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Thread: [Multi-AAR] - History of men
History of Men
War! War never changes.
-Fallout
War! War never changes.
-Fallout
Introduction
Hi!
What is this AAR about?
This AAR can be considered as a mammoth project I have been thinking about for a while. History of man will replay an entire string of history, from the Persian Empire till the American domination of the 21th century. Yeah that’s right, I want to pull off a series of AARs that connect to each other, an entire alternative history.
Since I know this is a big AAR and everyone will most likley have doubts ("yeah he’ll start it and never finish it."), I’ll post first things first. I am fully aware how much work this will be, that’s why I will take a slow approche. A very slow aproche. Secondly, I have allready played a test run from 300BC till 1500 AD, and playing that alone alread took me half a year. But I am willing to take my time.
What are the methods?
Since this is my first AAR I’ll have to try a few things out as we go. But this AAR will be written as pseudo realistic primary sources. Certain people will write about something in history. Sometimes they are writing to back up a king, sometimes an aristrocate will write negative comments about a ruler. Sometimes a historical source will be critical with the situation itself. Sometimes it will have lies and plot-holes in it. Some writers might be more interessted in facts, some in myths, and well often enough a writer will be more curious about who the king/emperor/president is having an afaire.
But there will be also historians posting scientific or populistic work about it. You will meet all those persons as we go.
What I want with this method is to create a multi-structual history. I don’t want to simply entertain with jokes or simple dialogs, I want my reader to think and re-live my history with me.
What mods/games will be used?
This is pretty much just an outline. Certain mods may be added or removed. Suggestions are more then welcome
- Rise of Persia – One of the earliest mods in the timeframe, this covers the Rise of one of the earliest empires
- Megas Alexandros – Well after building this empire there will come this fella called Alexander and he will smash everthing.
- Paeinsula Italica – Somewhat in the same timeframe like MA this will cover the first stage of the rise of the roman empire
- EB – Being a great fan of that mod, it will cover the domination of Europe and Asia by the Romans
- IB – Jumping severall centuries ahead, because there is a lack of mods covering the impirial times, we will see the Roman Empire disintigrate by the various submods covered in IB.
- Sicilian Vesper – This will cover the medival times. It will see the byzantian empire being established as a major power and being smashed again. It will see France making the first crusades, and battleing the English in a large war for the french crown.
- Viking Invasion – Battles for the dominion of Britan.
- Various MTW2-Kingdoms games – I will most likley use the vanilla addon to add some more depth because they use a much smaller landscape. The conquest of america by the spanish will be in it for sure.
- Europa Universalis III (with addons) – I haven’t played up to here, but I guess here the first split with the Total War games will occure, since this timescale is hardly covered by any mods. I will play until ETW.
- ETW – It remains to be seen if I will use the vanilla game (which I don’t have yet) or if there will be interessting mods
- Victoria – I haven’t played this one either, but it covers the time scale from ETW to Hearts of Iron. I’ll see about this as get closer
- Hearts of Iron II (III?) – Being one of my favorite history games this will cover the final stage, the war to end all wars
This list is just the first draft.
How will the history be alternative?
This is one of the main questions that has been bugging me latley. I have yet to see how things envolve. But it is obvious that the Roman Empire will rise and fall, so I have to play it for the sake of continuitey. I will not necceserily just replay history as we know it. Things will change, rebellions will happen and kings will be assassined.
What are the rules?
I don't want to outline my rules as of yet. My focus is on roleplaying, not on the gameplay.
This post is also the first attempt, changes may be included.
Placeholder. Important writers and historical figures may be added here.
"A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king."
- Herodotus
- Herodotus
Rise of the persian empire.
Introduction taken by François Sargot book “Iranian empires” - 1853, Paris
[...]One cannot name Alexander the Great without ever looking at Kurus. His conquests enabled the rise of the Persian empires, building an economical network that enabled him the conquests of cities like Susim and Babylon. It is he we have to take a look at, even as the historic sources are rare and challenging to read. But the segments we have of Persian and Greek historians offer us at least a possibility to compare certain accounts of how the persian empire got to be.[...]
Map of the situation in 559 BC. The Persians are colourd in purple.
Who was François Sargot?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Vidarna – History of Parsa (real title of the book is unknown)
(written at about 530-500 BC)
Book III
[...]
3. So it came to be that Kûrus, under all heaven created by Auramazdā', came to be King of Parsa in 1180 bp [559BC]. He traveled from his home town Mâsrâ, after he read the letter of his former King Cyrus. During his travels to the Pâthrâgada [the capital of Persia] he was often asked by peasants, what gives you the right to become king? Kûrus would then dismount from his brown hourse, look the peasant directly in his eyes and say in a friendly tone: “I am Kûrus of Mâsrâ, yesterday I was no one. But It was Auramazdā' who came to visit our beloved King Cyrus in his dreams. Auramazdā' spoke that I the little known lord of Mâsrâ, has been chosen by the great creator to fulfill his destiny. Auramazdā' gave him a letter so it would be proved that he had a divine order. The sick Cyrus woke from his dreams with the letter in his hand and sent his very best man to bring me this letter. It has been said that Cyrus died with a smile on his lips in the very moment I was given the letter and became the successor of Cyrus.” Seeing the divine letter, the peasants started to cry and fell down on their knees to praise their new lord and king.
Cyrus Letter - Teherans museum of history
4. On arriving in the city of Pâthrâgada many citizens came to greet their new king, but many aristocrats remained in their houses, because the awed and feared Kûrus on the same time. After Cyrus died without a son, they thought the time was right to take the powers in their own hands. Even his very best advisor Hystapes, who was the loyal regent of the city, begged to leave the city, since he feared that Kûrus might be murdered. Instead he sent word to all the important families to come to the royal palace. And they came indeed, in great numbers, curious what the new king had to say. Kûrus came to greet everyone with a cup of Kyrnish [probably some special water]. Then, after everyone was refresh the new King read aloud the letter that Cyrus got from Auramazdā' in his dreams and all the lords, all the guards and the king cried together. And all the lords fell down on their knees and hailed their new king of Kûrus.
Who was Vidarna?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Demostenens of Ancyle – History of the greeks
(written at about 420-400 BC)
From book V:
[...] 43.It was at the same time that Kûrus became King that his son Kambûjia was a general in the royal army. He waged war with a large army against the northern Iranians, battling them at Ysastis and uniting the northern Iranians under his fathers crown. In his actions he was both wise and patient, hence the people shouted his fathers name and his own whenever he was seen.[...]
Who was Demonstenes of Ancyle?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, 1994 Chicago
"The first step of Kûrus was to eliminate any opposition by the other lords. His becoming of king may be a bit obscure and the story of the letter has most likely used as propaganda for his legitimacy, but we can see that Kûrus was a most devout man [1]. It is more then dubious that the lords would subdue to a simple stone. More likely is, that like Cyrus, he put the Zoroastrian priests back to the tax collection. With this new old system of tax collection Kûrus was able to obtain a good deal of money and wealth and outplaying his rivaling lords [2](compare Michael Zaggers work “Priesthood of Zoroaster” 1991)"
Remains of Kûrus Palace in Iran
Royal Arstibara can be seen marching. It shows us the importance of the military during Kûrus reign.
Extraordinarily ambitious, yet very interesting.
I'll be keeping an eye on this and good luck to you!
I'll be keeping an eye on this and good luck to you!
there will be battles and screenies though right?
Originally Posted by John-117:
there will be battles and screenies though right?
Yes. I am writing a battle update with lots of pictures and battle tales.there will be battles and screenies though right?
The 2nd update, which I haven't posted yet will only have the prelude to it. The 3rd update will contain an important battle for the Persian empire.
"Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."
- The Buddha
Conflict with Susim
- The Buddha
Conflict with Susim
(written at about 530-500 BC)
Book III
[...]
8. When Kûrus heard that his trade caravans in the east had been attacked again by bandits he asked his advisor Hystapes who is to be made responsible for the attacks. Hystapes answered his beloved king that one of the captured bandits admitted that he was from the city of Susim. The king stood up from his chair and shouted that no one of his people would suffer from enemy attacks – and this so was because the king loved his people so much. So he decided to meet with his army in two weeks, to teach the bandits from Susim a lesson. [...]
The situation at Susim in the winter of 559 BC
Excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, Chicago 1994
When Kûrus became King he already gathered his troops to engage Susim, a town which has troubled the Persian already during the time of Cyrus. Kûrus, whose town Mâsrâ was not far away from Susim most likely knew the town. Sargot calculated that the economy could not support the growing army, so he had to wage war for loot [37], but recent studies have found reason that the economy could have worked properly [38] (See Zaggers and Favorno for details). It is most likely that Kûrus was an ambitious man who was simply had a taste for war [39].
Who is Professor James Marshal?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Continuing Vidarna
[...]
9. During his march through Susim many people came to greet Kûrus and begged him to spare unnecessary blood, so when he came to Susim he agreed to meet with the council of town. When both parties met, the king saw how desperate the people where and began to cry. The council was so deeply moved that they apologized to the king and submitted their will to him.
Susim after the blodless capitulation in early 558 BC
10. During his campaign against Susim, Kûrus got to know a young soldier that reminded him of his oldest son, whom he has not met in over two years. This man, Dâdarsi of Ansan, was a brave fighter who feared no man nor beast and was truly loyal to the king. When Kûrus invited Dâdarsi to his chambers he was so moved by his keen mind and they became friends like a loyal son to his good father. Soon after that Kûrus offered Dâdarsi to merry his daughter Atossa.
Excerpt from “Iranian Empires” by François Sargot, Paris, 1853
[…]What Vidarna does not admit in his text, that Kûrus offended the Neo-Babylonian empire, who saw Susim as their own territory. Susim may have independent from Babylon for over 20 years back then, but their king Nabu-na’id just saw them as Babylonian people that belonged to his empire. Out of nowhere came this new king Kûrus and took something from him that was in his sphere of interesst. Since the Persians were still rather unknown people on the political scene king Nabu-na’id wanted to deal with them swiftly without drawing too much attention from the neighbours. The following military clash surprised the Persians, but no one would have expected what happened after the battle.
Continuing excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, Chicago 1994
[...]
When the campaign against Susim ended in 558BC and the attack of the Babylon in 554BC, four years passed. During that time Kûrus built a temple for Auramazdā in the capital. But more important is, he clearly built up a larger army and gathered the troops at Susim. So when the Babylonian army invaded they were surprised to see a large and modern army. Although the sources say nothing about the Kûrus military intentions it has always been assumed that he was actually preparing for war against the Neo-Babylonian empire.
But Vidarna states at least two times that the king was not expecting an attack on Susim. Some modern historians (Montibo, Stevans) have argued that Kûrus was planing an attack on the Medians. He just happened to be lucky that the Babylonian Empire attacked the moment he had his troops gathered around Susim.
Relief of the Auramazdā temple.
Battles of history with Patrick Goodwin
Battle at Susim 554 BC
Battle at Susim 554 BC
Who is Patrick Goodwin?
Goodwin: The persian empire is often called the first world empire. But like many empire after the Persians, it was not build in a day. When King Kûrus became king of Persia in 559 BC Persia was but a small nation of hillmen. But in 554 BC his army had tripled.
Babylonian king Nabu-na'id on the other hand had a large empire that existed for many centuries. The Neo-babylionians have battled against the Hatti in Anatolia and the Egyptians for decades. His troops are experienced soldiers. But the king in Babylon also has troubles with a strong clergy.
IN 558 BC king Kûrus obtained the city of Susim, which Nabu-na'id saw as part of his empire.
[The scene is the Babylonian palace. King Nabu-na'id is sitting on his thrown listening to reports from his empire.]
[A soldier enters the room, carrying his spear, he falls down and kisses the kings feet.]
King Nabu-na'id: Enough of this soldier. What brings you here?
Soldier: My lord and king. The council of Susim has surrendered to the Persians without a fight.
King Nabu-na'id: What? This is preposterous. The Persians? They are primitive Hillmen. How dare they to conquer our brothers and sisters and put them to slavery, robbing them of house and goods?
King Nabu-na'id was preparing for war.Even if the people from Susim haven't belonged to the Neo-Babylonian empire for decades, the king saw himself provoked to war. Because of difficulties with other tribes in the south of his empire it took the king 3 years to assemble an army against Persia, but he was sure that his attack on Susim would not be anticipated by the Persian king. The sneak attack should be a fast and decisive victory that would drive the Persian back to their hills.
Nabu-na'id sent a minor general called Shadrach. It seems that Nabu-na'id was so sure of his victory that he would not sent his best men who were needed on different borders against more experienced nations.
Nabu-na'id sent a minor general called Shadrach. It seems that Nabu-na'id was so sure of his victory that he would not sent his best men who were needed on different borders against more experienced nations.
[The scene is the Babylonian army marching on a road. Shadrach, a young man with a curly beard is riding a horse.]
Shadrach [talking to an officer]: This Persian king, he is supposed to be in the city, with only limited troops. Our plan is to cut off all roads in and out to the city and force a surrender to him. If I bring a chained king to Nabu-na'id he will reward me greatly with gold and women.
[At the royal chambers of Susim. The decoration is simple. The Persian king can be seen talking to his advisors. From the window in the east the rising of the sun can be seen]
Kûrus
King Kûrus: ...so we will have to spent enough money for the quarry. We need the stones to expand our harbor here.
[A man runs into the chambers without breath]
Man: My King! My king! There are troops outside the walls. They are everywhere.
King Kûrus: What? Are you out of your mind young man? What are you talking about?
Man: It's the Babyolonians. I saw them with my eyes, the have troops at each gate blocking us out.
King Kûrus: How did they get past our borders? Why did no one notice a whole damn army get so far? By Ahura Mazda! Does Ariyamna know of this?
Neither Shadrach nor Nabu-na'id actually knew that Kûrus had most of his army gathered near Susim. We do not know what exactly Kûrus was planing. Since Kûrus was surprised by the Babylonian attacks it has been argued among modern historians wether he wanted to attack his Median neighbors or if he actually knew an attack was immanent.
Either way, the army outside of Susim was comanded Ariyamna, a minor general who watched of the garrison. He started to move his troops southwards to meet the enemy.
[It is night, Shadrach is sitting in his tent, studying a simple map of the area.]
Shadrach: So a large army is moving from the north to meet us in battle? Good. But we cannot face both Kûrus and the main body of his force. We need to deal with the body of the snake first and then squish the snakes head.
So Shadrach decided to move his forces over the nearby Tigris during the night. His plan was a tricky one. He wanted to move his troops unnoticed by the King in the city and face the main force of Ariyamna without having to fight the combat experienced Kûrus. The next morning Ariyamna picked up Shadrach trail and sent notice to his King. He was sure to meet his foe in battle. But unfortunately a large storm which was moving in their direction caught up the scout and he could not deliver his massage.
Ariyamna [standing among his man]: Looks like the king is not coming. On the other hand, my archers are in range and they could let living hell rain down on the enemy. It would be unwise not to attack. The enemy thinks the river protects him, but actually it is his death trap because he loses so much mobility.
Ariyamna deployed his troops in the standard Persian formation. First row mixed light infantry men, second and third row archers. His limited cavalery he hid out of sight from the enemy.
[The soldiers are standing in orderly fashion, watching the enemy across the river.]
Fat soldier: "So what do you think off this? We have been standing here for hours.
Young soldier: "What do I know? This is the first time I am in a battle. I'm just a farmer and when this is over I'm going home to my family again?"
Officer [going his round in front of the soldiers: "Remember to pull your head in when the archers start shooting, keep to the senior soldier and you will make it. Auramazdā' is with us today." [Moving away again]
Fat soldier: "So we are going to do this! Are really going to do this.
Young soldier: "You are really enjoying this, aren't you?"
Fat soldier: "Yeah sure, what should happen? I'll just go over there and stick my goddamn spear in his head. It's THAT simple."
Young soldier: "How can you be so sure, have you actually ever ..."
[A loud sound of a goat horn can be heard]
Master of the archers: "Allright man. Let those overly proud Babylonians show what simple hill man are actually made of. Steeeep up. Aiiiiim. [Pauses] - Shoot - go."
For the next minutes the archers fill the sky with arrows. The Babylonians, used to normal hand to hand infantry combat are not prepared for anything like that. The skilled Persian archers kill many soldiers within the first minutes.
Shadrach gets nervous. He orders to move his man to the north to use a small passage through the water to cross the river. But Ariyamna is aware of his plan and sends his secret weapon to battle. Something the enemy has no idea about. He gives the secret order. Out of nowhere the hidden cavalery rushes over the city. It is that moment the sky darkens and a quick but unusual heavy rain drops from the sky. The Babylonians think off this as a bad omen.
The fast moving Persian riders has nearly no armor and only light weapons which make them incredibly fast. The Babylonian did not expect anything like that.The first line of defense by the bridge gets overrun.
Cavalry officer [screaming through the heavy rain]:
"Where is Hâyanis with the second group. We need the now. Sound the signal. We need more riders. Go!"
The second group is crossing the bridge and are in a dangerous situation being cut off by the Babylonian infantry. But Shadrach is engaged in hand to hand combat and unable to give proper commands.
The Persian riders harass the enemies with light spears. Always moving, so that the enemy is being tired down completely. Shadrach is sounding his horn to regroup, his troops start moving back. The riders realize their chance and start chasing the retreating enemy.
Dirt and dust are all around the fighting soldiers. It is loud, and there is blood everywhere. And there are still arrows flying killing soldiers. The moral of the Babylonian troops is about to break.
But then it happens! Shadrach is torn down from his horse and surrounded by Persian riders. The spearmen give their last breath to defend their commander, but all in vain. The riders charge with such a power from both sides that the Babylonians get crushed and Shadrach trampled to death.
In the meanwhile the main body of the Persian army has split in two and crossed both river crossings. The enemy, without their leader are unable to set up defenses at two points. Chaos breaks out in the Babylonian ranks.
The Persians, who are aware that the enemy is wavering, start a full scale charge.
The momentum is in the hand of the Persians. The Babylonian soldiers are unable to hold the line.
Realizing that the Persians are all around them, they loose heart and sound the retreat. But where to run now?
The remaining soldiers run from the Persians only to find another wave of Persians coming in their direction. Without anywhere to run, the remaining Persian soldiers get completely slaughtered.
The Babylonian army is utterly destroyed.Ariyamna is victorious.
[King Kûrus arrives on the battlefield. It has already evening and the army tents are built up. He enters a big tent.]
Ariyamna: "My king! You have arrived."
[Runs to the king and falls down on his knees]
King Kûrus: "My good Ariyamna. Today you don't bow to no one. You have utterly destroyed the sneaky Babylonians. No today you don't bow to the king but the king to his servant."
Although the historic sources are not accurate with the numbers concerning the battle, modern historians have calculated a possible list of casualties.
And what happened with Ariyamna? Although the sources do not talk about him, possible because the segment is lost, it is safe to say that he became an important young general to Kûrus staff.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Goodwin: The persian empire is often called the first world empire. But like many empire after the Persians, it was not build in a day. When King Kûrus became king of Persia in 559 BC Persia was but a small nation of hillmen. But in 554 BC his army had tripled.
Babylonian king Nabu-na'id on the other hand had a large empire that existed for many centuries. The Neo-babylionians have battled against the Hatti in Anatolia and the Egyptians for decades. His troops are experienced soldiers. But the king in Babylon also has troubles with a strong clergy.
IN 558 BC king Kûrus obtained the city of Susim, which Nabu-na'id saw as part of his empire.
[The scene is the Babylonian palace. King Nabu-na'id is sitting on his thrown listening to reports from his empire.]
[A soldier enters the room, carrying his spear, he falls down and kisses the kings feet.]
King Nabu-na'id: Enough of this soldier. What brings you here?
Soldier: My lord and king. The council of Susim has surrendered to the Persians without a fight.
King Nabu-na'id: What? This is preposterous. The Persians? They are primitive Hillmen. How dare they to conquer our brothers and sisters and put them to slavery, robbing them of house and goods?
King Nabu-na'id was preparing for war.Even if the people from Susim haven't belonged to the Neo-Babylonian empire for decades, the king saw himself provoked to war. Because of difficulties with other tribes in the south of his empire it took the king 3 years to assemble an army against Persia, but he was sure that his attack on Susim would not be anticipated by the Persian king. The sneak attack should be a fast and decisive victory that would drive the Persian back to their hills.
Nabu-na'id sent a minor general called Shadrach. It seems that Nabu-na'id was so sure of his victory that he would not sent his best men who were needed on different borders against more experienced nations.
Nabu-na'id sent a minor general called Shadrach. It seems that Nabu-na'id was so sure of his victory that he would not sent his best men who were needed on different borders against more experienced nations.
[The scene is the Babylonian army marching on a road. Shadrach, a young man with a curly beard is riding a horse.]
Shadrach [talking to an officer]: This Persian king, he is supposed to be in the city, with only limited troops. Our plan is to cut off all roads in and out to the city and force a surrender to him. If I bring a chained king to Nabu-na'id he will reward me greatly with gold and women.
[At the royal chambers of Susim. The decoration is simple. The Persian king can be seen talking to his advisors. From the window in the east the rising of the sun can be seen]
Kûrus
King Kûrus: ...so we will have to spent enough money for the quarry. We need the stones to expand our harbor here.
[A man runs into the chambers without breath]
Man: My King! My king! There are troops outside the walls. They are everywhere.
King Kûrus: What? Are you out of your mind young man? What are you talking about?
Man: It's the Babyolonians. I saw them with my eyes, the have troops at each gate blocking us out.
King Kûrus: How did they get past our borders? Why did no one notice a whole damn army get so far? By Ahura Mazda! Does Ariyamna know of this?
Neither Shadrach nor Nabu-na'id actually knew that Kûrus had most of his army gathered near Susim. We do not know what exactly Kûrus was planing. Since Kûrus was surprised by the Babylonian attacks it has been argued among modern historians wether he wanted to attack his Median neighbors or if he actually knew an attack was immanent.
Either way, the army outside of Susim was comanded Ariyamna, a minor general who watched of the garrison. He started to move his troops southwards to meet the enemy.
[It is night, Shadrach is sitting in his tent, studying a simple map of the area.]
Shadrach: So a large army is moving from the north to meet us in battle? Good. But we cannot face both Kûrus and the main body of his force. We need to deal with the body of the snake first and then squish the snakes head.
So Shadrach decided to move his forces over the nearby Tigris during the night. His plan was a tricky one. He wanted to move his troops unnoticed by the King in the city and face the main force of Ariyamna without having to fight the combat experienced Kûrus. The next morning Ariyamna picked up Shadrach trail and sent notice to his King. He was sure to meet his foe in battle. But unfortunately a large storm which was moving in their direction caught up the scout and he could not deliver his massage.
Ariyamna [standing among his man]: Looks like the king is not coming. On the other hand, my archers are in range and they could let living hell rain down on the enemy. It would be unwise not to attack. The enemy thinks the river protects him, but actually it is his death trap because he loses so much mobility.
Ariyamna deployed his troops in the standard Persian formation. First row mixed light infantry men, second and third row archers. His limited cavalery he hid out of sight from the enemy.
[The soldiers are standing in orderly fashion, watching the enemy across the river.]
Fat soldier: "So what do you think off this? We have been standing here for hours.
Young soldier: "What do I know? This is the first time I am in a battle. I'm just a farmer and when this is over I'm going home to my family again?"
Officer [going his round in front of the soldiers: "Remember to pull your head in when the archers start shooting, keep to the senior soldier and you will make it. Auramazdā' is with us today." [Moving away again]
Fat soldier: "So we are going to do this! Are really going to do this.
Young soldier: "You are really enjoying this, aren't you?"
Fat soldier: "Yeah sure, what should happen? I'll just go over there and stick my goddamn spear in his head. It's THAT simple."
Young soldier: "How can you be so sure, have you actually ever ..."
[A loud sound of a goat horn can be heard]
Master of the archers: "Allright man. Let those overly proud Babylonians show what simple hill man are actually made of. Steeeep up. Aiiiiim. [Pauses] - Shoot - go."
For the next minutes the archers fill the sky with arrows. The Babylonians, used to normal hand to hand infantry combat are not prepared for anything like that. The skilled Persian archers kill many soldiers within the first minutes.
Shadrach gets nervous. He orders to move his man to the north to use a small passage through the water to cross the river. But Ariyamna is aware of his plan and sends his secret weapon to battle. Something the enemy has no idea about. He gives the secret order. Out of nowhere the hidden cavalery rushes over the city. It is that moment the sky darkens and a quick but unusual heavy rain drops from the sky. The Babylonians think off this as a bad omen.
The fast moving Persian riders has nearly no armor and only light weapons which make them incredibly fast. The Babylonian did not expect anything like that.The first line of defense by the bridge gets overrun.
Cavalry officer [screaming through the heavy rain]:
"Where is Hâyanis with the second group. We need the now. Sound the signal. We need more riders. Go!"
The second group is crossing the bridge and are in a dangerous situation being cut off by the Babylonian infantry. But Shadrach is engaged in hand to hand combat and unable to give proper commands.
The Persian riders harass the enemies with light spears. Always moving, so that the enemy is being tired down completely. Shadrach is sounding his horn to regroup, his troops start moving back. The riders realize their chance and start chasing the retreating enemy.
Dirt and dust are all around the fighting soldiers. It is loud, and there is blood everywhere. And there are still arrows flying killing soldiers. The moral of the Babylonian troops is about to break.
But then it happens! Shadrach is torn down from his horse and surrounded by Persian riders. The spearmen give their last breath to defend their commander, but all in vain. The riders charge with such a power from both sides that the Babylonians get crushed and Shadrach trampled to death.
In the meanwhile the main body of the Persian army has split in two and crossed both river crossings. The enemy, without their leader are unable to set up defenses at two points. Chaos breaks out in the Babylonian ranks.
The Persians, who are aware that the enemy is wavering, start a full scale charge.
The momentum is in the hand of the Persians. The Babylonian soldiers are unable to hold the line.
Realizing that the Persians are all around them, they loose heart and sound the retreat. But where to run now?
The remaining soldiers run from the Persians only to find another wave of Persians coming in their direction. Without anywhere to run, the remaining Persian soldiers get completely slaughtered.
The Babylonian army is utterly destroyed.Ariyamna is victorious.
[King Kûrus arrives on the battlefield. It has already evening and the army tents are built up. He enters a big tent.]
Ariyamna: "My king! You have arrived."
[Runs to the king and falls down on his knees]
King Kûrus: "My good Ariyamna. Today you don't bow to no one. You have utterly destroyed the sneaky Babylonians. No today you don't bow to the king but the king to his servant."
Although the historic sources are not accurate with the numbers concerning the battle, modern historians have calculated a possible list of casualties.
Persians:
Soldiers: 21.000 - Lost: 2.000
Babylonians:
Soldiers: 19.000 - Lost: 16.000
This victory was an important one for the Persians. They have not only defeated a professional army, but showed superiority in warfare. The battle at Susim enabled further expansions for the Persians. Truly, this was the first important step to build the first worlds empire.Soldiers: 21.000 - Lost: 2.000
Babylonians:
Soldiers: 19.000 - Lost: 16.000
And what happened with Ariyamna? Although the sources do not talk about him, possible because the segment is lost, it is safe to say that he became an important young general to Kûrus staff.
Wow, this is amazing. Keep it up!
This is a very good AAR, Fixiwee, and very ambitious as well! I'm looking forward to the EB and ETW sections, whenever you get to them.
Good luck! I'll be following this for sure!
Good luck! I'll be following this for sure!
An excellent battle report! Way above the average, well done!
Thanks for the kind words. 
War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
-Bertrand Russell
King Kûrus faces King Nabu-na'id
The world in 553. The Persians can be seen in purple, the Babylonians in blue and the Medians in green.
-Bertrand Russell
King Kûrus faces King Nabu-na'id
The world in 553. The Persians can be seen in purple, the Babylonians in blue and the Medians in green.
Excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, Chicago, 1994
After his surpising victory at Susim King Kûrus had an army that proved themselves worthy in battle and an enemy who provoked him into war. Since we do not have Vidarnas account on the war against the city of Babylon itself the exact reconstruction of the campaign is uncertain to a degree. We do however have fragments of the annual reports of the city of Babylon itself and Demonstenes account.
We can reconstruct that the Babylonian king did not have any inner defenses and his manpower of emergency troops were depleeted because of the war against Egypt. For king Kûrus, the whole Babylonian empire lay befor him ready to be taken. But it seems that Kûrus did not have the necessary military power to occupy the key cities and after all the Babylonian king was still sitting on a throne in the capital. So Kûrus had to get rid of Nabu-na'id first, but he knew that in the east the Babylonians had their main army ready for retaliation. His march on Babylon was not without danger.
Demostenens of Ancyle – History of the greeks
(written at about 420-400 BC)
From book V:
[...]
54. It is not without troubles for me reconstructing what happened at the walls of Babylon, because there is much myth and little actual knowledge passed on. I will therefor remain to the facts I believe to be true.
55. When King Kûrus reached the walls of Babylon he was so impressed by the height and thought of them to be unbreachable. So he ordered his man to lay siege and let no man and no woman in or out of the city. The army remained like this for months and Nabu-na'id was in a desperate situation because there were no supplies stored in the city. Some soldiers, old and young, still loyal to their king, gathered from the surroundings of Babylon to help Nabu-na'id. It was then that the old man on the Babylonian throne saw his desperate last chance to strike on Kûrus. But his soldiers were starved, weak and without morals, the men of Kûrus were well fed and felt strong within their numbers.
56. So it came to the first battle of Babylon, it was the year when Solon died [553 BC]. There is no existing account of the battle, the only thing that is sure that the Babylonians lost. The king fled in disgrace from the field, hunted by the persian riders.
57. Nabu-na'id made it back to the city, but the will of the people had turned against him. As the ruler rules over a people so they can be happy, the unhappy people will take this position away from the ruler as they please. This is the reason why Nabu-na'id was slain by his once loyal people.
The Nabu-na'id flees from the Persian army - Oil painting by Marcell Mardot, Louvre, Paris
Continuing “Life and Death of Kûrus”
We are happy to have the account of Demostenes, even though his rhetoric on the assassination of the Babylonian king is strongely influenced by his democratic ideals. It is more likely though that the king was slain by his own guards, ordered by the remaining city council[56]. The walls of Babylon alone were not enough to stop the Persian king, so the city council opened their gates and hailed them their new leader.
King Kûrus entering the city of Babylon
The ancient metropolis of Babylon was now the biggest city in the young Persian empire. Even though the king had to deal with minor unrest the following months he seemed to win the hearts and minds of the citizens by his policy of tolerance. He released the remaining Jewish slaves to their freedom and let them choose wether they wanted to go home back to their kingdoms or stay in the city. Kûrus was a pious man who believed in religion to serve mankind for the greater good [57], but he also reduced squalor and mischief by this rather unexpected move.
Reconstruction of Babylon. Note that the defences of Babylon are on of the best in the world of their time.
But the capturing of the city of Babylon was not the end for the Babylonian empire. In the east, as mentioned before, was still a large Babylonian army, and the commanders were both sons of Nabu-na'id. His oldest son, Mandaru, was now the new king of Babylon and determined to retake the city. He sent envoys to the kingdom of Media, who agreed to send troops to aid Mandaru, since they grew suspicious about the Persians[58].
Mandaru gathering in the east to march on Babylon
It was now clear that the toughest battle for Kûrus was yet to come. With a huge Babylonian army coming from the Egyptian campaigns and support coming from the Medians in the north, all the sudden Kûrus found himself in a difficult and dangerous position. All he could do was to get his army ready to fight once more...
After his surpising victory at Susim King Kûrus had an army that proved themselves worthy in battle and an enemy who provoked him into war. Since we do not have Vidarnas account on the war against the city of Babylon itself the exact reconstruction of the campaign is uncertain to a degree. We do however have fragments of the annual reports of the city of Babylon itself and Demonstenes account.
We can reconstruct that the Babylonian king did not have any inner defenses and his manpower of emergency troops were depleeted because of the war against Egypt. For king Kûrus, the whole Babylonian empire lay befor him ready to be taken. But it seems that Kûrus did not have the necessary military power to occupy the key cities and after all the Babylonian king was still sitting on a throne in the capital. So Kûrus had to get rid of Nabu-na'id first, but he knew that in the east the Babylonians had their main army ready for retaliation. His march on Babylon was not without danger.
Demostenens of Ancyle – History of the greeks
(written at about 420-400 BC)
From book V:
[...]
54. It is not without troubles for me reconstructing what happened at the walls of Babylon, because there is much myth and little actual knowledge passed on. I will therefor remain to the facts I believe to be true.
55. When King Kûrus reached the walls of Babylon he was so impressed by the height and thought of them to be unbreachable. So he ordered his man to lay siege and let no man and no woman in or out of the city. The army remained like this for months and Nabu-na'id was in a desperate situation because there were no supplies stored in the city. Some soldiers, old and young, still loyal to their king, gathered from the surroundings of Babylon to help Nabu-na'id. It was then that the old man on the Babylonian throne saw his desperate last chance to strike on Kûrus. But his soldiers were starved, weak and without morals, the men of Kûrus were well fed and felt strong within their numbers.
56. So it came to the first battle of Babylon, it was the year when Solon died [553 BC]. There is no existing account of the battle, the only thing that is sure that the Babylonians lost. The king fled in disgrace from the field, hunted by the persian riders.
57. Nabu-na'id made it back to the city, but the will of the people had turned against him. As the ruler rules over a people so they can be happy, the unhappy people will take this position away from the ruler as they please. This is the reason why Nabu-na'id was slain by his once loyal people.
The Nabu-na'id flees from the Persian army - Oil painting by Marcell Mardot, Louvre, Paris
Continuing “Life and Death of Kûrus”
We are happy to have the account of Demostenes, even though his rhetoric on the assassination of the Babylonian king is strongely influenced by his democratic ideals. It is more likely though that the king was slain by his own guards, ordered by the remaining city council[56]. The walls of Babylon alone were not enough to stop the Persian king, so the city council opened their gates and hailed them their new leader.
King Kûrus entering the city of Babylon
The ancient metropolis of Babylon was now the biggest city in the young Persian empire. Even though the king had to deal with minor unrest the following months he seemed to win the hearts and minds of the citizens by his policy of tolerance. He released the remaining Jewish slaves to their freedom and let them choose wether they wanted to go home back to their kingdoms or stay in the city. Kûrus was a pious man who believed in religion to serve mankind for the greater good [57], but he also reduced squalor and mischief by this rather unexpected move.
Reconstruction of Babylon. Note that the defences of Babylon are on of the best in the world of their time.
But the capturing of the city of Babylon was not the end for the Babylonian empire. In the east, as mentioned before, was still a large Babylonian army, and the commanders were both sons of Nabu-na'id. His oldest son, Mandaru, was now the new king of Babylon and determined to retake the city. He sent envoys to the kingdom of Media, who agreed to send troops to aid Mandaru, since they grew suspicious about the Persians[58].
Mandaru gathering in the east to march on Babylon
It was now clear that the toughest battle for Kûrus was yet to come. With a huge Babylonian army coming from the Egyptian campaigns and support coming from the Medians in the north, all the sudden Kûrus found himself in a difficult and dangerous position. All he could do was to get his army ready to fight once more...
"Do not throw the arrow which will return against you."
- Kurdish Proverb
- Kurdish Proverb
Battles of history with Patrick Goodwin
Second battle at Babylon 552 BC
Second battle at Babylon 552 BC
King Mandaru [speaking to his half-brother Puzur-Ashur]: We should not make the same mistake as our father - we are not allowed to underestimate the Persians. They may seem like idiotic primitive hillman to our soldiers, but their king is one hell of a man.
Puzur-Ashur: So what do you propose then? The priests said that the oracles are not good.
King Mandaru: Screw those holy man!
Puzur-Ashur: Brother, watch your tone. I already told you seven thousand times not to mock the priests. Those omens are important to the men. You know they wont fight with the omens.
King Mandaru: I am sorry my brother. You are right, I'm just worried. We should hope that the Gods are on our side. But on the other hand, we need to continue moving. Babylon is rightfully ours, and without it no one will take my title as king serious. So we just continue to march on Babylon, with prayers in our heart and maybe the Gods will show us a path.
Goodwin: The year is 552 BC and King Kûrus had taken the capital of the Babylonian empire. But the Babylonians are not willing to go down without a fight. The two brothers Mandaru and Puzur-Ashur swore to revenge the death of their father and started to move their forces stationed at the border to Egypt in the direction of Babylon. The Persian king Kûrus was not idling in the meantime. He was aware of Mandarus plans and mustered his forces filling his ranks with new recruited Babylonians willing to fight for their new master. The Persian army was about to become the first multi ethnical army of the world. Kûrus moved the main body of his army a few days to the north, letting Kurus and his brother march onto Babylon. When the two brothers reached the city they found it half empty and no Persian army opened the gates to meet the Babylonians in battle.
[King Kûrus standing under a Cypress tree instructing his generals.]
King Kûrus: ...with that being the main objective. So we absolutely need the help from Dâdarsi and his troops we left behind in the city. Without them Mandarus army is superior in numbers. I will send one of my best mans to sneak into the city and tell Dâdarsi when to attack. Let us pray to Auramazdā that the messenger wont get caught.
Scarred General: What are we going to do against the chariots hand heavy armored infantry. We have nothing like that?
King Kûrus: Our archers will do the job. Our arrows can penetrate any armor. If Mandaras is clever, he will try to get us in hand to hand combat as soon as possible, so he wont lose too many of his soldiers standing on the field. And the problem is, Manduras is a sharp man, so we need to use our riders to engage and drag him into skirmishes to occupy his troops.
So it happened that the Persians where facing the Babylonians once again in battle. The armies had chosen a piece of land with enough space to maneuver. The Babylonians would try to use their chariots to frighten and rout the enemy, while the Persians would once again use their superior bowmen to inflict heavy casualties before the Babylonian Infantry would reach their line.
King Mandaru: Allright men. Do as we told you and you will live to see the night. Be sure to follow your officers, remember, we are trying to break their lines. So we do not attack until we found a weak spot that we can exploit. [to his half-brother] So lets revenge the death of our father.
As Kûrus feared, the Babylonian army is moving with great speed towards the line. They are trying to shock them into making a mistake, but Kûrus orders his man to hold the line at all cost.
Kûrus sends his skirmishers out off the flanks to harras the enemy to stop them from advancing too fast.
Rider: Keep your distance men! Keep your distance! Men! Stop! We need to keep the distance, we are...
[Arrors and spears start to rain on the Persian riders. Men get killed and fall of the hourses]
Rider: Damn! Retreat men. Retreat. There's too many of them.
The Babylonians win the first move by routing the Persian Riders. Those are the Riders that caused massive panic to the Babylonians at the Battle of Susim.
Persian elite soldiers waiting for the enemy.
But Kûrus remains calm and orders his archers to start firing on the enemy. His archers are far more experienced and are able to shoot from a greater distance then the Babylonian archers.
Puzur-Ashur [to his chariot soldiers]: This is the time for the maneuver, we need to flank them and kill the archers. For ...
[An arrow hits Puzur-Ashur in the face. There is little blood at first, but he imidiatley falls from his moving royal chariot. Puzur-Ashur is dead.]
Once again arrows rain down from the sky like a massive thunderstorm. And for some reason the Babylonians are not trying to confront the Persians. They are still waiting for the Persians to charge and make a mistake.
Babylonian archers and riders being slaughtered.
King Mandaru: What is he doing? Why is that fool of an ape not attacking? He is getting slaughtered out there. Prepare the man to charge.
Kûrus is ordering his man to wait for another wave of arrows from his man and orders them to move. Mandarus men are already weakend by a great deal.
The Persian army start a full charge attack on the Babylonians.
Running soldier: Chaaaaaaaaaaarge.
Mandarus is unlucky. Kûrus does not make any major mistake, he charges without a flaws in his formation.
A fierce and bloody hand to hand battle starts. The Persians are facing experienced heavy armored infantry in scale mail.
But Kûrus knows exactly what to do. He stands close to his troops and gives orderes where ever he can.
Casualties are high on both sides so far. The Persian riders are unable to break the will of the Babylonians, and their heavy infrantry is able to hold the line for now.
The battle goes on for several hours and the Babylonians are loosing more and more man. A Persian victory is at hand. As the Persian army is butchering their way through the enemy lines Mandaru realizes that he is unable to win this battle. He sounds for a retreat.
Officer: My king. The enemey gave the sign for retreat. What are your orders?
King Kûrus: Let them run, I'll finish Mandaru off another day. Our forces are weakend and exhausted too, we don't have enough men to chase them.
Officer: Yes my king!
Kûrus defeated the Babylonian army once again. If the historic sources are correct, Kûrus was even able to kill thrice as many men as Mandaru. For the next months Persian influence would spread over the Babylonian empire. But as long as Mandaru lived Kûrus was not be able to conquere the empire as a whole.
Second battle at Babylon:
Persians:
Soldiers: 24.000 - Lost: 6.000
Babylonians:
Soldiers: 26.000 - Lost: 18.000
Soldiers: 24.000 - Lost: 6.000
Babylonians:
Soldiers: 26.000 - Lost: 18.000
"True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read."
- Pliny the Elder
King Kûrus chasing King Mandaru
- Pliny the Elder
King Kûrus chasing King Mandaru
“Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
After the victory at Babylon in 552 BC Kûrus gained influence over the city of Hira and the oldest city Ur. Since most parts of Vindaras account for the next decade is forever lost we only have Demostenes account on what happened after the splendid victory. It seems that King Mandaru fled to the southern border of his empire to muster new forces, hoping that the Persian king would run out of manpower. In 549 BC the forces met again, Kûrus son and heir Kambûjiya was leading the attack. Demostenes states that he does not know what exactly happened at the battle, only that King Mandaru was killed in battle. From that moment on, Kûrus had annhilated the royal family. But that was not the end to the wars, far from it. Demonstenes tells us: "From what I reconstruct the Medians became the new enemy for Kûrus. Fearing the new powerful empire they waged a bloody and heavy war on the Persian border."
Who was François Sargot again?
Persian Archers firing arrows at the advencing Medians during a skirmish at the Median-Persian border.
But Kûrus was not idle. His armies were ever growing and he forced a Median royal Army under the command of the corrupt Gaumâta at the Nabalim fields north of Babylon. Once again Kûrus won, by now his armies were experienced and battlescarred.
Persia in 553 BC
Persia in 544 BC. Note that the cross symbolizes Babylon and the yellow arrorws Kûrus expansion over the remaining Neo-Babylonian empire. The median attacks on the Persian homeland are coloured in orange.
Demostenens of Ancyle – History of the greeks
(written at about 420-400 BC)
From book V:
[...]
72. The Babylonians had no one to claime the throne of Babylon, but a Noble from Damaskos named Hana did not acknowledge Kûrus as the new king of Babylon. It is said that Kûrus was furious when he heard about Hana and gathered his best man to march towards Damaskos, even though that meant that his forces fighting the Medians were dangerously weakend. Kûrus came to the city of Nisibis, somewhat north of Damaskos and established his forces there, planing his campaign in the Levant. Hana still had a large forces in Damaskos, but the Persian king was not without luck. An emissary from the city of Hierosolýmōn [Jerusalem] arrived in the winter of 544 BC. Kûrus had released the Jewish slaves in the city of Babylon when he conquered it, now the Jews were about to repay their deed, because it said that the Jews do not forget kind deeds to their kin easily. They started to rebel against Hana and refused to serve in his army, in return they would accept Persian nominal rule.
73. Hana met Kûrus in Battle nonetheless. I have serious doubts that Kûrus killed 20.000 enemy Babylonians as Vidarna says in his books, from what I can tell it was more likely to be half of it. There are no numbers about how many people Kûrus lost, but by now he was such a brilliant and excellent military leader that it must have been very few. To this date female singers sing songs about the heroic victory of Damaskos, and it was this battle that made Kûrus a living legend.
Who was Demonstenes again?
“Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
Chapter: Battle of Damaskos 553 BC, page 95
The Battle of Damaskus was a genuine victory for Kûrus. He used his archers on the left flank to lure Hanas chariots and drag them into skirmishes. That way he separated the chariots from the main body of Hanas army, being able to engage the infantry, encircle them over the right flank and crush them completely.
Kûrus, who is said to never had any fears during battle charged his man himself during the encirclement of the Babylonian army. This caused much fear under the enemy army, because they have never seen a King so bold and brave.
Hama did the mistake of not charging into Kûrus archers and return to aid the infantry. Overall Hanas action on the battlefield show that he was not used to combat tactics making it easy for Kûrus to crush him.
The battle of Damaskus in 543 BC made the Persian empire the biggest empire to date. Kûrus gained Damaskus and influence over the old Jewish kingdoms. Only a few Neo-Babylonian cities still resisted, but it was only a matter of time until they would subdue to the will of Kûrus - King of the Persia and King of Babylon.
After the victory at Babylon in 552 BC Kûrus gained influence over the city of Hira and the oldest city Ur. Since most parts of Vindaras account for the next decade is forever lost we only have Demostenes account on what happened after the splendid victory. It seems that King Mandaru fled to the southern border of his empire to muster new forces, hoping that the Persian king would run out of manpower. In 549 BC the forces met again, Kûrus son and heir Kambûjiya was leading the attack. Demostenes states that he does not know what exactly happened at the battle, only that King Mandaru was killed in battle. From that moment on, Kûrus had annhilated the royal family. But that was not the end to the wars, far from it. Demonstenes tells us: "From what I reconstruct the Medians became the new enemy for Kûrus. Fearing the new powerful empire they waged a bloody and heavy war on the Persian border."
Who was François Sargot again?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Persian Archers firing arrows at the advencing Medians during a skirmish at the Median-Persian border.
But Kûrus was not idle. His armies were ever growing and he forced a Median royal Army under the command of the corrupt Gaumâta at the Nabalim fields north of Babylon. Once again Kûrus won, by now his armies were experienced and battlescarred.
Persia in 553 BC
Persia in 544 BC. Note that the cross symbolizes Babylon and the yellow arrorws Kûrus expansion over the remaining Neo-Babylonian empire. The median attacks on the Persian homeland are coloured in orange.
Demostenens of Ancyle – History of the greeks
(written at about 420-400 BC)
From book V:
[...]
72. The Babylonians had no one to claime the throne of Babylon, but a Noble from Damaskos named Hana did not acknowledge Kûrus as the new king of Babylon. It is said that Kûrus was furious when he heard about Hana and gathered his best man to march towards Damaskos, even though that meant that his forces fighting the Medians were dangerously weakend. Kûrus came to the city of Nisibis, somewhat north of Damaskos and established his forces there, planing his campaign in the Levant. Hana still had a large forces in Damaskos, but the Persian king was not without luck. An emissary from the city of Hierosolýmōn [Jerusalem] arrived in the winter of 544 BC. Kûrus had released the Jewish slaves in the city of Babylon when he conquered it, now the Jews were about to repay their deed, because it said that the Jews do not forget kind deeds to their kin easily. They started to rebel against Hana and refused to serve in his army, in return they would accept Persian nominal rule.
73. Hana met Kûrus in Battle nonetheless. I have serious doubts that Kûrus killed 20.000 enemy Babylonians as Vidarna says in his books, from what I can tell it was more likely to be half of it. There are no numbers about how many people Kûrus lost, but by now he was such a brilliant and excellent military leader that it must have been very few. To this date female singers sing songs about the heroic victory of Damaskos, and it was this battle that made Kûrus a living legend.
Who was Demonstenes again?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
“Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
Chapter: Battle of Damaskos 553 BC, page 95
The Battle of Damaskus was a genuine victory for Kûrus. He used his archers on the left flank to lure Hanas chariots and drag them into skirmishes. That way he separated the chariots from the main body of Hanas army, being able to engage the infantry, encircle them over the right flank and crush them completely.
Kûrus, who is said to never had any fears during battle charged his man himself during the encirclement of the Babylonian army. This caused much fear under the enemy army, because they have never seen a King so bold and brave.
Hama did the mistake of not charging into Kûrus archers and return to aid the infantry. Overall Hanas action on the battlefield show that he was not used to combat tactics making it easy for Kûrus to crush him.
The battle of Damaskus in 543 BC made the Persian empire the biggest empire to date. Kûrus gained Damaskus and influence over the old Jewish kingdoms. Only a few Neo-Babylonian cities still resisted, but it was only a matter of time until they would subdue to the will of Kûrus - King of the Persia and King of Babylon.
On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero.
-Chuck Palahniuk
Death of Kûrus
-Chuck Palahniuk
Death of Kûrus
Excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, 1994 Chicago
With Damaskus in his hand Kûrus gained the Levant, thus enabling him sea trade in the Mediterranean. Sidon and Jerusalem acknowledged the Persian Empire and subdued to Kûrus. The next couple of years Kûrus spent his time quelling the last resisting cities that once belonged to the Neo-Babylonian Empire. During that time Darayawus, one of his best generals, started an attack on the Median empire. After some victories he got terribly beaten and killed by the Medians in 539BC, which ended the first try to expand into the Median territory[13]. Following defeat the Medians started invading the Persian Empire at Susim and Babylon. Kambûjiya, Kûrus' son, who was in command over Babylon would spent all his power to repel the Medians.
Who is James Marshal again?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Vidarna – History of Parsa (real title of the book is unknown)
(written at about 530-500 BC)
Book IX
[...]
7. It was the end of the Persian year and mighty and divine king Kûrus was spending the days at the city of Sidon. There he oversaw the rebuilding of the old Phoenician towns. He loved to spent his days at Sidon because Kûrus loved the sea and the fresh air. He was now 63 years old and yet he was of astounding health, he rode his beloved horse every day for hunting and spent an hour swimming because it made him healthy. But at the end of the year he suddenly fell terribly ill. His doctors came and did what they could. But Kûrus knew his time was coming. He said: "Auramazdā is calling me. Do not dwell on my death for I have lived long and accomplished much. I have done many good things and this is my our beloved god who made me strong and healthy is giving me a death without much suffering." He sent his doctors away, spoke to his generals and told them to aid his son in his upcoming rule. The next morning he passed away in peace, for Kûrus has reigned in the name of peace and brought it to those who wished him ill.
Cont. Excerpt from “Life and Death of Kûrus” by Professor James Marshal, 1994 Chicago
Kûrus had laid down the foundation to the Persian Empire. In 20 years he had fought and destroyed the whole Neo-Babylonian empire. His reign went over to his son without any internal troubles. Nevertheless the new King Kambûjiya faced a difficult situation for Demonsthenes tells us that the Empire was attacked on several fronts by the Medians.
With Kûrus not only a mighty military leader died, but also the historic written sources disappeared. Demonsthenes is the only source who retells parts of the Persian history after Kûrus and he leaves out certain years. The conquest of Media by the Persians remains obscure and only vague details can be reconstructed.
Over all Kûrus was a potent military genius. I have tried to draw certain lines between Alexander and him in this book because one gave birth to the Persian empire in a few years and the other one destroyed it fulminatly. Nevertheless Kûrus was not Alexander. Kûrus led simple warriors to conquered a professional army, while Alexander already had a professional army. But Kûrus was not without flaws. As Sargot demonstrated in his works, Kûrus was financial inapt, his empire was not structured well and he lost much money due to corruption and weak taxation. It took his son to reform the system.
All in all Kûrus was a devout man who believed in his own principles. His liberal ideas, like freeing the Jews from the Babylonians, made Sargot give him the title of the "first humanist of the world". I couldn't agree more.
Tomb of Kûrus, Iran
Wow. Brilliant AAR. Only one thing though: can you add more screenshots? Rise of Persia mod is quite interesting, and I would like to see more of it. Not to mention, I like screenie-heavy AARs.
Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus:
Wow. Brilliant AAR. Only one thing though: can you add more screenshots? Rise of Persia mod is quite interesting, and I would like to see more of it. Not to mention, I like screenie-heavy AARs.
The next update will be rather short and will only have a few screenshot. It will be about a part of the Persian history that remains a bit dark because of the lack of sources. This is intended since I planed to add a dark period from the start.Wow. Brilliant AAR. Only one thing though: can you add more screenshots? Rise of Persia mod is quite interesting, and I would like to see more of it. Not to mention, I like screenie-heavy AARs.
The update after that will be a "battles of history" update and will have more pictures.
Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus:
Wow. Brilliant AAR. Only one thing though: can you add more screenshots? Rise of Persia mod is quite interesting, and I would like to see more of it. Not to mention, I like screenie-heavy AARs.
Actually I believe the amount of text and the number of screenshots work well at their current levels. So far the AAR has turned out well thanks in part to that, and i can't wait to see what happens next. Though I wouldn't mind seeing more screenies i agree, this mod looks fantastic.Wow. Brilliant AAR. Only one thing though: can you add more screenshots? Rise of Persia mod is quite interesting, and I would like to see more of it. Not to mention, I like screenie-heavy AARs.
You can't pick up two melons with one hand.
Eastern Proverb
Eastern Proverb
Campaign against Media
“Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
The death of Kûrus saw no change in the Persian Expansion. During his campaign against the Levant, his son and heir Kumbûjya gathered troops in Persia and Babylon to start a campaign against the Median empire. When Kûrus died, Kumbûjiya became King without any troubles and was ready to lead his armies into Media.
But who was Kumbûjiya? Our only source for him is the Greek historian Menesthenes, who certainly did not read any Persian sources, but only Egyptian ones a century later. His account is somewhat biased on Persian cliches that the Greeks had, like for example the story of his deeds as a Persian warrior. Nevertheless we do get the picture that Kumbûjya was a smart man and brilliant military leader. It is important to note that he officially had two courts. One in Persepolis, the old capital, and a new one in Babylon. He decentralized the Persian empire, made it financially and militarily more flexible. In 535 BC his army were ready to march against Media.
Kumbûjiya laying siege and conquering the Median border city Bagastana in 535 BC
"Tales of History" by Menesthenes
(written about 450 BC)
King Kumbûjiya brought his two armies, one from Persepolis, one from Babylon together at the city of Susim. It was one of the biggest armies of the time, so big that the people of Susim had to live in ration for 2 years to have all the soldiers fed when they came; and a whole forest at Persepolis had to be cut down to supply all the thousand archers with arrows. But the King was an able man, even more then his famous father, he had managed to gather a large force to unleash against the most hated enemy of the Persians: The Medians.
Tales of this campaign are told up to the Egyptian part of the Persian empire to this date, for the battles were numerous and very tough. The Medians were a fine enemy indeed, since they inflicted one or two terrible losses to Kumbûjiya. It is told that even in a battle that he was about to lose he and five of his best Riders would charge against a group of Median spearmen to help a few of his own soldiers from encirclement. When asked why he would so such brave deeds he would say: "I am a soldier first, a man second. My soldiers are brothers and sons to me." Five years later king Kumbûjiya would face the Median king Uvaxstra, yet another warrior king of the east and defeat him and his empire. Uvaxstra was said to fled to the far east and never heard of again, the rest of the Medians surrendered to the mighty Persian king.
Who was Menesthenes?
The Medians and the Persians had fierce and terrible battles during the Median Campaign. The Persian-border wars that precieded the Median campaign saw terrible losses at both sides and enchaned the brutality to the war.
Cont. “Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
The war was fierce but short. Most of the battles probably took place in the Bagastana dale, eventually leading to the defeat of the Median king. By 532 BC Kumbûjiya had defeated the Medians and occupied most of their country, though it took him untill 530 BC to gain all the remaining Median eras. But in 531 a new conflict had broken out. The reasons for this remain totally obscure to us, all we know is that Kumbûjiyas brother invaded the Lydian-Ionian country in Anatolia.
The persian Empire in 532 BC. The southern concquest of Sinai happened during ~536 BC. The Median campaign can be seen as northern line against the green Median realm. The white nation is the Lydian-Ionian nation that gained influence among the Phonician people of the Levant. This is desputed among modern historians though. (The weird cursor was not edited out by a confused intern as it should have.)
The death of Kûrus saw no change in the Persian Expansion. During his campaign against the Levant, his son and heir Kumbûjya gathered troops in Persia and Babylon to start a campaign against the Median empire. When Kûrus died, Kumbûjiya became King without any troubles and was ready to lead his armies into Media.
But who was Kumbûjiya? Our only source for him is the Greek historian Menesthenes, who certainly did not read any Persian sources, but only Egyptian ones a century later. His account is somewhat biased on Persian cliches that the Greeks had, like for example the story of his deeds as a Persian warrior. Nevertheless we do get the picture that Kumbûjya was a smart man and brilliant military leader. It is important to note that he officially had two courts. One in Persepolis, the old capital, and a new one in Babylon. He decentralized the Persian empire, made it financially and militarily more flexible. In 535 BC his army were ready to march against Media.
Kumbûjiya laying siege and conquering the Median border city Bagastana in 535 BC
"Tales of History" by Menesthenes
(written about 450 BC)
King Kumbûjiya brought his two armies, one from Persepolis, one from Babylon together at the city of Susim. It was one of the biggest armies of the time, so big that the people of Susim had to live in ration for 2 years to have all the soldiers fed when they came; and a whole forest at Persepolis had to be cut down to supply all the thousand archers with arrows. But the King was an able man, even more then his famous father, he had managed to gather a large force to unleash against the most hated enemy of the Persians: The Medians.
Tales of this campaign are told up to the Egyptian part of the Persian empire to this date, for the battles were numerous and very tough. The Medians were a fine enemy indeed, since they inflicted one or two terrible losses to Kumbûjiya. It is told that even in a battle that he was about to lose he and five of his best Riders would charge against a group of Median spearmen to help a few of his own soldiers from encirclement. When asked why he would so such brave deeds he would say: "I am a soldier first, a man second. My soldiers are brothers and sons to me." Five years later king Kumbûjiya would face the Median king Uvaxstra, yet another warrior king of the east and defeat him and his empire. Uvaxstra was said to fled to the far east and never heard of again, the rest of the Medians surrendered to the mighty Persian king.
Who was Menesthenes?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Medians and the Persians had fierce and terrible battles during the Median Campaign. The Persian-border wars that precieded the Median campaign saw terrible losses at both sides and enchaned the brutality to the war.
Cont. “Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
The war was fierce but short. Most of the battles probably took place in the Bagastana dale, eventually leading to the defeat of the Median king. By 532 BC Kumbûjiya had defeated the Medians and occupied most of their country, though it took him untill 530 BC to gain all the remaining Median eras. But in 531 a new conflict had broken out. The reasons for this remain totally obscure to us, all we know is that Kumbûjiyas brother invaded the Lydian-Ionian country in Anatolia.
The persian Empire in 532 BC. The southern concquest of Sinai happened during ~536 BC. The Median campaign can be seen as northern line against the green Median realm. The white nation is the Lydian-Ionian nation that gained influence among the Phonician people of the Levant. This is desputed among modern historians though. (The weird cursor was not edited out by a confused intern as it should have.)
Both Monk and AP stated that they want to see more screenshot. This update was short and lacked the screenies, but that was intented since I wanted a more darker period of my campaign which is not covered in the sources hence making it more realistic.
But don't worry, the next update will be a battles of history update and should have some nice and interessting screenshots.
But don't worry, the next update will be a battles of history update and should have some nice and interessting screenshots.
This AAR has inspired me to try Rise of Persia. I think the current level of screenshots is fine, I prefer AARs with a good amount of text.
Originally Posted by penguinking:
This AAR has inspired me to try Rise of Persia. I think the current level of screenshots is fine, I prefer AARs with a good amount of text.
It's a good mod. The combats feel a bit different because most units aren't armored at all and archers are pretty usefull. The goverment system is interessting (taken from BI religion, it's about democracy, oligarchy and monarchy) but I haven't seen much difference playing it, since all the conquered terretories were monarchrys. Word of advice though, playing as Persia I realized that I should have blizzed more. There were so many rebell cities around that I didn't take and that made the campaign tough so far.This AAR has inspired me to try Rise of Persia. I think the current level of screenshots is fine, I prefer AARs with a good amount of text.
Battles of history light
Battle at Atana 530 BC
Why the "light?"
The Battle at Atana marked the beginning of the Anatolian campaign. The details for the reasons are not clear, but it seems that the Persian empire provoked the Ionian-greek colony at Tarsos (Close to Adana) into war. The Persian army at Damaskos was lead by Bardia [Bardiya], the brother of King Cambyses [Kamûbjiya]. Bardia was the most brilliant leader in the Persian army, but politicaly totaly interessted and a loyal servant to his kingbrother; or how Menesthenes put it: "Bardia was good at three things only; hunting animal, leading men to battle and persuing unmarried women. But in all three things he is surpasses everyone, even his king and brother."
The battle itself was the first conflict with a Greek army, but Bardia was aware that the Greek fought in Hoplite formation and prepared himself to the situation.
An elite Hoplite soldier.
The army of Tarsos advances at the Battle of Atana
Bardias plan was to surprise the enemey by doing the one thing they would not expect. He spread a thin line so the Hoplites would be lured into thinking that they could break through the light infantry lines of the Persian army. He would encircle the Ionians with elite troops and annhilate them.
Battle plan by Bardia
Battle development
The battle was significant because the Persian light infantry was able to withstand the Hoplite attack and encircle the enemy.
Hand to hand fighting
Confused Ionian Spearthrower standing all alone on the battlefield
The battle saw some tense close combat. Even the Persian archers would stand their ground and fight with their daggers.
The center of the battle, where the Ionian elite troops face overwhelming number of Persian infantry.
Persian Riders charge into the Ionian formation and breaking the will to fight.
Like Bardia planned, the Ionians were encircled and completley anhilated.
Ionian surviver fleeing from the battle
The Battle was a crushing defeat for the Ionian city of Tarsos. Tarsos was infact an independend greek Colony, but it marked the beginning of Bardias invasion of Anatolia. The rest of the Ionians and the Lydians in Anatolia had no equivalent army like the one of Tarsos. The Persians lost about 10.000 troops, while the Ionians lost nearly 24.000 men.
An interessting side-fact is, that by now King Cambyses full titel was King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World and King of all Kings.
Battle at Atana 530 BC
Why the "light?"
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Battle at Atana marked the beginning of the Anatolian campaign. The details for the reasons are not clear, but it seems that the Persian empire provoked the Ionian-greek colony at Tarsos (Close to Adana) into war. The Persian army at Damaskos was lead by Bardia [Bardiya], the brother of King Cambyses [Kamûbjiya]. Bardia was the most brilliant leader in the Persian army, but politicaly totaly interessted and a loyal servant to his kingbrother; or how Menesthenes put it: "Bardia was good at three things only; hunting animal, leading men to battle and persuing unmarried women. But in all three things he is surpasses everyone, even his king and brother."
The battle itself was the first conflict with a Greek army, but Bardia was aware that the Greek fought in Hoplite formation and prepared himself to the situation.
An elite Hoplite soldier.
The army of Tarsos advances at the Battle of Atana
Bardias plan was to surprise the enemey by doing the one thing they would not expect. He spread a thin line so the Hoplites would be lured into thinking that they could break through the light infantry lines of the Persian army. He would encircle the Ionians with elite troops and annhilate them.
Battle plan by Bardia
Battle development
The battle was significant because the Persian light infantry was able to withstand the Hoplite attack and encircle the enemy.
Hand to hand fighting
Confused Ionian Spearthrower standing all alone on the battlefield
The battle saw some tense close combat. Even the Persian archers would stand their ground and fight with their daggers.
The center of the battle, where the Ionian elite troops face overwhelming number of Persian infantry.
Persian Riders charge into the Ionian formation and breaking the will to fight.
Like Bardia planned, the Ionians were encircled and completley anhilated.
Ionian surviver fleeing from the battle
The Battle was a crushing defeat for the Ionian city of Tarsos. Tarsos was infact an independend greek Colony, but it marked the beginning of Bardias invasion of Anatolia. The rest of the Ionians and the Lydians in Anatolia had no equivalent army like the one of Tarsos. The Persians lost about 10.000 troops, while the Ionians lost nearly 24.000 men.
An interessting side-fact is, that by now King Cambyses full titel was King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World and King of all Kings.
Cool update.
What are you going to do about the Greco-Persian Wars?
What are you going to do about the Greco-Persian Wars?
Originally Posted by penguinking:
Cool update.
What are you going to do about the Greco-Persian Wars?
Good question actually. There is not much I can do, since I don't think that there are any real mods out there covering the period (even though the Greco-Persian wars would have much potential). But if you know something, please let me know.Cool update.
What are you going to do about the Greco-Persian Wars?
Other then that, I have a little surprise update that will bridge between ROP and the Alexandros mod.
Conquest of Anatolia and Egypt; Calm befor the storm
“Iranian empires” by François Sargot - 1853, Paris
After the defeat of the Tarsos Greeks at the Battle of Atana the Lydians and Ionians in Anatolia could not oppose the Persian King Cambyses any longer. The king himself gathered his troops from his Median campaign and marched into Anatolia in 528 BC. It is remarkable that the Lydians and the Ionians resisted conquest for nearly four years and it was not until 523 BC that the important leaders from the Ionian city states subdued to the King personally at a ceremony in Kelainai. Menesthenes adds has a lot to say about that particular ceremony, because he thought of it as the reason for the Greco-Persian Wars 20 years later.
The Anatolian campaign 528BC to 523BC. At Tarsos the Battle of Atana is marked with the X. The Lydians in the center of Anatolia put up hardly any resistance. The X in the middle marks the battle at Kelainai where combined forces of Daskyleion and Halicarnassos were defeated.
Menesthenes saw the proskynesis (submission) to the Persian king as an insult to all of the Greek, but in fact the rest of the Greek world took little notice of that event and for the first 15 years Persian rule of Anatolia was relatively calm. I have studied the reasons for the sudden changes in the Ionian moods towards the new master for a long time. I believe the reasons for that lie in the two other wars that followed the Anatolian campaign. The first one was the conquest of Egypt.
The world in 523 BC befor the Ionian surrender at Kelainai and the fast conquest of Egypt during ~522 to 520BC. The Greek city states are coloured in red, but are not to be confused as a Union. Most Greek citystates were absolutley independend.
The Egyptian campaign, which was swift and mostly bloodless put a great deal of the Mediterranean trade into Persian hands. The Ionian Greeks, who were ruled by Greek tyrants in the name of the Persian King of Kings had to search for new trade routs and started to trade with the Thracians.
But then King Cambyses died in 517 BC and his nephew Darius [Darayawus] became the new Persian King. After Darius had stabilized his rule and reconquered the rebellious Regions in 515 BC he wanted to start a campaign against the Skythians.
Supposed plan to conquere the Skythians. The Georgian troops never started off, Darius only moved troops through Thrace. Even though he was victorious against the Thracians, he was unable to continue waging war agains the Skythians.
The royal Persian army in battle against Thracians around 512 BC.
The campaign in Thrace devastated Ionian outlets in Thrace and by 510 BC to 505 BC an economic crisis hit the Ionians who blamed the Persians for their misery. Menesthenes paints a different picture of an outcry by the Pan-Hellen community against the Persian aggressor, but I do not believe that this was the aim of the Ionian Revolt.
The city of Milet started by rejecting Persian rule, which sparked many revolts in different Ionian cities. By 500 BC a small conflicted which would escalate into a full scale war.
The Palace of Persepolis build by Darius in 510BC show the rich culture during their time. Architecture became an important part of the empire, but only ruins remain today.
After the defeat of the Tarsos Greeks at the Battle of Atana the Lydians and Ionians in Anatolia could not oppose the Persian King Cambyses any longer. The king himself gathered his troops from his Median campaign and marched into Anatolia in 528 BC. It is remarkable that the Lydians and the Ionians resisted conquest for nearly four years and it was not until 523 BC that the important leaders from the Ionian city states subdued to the King personally at a ceremony in Kelainai. Menesthenes adds has a lot to say about that particular ceremony, because he thought of it as the reason for the Greco-Persian Wars 20 years later.
The Anatolian campaign 528BC to 523BC. At Tarsos the Battle of Atana is marked with the X. The Lydians in the center of Anatolia put up hardly any resistance. The X in the middle marks the battle at Kelainai where combined forces of Daskyleion and Halicarnassos were defeated.
Menesthenes saw the proskynesis (submission) to the Persian king as an insult to all of the Greek, but in fact the rest of the Greek world took little notice of that event and for the first 15 years Persian rule of Anatolia was relatively calm. I have studied the reasons for the sudden changes in the Ionian moods towards the new master for a long time. I believe the reasons for that lie in the two other wars that followed the Anatolian campaign. The first one was the conquest of Egypt.
The world in 523 BC befor the Ionian surrender at Kelainai and the fast conquest of Egypt during ~522 to 520BC. The Greek city states are coloured in red, but are not to be confused as a Union. Most Greek citystates were absolutley independend.
The Egyptian campaign, which was swift and mostly bloodless put a great deal of the Mediterranean trade into Persian hands. The Ionian Greeks, who were ruled by Greek tyrants in the name of the Persian King of Kings had to search for new trade routs and started to trade with the Thracians.
But then King Cambyses died in 517 BC and his nephew Darius [Darayawus] became the new Persian King. After Darius had stabilized his rule and reconquered the rebellious Regions in 515 BC he wanted to start a campaign against the Skythians.
Supposed plan to conquere the Skythians. The Georgian troops never started off, Darius only moved troops through Thrace. Even though he was victorious against the Thracians, he was unable to continue waging war agains the Skythians.
The royal Persian army in battle against Thracians around 512 BC.
The campaign in Thrace devastated Ionian outlets in Thrace and by 510 BC to 505 BC an economic crisis hit the Ionians who blamed the Persians for their misery. Menesthenes paints a different picture of an outcry by the Pan-Hellen community against the Persian aggressor, but I do not believe that this was the aim of the Ionian Revolt.
The city of Milet started by rejecting Persian rule, which sparked many revolts in different Ionian cities. By 500 BC a small conflicted which would escalate into a full scale war.
The Palace of Persepolis build by Darius in 510BC show the rich culture during their time. Architecture became an important part of the empire, but only ruins remain today.
Keep up the great work, Fixi! This is is the only AAR I am currently following, as this one is the best so far, and the I do not have time to read more than one AAR.
So how long will you continue with Rise of Persia? I love that mod, but I am also longing for Paeninsula Italica, as I always wanted to see a good preview before downloading that mod.
Oh, and nice work on the expedient updates! You are pretty quick at this.
So how long will you continue with Rise of Persia? I love that mod, but I am also longing for Paeninsula Italica, as I always wanted to see a good preview before downloading that mod.
Oh, and nice work on the expedient updates! You are pretty quick at this.
Excellent read, and a very ambitious project. I like the way you set up the chapters like a history book.
two things make this AAR stand above most others, your ambition and your ability
keep up the good work, consider me hooked
keep up the good work, consider me hooked
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