Peace, Trade, and Development
I am Ptolemy II Philadelphos, second Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty. We are Greek, and many of my countrymen at court murmur that "King" is sufficient title for a Hellenic ruler...but this is Egypt, after all, and Pharaoh I shall be. I succeed to the throne after the death of my father Ptolemy I, successor to Alexander and his kin, and founder of our dynasty.
As I begin my rule, Egypt is at war with the Cyrenes, and my advisors strongly urge war with the Seleucids to our north, coveting the rich lands of Syria and Cilicia. Perhaps in time, but this all seems a bit daft to me here and now. Egypt is not some upstart tribe struggling to emerge from some barren mountainside or desolate patch of sand. We already have a rich country...the largest in the known world. Our territory encompasses the Pyramids, the Lighthouse, and the great Nile. Yet this potential bounty is unharnessed. Our cities are but hamlets, our "armies" merely small bands. Why should I embroil Egypt in foreign wars when there is so much to do here within our borders? Let us develop Aegyptus, and recruit strong armies. Perhaps then we may extend Egypt's frontier. I'm told Alexandria is the greatest port city in all the known world...well then why are we not
trading with all the the known world?
I send my diplomats to the Cyrenaicans with an offer of peace...they readily accept. I then order our small fleet, Zephyr, to depart on an exploration/trade mission...let's get ships of all nations sailing into Alexandria. Zephyr doesn't really need to be a fleet at all. Egypt will certainly need a strong navy in the future, but I don't have any combat uses for these ships during the forseeable years of my own reign...hence I see no reason to pay all these rowers. The ships are beached, the crews discharged. Zephyr then sails as only two ships; the flagship and an escorting hemiolia. I establish a second expedition at Myos Hormos, christened Tempest, for a trade mission into the Mare Indicum and Sinus Persis. As admirals of these expeditions, I appoint the non-Ptolemaic aristocrats Tlepolemus and Nikomachos...they'll cause a lot less political trouble at sea than intriguing here at Alexandria.
It's a pity that I had to decommission ships in the Mediterranean, yet build others in the Sinus Arabica. My advisors tell me that it's impossible to drag them over the isthmus (one wonders just how hard they tried to solve the problem). Somebody ought to think about digging a canal through there someday.
We enter a long period of economic development and military buildup. Farms are planted, temples built. Harbors are upgraded. The muster field at Alexandria is expanded into a proper barracks. Philosophers and engineers research new methods of warfare and finance. An edict of Bread and Games is proclaimed. Egypt's two existing armies, Audacity and Bravado, swell to large size. A third army, Courage, is established. The Zephyr and Tempest expeditions bear fruit, mapping the Mediterranean and eastern waters, while opening trade with coastal factions throughout the known world. Maritime income fills Egyptian coffers.
A word about the army names. For centuries, armies (others as well as our own) have carried long flowery names. "The Champions of Zeus", "The Children of Ra", etc etc. Other powers still follow this practice. I find it rather tiresome...especially when a ragtag bandit rabble prances about the desert with such a grand title as "Immortal Brave Good-Looking Riders of the Vast Burning Hot Sands
TM". All right, I havent' actually seen that quite yet...but it's coming eventually if this continues. I suspect this trend bores the gods as much as it bores me. I decree that henceforth each Ptolemaic force will have a one-word title. Armies will be named with martial, aristocratic, or religious terms, while fleets will be named for ocean winds and storms.
Even at such low development as a mere muster field, our military recruiting versatility is quite good, I have to admit. Egypt is blessed with varied troop types of adequate quality, in a way many other nations do not enjoy. I order the generals to organize their hosts around pike phalanxes, with robust contingents of melee/spear troops for flanks and counterattacks. At this level, we can boast a good light cavalry as well. I am particularly impressed with our Nubian Spearmen...they are not well armored by any standard, but ferocious in defense and stout of heart. Future armies will reap the full benefits of barracks upgrades, but meanwhile Audacity and Bravado are able to fill ranks with a wide variety of capable men. Egyptian Pikemen, Nubian Spearmen, Karian Axes, Egyptian Slingers, and Light Cavalry make for a good army, I believe. We shall soon find out.
The Nabatean War
After over twenty years of peace, economic development, exploration, and military buildup, I decide it is time to unify Nabataea under Pharaonic rule. We hold walled Petra and Jerusalem already, so only have to take the settlements of Hegra and Charmuthas. War is declared on Nabatea...their allies the Qidri and Ma'in join them. Qidri is worrisome, as they border Egyptian Nabataea to the northwest...but they are quickly bought off and leave the war as quickly as they join.
I command Audacity, while my kinsman Iason commands Bravado. Although the Qidri have been mollified, a large Nabatean army in their territory still threatens Petra. Audacity remains near the capital to guard. Bravado marches upon Hegra, just a short distance south of Petra. Hegra's garrison sallies out onto the desert plain before the town to meet Iason's host. The fight does not last long. Egyptian pikes and Nubian spears validate the confidence placed in them, and excel. The light cavalry performs well against Nabataean missile troops. Our own slingers generally acquit themselves satisfactorily, despite one contingent which seemed intent on slashing rather than slinging. The garrison is soon routed, and Hegra is taken. This initial Ptolemaic triumph is marred when old Iason, elated by victory, suffers an apoplectic seizure and falls dead. At least he dies happy. My son Eumneus takes command of Bravado.
Hegra: Egyptian Pikemen meet the Nabatean advance.
Hegra: Nubian Spearmen in square formation hold the right flank against Nabatean cavalry. Somehow a dim-witted group of our slingers get embroiled in this fracas, despite Iason's orders for them to reposition behind the pikes.
Hegra: Bravado light cavalry charging Nabatean javelinmen.
Eumneus presses on to Charmuthas, and assaults the port town. Here the garrison is bolstered by a small army, the long-windedly named Guardians of the Desert (see?). A small garrison fleet lends additional missile troops as well. The Bravado deploy in two pike lines, narrowing their front for approach into the constricted town. It transpires that they don't need to fight at all. Egyptian slingers, perhaps feeling chastened by their minor flummox at Hegra, take this opportunity to win glory. Their stones pelt the Nabatean defenders relentlessly with deadly effect. The Nabateans maneuver to avoid, but there is no escaping the slingers' superb range. They are decimated, disheartened, and finally all routed. The slingers win Charmuthas virtually on their own. Nabataea province is unified; Bread and Games proclaimed here as well as in Aegyptus.
Charmuthas: The Bravado advance toward town.
Charmuthas: Eumneus' Egyptian slingers in action.
Charmuthas: Nabatean Noble Swordsmen grimly attempt to maintain position amidst the slaughter wrought by Bravado missiles.
Their territory is now taken, but a large Nabatean army remains...and threatens Petra from the north. Audacity continues to guard the city. Courage has completed recruiting in Aegyptus and now enters Nabataea, under command of Eirenaois (royal and noble families intermarry so much and breed like rabbits, I can't remember if I'm related to this guy or not...must consult the genealogists). Courage brings the Nabatean host to battle in the dunes northwest of Petra. The struggle is a success, but Eumneus mishandles the slingers before the pike line, and they suffer badly at the hands of their Nabatean counterparts during the early stages. Once melee battle is joined, however, the pikes and Galatian Noble swords easily overcome the Nabatean spearmen. The enemy army is destroyed, and with it the Nabatean nation.
Petra: Courage pike phalanxes at initial melee contact.
So...our first jolly little war is a success. Egypt is now two full provinces. Following the combat, however, our Nabatean experience shows that we Egyptians don't appear very good at assimilating other cultures. Unrest in this province is rampant, fostered by lingering nomad cultural influences. Indeed, this was the case in Petra and Jerusalem even before the war, simply from the presence of this culture in the same province. Future conquests must aim at capturing whole provinces rapidly, and swift eradication of foreign cultures using wholesale demolition and Shrines of Ammon-Zeus. Even so, I foresee that conquering armies will have to spend a lot of time putting down civil disturbances in newly-captured lands.
I reposition our armies back towards Aegyptus to prepare for conquest of Aethiopia to our south. This land is inhabited by the Blemmyes and Meroe. Blemmyes envoys have been pestering me yearly for trade, pacts, alliances, and have been consistently rebuffed...but they don't get it, and keep coming back. They'll understand now. Audacity and Courage position near the border, while Bravado prepares to cross the Sinus Arabica in transports. A fourth army, Discipline, begins recruitment at Diospolis. A military workshop has been recently built at that town; commencement of hostilities is delayed a bit while I reorganize our armies by adding newly-available ballistae.
Word comes from afar. Zephyr's trade mission is a smashing success. Tlapolemus has explored not only throughout the Mediterranean, but beyond the Pillars of Hercules and to the frigid north. Strange-looking barbarian merchant vessels, crewed by scruffy bearded sailors called unfamiliar names such as Iceni and Cimbri, make their way to Alexandria. Tempest, meanwhile, has opened the sea route through the Mare Indicum to the Sinus Persis, and have opened trade with peoples such as the Drangiana and Medes. The great powers of Carthage, Rome, Macedon, and Athens do commerce with Egypt. Even the cantankerous Seleucids, long dismissive of our commercial overtures, find their greed overcoming their pride, and now send their trading vessels into Alexandria's harbor. In all, my economic advisor tells me that 28 nations trade with Egypt...the vast majority of them due to the Zephyr fleet. Tlapolemus has done well.
Ptolemy II Philadelphos dies of natural causes on the eve of his planned invasion of Blemmyes. Eumneus succeeds to the throne as the third Pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt. He intends to continue his father's plans.
Configuration of the Egyptian provinces at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphos' death:
Ptolemaic Supremacy: An Egypt AAR
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