few intellectuals in Amarna and their hangers-on. You may already have this in mind, but I think it has to happen if the reforms are going to stick and Atenist Egypt is going to stay in one piece. And what that would mean, of course, is that the people would claim Atenism as their own, and its development wouldn't stay entirely in the hands of the Amarna philosophers.
And they may have miscalculated with that one, as far as I'm concerned - the Osiris cult in its heyday enjoyed more popularity than Amen-Re ever did! Heck, I was tempted to do a TL of an "Osirian" religion
You'd need to start a bit earlier for that, I think. And Akhenaten having an Osirian revelation wouldn't work -- he'd just end up pitting one priestly caste against another. Old Kingdom would be best for this, or even before that -- say, one of the First Dynasty kings gets a premature cuius regio, eius religio inspiration and decides to suppress all competing cults.
Not a problem -- good Bronze Age scenarios don't come along every day. (I'm curious now as to whether you have any thoughts on my Assyrian Republic thread of a few months back -- https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=201460.)
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Trust me, I'm well aware of all of this
I've been studying Egyptian history out of interest for the majority of my life. This isn't a time period or scenario that I picked on a whim; I picked it because it's one of the few historical periods that I feel I know enough about to actually produce a TL of some quality.I do appreciate the interest, though! And I look forward to having someone else learned on the subject following the timeline in order to keep me on my toes
I'll check it out!
Trust me, I'm well aware of all of this
I never meant to suggest otherwise -- this is quality, no mistake about it, and I'll be following eagerly for updates. Getting into Bronze Age heads isn't always easy, though -- I'm currently on the second draft of a novel set in the Second Intermediate (involving a Minoan who travels to Egypt during the early years of the Hyksos conquest) and I'm amazed at how much it's possible to miss, even about a period I think I know pretty well. So I just wanted to throw a few ideas out for clarification, knowing that you may well have thought of them yourself but wanting to make sure they were on the table. No offense or patronization intended and, I hope, none taken.
Well, to be perfectly honest, given my pre-existing knowledge on the matter your second post did initially strike me as being somewhat pedantic (my initial reaction to some of what you said was basically: "well DUH!"), but once I took the all important step of removing my ego from the equation I realized that you couldn't have known to what extent I was either informed or ignorant on the subject. And besides, if it were someone else handling this subject you can bet that I'd be breathing mercilessly down their neck, so I'm not really in any position to get offended
And you're absolutely right about how easy it can be to miss stuff or get things mixed up when dealing with this time period, given the lack of concrete dates and conflicting theories in many cases... So feedback is definitely appreciated! You're quite brave for tackling the Minoans in the novel you mentioned, given that we're not even sure what language they spoke!
I took a look at your ideas about the possibility of an Assyrian republic, and I found it quite intriguing... Do you have any idea if this limmum system was still extant around the time during which this TL takes place?
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