====== Μηδίζω! The World of Achaemenid Hellas ======

A timeline by [[offtopic:Daeres]] examining what might have happened had the Achaemenid Persians successfully conquered mainland Greece, which can be found [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=341001|here]]. This is not the first alternate history timeline with this general concept, but the ambition is to make it the best.

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==== The Name ====

The word Μηδίζω in ancient Greek refers to allying with the Persians, or going over to the Persians, and so Μηδίζω! is essentially 'I mede-ize!'. This ancient Greek word exists mostly intact as the somewhat obscure English word medize/medise, which means the same thing as the Greek original. The reason that it involves 'Mede' is that the Medes, in Greek Μηδοι, were conflated with the Persians by late 6th and early 5th century BCE Greeks.

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==== The Premise and Format ====

The specific point of departure in this timeline is the Battle of Salamis, which here is lost by the anti-Persian alliance of Greek states. Rather than a world in which the Greeks are barbarians and the Achaemenids enlightened angels, or vice versa, The World of Achaemenid Hellas aims to show both Persians and Greeks in this world as three dimensional, complex societies, along with others along for the ride. It also aims to cover the immense changes to cultural history, and take a look at these fictional societies in their entirety.

The World of Achaemenid Hellas is shown nearly exclusively through excerpts from biased, 'historical' authors from this world and its literary history. These authors come from various different cultures and eras. Some authors provide very divergent accounts of the same events, and it is left to the reader to conclude what they think truly happened. The timeline is divided into chapters, each with a name in Ancient Greek and Old Persian which describes that chapter's theme. Any one update will contain multiple excerpts, which are not chronological in all cases, either in terms of the events they cover or the period in which they are written. The timeline will slowly but surely reveal itself...

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==== Completed Chapters ====

* [[timelines:WOAH Chapter 1|Chapter 1:Nikao! or Avajanam!]]

* [[timelines:WOAH Chapter 2|Chapter 2:Eimi! or Vartaiyaiy!]]

==== Current Chapter ====

* [[timelines:WOAH Chapter 3|Chapter 3:Xshahyam or Basileia]]

==== Future Chapters ====

* Sporos/Cihya, Nomos/Data, Paradeisos/Paridaiza, Zura/Kakos, Thalassa/Draya

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==== Nations and Dynasties ====

* [[timelines:WOAH Achaemenid Persia|Achaemenid Persia]]

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==== Authors of the World of Achaemenid Hellas ====

* [[timelines:WOAH list of authors|Chronological List of Authors]]

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==== Navigation ====

**[[ancient and classical|Ancient and Classical Timelines]]**

**[[timelines:timelines_and_scenarios|Alternate History Timelines and Scenarios Main Directory]]**