A timeline set in the ancient Mediterranean, written by robertp6165. It originated in a POD discussion thread started by ImperialVienna in which he challenged anyone to come up with a scenario by which Malta would be the center of a large empire. While most responders offered scenarios based on PODs in the Middle Ages based on the Knights of St. John, Robertp6165 took up the challenge with a unique POD set in the early ancient period: “Let's create a whole new ancient civilization, complete with its own language !”

Malta, as most people know, was the home of a Neolithic people who built huge stone temples and occupied the island right up into the early Bronze Age. Little is known about them except the magnificent ruins they left behind. Robertp6165 proposed that these people form the basis of a new civilization. They develop superior seafaring skills at an early date, and explore the western Mediterranean, where they discover the Iberian tin and copper mines. They make contact with the Minoans at an early date, which greatly influences their civilization, and they set themselves up as middlemen between the copper and tin suppliers in Iberia and the Minoans, who carry these precious materials to the other great civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean such as Mycenae, Hatti, and Egypt. They also colonize Sicily, which provides them with the extra manpower and resources they need to fuel their expansion.

The people of Malta (called Herri-Gurtu in the timeline) and its colonies, and the people thereof, the Jendu, go on to have great impacts on the future history of the Mediterranean world, expanding to control a great deal of territory in the process.

The timeline can be read here (though the thread it starts off in was purely a POD discussion thread at first). Alternatively, use the chapter guide available below for a smoother reading experience.

The Original Timeline

Introductory note on some aspects of the historical background

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Map of the extent of the Maltese Thalassocracy (cca 800 BC)

Map of the extent of the Maltese Thalassocracy (cca 600 BC)

Map of the extent of the Maltese Thalassocracy and the situation in the Mediterranean (cca 500 BC)

Ancient and Classical Timelines