The Third Hittite Empire, 100-200 AD
THE THIRD HITTITE EMPIRE, 100 AD-200 AD
c. 100 AD--Christianity is spreading throughout the Near East. Thriving communities
exist in the Hittite Empire, Parthia, Rome, and Hellas, and smaller communities have
been established in the south Arabian kingdoms. In this ATL, adherence to the State
religion is not a test used for treason (unlike in OTL Rome, where it was expected that all
citizens make sacrifices to the Emperor as a show of loyalty), and so the religion is
spreading somewhat faster than in OTL. One place where it is not spreading is in India,
where a small sect barely maintains itself against persecution by the Hindu authorities,
who do not willingly allow any competitive religion to thrive there. Another place where
it is virtually absent is in it’s original homeland, the Hittite Province of Israel, where the
local Hebrew authorities severely persecute Christians.
Christianity’s appeal has several sources. For some people the austere morality of the
Christians is an attraction. Christians can point to the absurdities in many traditional
religions, especially the worship of gods whose antics make them no guide for morality.
Christianity also benefits from worship of someone with a human face...Jesus having
been a common man and a martyr with a message, easier to worship than a god that was
vague, unseen, unspeaking or a creature other than human. People can see their own
suffering in the suffering of Jesus. Christianity also has an advantage in being organized
and unified, and it benefits from its being open to people ignored or excluded by other
religions: to women, non-citizens and slaves. In particular, Christianity appeals to the
poor, an appeal aided by the claim that poverty was an advantage in attaining salvation
after death. And becoming a Christian is less expensive than entering some other faiths.
To be initiated into Great Mother Worship...a major rival to Christianity...for example,
one has to bear the great expense of a bull that has to be slaughtered. Conversion to
Christianity, on the other hand, requires only a free immersion in water. And last but not
least, when one becomes a Christian, he or she joins a community that looks after the
welfare of its members. Christians share their meals. They offer health care (such as it is).
They share their wealth. They take care of the indigent among them, including widows,
whom they call "Virgins of the Church."
100 AD--The Himyaritic Kingdom conquers the Hadramaut kingdom (with Hittite aid),
making it the dominant state in Arabia. All of southern Arabia, and much of the western
coast extending toward the Sinai peninsula, is under Himyaritic control, giving the
Himyarites complete control of the frankincense and myrrh trade with the north. They
retain their close alliance and trading relationship with the Hittites, to the mutual profit of
both. The Hittites thus are able to obtain frankincense and myrrh at “wholesale†prices,
and profit handsomely by re-selling it to Rome, Parthia, and other regional kingdoms.
101 AD--Death of King Cassander II of Sicilia. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns
as King Spartacus IV.
102 AD--Death of King Eudamidas V of Hellas. He is succeeded by Eudamidas VI.
105 AD--Ts'ai Lun invents paper in China.
106 AD--Gavius Silvanus steps down as Roman Dictator, and the Senate selects Lucius
Licinius Sura as his successor. Also in this year, the Emperor Ho Ti of Han China dies.
He is succeeded by Shang Ti.
110 AD onward--The Nabataeans, who have never been able to form an independent state
of their own and who are increasingly deprived of the source of their livelihood (the
caravan trade in frankincense and myrrh) by the Hittite/Himyarite alliance, gradually are
forced to seek other employment in the local economies of the regions in which they live.
By the end of the century, they will lose their identity as a separate group and disappear
from history.
107 AD--Death of the Emperor Shang Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by An Ti.
112 AD--Lucius Licinius Sura is re-elected to a second term as Roman Dictator.
115 AD--Kushan Emperor Wima Kadphises dies, and is succeeded by Kanishka I. Also
in this year, King Eudamidas VI of Hellas dies, and is succeeded by Leon III.
118 AD--Lucius Licinius Sura is re-elected to a third term as Roman Dictator.
c. 120 AD--Images of the Buddha begin appearing on Kushan coins for the first time,
signifying their conversion to Buddhism.
123 AD--Death of King Artabanus II of Parthia. He is succeeded by Artabanus III.
124 AD--Lucius Licinius Sura steps down from his post as Roman Dictator. The Senate
selects Gavius Claudius Squilla as his successor.
125-134 AD--War between Hatti and Parthia. The long war is inconclusive, but
exhausting for both sides. It finally peters out without a treaty being signed in 134 AD.
126 AD--Death of the Emperor An Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by Shun Ti.
128-132 AD--The Sicilian War. In 128 AD, King Spartacus IV of Sicilia dies without
heirs, and upon his death, civil war breaks out in Sicily as several rival claimants
(including the heirs of Crixis...the Gallic lieutenant of Spartacus during the original slave
revolt which lead to the foundation of the kingdom of Sicilia nearly two centuries ago)
vie for the throne. Rome sees the chaos in Sicilia...which because it was founded by
escaped Roman slaves, has been viewed as a dangerous example to Rome’s own
slaves...as an opportunity, and decides to intervene. Gavius Claudius Squilla, Roman
Dictator, claims (falsely) to have received entreaties for aid from the Crixines (the faction
supporting the descendants of Crixis), and in short order, a Roman army lands in Sicily
near Syracuse. Within five years, the Roman army has established control over the
island, and the Spartacid kingdom comes to an end. King Urhi Tesub III of Hatti strongly
protests this clear violation of the treaty which ended the Spartacid War, but, as he is
occupied in a war against Parthia at the time, takes no other action. The Senate of Utica
and King Eudamidas VI of Hellas also protest, but declare their neutrality. However, the
war does mark the end of the Pax Romana/Pax Hattica period of relatively friendly
relations between Rome and Hatti which have existed over the past century.
129 AD--Death of King Urhi Tesub III of Hatti. He is succeeded by Urhi Tesub IV.
130 AD--Gavius Claudius Squilla steps down from his post as Roman Dictator. The
Senate selects Quintus Fabius Catullinus as his successor.
131 AD--Death of King Artabanus III of Parthia in battle against the Hittites. He is
succeeded by Vologeses II.
134 AD--Roman Dictator Quintus Fabius Catullinus declares, in a speech before the
Roman Senate, that “Rome will reclaim all the lands which, by right, belong to it.†This
is clearly a reference to the north African state of Utica.
135 AD--A mutual defense treaty is signed between Hatti, Hellas, and Utica. The treaty
is aimed at Rome, of course, whose recent aggressive actions in Sicily, coupled with the
bellicose pronouncements of Dictator Catullinus in the Senate, have sent shockwaves of
fear through all the neighboring powers.
136 AD--Quintus Fabius Catullinus is re-elected, on the strength of the recent victory of
Roman arms in Sicily, to a second term as Roman Dictator.
139 AD--Kushan Emperor Kanishka I dies, and is succeeded by Vanishka.
140 AD--Death of King Urhi Tesub IV of Hatti. He is succeeded by Mursili V.
142 AD--Quintus Fabius Catullinus declines to run for a third term as Roman Dictator.
The Senate selects Titus Hoenius Severus, who is a follower of Catullinus, as his
successor. Rome’s aggressive stance will continue.
143 AD--Kushan Emperor Vanishka dies, and is succeeded by Huvishka.
144-155 AD--The Utican War. In 144 AD, Roman Dictator Titus Hoenius Severus
declares war on Utica, claiming that the Uticans are guilty of sponsoring piratical acts
against Roman shipping (a charge which is completely false, of course). Roman armies
cross into Utican territory from Hispania and Sicily, and Utica is quickly placed under
siege. King Mursili V of Hatti and King Leon III of Hellas immediately declare war in
the face of this naked Roman aggression. Neither power is able to immediately intervene,
however.
In 145 AD, the Hittite/Hellene fleet raises the Roman blockade of Utica, which allows
a seaborne supply line for the city to be opened. Utica thus is able to withstand the
Roman siege. However, the Romans are able to also maintain a seaborne supply line for
their own forces, and thus supply and reinforce their armies. Also in this year, Hittite
armies move westward from Cyrenacia to the support of Utica in North Africa, while
other Hittite armies join those of Hellas in an invasion of Rome’s provinces in Macedonia
and Illyricum. Fighting between the armies is inconclusive but bloody.
In 146 AD, the Hittites launch an invasion northward from their Caucasus provinces,
aimed at taking the Greek cities of the Crimean region (which are, once again, supporting
Rome). The cities are placed under siege. A Roman army moves north from Dacia in
support of the Crimean Greeks, but is defeated and forced to retreat back to Roman
territory. Inconclusive but bloody fighting continues in north Africa and the Balkans, as
well as at sea.
In 147 AD, the Crimean Greek cities fall to the Hittites and are formally annexed by
Hatti. A stalemate has settled on most of the other fronts.
In 148 AD, the poor progress and steady casualties coming out of the war cause the
Roman Senate to reject Titus Hoenius Severus when he runs for a second term as Roman
Dictator. The new Dictator, Slavius Julius Aemilianus, promises to prosecute the war
more aggressively and to bring it to a victorious conclusion by the end of his term of
office.
In 149 AD, Rome heavily reinforces it’s army in the Balkans and inflicts a sharp
defeat on the Hittite/Hellene armies there, driving them out of Macedonia and Illyricum.
It follows up by invading Hellas itself, penetrating as deep as Athens, which it places
under siege. The Roman fleet defeats the Hittite/Hellene fleet in the Aegean and
establishes a blockade of the city.
In 150 AD, Rome concludes a treaty of alliance with King Vologeses II of Parthia,
who launches an invasion of Mesopotamia. In response, King Mursili of Hatti concludes
an alliance with Emperor Huvishka of the Kushans, who begins to make inroads on
Parthia’s Bactrian provinces. So, although the Parthians are initially successful in their
invasion of Mesopotamia, they are forced to withdraw to meet the Kushan threat before
the end of the year. However, the need to defend Mesopotamia is stretching Hittite forces
thin, and the Hittites are unable to reinforce their armies in the Balkans or in north Africa.
King Leon of Hellas attempts to raise the siege of Athens, but is defeated and killed in
battle.
In 151 AD, Athens falls to Rome. The new Hellene King, Leonidas V, sues for peace
shortly afterward. Roman Dictator Aemilianus offers harsh terms...all of Hellas north of
the Isthmus of Corinth is to be ceded to Rome, with King Leonidas to be left in control
only of the Peloponnesus. Hellas must abrogate it’s alliance with the Hittites, and turn
over it’s navy to Rome. With the Hittites still unable to intervene in the Balkans due to
continued fighting with the Parthians, Leonidas has little choice but to agree.
In 152 AD, Rome heavily reinforces it’s army in north Africa, and inflicts a sharp
defeat on the Hittite/Utican forces there. They are still unable to take Utica itself,
however, which is supplied by sea, but occupy all the rest of the Utican territories in north
Africa. Meanwhile, the forces of Hittite King Mursili and Kushan Emperor Huvishka
inflict a devastating defeat on the forces of Parthian king Vologeses II. Vologeses sues
for peace, and this is granted. The Kushans occupy parts of eastern Iran, and the Hittites
take Elymais. The Romans attempt an invasion of Anatolia, but their fleet is defeated in
the Aegean and the transports are forced to turn back.
In 153 AD, Hittite forces freed by the surrender of Parthia are transferred to north
Africa, where they inflict a serious defeat on the Roman army besieging Utica, raising the
siege.
In 154 AD, the Hittites and Uticans inflict further defeats on the Romans in north
Africa, and by the end of the year the Romans have been all but driven out of North
Africa. Roman Dictator Slavius Julius Aemilianus decides not to seek re-election as a
result of these defeats. His successor, Tiberius Sextius Lateranus, promises to end the
war.
In 155 AD, a peace treaty is signed which ends the war, basically recognizing the
situation existing at the time. Rome is to keep it’s conquests in the Balkans. The Hittite
annexation of the Crimea is recognized. Utica is to retain it’s independence.
145 AD--Death of the Emperor Shun Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by Chung Ti.
146 AD--Death of the Emperor Chung Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by Chih Ti.
147 AD--Death of the Emperor Chih Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by Huan Ti.
148 AD--Titus Hoenius Severus is defeated in his bid for a second term as Roman
Dictator. The Senate selects instead Slavius Julius Aemilianus as his successor.
150 AD--Death of King Leon III of Hellas in battle outside of Athens. He is succeeded
by Leonidas V.
154 AD--Slavius Julius Aemilianus does not run for re-election as Roman Dictator. The
Senate selects Tiberius Sextius Lateranus as his successor.
155 AD--Kushan Emperor Huvishka dies, and is succeeded by Kanishka II. During his
long and successful reign, Kanishka will expand Kushan rule into Uzbekistan, Kashmir,
Punjab, and the Gangetic Plain. He moves the capital to Peshawar and promotes
Buddhism. In the process he will conquer the final vestiges of the Saka kingdom, which
disappears from the map forever.
157-166 AD--The First Great Persecution of Christianity. Over the past century,
Christianity has been quietly growing in numbers and influence, especially in the Roman
Empire. Rome in OTL had an Emperor Cult, and the Emperors equated refusal to
participate in the State-sponsored worship ceremonies with treason. But in this ATL, no
such Emperor Cult exists, and Christianity has generally been tolerated. But in 157 AD,
Roman Dictator Tiberius Sextius Lateranus decides that Rome’s recent lack-luster
performance in the Utican War was due to the anger of the gods, and he issues a
Proclamation directing all Roman citizens to make sacrifices to the official Roman gods
(the Olympian Pantheon) by the end of August of that year. When the Christians refuse
to do so, Lateranus declares them traitors and orders mass arrests. Christians will be
martyred in large numbers and in many very imaginative ways over the next several
years, but the bravery they display under these horrendous conditions impresses many
people, and the religion grows despite the persecutions.
159 AD--Death of King Vologeses II of Parthia. He is succeeded by Tiridates II.
Tiridates will be a relatively weak ruler, and will spend much of his reign fighting
off...not completely successfully...incursions by the Kushan Emperor Kanishka II.
160 AD--Tiberius Sextius Lateranus is re-elected to a second term as Roman Dictator.
162 AD--Death of King Musili V of Hatti. He is succeeded by Suhis Tesub V. Suhis
Tesub will spend much of his reign battling raiding Sarmatians...who are secretly being
financed and supported by Rome. Death of King Leonidas V of Hellas. He is succeeded
by Archidamus VII.
166 AD--Hittite merchants arrive in Tonkin, China. First direct contact between the
Hittite and Chinese Empires. Also in this year, Tiberius Sextius Lateranus does not seek
re-election as Roman Dictator. Licinius Fufidius Pollio is chosen by the Senate as the
new Roman Dictator. Dictator Pollio orders the persecutions of the Christians ended.
168 AD--Death of the Emperor Huan Ti of Han China. He is succeeded by Ling Ti.
During his reign, China begins to fall into chaos as a struggle for power between the
imperial court eunuchs and the Confucianist gentry-bureaucrats begins. Renewed attacks
by the Hsiung Nu tribes to the north will also take a toll, and China will lose control of
the Tarim basin and it’s other conquests in the far west during his reign. Also in this
year, King Tiridates II of Parthia dies, and is succeeded by Mithridates IV. Like his
father, his reign will be mostly spent in fighting the rising power of the Kushans to the
east.
170 AD--Death of King Suhis Tesub V of Hatti in battle against the Sarmatians. He is
succeeded by Arnuwanda VI.
172 AD--Licinius Fufidius Pollio does not seek re-election as Roman Consul. He is
succeeded by Marcus Aquillis Apollonaris. Apollonaris begins a Roman policy of
providing support to Numidian tribes who revolt against Utica, and for
Kushites/Axumites/Egyptians who revolt against Hatti.
175 AD--Dawn of printing occurs when ink-rubbings are taken of Confucian texts carved
on stone tablets.
176-190 AD--Numidian revolts against Utica, supported by Rome. They are ultimately
crushed, but Utica is weakened considerably by the destruction they cause.
177 AD--Kushite revolt against Hatti. Kushite rebels, with Roman financial support, rise
up in Napata and Meroe. The rebellion is not successful, and is quickly crushed. But
Hatti is forced to place more garrison troops in Kush.
178 AD--Marcus Aquillis Apollonaris does not seek re-election as Roman Dictator. The
Senate selects Sergius Cornelius Scipio as his successor. Scipio continues his
predecessor’s foreign policy vis-ê-vis Hatti.
180 AD--Death of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka II. He is succeeded by Vasudeva.
181 AD--Roman Dictator Sergius Cornelius Scipio dies while in office. The Senate
selects Lucius Fulvius Brutus as his successor to serve out the rest of his term. Brutus
continues his predecessor’s foreign policy vis-ê-vis Hatti.
183 AD--Death of King Archidamus VII of Hellas. He is succeeded by Lycurgus III.
Lycurgus secretly concludes a new treaty of alliance with Hatti against Rome.
184 AD--Lucius Fulvius Brutus is re-elected to a second term as Roman Dictator.
184-189 AD--Revolt of the Yellow Turbans in Han China. A Taoist monk named Chang
Tsu preaches that the Han Emperors have lost the “Mandate of Heaven†and will soon be
overthrown. He gathers a large number of followers around him and in 184 AD leads
them into revolt. Rebellions in sympathy to the Yellow Turbans begin to break out all
over the Han Chinese Empire. In order to defend itself, the Han Dynasty conscripts a
huge army, and authorizes local governors to organize their own armies to combat the
rebels. Wealthy landowners also organize armies to defend themselves. Faced with the
huge military power of the Han Emperor and his allies (the governors and the
landowners), the Yellow Turbans are essentially defeated within a year, although there
will be sporadic outbreaks until 189 AD. However, in allowing the local governors and
wealthy landowners to organize their own armies, the Han Dynasty has sown the seeds of
it’s own destruction. Fighting soon breaks out between rival warlords, in defiance of the
Emperor’s authority. Within forty years, the Han Dynasty will collapse and China will
fragment once more.
185-199 AD--The Great African Revolt against Hatti. Spurred on by Roman agents and
financial support, simultaneous rebellions break out in Egypt, Kush and Axum. The
Hittite garrisons are thrown out, and the three provinces briefly establish their
independence. But Hittite armies re-invade the area, supported by coastal invasions by
the Himyarite allies of the Hittites, and in a series of grueling campaigns lasting for over
ten years, the Hittites re-establish their control over the rebellious provinces. But the
rebellion is very exhausting for the Hittites.
c. 185 AD--Taking advantage of the chaos in the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of
Koguryo drives Han Chinese forces from northern Korea, and Vietnamese rebels drive
the Chinese out of Annam. Death of King Mithridates IV of Parthia. He is succeeded by
Mithridates V. Like his father, Mithridates V will spend most of his reign campaigning
against incursions by the Kushans.
188-190 AD--The Great Bread Riots in Rome. Over the preceding decades, many
business owners...farm, factory, and mine owners...have been ignoring regulations
regarding the proportion of slave labor allowed to be used by their businesses. As a
result, unemployment has been steadily increasing as freemen have been thrown out of
their jobs, replaced by slave labor. These unemployed men gravitate toward the great
cities of the empire, where they can receive free bread from the government. But in 188
AD, a poor harvest forces the government to temporarily suspend the bread ration, and
riots break out in many cities around the empire, including Rome itself. Repeated riots
will occur over the next two years as harvests continue to be poor.
190 AD--The Chinese invent the abacus. Also in this year the Emperor Ling Ti of Han
China dies, and is succeeded by Hsien Ti. Also in this year, Lucius Fulvius Brutus is
re-elected to a third term as Roman Dictator. During this term, a law...strictly
enforced...requiring that slave labor comprise no more than ten percent of the labor force
at any business (farm, factory or mine) is passed. In addition, a new Slave Tax is passed,
to apply not only to businesses but also to private owners of slaves. This has the effect
of drying up most of the large number of unemployed who are living on the streets of the
empire’s major cities, and ending the rioting which has been plaguing Roman society for
the past two years.
191 AD--Death of King Arnuwanda VI of Hatti. He is succeeded by Hantili IV.
196-199 AD--Civil War in Rome. In 196 AD, Lucius Fulvius Brutus runs for an
unprecedented fourth term as Roman Dictator, and wins. His opponents in the Senate,
fearing that he plans to resurrect the post of “Dictator for Life†or even make himself
King, have him assassinated. Riots break out in the streets of most major Roman cities as
a result, and factions in the Senate at Rome appeal to various army generals for aid. Most
generals remain neutral, as their army academy training teaches them to do, but a few do
not, and fighting breaks out between the rival factions. It looks for a while like the
Republic is about to relapse into the chaos which almost destroyed it two centuries ago,
but a charismatic Roman Senator, Sextus Quintilius Rufinius, persuades the neutral
generals to act in defense of the Republic and to put down the rebellious generals...those
supporting both of the factions in the Civil War...in the name of the Roman State. This is
accomplished by 199 AD, with the rebellious generals being either killed in battle or
captured and executed, along with those Senators who participated in fomenting the
rebellion in the army. In the aftermath, Sextus Quintilius Rufinius is applauded as the
new Saviour of the Republic and is elected as the new Roman Dictator by acclamation in
the Senate. He immediately introduces a bill to amend the Roman Constitution to limit
the Dictator to no more than two terms, which is passed unanimously.
198 AD--Death of King Mithridates V of Parthia in battle against the Kushans. He is
succeeded by Orodes II.
199 AD--Death of King Lycurgus III of Hellas. He is succeeded by Cleomenes V.
Sextus Quintilius Rufinius is elected as Dictator of Rome.
c. 200 AD--First use of the Runic alphabet in Scandinavia. Also at about this time in
India, the Manu code prescribes the rules of everyday life and divides Hindus into four
castes (Brahmins, warriors, farmers/traders, non-Aryans).
