The Greek Empire
- Thread starter seleucusVII
- Start date
I was planning at first to post all Brinzakeis' life, but, since my time is over today, friday, I'll post what I have already made 'till now (only 12 years):
PART 3- BRINZAKEIS:
263 b.C.: With the 1st Punic War delayed, Carthage doing its affairs, and Rome weaker, Brinzakeis can start to make his brother’s reforms.
The aristocrats guilty of corruption are arrested, tried, and executed. Those found innocent or not implicated are left to their own devices, while two months later the Macedonian Areopagus (Senate) is created.
But a peace feeling wasn’t common: riots everywhere from the aristocrats in the empire made Brinzakeis act harshly against the rebels, executing many. Despite that, he would let every senator say speak somewhat freely in criticizing the Basileus, as long as it did not amount to open or covert plotting against him.
There is much debate today if Brinzakeis was, in fact, a classic case study in bipolar disorder due to the moments when he exhibited terrible anger, however, it did not diminish his ultimate greatness.
A small rebellion in Pergamon is controlled very quickly by Socrates Mikros’ army, but here, the great general perishes in combat. Alypios from Sparta becomes the Empire‘s foremost general.
The Galateans press into Seleucid territory, by unknown reasons, and the king Antiochus I goes to hold them off with 30.000 men. Seleucus, viceroy of the Seleucid Empire, goes to Ancyra to talk with the King of the Galateans, Demosix.
262 b.C.: Antiochus I Soter of the Seleucid Empire dies this year fighting against the Galatians who wanted to cross the Anatolian border with the Seleucids.
In the Battle of the High Euphrates, both him and Demosix of Galatea perish, together with most of both armies. The Galatian invasion is held off, albeit at a high cost.
The Seleucid throne legally passes to the Viceroy Seleucus, (that OTL was killed this year), but Antiochus, second son of the dead king, discovers that his elder brother was implicit in the 2nd Galatean invasion. Seleucus is expelled from Seleucid territory. He is received favorably in Macedon.
In the beginning of the fall, Brinzakeis send the army of Alypios, composed of around 55.000 men, to the Seleucid Empire, claiming that ex-Viceroy Seleucus is the real heir of the throne. The Galateans send also a small army, of 22.000. Seleucus loyalists, pressed on by spies, also form a considerably sized army inside of the Seleucid territory.
262-261 b.C.: The Loyalist War. By the middle of February, all the area west to the Tigris is taken by the loyalists.
Alypios claims victory, with relatively few losses (+-4000 men), and the defunct Seleucid Empire is divided in two: the Seleucid Kingdom, ruled by Seleucus II, and the Antiochid Empire, ruled by Antiochus II, both taking the names of the Seleucid Emperors as the rulers of their kingdoms. With the time, the Antiochid Empire would become much more persian than greek in outlook.
After the Loyalist War, General Alypios recieve the title of Archon of the Army, the same of the dead Socrates.
At this point, the Basileus introduces something new to the empire: The Vassal Kingdoms’ Idea. The proclamation is issued stating:
“A nation that accepts vassalization shall maintain independence in its internal affairs, but shall submit to the authority of the Basileus, and will be responsible for some needs of Macedon, like taking slaves periodically. The Vassal Kingdom shall not fear annexation by Macedon, because the independence of the Vassal will be guaranteed by the Basileus himself, except in case of rebellion, that Macedon, being the guardian nation, will have to interfere in the vassal’s affairs and annexation could be considered. [...] The vassal kingdom will receive various benefits in trade, compared to other countries.”
Seleucus II accepts the vassalization, due to all the benefits it would give his nation, impoverished by the war, as well as due to the threat of Antiochus still lurking on his borders. By this time, he and the Basileus become close friends, and as a result, the Seleucid Kingdom received many endorsements from Macedon, becoming an important trade partner.
260 b.C.: Brinzakeis lets the old Egyptian Religion to be cultued, discretly, the same for the Ilyrian and Thracian cults.
Galatea becomes a full vassal kingdom, and Pontus applies also. The son of the King of Pontus, Mithridates, get married with Eleusa, only daughter of the semi-barbaric king of Galatea, Tenebetix. Kersonesos is conquered by Macedon, in one month. There, the system of using very large farms is applied.
Diplomatic relations with Rome and Carthage are made by Macedon, wishing to “educate the barbarians”, as said by General Alypios. This act would be considered offensive by both governors, Consul Gaius Duilius of Rome and Judge Hennes of Carthage, nothing that the Basileus couldn’t solve.
259 b.C.: After a trade problem with the sicilian city-states, the Basileus decides to send a small army, of 23.000 men, to capture the island for Macedon. The city-state of Syracuse was chosen as the initial point of the campaign.
But a defeat was hold during the first invasion of Syracuse, when a dispositive made by an inhabitant of the city destroyed the Macedonian fleet, in their words “The eye of the gods”. The armies, lead by a young egyptian general called Kefiros, had to flee back home.
258-253 b.C.: The Danubian Campaign. In 5 years, the area south to Danube River is conquered by the greek armies, lead by General Kefiros, sent to apprimorare his skills as leader of an army.
257 b.C.: Another expedition is sent to Sicily, this time coming from Magna Graecia.
Lead by the Basileus himself, the expedition, composed of 40.000 men, and 12.000 samnite mercenaries, attacked from the north, directly to Messene.
The city surrendered quickly, as did the other nearby regions.
But one city wouldn’t, and would be that fatal city. The 2nd Siege of Syracuse, in June 21, 257 b.C., was a huge battle, with much casualities by the Macedonian side, and few for the Syracusans, armed with the “Eye of the Gods”. In July, thanks to the large numbers of the Macedonian Army, mostly sicilian mercenaries now, the city finnaly falls.
After Brinzakeis enters the city, he meets the leader of the city, Hiero, and the Basileus spares his life, calling him to enter the Aeropagus.
The inventor of the “Eye of the Gods”, a man called Archimedes, is taken for trial to Brinzakeis. The Basileus spares his life, and then Archimedes shows him his inventions and discoveries: the Archimedes’ Principle, the Screw, the Claw, the “Eye of the Gods”, and his most important invention, the Mechanism (OTL known as Antikythera Mechanism). He is taken to Athens, where he could, as the Basileus said, have “everything he needed to make benefits for the Empire”.
256 b.C.: Pontus, with the support of the Basileus, conquers the eastern face of the Black Sea, capturing some of the locals and making them slaves, later shipped to Macedon, a favour that Brinzakeis thanked Ariobarzanes for his pionerism. A great part of those slaves would work in the Kersonesian large farms, since it was the closest place owned by Macedon.
During the Conquests of the Black Sea, King Ariobarzanes falls from his horse, breaking his neck. The Conquests would be halten almost in Crimea.
Mithridates, his son, comes to power as King Mithridates II of Pontus.
255 b.C.: The Library of Tyre has, for the first time, more books than any other library in the known world.
253 b.C.: General Kefiros ends the Danubian Campaign when he reaches northern Ilyria, after crushing every single village. Those methods, considered barbaric by the Areopagus, weren’t by the Basileus, that said in the moment that the news about the conquests arrived: “The will of the Empire is the will of the Gods - those who do not see it that way deserve to be crushed”.
251. b.C.: King Tenebetix dies, with 64 years, in his throne. His daughter, Eleusa, becomes Queen of Galatea. Since she is already married with the King of Pontus, Mithridates, the Kingdom of Euxina is formed from the union, as vassal of Macedon. This country will be known, for more than 1000 years, as the most trustful country in the world.
The Kingdom of Euxina has a peculliar caracteristic, based on the first decrees by King Mithridates I and Queen Eleusa I:
“The Kingdom of Euxina will be ruled by two people, always: a husband and a wife, except in the case of death of one of them, so the remaining will be king (or queen) until he (she) dies, passing the thrones to their eldest son or daughter that is already married. Any king (queen) that tries to rule alone will be taken off from power forever, and the power will go to the wife (husband), that can marry to any other man (woman) in this point.”.
The Basileus, at first, think the idea ridiculous, but then, he accepts the change of power, at the price of all the land south to Halys River, from the former Kingdom of Galatea.
Map:
PART 3- BRINZAKEIS:
263 b.C.: With the 1st Punic War delayed, Carthage doing its affairs, and Rome weaker, Brinzakeis can start to make his brother’s reforms.
The aristocrats guilty of corruption are arrested, tried, and executed. Those found innocent or not implicated are left to their own devices, while two months later the Macedonian Areopagus (Senate) is created.
But a peace feeling wasn’t common: riots everywhere from the aristocrats in the empire made Brinzakeis act harshly against the rebels, executing many. Despite that, he would let every senator say speak somewhat freely in criticizing the Basileus, as long as it did not amount to open or covert plotting against him.
There is much debate today if Brinzakeis was, in fact, a classic case study in bipolar disorder due to the moments when he exhibited terrible anger, however, it did not diminish his ultimate greatness.
A small rebellion in Pergamon is controlled very quickly by Socrates Mikros’ army, but here, the great general perishes in combat. Alypios from Sparta becomes the Empire‘s foremost general.
The Galateans press into Seleucid territory, by unknown reasons, and the king Antiochus I goes to hold them off with 30.000 men. Seleucus, viceroy of the Seleucid Empire, goes to Ancyra to talk with the King of the Galateans, Demosix.
262 b.C.: Antiochus I Soter of the Seleucid Empire dies this year fighting against the Galatians who wanted to cross the Anatolian border with the Seleucids.
In the Battle of the High Euphrates, both him and Demosix of Galatea perish, together with most of both armies. The Galatian invasion is held off, albeit at a high cost.
The Seleucid throne legally passes to the Viceroy Seleucus, (that OTL was killed this year), but Antiochus, second son of the dead king, discovers that his elder brother was implicit in the 2nd Galatean invasion. Seleucus is expelled from Seleucid territory. He is received favorably in Macedon.
In the beginning of the fall, Brinzakeis send the army of Alypios, composed of around 55.000 men, to the Seleucid Empire, claiming that ex-Viceroy Seleucus is the real heir of the throne. The Galateans send also a small army, of 22.000. Seleucus loyalists, pressed on by spies, also form a considerably sized army inside of the Seleucid territory.
262-261 b.C.: The Loyalist War. By the middle of February, all the area west to the Tigris is taken by the loyalists.
Alypios claims victory, with relatively few losses (+-4000 men), and the defunct Seleucid Empire is divided in two: the Seleucid Kingdom, ruled by Seleucus II, and the Antiochid Empire, ruled by Antiochus II, both taking the names of the Seleucid Emperors as the rulers of their kingdoms. With the time, the Antiochid Empire would become much more persian than greek in outlook.
After the Loyalist War, General Alypios recieve the title of Archon of the Army, the same of the dead Socrates.
At this point, the Basileus introduces something new to the empire: The Vassal Kingdoms’ Idea. The proclamation is issued stating:
“A nation that accepts vassalization shall maintain independence in its internal affairs, but shall submit to the authority of the Basileus, and will be responsible for some needs of Macedon, like taking slaves periodically. The Vassal Kingdom shall not fear annexation by Macedon, because the independence of the Vassal will be guaranteed by the Basileus himself, except in case of rebellion, that Macedon, being the guardian nation, will have to interfere in the vassal’s affairs and annexation could be considered. [...] The vassal kingdom will receive various benefits in trade, compared to other countries.”
Seleucus II accepts the vassalization, due to all the benefits it would give his nation, impoverished by the war, as well as due to the threat of Antiochus still lurking on his borders. By this time, he and the Basileus become close friends, and as a result, the Seleucid Kingdom received many endorsements from Macedon, becoming an important trade partner.
260 b.C.: Brinzakeis lets the old Egyptian Religion to be cultued, discretly, the same for the Ilyrian and Thracian cults.
Galatea becomes a full vassal kingdom, and Pontus applies also. The son of the King of Pontus, Mithridates, get married with Eleusa, only daughter of the semi-barbaric king of Galatea, Tenebetix. Kersonesos is conquered by Macedon, in one month. There, the system of using very large farms is applied.
Diplomatic relations with Rome and Carthage are made by Macedon, wishing to “educate the barbarians”, as said by General Alypios. This act would be considered offensive by both governors, Consul Gaius Duilius of Rome and Judge Hennes of Carthage, nothing that the Basileus couldn’t solve.
259 b.C.: After a trade problem with the sicilian city-states, the Basileus decides to send a small army, of 23.000 men, to capture the island for Macedon. The city-state of Syracuse was chosen as the initial point of the campaign.
But a defeat was hold during the first invasion of Syracuse, when a dispositive made by an inhabitant of the city destroyed the Macedonian fleet, in their words “The eye of the gods”. The armies, lead by a young egyptian general called Kefiros, had to flee back home.
258-253 b.C.: The Danubian Campaign. In 5 years, the area south to Danube River is conquered by the greek armies, lead by General Kefiros, sent to apprimorare his skills as leader of an army.
257 b.C.: Another expedition is sent to Sicily, this time coming from Magna Graecia.
Lead by the Basileus himself, the expedition, composed of 40.000 men, and 12.000 samnite mercenaries, attacked from the north, directly to Messene.
The city surrendered quickly, as did the other nearby regions.
But one city wouldn’t, and would be that fatal city. The 2nd Siege of Syracuse, in June 21, 257 b.C., was a huge battle, with much casualities by the Macedonian side, and few for the Syracusans, armed with the “Eye of the Gods”. In July, thanks to the large numbers of the Macedonian Army, mostly sicilian mercenaries now, the city finnaly falls.
After Brinzakeis enters the city, he meets the leader of the city, Hiero, and the Basileus spares his life, calling him to enter the Aeropagus.
The inventor of the “Eye of the Gods”, a man called Archimedes, is taken for trial to Brinzakeis. The Basileus spares his life, and then Archimedes shows him his inventions and discoveries: the Archimedes’ Principle, the Screw, the Claw, the “Eye of the Gods”, and his most important invention, the Mechanism (OTL known as Antikythera Mechanism). He is taken to Athens, where he could, as the Basileus said, have “everything he needed to make benefits for the Empire”.
256 b.C.: Pontus, with the support of the Basileus, conquers the eastern face of the Black Sea, capturing some of the locals and making them slaves, later shipped to Macedon, a favour that Brinzakeis thanked Ariobarzanes for his pionerism. A great part of those slaves would work in the Kersonesian large farms, since it was the closest place owned by Macedon.
During the Conquests of the Black Sea, King Ariobarzanes falls from his horse, breaking his neck. The Conquests would be halten almost in Crimea.
Mithridates, his son, comes to power as King Mithridates II of Pontus.
255 b.C.: The Library of Tyre has, for the first time, more books than any other library in the known world.
253 b.C.: General Kefiros ends the Danubian Campaign when he reaches northern Ilyria, after crushing every single village. Those methods, considered barbaric by the Areopagus, weren’t by the Basileus, that said in the moment that the news about the conquests arrived: “The will of the Empire is the will of the Gods - those who do not see it that way deserve to be crushed”.
251. b.C.: King Tenebetix dies, with 64 years, in his throne. His daughter, Eleusa, becomes Queen of Galatea. Since she is already married with the King of Pontus, Mithridates, the Kingdom of Euxina is formed from the union, as vassal of Macedon. This country will be known, for more than 1000 years, as the most trustful country in the world.
The Kingdom of Euxina has a peculliar caracteristic, based on the first decrees by King Mithridates I and Queen Eleusa I:
“The Kingdom of Euxina will be ruled by two people, always: a husband and a wife, except in the case of death of one of them, so the remaining will be king (or queen) until he (she) dies, passing the thrones to their eldest son or daughter that is already married. Any king (queen) that tries to rule alone will be taken off from power forever, and the power will go to the wife (husband), that can marry to any other man (woman) in this point.”.
The Basileus, at first, think the idea ridiculous, but then, he accepts the change of power, at the price of all the land south to Halys River, from the former Kingdom of Galatea.
Map:
Macedonia is holding well the situation in the west, but the east is truly unstable. The Antiochid Empire, is basiclly, Persia.
I can tell you just that Bactria is receiving a lot of greeks, since those who live in OTL Iran are going or westward (to the Seleucid Kingdom), or eastward, to a place free of persians, since Antiochus II is becoming each moment more persian. In the next update it will be more clear.
Bactria is going to be a redoubt of greeks between indians, persians and scythians.
Faeelin
Banned
Is it? The Persian Empire, from what I unstand, was dependent on revenues from Mesopotamia; and in OTL the territory of modern Iran was usually ruld by local dynasts who were loyal to the Seleucids.
Here? Well, I suspect that the Antiochid empire is in trouble.
Faeelin said:
Well, who knows what will happen?
Maybe I'll have it updated 'till wednesday, depending on my time. If I can't get much time, I'll update it in friday.
It will be, probably, the empire 'till the death of Brinzakeis and a bit later.
Update
Yes, I know it is late, but I was very busy this week. I'll try to do the next updates as quick as I can, I promise.
250 b.C.: Brinzakeis, after a talk with Archimedes, makes the Law of the Protection of Science and Philosophy, which would create the Great Academy of Athens, where, for the next 500 years, most of the greatest scientists of the world would come from. The greatest scientists and philosophers of Macedon are called into Athens to show their ideas, with Archimedes as the first Rector.
A man from Samos, Aristarchus, is one of the scientists that are called. He, contradicting Aristotle and Ptolemy, shows his idea of Heliocentrism. The Aristarchic Model, as it is called, is well accepted by the Academy.
OTL, his model would be disconsidered in favor of the Ptolemaic. The rebellion of Andragoras in Partahia (Parthia), that OTL resulted in nothing, TTL seceeds Parthia from the central government of the antiochids. Antiochus, showing his anger, sends an army of 42.000 to Partahia. The efforts are useless, mostly thanks to the form of armies that the Parthians used, cavalry archers (similar to the sarmatians that lived north). It would accelerate the division of the Antiochid Empire, and the first leader of the new Parthian Empire took the name of Arsaces I.
247 b.C.: Hannibal of Carthage is born. General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself. Since Dacia has a very bad terrain, an army of 40.000 soldiers was used, and Alypios the Spartan lead a 2nd army, composed of 14.000 spartans, and another 20.000 soldiers from all the other cities. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
247-243 b.C.: General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself.
Brinzakeis, disagreeing with his generals over the use of phalanx in the Dacian terrain, calls for the return of the mixed armies of Phillip and Alexander, and it would be used in Dacia as an experiment to see if it actually works.
The “Alexandrinean” armies would be used far after Dacia.
The mixed army, lead by Kefiros and composed of 40.000 soldiers, was used directly in the mountains and it had archers as most used unit.
The 2nd army, lead by Alypios, was composed of 5.000 spartans, and another 28.000 soldiers from all the other cities, together with 4.000 cretan archers,. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
246 b.C.: Ptolemy I Philadelphus of Khanaan dies and is succeeded by his son, Ptolemy II Euergetes. A majority of the area of Dacia is taken without troubles, but the villages in the mountains would take much time. The barbarians, used to the place, have much less casualties than the armies, but the Macedonians push them north, eventually leaving the area of Dacia.
Those barbarians that escape would live in southern Poland much like in Dacia, for more 30 years.
Brinzakeis go to Dacia toghether with 1.000 spartan guards, to see the progress of the conquests. In there, he sees that a town, Pelendava, was resisting to the armies of Kefiros.
Not too much time after the arrival of Brinzakeis, the town would surrender. Kefiros would capture himself the chief of the town, Dromihete. Kefiros, in his eternal anger, trial the old chief to die for his insolence against the empire. Brinzakeis saves him, and then, he marries a daughter of Dromihete, called Shana.
OTL, this year Antiochus Theos is murdered.
246-243 b.C.: More and more dacians, following the previous ones, would flee northward. Many, even though, would stay in the area, submiting to Macedon.
245 b.C.: Antiochus II, trying to make the persians happier, converts to Zoroastrianism. The greek religion is still practiced in Bactria and in the Tigris.
The greek exodus inside the Antiochid Empire to Bactria continues, this time quicker. The Parthians conquer the areas north of them. Bactria is left untouched, due to the money paid by the local Satrap.
Brinzakeis Athínatos (the Weak, as he would be known), son of the Basileus, is born in Athens, in the spring. There, an ex-soldier and companion of Brinzakeis in the army when young, now a philosopher, would educate the baby. The philosopher, called “Charon” by many of his enemies, was a greed and crazy man, a thing that the Basileus didn’t know.
244 b.C.: Antiochus Callinocus (OTL Seleucus Callinicus) try to poison his father. Antiochus II discovers the plot and tries to execute his son.
Antiochus, the son, escapes together with a group of greeks to Bactria. His father thinks Callinocus to be dead, so, no problem at all.
243 b.C.: The last dacian town, Arcobadara, is taken by the armies of Kefiros. Dacia, much more empty than before the war, is now greek.
The “Theory of the Adaptable Army”, wrotten by Brinzakeis, is exposed in the Areopagus. It says the following:
“The phalanx isn’t the perfect army, and changes would be proven necessary. For example, the barbarians of the north. Their passion in war is something unexplainable. It would be very useful in our army, if civilized;
“About the horsemen of Scythia: we doesn’t need all those horses, but some changes would be proven good and it would make our army better.
[...]
“Other changes, beyond those ones, are still necessary.”
And then, some crimean horsemen started to appear in the greek army, together with the thracian falxmen and the traditional phalangites.
A true mixed army would only appear some years after the death of Brinzakeis.
241 b.C.: OTL, the First Punic War would end.
The Council of Kings is created by the Basileus as another Areopagus, this time with the own Satraps of the Empire. The name Council of Kings comes from the idea of Brinzakeis to put a sub-king in control of every province, idea that would be fully applied a few years later. The first kings are: Antigonus of Epirus, Magas of Cyrene, Agron of Ilyria, Allia of Dacia and Hiero of Sicily.
The head of the greek academy founded by Plato, a philosopher called Arcesilaus, dies. The academy is joined with the Great Greek Academy of Archimedes.
241-240 b.C.: The Campaign of Istria, a small campaign lead by Alypios the Younger. With 20.000 men, he conquers Istria in one year, and then, he goes further; His armies march over the northeast part of Italy, going until the border of the Roman Republic. The senate of Rome gets angry but does nothing, because their legions are no match for the superior macedonian army.
240 b.C.: The island of Chyrse sinks about this time in an earthquake. The Halley comet is for the first time observed by an astronomer, Aratus, months before his death. The comet is baptized Aratus Comet in its next approximation to earth.
239 b.C.: After a large rebellion, Antiochus Callinocus is crowned as Archon of Bactria, protected by the Mauryan Empire.
By this time, the persians are actually hating the greek rule.
Antiochus II of the Antiochid Empire is murdered while sleeping. The Antiochid Empire is dissolved and the Persian Empire is created over it, with Cyrus of Ecbatana as Shahanshah Cyrus III. Even though, Parthia and Bactria takes some parts of Persia. Bactria gains access to the sea.
A merchant ship of Macedon arrives at Lilybaeum, Carthaginian Sicily. After a small discussion, the merchants are captured and sacrificed to Baal.
Brinzakeis has a crisis and orders that Kefiros go to take the city. Hamilcar Barca of Carthage declares war over Macedon.
Poet Flavius (OTL Ennius) is born in Salento. He, besides being poet, would be the first great historian in the Macedonian Empire. Having a roman father, he would be known as “Flavius the Roman”.
239-230 b.C.: The Western War. It is divided in two parts: The 1st Punic War and the 2nd Roman War.
Initially, the war was small. 20.000 men, being only 5.000 greeks and 15.000 sicilian mercenaries, all lead by Kefiros, took very quickly the western Sicily.
Not too much time after it, the war starts to get hot.
In June, three fleets are made in Crete, the biggest lead by the Tyrant of Sicily, Hiero, composed of 500 quinquiremes, beyond the usual biremes and triremes. The other two fleets were smaller and were used mainly in moving of troops.
In december of 239 b.C., while Hiero is moving his fleet to the west mediterranean, he faces the superior navy of Carthage, in the large Battle of Malta. There, the 400 ships of Hamilcar destroys all the smaller ships and 440 of the 500 triremes of Hiero of Sicily, making sure that every single greek he can capture is killed. Hiero, as quickly as he can, run to the caves of the island of Malta, and there he stays ‘till he is found. The other 60 ships, 40 of Admiral Icarus from Neapolis, holds the carthaginians in the area between Gozo and Malta. Then, the 20 ships remaining flee directly to Syracuse. In the Siege of Syracuse, that followed immediatly the Battle of Malta, the city wouldn’t be conquered by Hamilcar thanks to the “Eye of the Gods” of Archimedes.
After the Siege of Syracuse, Brinzakeis orders that every coastal city shall have, at least, one Eye. In one of the strangest sieges of history, the Siege of Lilybaeum, the Eye is used against the elephants of Capitain Hanno, coming from the southwest. The Carthaginians are put off of Sicily, for a time.
238 b.C.: The chiefs of the Aipoikiai of Massalia, Agathe and Antipolis ask for Macedonian help against the monthly carthaginian raids and pillages.
So then, the armies of Alypios the Young advances into Galatea Transalpeia (Gaul beyond the alps). The local polis are joined with Macedon, as the locals wished.
236 b.C.: To Alypios the Older is given a large army, of 1.500 spartan hoplites, 17.000 phalangites, 10.000 peltastes, 3.000 archers, and 5 captured elephants. His army would conquer Malta and free Hiero. After it, he conquers Corsica and Sardinia.
235 b.C.: The Consul Titus Torquatus was able to persuade the Senate, saying that with Carthage distracting the Macedonians, Rome could benefit greatly by declaring war.
Rome sends two large armies to greek territory: one in the north, to Istria, and another to Magna Graecia.
Philip I of the Seleucid Kingdom dies of diarrhea and his son Philip the Smart is crowned as Philip II.
234 b.C.: The army of Alypios the Older attacks rome from the south, and his son, by north. The Senate, now regretting its initial attack, tries to stop the greeks, but, due to the larger size of the macedonian army, Rome can’t do anything.
With the Macedonians worried in fighting with the romans, Hamicar do his expedition to Hispania, 2 years late from OTL.
In China, the construction of the Great Wall begins. In India, the third buddhist council happens.
233 b.C.: King Mithridates of Euxina dies by a disease in Central Anatolia. Queen Eleusa, pregnant of him, stay as Queen alone.
Ashoka, ruler of the Mauryan Empire and protector of Bactria, dies. Bactria rebels against Dasaratha Maurya, new ruler, and gains the territory ‘till the Indus.
Now Bactria is alone, with no friend nations around.
Agron, sub-king of Ilyria, dies and is succeeded by his wife, Teuta.
232 b.C.: In the middle of the winter, Rome is conquered by both armies, since it is in the place that both armies meets. In that day, the Roman Republic is dissolved.
231 b.C.: Archimedes, pressed by Brinzakeis, develops a pratical weapon based on the “Eye of the Gods”: the “Wrath of Zeus”:a ballista armed with flaming bolts, redirected from the sun. In the near future, they would be used massively.
230 b.C.: In 5/30/230 b.C., the Great Battle of Carthage happens. Near to the coast of the city, the 720 ships (mostly triremes; some biremes and few quinquiremes) of Admiral Stelios battle against the largest fleet of the Carthaginians, of 100 quinqueremes, 500 biremes, 300 triremes, lead by Hamilcar Barca himself. Near there, 19.000 soldiers lead by Alypios the Older were disembarked to fight in the city; Another army, with 64.000 men, commanded by Brinzakeis himself, was in Lilybaeum waiting for the first results.
Six of the “Wrath of Zeus” ballistas would be used by the first time, and they would be proven more useful than expected.
The greeks disembarked directly in the city’s port, and then, shooting with the Wrath directly from the ships into the buildings . Hard carthaginian resistance was shown. Even though they conquered the port, with many costs, with 9.000 men dying and one Wrath breaking. But the city couldn’t been conquered that night, because of the lack of siege weapons.
It was the fatal night, the Night that Changed Everything, the Night of the First of June.
In the sea, the battle has taken one day and a night, and, in the middle of the night of the day 1, the carthaginians has finally won. The remaining ships ran out to Lilybaeum, and the macedonian army is left alone in Africa.
Following it, the carthaginian fleet raids and recovers the port, in the dawn. Then they advance in direction of the city. Another army, coming from the city, covers all the sides of the greek army).
The macedonians located in the middle of it resist bravely, but all them perish, together with a large part of the carthaginian army (77.000 men in this battle, coming from both sides). General Alypios, in his last attack, kills Hamilcar, in the same moment that he’s hitten by a spear in his cheast, thrown by the Barcid.
Brinzakeis would never forgive himself for leaving his men and his friend alone there.
This victory, a Carthaginian Victory, as it would be known in the future, is considered more a defeat then a victory by itself (OOC: OTL Pyrrhic Victory), since a large part of the army was destroyed. Peace would be made one month later between Macedon and Carthage.
In this peace agreement, Macedon would stay with the carthaginian islands already occupied, and Carthage would have free access to conquer Hispania entirely.
The Sieve of Erasthotenes is developed in the Great Academy.
227 b.C.: Alypios the Younger is crowned as Archon of the Army. Carthago Nova is founded.
226 b.C.: OTL Seleucus (Antiochus) Callinicus is murdered.
An earthquake destroys the city of Kameiros in Rhodes, together with the colossus. Even that the statue was made to celebrate the defeat of Antigonus I, Brinzakeis send some builders to reconstruct it.
Soon after it, Brinzakeis starts to feel ill, and he discovers that he has got an ilness in Sicily.
The Basileus dies, and is succeeded by Alypios the Younger. Dark times are to come now, the time of the incompetent emperors...
Yes, I know it is late, but I was very busy this week. I'll try to do the next updates as quick as I can, I promise.
250 b.C.: Brinzakeis, after a talk with Archimedes, makes the Law of the Protection of Science and Philosophy, which would create the Great Academy of Athens, where, for the next 500 years, most of the greatest scientists of the world would come from. The greatest scientists and philosophers of Macedon are called into Athens to show their ideas, with Archimedes as the first Rector.
A man from Samos, Aristarchus, is one of the scientists that are called. He, contradicting Aristotle and Ptolemy, shows his idea of Heliocentrism. The Aristarchic Model, as it is called, is well accepted by the Academy.
OTL, his model would be disconsidered in favor of the Ptolemaic. The rebellion of Andragoras in Partahia (Parthia), that OTL resulted in nothing, TTL seceeds Parthia from the central government of the antiochids. Antiochus, showing his anger, sends an army of 42.000 to Partahia. The efforts are useless, mostly thanks to the form of armies that the Parthians used, cavalry archers (similar to the sarmatians that lived north). It would accelerate the division of the Antiochid Empire, and the first leader of the new Parthian Empire took the name of Arsaces I.
247 b.C.: Hannibal of Carthage is born. General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself. Since Dacia has a very bad terrain, an army of 40.000 soldiers was used, and Alypios the Spartan lead a 2nd army, composed of 14.000 spartans, and another 20.000 soldiers from all the other cities. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
247-243 b.C.: General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself.
Brinzakeis, disagreeing with his generals over the use of phalanx in the Dacian terrain, calls for the return of the mixed armies of Phillip and Alexander, and it would be used in Dacia as an experiment to see if it actually works.
The “Alexandrinean” armies would be used far after Dacia.
The mixed army, lead by Kefiros and composed of 40.000 soldiers, was used directly in the mountains and it had archers as most used unit.
The 2nd army, lead by Alypios, was composed of 5.000 spartans, and another 28.000 soldiers from all the other cities, together with 4.000 cretan archers,. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
246 b.C.: Ptolemy I Philadelphus of Khanaan dies and is succeeded by his son, Ptolemy II Euergetes. A majority of the area of Dacia is taken without troubles, but the villages in the mountains would take much time. The barbarians, used to the place, have much less casualties than the armies, but the Macedonians push them north, eventually leaving the area of Dacia.
Those barbarians that escape would live in southern Poland much like in Dacia, for more 30 years.
Brinzakeis go to Dacia toghether with 1.000 spartan guards, to see the progress of the conquests. In there, he sees that a town, Pelendava, was resisting to the armies of Kefiros.
Not too much time after the arrival of Brinzakeis, the town would surrender. Kefiros would capture himself the chief of the town, Dromihete. Kefiros, in his eternal anger, trial the old chief to die for his insolence against the empire. Brinzakeis saves him, and then, he marries a daughter of Dromihete, called Shana.
OTL, this year Antiochus Theos is murdered.
246-243 b.C.: More and more dacians, following the previous ones, would flee northward. Many, even though, would stay in the area, submiting to Macedon.
245 b.C.: Antiochus II, trying to make the persians happier, converts to Zoroastrianism. The greek religion is still practiced in Bactria and in the Tigris.
The greek exodus inside the Antiochid Empire to Bactria continues, this time quicker. The Parthians conquer the areas north of them. Bactria is left untouched, due to the money paid by the local Satrap.
Brinzakeis Athínatos (the Weak, as he would be known), son of the Basileus, is born in Athens, in the spring. There, an ex-soldier and companion of Brinzakeis in the army when young, now a philosopher, would educate the baby. The philosopher, called “Charon” by many of his enemies, was a greed and crazy man, a thing that the Basileus didn’t know.
244 b.C.: Antiochus Callinocus (OTL Seleucus Callinicus) try to poison his father. Antiochus II discovers the plot and tries to execute his son.
Antiochus, the son, escapes together with a group of greeks to Bactria. His father thinks Callinocus to be dead, so, no problem at all.
243 b.C.: The last dacian town, Arcobadara, is taken by the armies of Kefiros. Dacia, much more empty than before the war, is now greek.
The “Theory of the Adaptable Army”, wrotten by Brinzakeis, is exposed in the Areopagus. It says the following:
“The phalanx isn’t the perfect army, and changes would be proven necessary. For example, the barbarians of the north. Their passion in war is something unexplainable. It would be very useful in our army, if civilized;
“About the horsemen of Scythia: we doesn’t need all those horses, but some changes would be proven good and it would make our army better.
[...]
“Other changes, beyond those ones, are still necessary.”
And then, some crimean horsemen started to appear in the greek army, together with the thracian falxmen and the traditional phalangites.
A true mixed army would only appear some years after the death of Brinzakeis.
241 b.C.: OTL, the First Punic War would end.
The Council of Kings is created by the Basileus as another Areopagus, this time with the own Satraps of the Empire. The name Council of Kings comes from the idea of Brinzakeis to put a sub-king in control of every province, idea that would be fully applied a few years later. The first kings are: Antigonus of Epirus, Magas of Cyrene, Agron of Ilyria, Allia of Dacia and Hiero of Sicily.
The head of the greek academy founded by Plato, a philosopher called Arcesilaus, dies. The academy is joined with the Great Greek Academy of Archimedes.
241-240 b.C.: The Campaign of Istria, a small campaign lead by Alypios the Younger. With 20.000 men, he conquers Istria in one year, and then, he goes further; His armies march over the northeast part of Italy, going until the border of the Roman Republic. The senate of Rome gets angry but does nothing, because their legions are no match for the superior macedonian army.
240 b.C.: The island of Chyrse sinks about this time in an earthquake. The Halley comet is for the first time observed by an astronomer, Aratus, months before his death. The comet is baptized Aratus Comet in its next approximation to earth.
239 b.C.: After a large rebellion, Antiochus Callinocus is crowned as Archon of Bactria, protected by the Mauryan Empire.
By this time, the persians are actually hating the greek rule.
Antiochus II of the Antiochid Empire is murdered while sleeping. The Antiochid Empire is dissolved and the Persian Empire is created over it, with Cyrus of Ecbatana as Shahanshah Cyrus III. Even though, Parthia and Bactria takes some parts of Persia. Bactria gains access to the sea.
A merchant ship of Macedon arrives at Lilybaeum, Carthaginian Sicily. After a small discussion, the merchants are captured and sacrificed to Baal.
Brinzakeis has a crisis and orders that Kefiros go to take the city. Hamilcar Barca of Carthage declares war over Macedon.
Poet Flavius (OTL Ennius) is born in Salento. He, besides being poet, would be the first great historian in the Macedonian Empire. Having a roman father, he would be known as “Flavius the Roman”.
239-230 b.C.: The Western War. It is divided in two parts: The 1st Punic War and the 2nd Roman War.
Initially, the war was small. 20.000 men, being only 5.000 greeks and 15.000 sicilian mercenaries, all lead by Kefiros, took very quickly the western Sicily.
Not too much time after it, the war starts to get hot.
In June, three fleets are made in Crete, the biggest lead by the Tyrant of Sicily, Hiero, composed of 500 quinquiremes, beyond the usual biremes and triremes. The other two fleets were smaller and were used mainly in moving of troops.
In december of 239 b.C., while Hiero is moving his fleet to the west mediterranean, he faces the superior navy of Carthage, in the large Battle of Malta. There, the 400 ships of Hamilcar destroys all the smaller ships and 440 of the 500 triremes of Hiero of Sicily, making sure that every single greek he can capture is killed. Hiero, as quickly as he can, run to the caves of the island of Malta, and there he stays ‘till he is found. The other 60 ships, 40 of Admiral Icarus from Neapolis, holds the carthaginians in the area between Gozo and Malta. Then, the 20 ships remaining flee directly to Syracuse. In the Siege of Syracuse, that followed immediatly the Battle of Malta, the city wouldn’t be conquered by Hamilcar thanks to the “Eye of the Gods” of Archimedes.
After the Siege of Syracuse, Brinzakeis orders that every coastal city shall have, at least, one Eye. In one of the strangest sieges of history, the Siege of Lilybaeum, the Eye is used against the elephants of Capitain Hanno, coming from the southwest. The Carthaginians are put off of Sicily, for a time.
238 b.C.: The chiefs of the Aipoikiai of Massalia, Agathe and Antipolis ask for Macedonian help against the monthly carthaginian raids and pillages.
So then, the armies of Alypios the Young advances into Galatea Transalpeia (Gaul beyond the alps). The local polis are joined with Macedon, as the locals wished.
236 b.C.: To Alypios the Older is given a large army, of 1.500 spartan hoplites, 17.000 phalangites, 10.000 peltastes, 3.000 archers, and 5 captured elephants. His army would conquer Malta and free Hiero. After it, he conquers Corsica and Sardinia.
235 b.C.: The Consul Titus Torquatus was able to persuade the Senate, saying that with Carthage distracting the Macedonians, Rome could benefit greatly by declaring war.
Rome sends two large armies to greek territory: one in the north, to Istria, and another to Magna Graecia.
Philip I of the Seleucid Kingdom dies of diarrhea and his son Philip the Smart is crowned as Philip II.
234 b.C.: The army of Alypios the Older attacks rome from the south, and his son, by north. The Senate, now regretting its initial attack, tries to stop the greeks, but, due to the larger size of the macedonian army, Rome can’t do anything.
With the Macedonians worried in fighting with the romans, Hamicar do his expedition to Hispania, 2 years late from OTL.
In China, the construction of the Great Wall begins. In India, the third buddhist council happens.
233 b.C.: King Mithridates of Euxina dies by a disease in Central Anatolia. Queen Eleusa, pregnant of him, stay as Queen alone.
Ashoka, ruler of the Mauryan Empire and protector of Bactria, dies. Bactria rebels against Dasaratha Maurya, new ruler, and gains the territory ‘till the Indus.
Now Bactria is alone, with no friend nations around.
Agron, sub-king of Ilyria, dies and is succeeded by his wife, Teuta.
232 b.C.: In the middle of the winter, Rome is conquered by both armies, since it is in the place that both armies meets. In that day, the Roman Republic is dissolved.
231 b.C.: Archimedes, pressed by Brinzakeis, develops a pratical weapon based on the “Eye of the Gods”: the “Wrath of Zeus”:a ballista armed with flaming bolts, redirected from the sun. In the near future, they would be used massively.
230 b.C.: In 5/30/230 b.C., the Great Battle of Carthage happens. Near to the coast of the city, the 720 ships (mostly triremes; some biremes and few quinquiremes) of Admiral Stelios battle against the largest fleet of the Carthaginians, of 100 quinqueremes, 500 biremes, 300 triremes, lead by Hamilcar Barca himself. Near there, 19.000 soldiers lead by Alypios the Older were disembarked to fight in the city; Another army, with 64.000 men, commanded by Brinzakeis himself, was in Lilybaeum waiting for the first results.
Six of the “Wrath of Zeus” ballistas would be used by the first time, and they would be proven more useful than expected.
The greeks disembarked directly in the city’s port, and then, shooting with the Wrath directly from the ships into the buildings . Hard carthaginian resistance was shown. Even though they conquered the port, with many costs, with 9.000 men dying and one Wrath breaking. But the city couldn’t been conquered that night, because of the lack of siege weapons.
It was the fatal night, the Night that Changed Everything, the Night of the First of June.
In the sea, the battle has taken one day and a night, and, in the middle of the night of the day 1, the carthaginians has finally won. The remaining ships ran out to Lilybaeum, and the macedonian army is left alone in Africa.
Following it, the carthaginian fleet raids and recovers the port, in the dawn. Then they advance in direction of the city. Another army, coming from the city, covers all the sides of the greek army).
The macedonians located in the middle of it resist bravely, but all them perish, together with a large part of the carthaginian army (77.000 men in this battle, coming from both sides). General Alypios, in his last attack, kills Hamilcar, in the same moment that he’s hitten by a spear in his cheast, thrown by the Barcid.
Brinzakeis would never forgive himself for leaving his men and his friend alone there.
This victory, a Carthaginian Victory, as it would be known in the future, is considered more a defeat then a victory by itself (OOC: OTL Pyrrhic Victory), since a large part of the army was destroyed. Peace would be made one month later between Macedon and Carthage.
In this peace agreement, Macedon would stay with the carthaginian islands already occupied, and Carthage would have free access to conquer Hispania entirely.
The Sieve of Erasthotenes is developed in the Great Academy.
227 b.C.: Alypios the Younger is crowned as Archon of the Army. Carthago Nova is founded.
226 b.C.: OTL Seleucus (Antiochus) Callinicus is murdered.
An earthquake destroys the city of Kameiros in Rhodes, together with the colossus. Even that the statue was made to celebrate the defeat of Antigonus I, Brinzakeis send some builders to reconstruct it.
Soon after it, Brinzakeis starts to feel ill, and he discovers that he has got an ilness in Sicily.
The Basileus dies, and is succeeded by Alypios the Younger. Dark times are to come now, the time of the incompetent emperors...
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Trans is, of course, latin. 'uper (=hyper) is over, peran is on the other side of.
My guess is 'Hyperalpeia'.
Would the Greeks have kept the Latin "Alp(ine)"? or did they have their own name for them.
and
Why would the 'eye' be first used in Syracuse when Archimedes is in Athens? It seems... unlikely?
How about sending sending one of Archimedes' students called "Periphronistos" for his habit of thinking 'around' thinks. (invented character and word)
I don't get this at all. It sounds like you are firing Star Trek 'photon torpedos'. I don't see any way to get a ballista/catapult/whatever to 'redirect the suns rays' or even 'bolts redirected from the sun'.
Could you explain what you mean.
yo no hablo Español, su hables muy bien Ingles, pero ....
First, I don't speak spanish, but portuguese, like almost everybody in Brazil.Dathi THorfinnsson said:
OK, right. My greek is poor and I don't have actually almost no sources of it, except wikipedia.Dathi THorfinnsson said:
This invention, the "Wrath", would be similar to a bunch of mirrors that uses sunlight to make fire, like the heat ray of Archimedes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes), put into a ballista. I don't know how much ASBish it is, and if it is. In this case, I take this out of the TL, without problems.Dathi THorfinnsson said:
Dathi THorfinnsson said:
Archimedes, when developed the first heat ray, was actually in Syracuse, like OTL.
In TTL, the ray would be used for defense firstly in Sicily because the island was much more exposed to carthaginian raids than mainland Greece.
First, I don't speak spanish, but portuguese, like almost everybody in Brazil.
Oops! My Portugues is even more non-existent than my Spanish!
Oh! your 'city' would have been Puerto Allegro or some such, had you been Hispanophone. Duh! Sorry, again.
Hey, I'm Canadian, I can sympathize with Brazilians being assumed to be Spanish, Kiwis assumed to be Aussies, Aussies assumed to be Poms (Brits), etc., etc.
...and the capital of Brazil is Buenos Aires. I know it.Dathi THorfinnsson said:First, I don't speak spanish, but portuguese, like almost everybody in Brazil.
Oops! My Portugues is even more non-existent than my Spanish!
Oh! your 'city' would have been Puerto Allegro or some such, had you been Hispanophone. Duh! Sorry, again.
Hey, I'm Canadian, I can sympathize with Brazilians being assumed to be Spanish, Kiwis assumed to be Aussies, Aussies assumed to be Poms (Brits), etc., etc.
As ever, comments are very appreciated from everybody.
Here is the link for the stories of this TL. The first one, "The Rain that Falls", is about the final hours of Brinzakeis.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=62513
I think you're conflating two weapons!
look at
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908175,00.html
for someone who did an experiment with shields.
70 men with shields can be handled on a wall easily, but not shot out of a catapult! Your Wrath, as stated, is quite ASB.
Archimedes had enough real weapons that SEEMED ASB to the Romans that introducing one that really is ASB is not necessary.
Just had a thought. The Romans, having seen the mirror-set fire, might think that's how he did the flaming arrows?
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Dathi THorfinnsson said:
Ok. Since the wrath is just a minor thing in the TL, I take it out, no problem. Even though, I'll keep the "eye" for city defense.
250-226 b.C., version 2.0
250 b.C.: Brinzakeis, after a talk with Archimedes, makes the Law of the Protection of Science and Philosophy, which would create the Great Academy of Athens, where, for the next 500 years, most of the greatest scientists of the world would come from. The greatest scientists and philosophers of Macedon are called into Athens to show their ideas, with Archimedes as the first Rector.
A man from Samos, Aristarchus, is one of the scientists that are called. He, contradicting Aristotle and Ptolemy, shows his idea of Heliocentrism. The Aristarchic Model, as it is called, is well accepted by the Academy.
OTL, his model would be disconsidered in favor of the Ptolemaic. The rebellion of Andragoras in Partahia (Parthia), that OTL resulted in nothing, TTL seceeds Parthia from the central government of the antiochids. Antiochus, showing his anger, sends an army of 42.000 to Partahia. The efforts are useless, mostly thanks to the form of armies that the Parthians used, cavalry archers (similar to the sarmatians that lived north). It would accelerate the division of the Antiochid Empire, and the first leader of the new Parthian Empire took the name of Arsaces I.
247 b.C.: Hannibal of Carthage is born. General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself. Since Dacia has a very bad terrain, an army of 40.000 soldiers was used, and Alypios the Spartan lead a 2nd army, composed of 14.000 spartans, and another 20.000 soldiers from all the other cities. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
247-243 b.C.: General Kefiros starts the Dacian Campaign, an idea of the Basileus himself.
Brinzakeis, disagreeing with his generals over the use of phalanx in the Dacian terrain, calls for the return of the mixed armies of Phillip and Alexander, and it would be used in Dacia as an experiment to see if it actually works.
The “Alexandrinean” armies would be used far after Dacia.
The mixed army, lead by Kefiros and composed of 40.000 soldiers, was used directly in the mountains and it had archers as most used unit.
The 2nd army, lead by Alypios, was composed of 5.000 spartans, and another 28.000 soldiers from all the other cities, together with 4.000 cretan archers,. This campaign would be the first of the new trained spartans. The son of Alypios, Alypios the Younger, would be one of them.
246 b.C.: Ptolemy I Philadelphus of Khanaan dies and is succeeded by his son, Ptolemy II Euergetes. A majority of the area of Dacia is taken without troubles, but the villages in the mountains would take much time. The barbarians, used to the place, have much less casualties than the armies, but the Macedonians push them north, eventually leaving the area of Dacia.
Those barbarians that escape would live in southern Poland much like in Dacia, for more 30 years.
Brinzakeis go to Dacia toghether with 1.000 spartan guards, to see the progress of the conquests. In there, he sees that a town, Pelendava, was resisting to the armies of Kefiros.
Not too much time after the arrival of Brinzakeis, the town would surrender. Kefiros would capture himself the chief of the town, Dromihete. Kefiros, in his eternal anger, trial the old chief to die for his insolence against the empire. Brinzakeis saves him, and then, he marries a daughter of Dromihete, called Shana.
OTL, this year Antiochus Theos is murdered.
246-243 b.C.: More and more dacians, following the previous ones, would flee northward. Many, even though, would stay in the area, submiting to Macedon.
245 b.C.: Antiochus II, trying to make the persians happier, converts to Zoroastrianism. The greek religion is still practiced in Bactria and in the Tigris.
The greek exodus inside the Antiochid Empire to Bactria continues, this time quicker. The Parthians conquer the areas north of them. Bactria is left untouched, due to the money paid by the local Satrap.
Brinzakeis Athínatos (the Weak, as he would be known), son of the Basileus, is born in Athens, in the spring. There, an ex-soldier and companion of Brinzakeis in the army when young, now a philosopher, would educate the baby. The philosopher, called “Charon” by many of his enemies, was a greed and crazy man, a thing that the Basileus didn’t know.
244 b.C.: Antiochus Callinocus (OTL Seleucus Callinicus) try to poison his father. Antiochus II discovers the plot and tries to execute his son.
Antiochus, the son, escapes together with a group of greeks to Bactria. His father thinks Callinocus to be dead, so, no problem at all.
243 b.C.: The last dacian town, Arcobadara, is taken by the armies of Kefiros. Dacia, much more empty than before the war, is now greek.
The “Theory of the Adaptable Army”, wrotten by Brinzakeis, is exposed in the Areopagus. It says the following:
“The phalanx isn’t the perfect army, and changes would be proven necessary. For example, the barbarians of the north. Their passion in war is something unexplainable. It would be very useful in our army, if civilized;
“About the horsemen of Scythia: we doesn’t need all those horses, but some changes would be proven good and it would make our army better.
[...]
“Other changes, beyond those ones, are still necessary.”
And then, some crimean horsemen started to appear in the greek army, together with the thracian falxmen and the traditional phalangites.
A true mixed army would only appear some years after the death of Brinzakeis.
241 b.C.: OTL, the First Punic War would end.
The Council of Kings is created by the Basileus as another Areopagus, this time with the own Satraps of the Empire. The name Council of Kings comes from the idea of Brinzakeis to put a sub-king in control of every province, idea that would be fully applied a few years later. The first kings are: Antigonus of Epirus, Magas of Cyrene, Agron of Ilyria, Allia of Dacia and Hiero of Sicily.
The head of the greek academy founded by Plato, a philosopher called Arcesilaus, dies. The academy is joined with the Great Greek Academy of Archimedes.
241-240 b.C.: The Campaign of Istria, a small campaign lead by Alypios the Younger. With 20.000 men, he conquers Istria in one year, and then, he goes further; His armies march over the northeast part of Italy, going until the border of the Roman Republic. The senate of Rome gets angry but does nothing, because their legions are no match for the superior macedonian army.
240 b.C.: The island of Chyrse sinks about this time in an earthquake. The Halley comet is for the first time observed by an astronomer, Aratus, months before his death. The comet is baptized Aratus Comet in its next approximation to earth.
239 b.C.: After a large rebellion, Antiochus Callinocus is crowned as Archon of Bactria, protected by the Mauryan Empire.
By this time, the persians are actually hating the greek rule.
Antiochus II of the Antiochid Empire is murdered while sleeping. The Antiochid Empire is dissolved and the Persian Empire is created over it, with Cyrus of Ecbatana as Shahanshah Cyrus III. Even though, Parthia and Bactria takes some parts of Persia. Bactria gains access to the sea.
A merchant ship of Macedon arrives at Lilybaeum, Carthaginian Sicily. After a small discussion, the merchants are captured and sacrificed to Baal.
Brinzakeis has a crisis and orders that Kefiros go to take the city. Hamilcar Barca of Carthage declares war over Macedon.
Poet Flavius (OTL Ennius) is born in Salento. He, besides being poet, would be the first great historian in the Macedonian Empire. Having a roman father, he would be known as “Flavius the Roman”.
239-230 b.C.: The Western War. It is divided in two parts: The 1st Punic War and the 2nd Roman War.
Initially, the war was small. 20.000 men, being only 5.000 greeks and 15.000 sicilian mercenaries, all lead by Kefiros, took very quickly the western Sicily.
Not too much time after it, the war starts to get hot.
In June, three fleets are made in Crete, the biggest lead by the Tyrant of Sicily, Hiero, composed of 500 quinquiremes, beyond the usual biremes and triremes. The other two fleets were smaller and were used mainly in moving of troops.
In december of 239 b.C., while Hiero is moving his fleet to the west mediterranean, he faces the superior navy of Carthage, in the large Battle of Malta. There, the 400 ships of Hamilcar destroys all the smaller ships and 440 of the 500 triremes of Hiero of Sicily, making sure that every single greek he can capture is killed. Hiero, as quickly as he can, run to the caves of the island of Malta, and there he stays ‘till he is found. The other 60 ships, 40 of Admiral Icarus from Neapolis, holds the carthaginians in the area between Gozo and Malta. Then, the 20 ships remaining flee directly to Syracuse. In the Siege of Syracuse, that followed immediatly the Battle of Malta, the city wouldn’t be conquered by Hamilcar thanks to the “Eye of the Gods” of Archimedes.
After the Siege of Syracuse, Brinzakeis orders that every coastal city shall have, at least, one Eye. In one of the strangest sieges of history, the Siege of Lilybaeum, the Eye is used against the elephants of Capitain Hanno, coming from the southwest. The Carthaginians are put off of Sicily, for a time.
238 b.C.: The chiefs of the Aipoikiai of Massalia, Agathe and Antipolis ask for Macedonian help against the monthly carthaginian raids and pillages.
So then, the armies of Alypios the Young advances into Galatea Hyperalpeia (Gaul beyond the alps). The local polis are joined with Macedon, as the locals wished.
236 b.C.: To Alypios the Older is given a large army, of 1.500 spartan hoplites, 17.000 phalangites, 10.000 peltastes, 3.000 archers, and 5 captured elephants. His army would conquer Malta and free Hiero. After it, he conquers Corsica and Sardinia.
235 b.C.: The Consul Titus Torquatus was able to persuade the Senate, saying that with Carthage distracting the Macedonians, Rome could benefit greatly by declaring war.
Rome sends two large armies to greek territory: one in the north, to Istria, and another to Magna Graecia.
Philip I of the Seleucid Kingdom dies of diarrhea and his son Philip the Smart is crowned as Philip II.
234 b.C.: The army of Alypios the Older attacks rome from the south, and his son, by north. The Senate, now regretting its initial attack, tries to stop the greeks, but, due to the larger size of the macedonian army, Rome can’t do anything.
With the Macedonians worried in fighting with the romans, Hamicar do his expedition to Hispania, 2 years late from OTL.
In China, the construction of the Great Wall begins. In India, the third buddhist council happens.
233 b.C.: King Mithridates of Euxina dies by a disease in Central Anatolia. Queen Eleusa, pregnant of him, stay as Queen alone.
Ashoka, ruler of the Mauryan Empire and protector of Bactria, dies. Bactria rebels against Dasaratha Maurya, new ruler, and gains the territory ‘till the Indus.
Now Bactria is alone, with no friend nations around.
Agron, sub-king of Ilyria, dies and is succeeded by his wife, Teuta.
232 b.C.: In the middle of the winter, Rome is conquered by both armies, since it is in the place that both armies meets. In that day, the Roman Republic is dissolved.
230 b.C.: In 5/30/230 b.C., the Great Battle of Carthage happens. Near to the coast of the city, the 720 ships (mostly triremes; some biremes and few quinquiremes) of Admiral Stelios battle against the largest fleet of the Carthaginians, of 100 quinqueremes, 500 biremes, 300 triremes, lead by Hamilcar Barca himself. Near there, 19.000 soldiers lead by Alypios the Older were disembarked to fight in the city; Another army, with 64.000 men, commanded by Brinzakeis himself, was in Lilybaeum waiting for the first results.
Six of the “Wrath of Zeus” ballistas would be used by the first time, and they would be proven more useful than expected.
The greeks disembarked directly in the city’s port, with
hard carthaginian resistance shown. Even though they conquered the port, with many costs, with 15.000 men dying. But the city couldn’t been conquered that night, because of the lack of true siege weapons.
It was the fatal night, the Night that Changed Everything, the Night of the First of June.
In the sea, the battle has taken one day and a night, and, in the middle of the night of the day 1, the carthaginians has finally won. The remaining ships ran out to Lilybaeum, and the macedonian army is left alone in Africa.
Following it, the carthaginian fleet raids and recovers the port, in the dawn. Then they advance in direction of the city. Another army, coming from the city, covers all the sides of the greek army).
The macedonians located in the middle of it resist bravely, but all them perish, together with a large part of the carthaginian army (77.000 men in this battle, coming from both sides). General Alypios, in his last attack, kills Hamilcar, in the same moment that he’s hitten by a spear in his cheast, thrown by the Barcid.
Brinzakeis would never forgive himself for leaving his men and his friend alone there.
This victory, a Carthaginian Victory, as it would be known in the future, is considered more a defeat then a victory by itself (OOC: OTL Pyrrhic Victory), since a large part of the army was destroyed. Peace would be made one month later between Macedon and Carthage.
In this peace agreement, Macedon would stay with the carthaginian islands already occupied, and Carthage would have free access to conquer Hispania entirely.
The Sieve of Erasthotenes is developed in the Great Academy.
227 b.C.: Alypios the Younger is crowned as Archon of the Army. Carthago Nova is founded.
226 b.C.: OTL Seleucus (Antiochus) Callinicus is murdered.
An earthquake destroys the city of Kameiros in Rhodes, together with the colossus. Even that the statue was made to celebrate the defeat of Antigonus I, Brinzakeis send some builders to reconstruct it.
Soon after it, Brinzakeis starts to feel ill, and he discovers that he has got an ilness in Sicily.
The Basileus dies, and is succeeded by Alypios the Younger. Dark times are to come now, the time of the incompetent emperors...