Urukagina's Empire

[Oba]

This is an outgrowth of my earlier thread where I suggested what would happen if horses could not be domesticated; in this TL I will, at least for now, assume that horses are not domesticable (though this is open for discussion; see paragraph 3.)

I could not think of an accurate title short enough to fit in its section but I ask this: WI, instead of Sargon of Akkad, sometime earlier, within the historic period, the Sumerians had built a lasting empire and instead of the Akkadians dominating Mesopotamia, the Sumerians would overshadow the Akkadians and eventually the latter would disappear from or at least never get power in Mesopotamia.

I have started a TL that goes to the 18th millenium BCE but I would also like this to be collaborative.

Urukagina's Empire

Note: I am using my knowledge of the Sumerian Language (which I am studying) to construct names for the people in this TL that are not already taken by other people in actual history; the only exceptions are the important, and actual, Urukagina (etymology seems unknown) and Lugalzagesi (I am guessing that the latter name may mean something like "King who fills up his territory.")

The POD is Urukagina defeats Lugalzagesi's armies in a decisive battle in the terminal 3rd millennium BCE. Meanwhile, word of the just leadership of Urukagina spread throughout Kienĝir (Sumer's original name; means "Land of the Civilized Lords") and he would lead a victorious army to unify Kienĝir into a federation, thus decisively strengthening the Sumerian presence in Mesopotamia against the Semitic Akkadians who would never replace the indigenous Sumerians in Mesopotamia. Urukagina would rule until 2337 BCE and leave a strong state behind him when he peacefully died: A state known as Kienĝir or, more specifically chronologically, the Early Horizon Kienĝir.

Kienĝir was soon challenged by the Awan Dynasty of Elam and for over a century almost the sole military focus of Lugalene Kienĝirak (the Rulers of Kienĝir) was how to defend their empire against Elamite attacks.

Finally, expansion began again in the early 18th century BCE when the great ruler and military mastermind Luduggal ("Great Builder") defeated Elam and expanded Kienĝir to the limits of the Persian Plateau, coming into contact with Meluḫḫa (the Indus Valley Civilization) merchants, the empire of which would soon become the greatest rival of Kienĝir.

That is all for now.

 

[Ganesha]

Looks like an interesting start. I'll be following this. How much of our basic culture is derived from the Akkadians; i.e, what would be radically changed? With a POD this early, you can expect nothing to be the same.

 

[Pichuscrat]

Cool, a Sumerian TL! That's always exciting and new.

Subbed.

Also, you study the Sumerian language? That's really amazing, where do you learn it, I wonder.

 

[Ganesha]

=
Also, you study the Sumerian language? That's really amazing, where do you learn it, I wonder.

Are you a grad student? And how in-depth are you planning to go? This should be a fun TL.

 

[Oba]

Cool, a Sumerian TL! That's always exciting and new.

Subbed.

Also, you study the Sumerian language? That's really amazing, where do you learn it, I wonder.

Thank you! Yes, I do study Emeĝir (the Sumerian Language's name for itself), doing so using John L. Hayes' "A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts"; I teach myself, as there are no classes in my area (nor in most areas)

Looks like an interesting start. I'll be following this. How much of our basic culture is derived from the Akkadians; i.e, what would be radically changed? With a POD this early, you can expect nothing to be the same.

The Akkadians were heavily influenced by the Sumerians and visa versa; however, I am not saying that the Akkadians would not exist in this TL but that they would never have an empire nor cause Sumerian to assimilate into Semitic culture. That said, there will still be phenomenol differences of course and thus I would like that this be a cooperative TL. As for what would be radically changed, the Amarna Letters would be written in Sumerian and not Akkadian, in the unlikely event that they would be written at all; this is due to the fact that the horse, a crucial factor in world history, would be basically useless, thus preventing the IE expansion and therefore the rise of the Hittite Empire, among many other things.

Indeed, I plan on not having much be the same and I am working on more of this TL as I write.

 

[Oba]

Are you a grad student? And how in-depth are you planning to go? This should be a fun TL.

I wish I was! I am however just about to start community college. I am planning on being able to read the Sumerian cuneiform texts in the original, such as the Sumerian King list and the Sumerian Bilgames stories.

 

[Oba]

The Middle Bronze Age

In the early 2nd millennium BCE contact and trade and diplomatic relations were established with Kemet, soon to become a rival when Kienĝira and Kemet spheres of influence converged in southern Rečenu, with the forces of Lugal Kienĝira ("King of Sumer") Inimsikil (“Clean/Pure Speech”) meeting those of his Kemet counterpart, Mentuhotep II, on the western shore of the Dead Sea where they fought a long, and indecisive, battle; meanwhile, the city-states of Rečenu were in ruins and eventually succumbed to the armies of Kemet by the 16th century BCE.
The 16th and 15th centuries BCE were the height of Early Horizon Kienĝir, with its lugalene, its kings, ruling from the eastern Persian Plateau to the Gulf of Oman's southern coast and with trade routes starting to compete with Kemet for the goods of now prospering Punt (the Horn of Africa.)
Well, that is as far as I am able to get so far; does anyone have any ideas about what could happen next in this TL?

 

[Oba]

Now, here is a sketch of some possible interactions between Meluḫḫa and Kienĝir as well as the history of the known world up to the end of the 2nd millennium BCE.
Meluḫḫa, which has expanded beyond the Indus valley and now stretches to the Mouths of the Ganges in the east and south to Sri Lanka, and Kienĝira spheres of influence overlap in the lands between the Indus Valley and the central Persian Plateau. For a while they compete via soft power but then the Guza Kienĝira, the throne of Sumer, is taken by a weak and incompetent lugal, Ĝeštugkalag, “Mighty Intelligence”, a poor name for the man who takes power in 1391 BCE.
Ĝeštugkalag insists that the Makran Coast, long a region dominated by Meluḫḫa-influenced trading city-states, is part of the Kienĝira sphere of influence and thus should be handed over. The Meluḫḫaman*, the King of Meluḫḫa, panics and warns of “A collapse between our diplomatic relations” should Ĝeštugkalag persist. Meanwhile, Ĝeštugkalag sneaks over 30,000 troops to the Makran Coast for a surprise attack on the city-states and on the Meluḫḫa state.
Though the attack is a success, the victory is Pyrrhic and the Meluḫḫa quickly send troops, crushing the Kienĝira forces. Meanwhile, the Meluḫḫaman writes to the Pharaoh, proposing an alliance between the 2 powers. The Pharaoh eagerly agrees.
And thus Kienĝira territory is pushed back until only the Persian Gulf and the lands around it, Mesopotamia and the western Persian Plateau remain Kienĝira by 1245 BCE. This is the Early Intermediate Period.
But just as Kienĝir seems on the verge of being annexed, Kemet is attacked by Punt. And Punt attacks with weapons made not of bronze but of iron, the working of which Punt has learned from its north Great Rift Valley frontier's peoples. The once great Kemet empire is under the control of Punt by 1160 BCE.
The fall of Kemet is little more than in name, for the Kemet resistance expels Punt's forces by the 11th century BCE (and gains their knowledge of Iron-working.)
Still, it is a crucial relief for Kienĝir, which begins its expansion to the north, into Anatolia and the Balkans, thus beginning the Middle Horizon, armed with iron tools and weapons whose manufacturing techniques originated in East Africa. Though long under Kienĝira influence, these lands will not easily be incorporated into the Kienĝira empire but should this happen vast new lands shall be open for Kienĝira conquest.

*I took the liberty of using Tamil to create names for Meluḫḫa people, places and things, as the Indus Language is only known from a few words recorded in Sumerian Cuneiform but is thought to be Dravidian, like Tamil.
Coming up next, the culture of Kienĝir and Kienĝira society.