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Μηδίζω! The World of Achaemenid Hellas

A timeline by Daeres examining what might have happened had the Achaemenid Persians successfully conquered mainland Greece, which can be found here. This is not the first alternate history timeline with this general concept, but the ambition is to make it the best.


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.


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…


Completed Chapters

* Chapter 1:Nikao! or Avajanam!

* Chapter 2:Eimi! or Vartaiyaiy!

Current Chapter

* Chapter 3:Xshahyam or Basileia

Future Chapters

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


Nations and Dynasties

* Achaemenid Persia


Authors of the World of Achaemenid Hellas

* Chronological List of Authors


Ancient and Classical Timelines

Alternate History Timelines and Scenarios Main Directory