The Early Years of th Greek People

[justjake73]

Athens was settled in 4000 BC in a fertile river valley amid lush grasslands and low lying hills. Large herds of elephants kept the ivory carvers busy and the people happy.

Exploration of the surrounding area only added to the peoples joy - there were fertile plains and grasslands, large herds of fat cattle and long fertile river valleys that would make the farmland bloom. Hills and mountains would provide the resources needed for a large infrastructure.

The Empire spread out over the years, largely to the south and west as it was found that the land lying to the northwest, while expansive, had a great expanse of unbroken plains that would make irrigation problematic.

The first great Wonder built was the Great Library of Athens completed c. 200 BC. This was followed the Colossus of Sparta, and these two combined caused a Golden Age that lasted nearly two centuries....

It was near the end of the Golden Age that an emissary appeared from the Northwest - bringing relations with the great nation of Egypt which lay to the north of a vast desert and seemingly impassable jungles.

To Be Continued....

[marcuspeddle]

How about sending this link to me at suro@korea.com? I'll then add it to the list of stories to be judged.
Keep on writing!

Anatolia

[justjake73]

Part II

Shortly after first contact was made with the Egyptians, Gregorius Alexander XII formalized a decree known henceforth as the Concordat of Sparta. It stated:

WITH the knowledge that has been known for many Centuries that the land of the great Expanse lying to the Northwest of the great Greek Empire contains great Plains, disease-ridden Jungles, dry Deserts and impassible Mountains, and no Resources of vital Consequence;

ADDING the recent Contact with the Egyptians whose Empire lies to the North, and with full Knowledge that their Armies, while technolgicaly Inferior, are numerically Superior to our own,

WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE that the vast Lands are Inhospitable without a major Effort and much Time devoted to irrigation, time that would better be spent Elsewhere. The land would be Untenable should a war come with the Egyptians or any other potential Power lying to the North or West.

I, Gregorius Alexander, King of the Greeks, do hereby decree the following:

No City will be settled north of this city of Sparta.

Army deployment will favor this Isthmus until it is seen as sufficient to defeat Attacks by large enemy Armies.

The cities in this Area will construct Barracks and City Walls strong enough to hold until sufficient Reinforcements can arrive from Ephesus, Sparta, Athens and Knossos.

Fortifications will be built every 20 Miles from North of Sparta West to the Sea. These will be manned by the best Troops our glorious Army can offer.

SIGNED, this 26th day of April, Year of our Lord Eight Hundred and Ten.

HRH GREGORIUS ALEXANDER, Regent.

[justjake73]

Nikolos Papandreou was in a state of ennui. He was happy that he had been recruited to be in the 1st Royal Musketman Regiment, the first to be formed that were armed with the new Alexi Matchlock Musket. But his initial happiness was now dampened by their post; a fortification over looking the northern border. No one, not even their commanders, had seen any foreign soldiers near here.

Daily drills were broken by occasional weekend passes to Rhodes or swimming in the headwaters of the Septimus River, the lifeblood of this region. TO the north (or so far as he had been told) lay miles of unbroken dry plains, hot baking deserts and thousands of square miles of jungle and high mountains. Knowing this made the most recent rumor all the more incredulous.

The Indians were building a great Road that stretched from their lands to less than 500 miles from their fort. The road crossed jungles, deserts, hills and mountains - many thousands of miles in total! The rumor had been just that until today.

Colonel Ikaros, commander of the regiment, stepped in front of the unit during morning assembly.

"Some of you may have heard rumors of a great Road being built by the Indian people. We have been officially placed on alert while the 5th Knights Brigade investigates the true purpose of this road. The Knights will be crossing just below this fort, and would greatly appreciate it if you did not point your weapons at them! That is all. Dismissed!"

The knights were a sight to behold. Their line of march stretched for miles, their armor polished black to diminish the sun's reflection.


**************************************************

Captain Iphicles was commander of the 15th Troop, at the head of the Brigade which had just entered the foothills of the Great Northern Mountains.

"WHOAAA!! Knights, Dis-mount!" he barked. Scouts were galloping towards them. One pulled up on his reigns, causing the horse to rear slightly. He saluted the Captain.

"Sir, beg to report that there is a unit of Indian warriors fortified in the hills above the road just ahead. One gave us this dispatch to be taken to Speaker Alexander!" he said, handing a scroll to Iphicles.

************************************************
Colonel Ikaros spoke before his unit again several days later
"Soldiers, we are offically OFF our state of high alert! The road is being built to provide our Indian friends with a valuable source of Iron, nothing more! That is all! Dis-missed!"

TO Be Continued

[justjake73]

The Greek Middle and early Industrial ages
*************************************************

The balance of power had shifted slightly in the Far North, where Egypt and India shared a long border and, fortunately, a good friendship. The source of Iron that had supplied Cleopatra's army so well fell under the expanding border of India, who quickly fortified their new claim.

Cleopatra realized that she needed to act quickly, for an Army in this age without Iron is not an Army at all. Brief talk of war was quickly dismissed; after all, they had NO Iron to build Swordsmen with, and their army, though the largest in the world, would not last long in a campaign without this vital ore!

Then she had a brainstorm. For many decades, Indian workers had labored to build a road to a source of Iron in what the Greeks called the Great Northern Mountains. The road, according to reports, was less than a hundred miles from completion. This road was free and open for all to use, as it fell into no ones territory! No passage rights would need to be secured! Workers were quickly dispatched. Within 3 months the road was completed and a colony was actively mining Iron. Cleopatras' happiness was multiplied when scouts reported spice-rich forests within easy reach of the road!

A few months later, Cleopatra had just finished a luxiorious spice bath when there was a knock at her chamber door.

"Enter!" she shouted. The Minister of Science and the Minister of Defense walked in.

"Your majesty, we bring you news of a scientific breakthrough! We have discovered the Secret of Gunpowder!" stated the Science Minister. The Defense Minister chimed in "We have also developed a weapon, called a Musket, which would be able to use this new explosive powder to force a lead ball at great force towards the enemy! But.."

"But, what? Spit it out!" Cleopatra ordered.

The ministers looked at each other and then back at the Queen. "We need a chemical called Saltpeter to make Gunpowder. Unfortunately, in all of our Realm and all of our Colonies, there is not a source of Saltpeter to be found!" said the Defense Minister.

"We cannot find this Saltpeter ANYWHERE??!"

"There are ample sources, you Majesty, but they are claimed by the Greeks."

Cleopatra sighed - she never thought she would be placed in this position. Relations with the Greeks were good, but to be dependent on a foreign power for a vital resource....

"Chamberlain!"

The door opened and a man dressed in Court robes appeared. "Yes your Highness?"

'Tell the Foreign and Trade Ministers I wish to see them, Now!"



TBC

[Kinniken]

did you read the "desert of the tartars"? Because the part of your story about the army defending for ages a desert boundary reminded me of the book... especialy the part about a mysterious ennemy building a road toward the boundarie.

Anyway, great work!