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The Triumph of the New City: A Victorious Carthage TL

PoD/Stage Setting:


Prologue: The Second Sicilian War

It has been seventy long years since Himera shattered Carthaginian hopes for Sicilian hegemony. With the fall of the alliance, contemporary to that had bound the cities of the Greeks motherland to the east, Carthage had still not renewed her attempts to seize power, remaining content to send her tendrils across the Sahara, and down the African Coast, to outdo even the ancient Phoenicians who founded the city. Meanwhile the Greeks bickered across all their lands, as it seemed Greeks were wont to do.

The Peloponesian War twixt Athens and Sparta eventually dragged Carthage into war once more. When the Segestans, seemingly forgetting the great peril that Carthage had posed just seventy years before, attempted to summon help in their squabbles with the city of Selinus, they provoked Carthage to turn her eyes towards Sicily once more. Though they refused the request for assistance, another great power did... and in so, brought its undoing.

The Athenians sailed in their great fleets to Syracuse, the most powerful Sicilian city, and were defeated. Thousands of men died, hundreds of ships were destroyed, and some of the finest men Athens had to offer perished. To most observers, be they before the Council of Elders in Carthage, the Gerousia in Sparta, or the Satraps and the King himself of Persia, it appeared to be the end of Athens. However, the war was not yet over... it would take nine more years for the Athenians to fall.

However, it would take only two for Carthage to once more march in Sicily. Once more, Selinus and Segesta were at arms, and once more the Segestans groveled for aid. Or so it seemed to the Carthaginians. It was decided to send a small force, and after that contributed to the defeat of Selinus, Carthage elected to negotiate, all the while preparing greater armies. Carthage attempted to broker piece, through Syracuse as well as the disputing parties, and when that failed, new armies, greater armies, marched.

Cities fell before the Carthaginian boot, and great spoils of war returned to Carthage to be dedicated to the gods. From 406 to 367, the war raged, neither side able to make great advances, when Dionysus I, tyrant of Syracuse, died. For twenty two years, peace returned to Sicily, battleground of Carthage and the meddlesome Greeks.

In 345, the Carthaginians thought that once more, they could meddle in Greek affairs. Carthaginian forces, under Mago, entered Syracuse herself at the invitation of political factions, but were forced out. Mago returned to Africa, and killed himself in shame. Timoleon, the Corinthian, seized power in Syracuse, deposing Dionysus II, and beginning to reform the city, reforms that, had circumstances been different, could have tided the Syracusans further.

But fifty thousand Carthaginians were headed towards the city. Timoleon hurled himself towards the oncoming troops, gathering fifteen thousand mercenaries. He marched across the island, towards the River Crimissus, near the city of Segesta that had begun the conflict more than fifty years ago. Meanwhile, Hasdrubal, commander of these forces, headed, almost blindly, towards the east. Eastwards were the Syracusans. Eastwards, perhaps, he could find glory, honor, a greater place in politics... power. Hasdrubal cared little for the fripperies... they could be sorted out in time.

And while Timoleon plotted the battle, it almost seemed Hasdrubal was headed for a trap. Truly, however, Hasdrubal was headed towards a crossroads of fate. History would be decided that day, and the world would never be the same.

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A/N: Maybe now I can admit that For the Sons of Carthage! is truly dead, having resurrected it with a new title. This TL will use the same PoD, true, but I intend to write it differently, (better!) alter the events, and include more in depth character time.

With luck, I can post the revamped PoD chapter soon, and then continue on to post about some of the butterflies, include scenes with some Carthaginians, some scheming Greeks, some Persians, and, perhaps, some Egyptians.

This TL will use generally Romanized proper nouns, due to my inability to pronounce half of the un-bastardized words without damaging my uvula, and also because I'm a lazy sod. Sue me. :p

Part of the time I will be writing in a vaguely in-universe style (like in this prologue) and occasionally I will do a more meta official update post to give information concisely and without the need for so many stylistic flourishes.

Feel free to comment on my writing style, bizarre historical summary, or if you have any suggestions or desires. I try not to overly plan these things, so I'm open to audience participation (through suggestions, albeit.)
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