The epidemic reached the Empire with soldiers from the Middle East campaign; how the disease reached the Middle East no one knows.
Palmyra is ruled by Thadday I Rabai'i, of the Arabic Quedarte culture.
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The epidemic reached the Empire with soldiers from the Middle East campaign; how the disease reached the Middle East no one knows.
Palmyra is ruled by Thadday I Rabai'i, of the Arabic Quedarte culture.
Theophilos I (267 AD – 301 AD)
Theophilos I Taurides ascended the throne upon the death of his father, Erigyios I, on January 27, 267 AD. The Theodosian Epidemic, famine, civil war, conflicts with Hipparchos and the Persians in Asia Minor over the past half-decade had severely weakened the Tauric Empire. The Theodosian Epidemic, in its most virulent form, ended by the end of 230 AD, but sporadic outbreaks of the plague still occurred in various parts of the Tauric Empire into the 240s. The famine that accompanied the spread of the plague peaked between the 220s and 240s AD. The civil war that brought a new dynasty to power in the Tauric Empire, and the war with Hipparchos and the Persians in Asia Minor, which lasted almost continuously between 226 AD and 258 AD, brought additional destruction and death. Theophilos I's grandfather and father sought to mitigate the effects of these disasters that had befallen the Tauric Empire. The agrarian and monetary reforms in the empire began to bear fruit only in the final period of Theophilos I's father's reign, between 258 AD and 267 AD. The monetary reform implemented in 248 AD stabilized the state’s economy only in the last period of Erigyios I’s reign.
Between 260 and 267 AD, the minting and exchange of new coins was a lengthy process, and many citizens were distrustful of the new coins because they replaced those used in the empire for a very long time. Although the new obol contained more silver than its predecessor, which had been devalued in the last period of the previous dynasty’s reign by factions Ενας and Τρία, who regularly reduced the silver content in coins minted between 200 and 240 AD. The silver content in those coins decreased from 3.5 grams to just 2.8 grams over 40 years. The new obols, called Taurides, contained 3.8 grams of pure silver. Between 260 and 267 AD, a gold Taurides was also introduced, containing 4.5 grams of pure precious metal. The inflation problems caused by the debasement of silver coins at the end of the previous dynasty’s reign were finally curbed only between 264 and 269 AD, when most of these coins were ultimately withdrawn from circulation in the empire.
The famine, whose worst period was in the 230s, finally ended with the arrival of the 260s AD. Increased grain imports from Egypt to the Tauric Empire, along with an agrarian reform that broke the monopoly of large latifundia and great estates, ended this catastrophe. The reform within the empire was not without opposition from the wealthy, who were the most affected by these changes. Many wealthier nobles tried to resist these changes by organizing uprisings and rebellions, but most of these endeavors ended tragically. Between 260 and 268 AD, a series of bloody suppressions of the nobility’s revolts occurred within the empire, which, without support from the masses, had no chance of success. Many families and wealthy households that had amassed vast estates over the last two centuries due to the corrupt pentarchy system ceased to exist or lost everything they owned. Most of the land confiscated and then parceled out for the reform was obtained in this way or through purges aimed at removing the last supporters of Niketes or oligarchy advocates.
All these actions finally began to bear fruit with the beginning of the reign of the new Tauric Emperor, Theophilos I. Despite ultimately resolving the major problems that plagued the empire, the population fell from 13 million to just under 9 million by 267 AD. The depopulation of the empire, which was a consequence of the last 50 years, was a significant problem in the long run. However, Taurica was not the only country facing this issue. All Mediterranean countries lost citizens due to the pandemic. The population of the Tauric Empire did not return to its previous level until the mid-4th century.
In 268 AD, an Roman embassy sent by Mettius IV Cornelius Scipio arrived in Pantikapaion. The Roman Emperor sought help from his son-in-law. The civil war had taken a bad turn for the current Roman Emperor. The war between Mettius IV and his two rivals from the Iberian Empire and the Gallic Empire had been a relatively limited conflict until around 260 AD. The Roman Empire, emerging from the plague and social unrest at the beginning of the 250s AD, was weakened and had still not achieved complete reunification of its territories. By the mid-3rd century, three separate empires existed: the Iberian Empire, ruled by Statius I Cominius Maximus, with its capital in New Carthage, extending its power over the Iberian Peninsula and Roman possessions in Mauretania; the Gallic Empire, led by Virbius I Verginius Verrucosus, with its capital in Lyon, ruled most of Gaul. By 264 AD, Mettius IV had managed to defeat Virbius I Verginius and reintegrate the Gallic Empire into the Roman Empire.
Mettius IV's campaign against Statius I Cominius in Iberia, however, ended in disaster at the Battle of Altonum on November 11, 266, forcing Mettius to abandon most of Gaul and retreat back to Italy. There, he organized additional legions and managed to halt Statius's advance at the Alpine passes in 267 AD. The war was now in a stalemate for both sides, prompting Mettius to send an embassy to Pantikapaion to seek help from Theophilos I. Servia Cornelia Quarta, the Tauric Empress, played a key role in convincing her husband to provide military support to her father. Since arriving in the Tauric Empire, Servia had faced prejudice against her. However, within a few years of her arrival in Pantikapaion, she managed to win over a significant part of the imperial court. The birth of Kephisodoros, the heir to the throne, solidified her position, and with her husband's support, she became the most important woman in the empire. Theophilos I, meanwhile, managed to secure further guarantees regarding Hadrametum from the Roman embassy. This Punic kingdom, which had emerged from a rebellion in the kingdom of Kirob, had decided to become a Tauric client state in 256 AD. The heir to the throne, Kephisodoros, was appointed by his father as commander of the Stratos of Taurica and the Stratos of Scythia. Kephisodoros was given 60,000 soldiers, who departed from Pantikapaion at the end of 268 AD.
The fleet of Kephisodoros touched down in Greece, landing on the Peloponnesian Peninsula at the beginning of 269 AD. The Kingdom of Naxos, which had taken advantage of the crisis in the Tauric Empire to gain independence, attacked and annexed the Kingdom of Lepreon, which was located on the Peloponnese and had been established at the end of the Great Mediterranean War as a result of the reorganization of Tauric Empire’s client states. The war in Greece that resulted from this event saw Kephisodoros attacking Naxos, a campaign that lasted less than a year and ended with a decisive battle near Corinth on June 11, 270 AD. In this battle, Kephisodoros managed to completely destroy the army of Polyeuktos II, and the ruler of Naxos himself was captured. Kephisodoros left the issue of the Kingdom of Naxos to his father, Theophilos I, who decided to place his brother Teisikrates Taurides on the throne.
Kephisodoros reached the Apennine Peninsula by crossing the Strait of Otranto, with the Kingdom of Korkyra confirming its client status once Kephisodoros' forces crossed its borders in mid-270 AD. The march northward towards Rome took several weeks, during which the heir to the Tauric throne often stayed in the villas of wealthy Romans. Fluent in Latin thanks to his mother’s teachings, he communicated with his hosts without the need for translators. Many Romans spoke Greek, a language widely used throughout the Mediterranean basin. The army led by Kephisodoros reached Rome in October 270 AD. Kephisodoros entered the city to greet his grandfather, Mettius IV, on October 11 and was received with honors, becoming the only Tauric commander to have crossed the city’s walls. Kephisodotos IV "Italiotes," who had fought against Rome centuries earlier, had never entered the city but had only negotiated with the senators from his camp. Kephisodoros received a name reminiscent of "Italiotes."
The military campaign against Statius I lasted until 273 AD. The initial battles were concentrated in southern Gaul, where Kephisodoros and his maternal grandfather managed to force the armies of the Iberian Empire to retreat to the Iberian Peninsula within a year. In two engagements, the first on June 10, 271 AD near Massalia, and the second on October 6, 271 AD near Narbo, the combined Roman-Tauric forces numbering 100,000 soldiers crushed the Iberian Empire’s troops in a decisive counterattack. Statius I Cominius Maximus himself fell in this battle. The Tauric armies returned to the Empire by the end of 274 AD, though Kephisodoros did not stay long in his homeland as war broke out between Egypt and the Kingdom of Palmyra.
In March 275 AD, an Egyptian embassy from the new ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, daughter of Cleopatra VI, arrived in Pantikapaion demanding that the Tauric Empire fulfill the agreement made with her mother. The additional grain shipments sent to the Tauric Empire in the 250s and 260s were tied to providing military support to Egypt. Cleopatra VII was currently facing renewed aggression from the Kingdom of Palmyra and sought to reclaim lost territories in Palestine and Syria. Egypt was currently unable to defeat Palmyra on its own, as the Palmyran kingdom had become a regional power. This conflict was an opportunity for Theophilos I to regain control over the rest of Anatolia, which was currently part of the Kingdom of Palmyra. Theophilos I once again handed command to his heir. Kephisodoros, in agreement with his father, mobilized the population in Asia Minor, and these forces were placed under the command of the governor of Colchis, Molon Taurides. The armies mobilized in Anatolia numbered 40,000 men. Molon was tasked with attacking the Palmyrene possessions in Anatolia. Kephisodoros, who once again took command of the Stratos of Taurica, traveled by sea to Egypt to support Cleopatra VII.
The Tauric Legion landed in the Nile Delta in mid-275 AD. Kephisodoros and his army marched towards Alexandria, which was already under siege by the army of the Palmyrene King Thadday I Rabai'i. The relief of Alexandria took place on July 11, 275 AD. The battle that unfolded at the walls of the Egyptian capital began at dawn on July 11, with Kephisodoros organizing a cavalry charge of heavy Tauric cataphracts supported by light cavalry and mounted archers. The charge, organised at dawn, was used to blind the Palmyrene army. While the Tauric forces had the sun at their backs. As a result of this engagement, the 60,000-strong Palmyrene army was forced to retreat by Kephisodoros. Thadday I abandoned his camp and, with 20,000 surviving soldiers, fled south, crossing the Nile and heading to Palestine, fearing pursuit by Kephisodoros.
Kephisodoros, who had defeated the Palmyrene forces, was welcomed in the Egyptian capital with full honors by Cleopatra VII. The Egyptian ruler saw the Tauric heir as a valuable son-in-law and began matchmaking him with her daughter. Cleopatra VII also sought to convince Kephisodoros that the defense pact with the Tauric Empire was insufficient. To this end, she kept Kephisodoros in Alexandria for several months, during which intense diplomatic exchanges took place between Alexandria and Pantikapaion. Kephisodoros stayed in Egypt for several months, during which he spent much of his time in the company of Diantha, Cleopatra VII’s daughter. Using her charms, she managed to soften the stoic Tauric heir. Cleopatra VII’s plan succeeded, as by the end of 275 AD, an official military alliance was formed between the Tauric Empire and the Ptolemaic Egyptian Empire. Theophilos I, informed of his eldest son and heir’s romance with the Egyptian princess, deemed that a marriage between the two would be the best way to deepen relations with Egypt, which had until recently been an opponent of the Tauric Empire. Diantha traveled to Pantikapaion already pregnant, and upon her arrival, she gave birth to Theophilos I’s grandson, who was named Molon, mainly in honor of his namesake Molon Taurides, who had taken his own life after the fall of Carthage.
The war with Palmyra was resumed by Kephisodoros at the beginning of 276 AD when he, along with Egyptian armies, entered Palestine. While the Tauric heir to the throne spent his days in the company of Diantha, enjoying a cruise on the Nile, the governor of Colchis, Molon Taurides, managed to occupy a significant part of Palmyrene Anatolia and drove their armies into Syria. By 278 AD, Kephisodoros had conquered Palestine and Phoenicia, then joined forces with Molon. In the battle near Palmyra on October 2, 278 AD, the armies of Thadday I were defeated. A siege of the city was unnecessary as Kephisodoros was able to secure peace with Thadday I on his terms. Palestine, Cyprus, and most of Syria returned to Egyptian control. The territories of Palmyra acquired through the conquest of Lystra, Kamisa, and part of Pergamon became possessions of the Tauric Empire, which established two dependent kingdoms, Eukarpia and Saconia, on these lands. Thadday I also had to pay a substantial amount of gold and silver for starting the war.
Within the Tauric Empire, during this period, Theophilos I completed the project of rebuilding the acropolis in Charax. The city's center was rebuilt, and a new temple was erected in its heart, dedicated to the Imperial cult, featuring among its most important deified rulers, Artemidoros IV. Depicted in a victorious pose, Artemidoros was shown defeating his opponents and saving the Empire from anarchy and disaster. This project was later regarded as one of the five architectural wonders of the 1st Tauric Empire.
From 291 to 296 AD, the Tauric Empire supported its ally, the Dacian Kingdom, in a war against Valeria, a breakaway part of the Dacian state. This war, initiated in March 282 by Rubobostes Durasus to reunite Dacian territories, did not yield the expected results between 282 and 291 AD. Rubobostes was not as outstanding a commander as his famous grandfather Zoutoula. Faced with a lack of victories and a prolonged war, Rubobostes sent a request for assistance to Pantikapaion. The military alliance with Dacia obligated Theophilos I to aid Rubobostes Durasus, as Dacia acted as a buffer between the Tauric Empire and Rome, and its weakening was not in the Tauric interest. Theophilos I once again entrusted his son and heir with command of the imperial forces.
The Stratos of Taurica crossed the Carpathians in April 291 AD, with the army led by Kephisodoros heading towards Pannonia. Kephisodoros' plan was to defeat the Valerian army in the field and then capture key cities. This plan, simple in its assumptions, proved more difficult to execute as the ruler of Valeria, a certain Rigozus Orolosus, completely avoided open field battles for the next two years, forcing Kephisodoros to change tactics and begin capturing cities in Pannonia and the Carpathians. Between 291 and 295 AD, the combined Dacian-Tauric forces managed to capture all key cities in Pannonia and Illyria. On February 12, 296 AD, a decisive battle finally took place between the two sides. The battle of Astrum, ending in victory for the forces of Kephisodoros and Rubobostes, marked the end of the short-lived independent Kingdom of Valeria, which was once again incorporated into the Dacian Kingdom.
The final period of Theophilos I's reign, between 296 and 301 AD, was a time of relative peace. The Tauric Empire did not engage in wars with its neighbors, although during this time, raiding attacks by barbarian proto-Blates, Germans, and proto-Slavs increased. The western borderlands became increasingly unstable during this period, prompting Theophilos I to invest significant resources in building a line of fortifications along the border of the Kingdom of Styria. The eastern borders of the Empire also faced similar problems, as raids by nomadic peoples, who had once been part of the great Aorsian confederation, intensified following its collapse. Nomadic confederations like the Krugli, Saksaul, Gurganji, and Xojand organized raids on the borderlands, increasingly crossing the river Oarus (Volga). Theophilos I sought to build a line of fortifications here to prevent or at least partially stop these attacks. Theophilos I died on November 22, 301 AD. The throne passed to his eldest son, Kephisodoros I. The new Tauric Emperor had a more aggressive approach regarding the Empire's borders, which were subject to attacks from nomads and other barbarians.
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Taurica seems to be a good ally, and their ties with Rome and Egypt should prevent a second major war...
The First Tauric Empire? How does this regime fall, then? And how does the Second Tauric Empire emerge?
Are the Emperors of Taurica planning to do anything about Haemimontus with their newly restored influence in Greece?
The First Tauric Empire? How does this regime fall, then? And how does the Second Tauric Empire emerge?
Are the Emperors of Taurica planning to do anything about Haemimontus with their newly restored influence in Greece?
Taurica seems to be a good ally, and their ties with Rome and Egypt should prevent a second major war...
The First Tauric Empire? How does this regime fall, then? And how does the Second Tauric Empire emerge?
Are the Emperors of Taurica planning to do anything about Haemimontus with their newly restored influence in Greece?
When it comes to the fall, something that will come from the south and later from the east will play a key role.
As for Haemimontus, this kingdom will be covered in the next chapter.
I have about 150 years left to describe and then I'll switch to CK3. In CK3 I've played up to 800 AD, from 450 - 600 AD, using the WtWSMS mod, and from 600 - 800 AD using The Fallen Eagle mod. From 800 AD, I want to play the rest using the roads to power dlc,. Generally, by the end of September I hope to describe most of what happened in ck3.
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Could I ask how you are able to swap mods around in CK3? Wont these mods with their significant file changes cause many errors/conflicts?
I don't swap them, they are simply two different mods created based on a save from Emperor, brought to a similar state using the console.
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Kephisodoros I (301 AD – 336 AD)
The entire economy of the Tauric Empire was based on slave labor. The Theodosian plague, which severely affected the lowest social class, caused significant losses among the slave population. Slaves in Taurica were employed in all sectors of the economy: in agriculture, they worked in the fields on the heaviest tasks, and in the quarries - mines of iron and other metals, slave labor was ubiquitous. It was so common and natural that about half the population was in a state of slavery. The laws of the Empire regarding slavery were brutal and ruthless; a slave was the property of their master, who could do with them as they pleased, including taking their life. Since the great slave rebellion of Marcus Antonius at the beginning of the first century AD, little had changed in this regard, except that the Empire's expansion required more human masses.
Kephisodoros I intended to use the increasingly frequent raids on the Empire's western border to subjugate the barbarian tribes living in the lands of Venedi and Vistuli. The primary goal of this war was to stop the barbarian tribes from raiding the Empire's borderlands. Another objective was to acquire more human masses in the form of slaves for the Empire. The collapse of the great Firaesian confederation led to the emergence of dozens of smaller Germanic, proto-Baltic, and proto-Slavic tribes. This war, which began in 303 AD, lasted until 315 AD and was essentially a series of conflicts with tribes west of the Kingdom of Styria, the frontier between civilization and barbarians. In early 303 AD, imperial armies under Kephisodoros I entered Styr and then crossed the border to raid the proto-Baltic tribes' frontier lands.
Kephisodoros I used in this campaign the Stratos of Taurica, consisting of 50,000 soldiers, and the Stratos of Scytia and Borysthenia, each with 10,000 men. This 70,000-strong army was divided into smaller legions, each not exceeding 15,000 men. Kephisodoros I's plan involved a slow march northwest towards the Sarmatian Ocean (Baltic Sea). From 303 to 308 AD, the imperial armies, led by Kephisodoros, attacked and annihilated the frontier tribes of Sottika, Masticat, Orija, Guthonia, and Daugava. This five-year campaign aimed at the border tribes that frequently raided the Empire's borderlands. These tribes were the most troublesome among the barbarians inhabiting these areas. Kephisodoros wanted to secure the border and eliminate the most troublesome tribes, demonstrating to others that opposing the Tauric Empire was futile.
The brutality towards the tribes of Sottika, Masticat, Orija, Guthonia, and Daugava was a demonstration to other tribes. A significant part of the population of the defeated tribes was simply killed, and those who survived were enslaved and sold in the Empire's slave markets. The ruthlessness towards the barbarian tribes had a partial effect, as some tribes submitted to the Tauric Emperor's will. Valitium, Extanes, and Sopha agreed to pay tribute to avoid the fate of their compatriots. However, the tribes of Anacurate, Sudinovia, Burgundia, Burgia, Budorigum, Sudinoia, and Zirnajai united to resist the Tauric Empire's aggression, led by the chief Inguriks Swinthijaz of the Burgi.
The fighting in the dense forests of Venedi and Vistuli from 308 AD to the end of this campaign in 315 AD was a logistical nightmare, with frequent ambushes by the barbarians significantly hindering the conduct of the war. The coalition of these tribes completely avoided open field battles with the Tauric legions, resorting to guerrilla warfare. Destroying deserted settlements whose inhabitants had fled into the dense forests did not bring Kephisodoros I closer to his goal. By 310 AD, the imperial armies had reached the shores of the Sarmatian Ocean (Baltic Sea), but the remainder of the campaign involved a slow withdrawal towards the border.
Kephisodoros I concluded that trying to subjugate these territories was far more problematic than initially anticipated. Inguriks proved to be a notable leader, uniting the tribes under his command and harassing the Tauric armies in every possible way, avoiding open confrontation. The later period of the northwestern expedition between 310 and 315 AD was marked by limited skirmishes between the two sides. Sporadic small-scale ambushes and battles occurred between the Tauric forces and the tribes under Inguriks Swinthijaz's control. Ultimately, Kephisodoros I decided that the lands of Venedi and Vistuli were not worth the cost of subjugating the tribes living there. As a result, an agreement was reached between Inguriks and Kephisodoros I.
Under the terms of this treaty, in which the Tauric Empire was to cease further aggression against the tribes living on these lands, spheres of influence were divided. Kephisodoros I established two new dependent tribal states on the lands of the annihilated border tribes, Lukov and Arhao, while the kingdom of Styr was directly incorporated into the borders of the Tauric Empire. Inguriks and other chieftains were to send their sons to Pantikapaion to become hostages, guaranteeing compliance with the treaty. Inguriks Swinthijaz, the chieftain of the Burgi, benefited the most from this agreement. A few years later, he united the tribes under his command, establishing a new powerful tribal confederation called Aestuia. Peace between the new Aestuia confederation. The Peace with Tauric Empire was maintained for the following decades. The Tauric rulers tried to balance their policy towards the barbarians of these territories by drawing them into their cultural and economic sphere.
In 317 AD, Dacia once again turned to the Tauric Empire for military assistance. Rubobostes Durasus planned to attack Haemimontus to re-incorporate the lands of this kingdom into the Dacian realm. Kephisodoros I, who was indeed looking for a way to improve his image after the not entirely successful western campaign against the barbarians, agreed to support the Dacian ruler. However, the Dacian envoys who came to Pantikapaion were presented with the conditions of this assistance. Kephisodoros I wanted to divide the territory of the kingdom of Haemimontus between the Tauric Empire and the kingdom of Dacia. Agreement to the division, as envisioned by the Tauric ruler, was to guarantee assistance in this war. Initially, the Dacian envoys were reluctant to negotiate on this matter, but subtle suggestions from the Tauric Emperor regarding the possibility of closer cooperation with Rome made the more intelligent Dacian envoys think.
Rubobostes Durasus was aware of the political rapprochement between the Roman Empire and the Tauric Empire. He realized that the mother of the current ruler of the Tauric Empire was a Roman woman, Servia Cornelia Quarta. This woman still played an important role in the internal politics of the imperial court and, if she wished, could influence her son. The rapprochement between the Tauric Empire and Rome was viewed with concern in Dacia. As a state lying between the two Empires, such a situation was dangerous for Dacia. Rubobostes understood that there could be further tightening of ties with Rome and that a military alliance between them and the Tauric Empire might become unnecessary for their eastern neighbors over time. Acknowledging that this situation could occur, Rubobostes agreed to Kephisodoros I's proposal regarding the territorial division of the kingdom of Haemimontus.
The war with the kingdom of Haemimontus began in 318 AD, and the conflict lasted only three years, until 321 AD. In the battle fought on February 11, 318 AD, on the fields surrounding Byzantium, the conflict was resolved at the very beginning. The battle between the armies of the Tauric Empire, led by Kephisodoros I, and the army of the kingdom of Haemimontus, led by Dokimos I Aleudes, lasted several hours and ended in the complete defeat and rout of Dokimos I's army. The further course of this conflict involved a series of sieges of the most important cities. Bergoule and Bisanthe fell in 318 AD. Other important cities, Philipoi and Thessalonike, capitulated after only a few months of siege in early 319 AD. By mid-321 AD, all major urban centers had been captured, and the kingdom itself annexed and divided according to the Tauric ruler's plans. Korkyra, a dependent kingdom existing in the region of Epirus, received the western areas of former Macedonia. The Tauric Empire incorporated the lands along the Aegean coast up to Thessalonike, and the rest once again became part of the kingdom of Dacia.
During the conquest of Haemimontus by the Tauric Empire and the kingdom of Dacia, the Persian Empire of the Gobryasid dynasty conquered Palmyra, ending the existence of this kingdom in the Middle East. The new Persian ruler, Datis I Gobryasid, showed ambitions, especially after resolving the internal problems that his predecessor had to deal with. Now that Persia was once again internally stable, the Gobryasid dynasty planned to resume its territorial expansion. The conquest and annexation of Palmyra in 315-319 AD was a prelude to another conflict with the Tauric Empire.
The aggression and conquest of the kingdom of Palmyra caused outrage in Pantikapaion, as Palmyra still owed significant war reparations for the attack on Egypt. The Tauric embassy sent to the Persians regarding the settlement of Palmyra's obligations was met with rejection. War broke out when the Persians attacked the two Armenian buffer kingdoms, Miyuana and Arshatt-Arkashat. The Second Tauric-Persian War began in 322 AD and lasted until 331 AD. The aggression of the Persians, who killed Tauric envoys, was expected by Kephisodoros I. The imperial armies, which were already in Asia Minor under his command, were preparing for another war with the Persians.
The Stratos of Taurica, with a force of 50,000 men, and the Stratos of Scythia and Sarmatia, totaling 20,000 soldiers, were further reinforced by a local conscription of an additional 15,000 men. These troops, under the command of Kephisodoros I, headed east towards the kingdoms of Arshatt-Arkashat and Miyuana. The Persians, whose armies numbered about 90,000 soldiers, were devastating these two kingdoms. Clashes between the two sides began with the arrival of the first Tauric units in July 322 AD, and the military campaign in the Armenian kingdoms lasted from 322 to 328 AD. During this period, skirmishes and smaller battles occurred, which did not give either side a decisive advantage. The mountainous terrain of Armenia, where both disputed kingdoms were located, hindered military operations for both sides.
The following years, between 328 and 331 AD, saw both sides focus on inflicting as much damage as possible on the enemy through guerrilla warfare. Several smaller battles occurred between the summer of 328 and 330 AD, leading to a stalemate where neither side could force a decisive battle. The situation changed with news from the eastern border. Nomadic tribes were reported to have launched an attack on an unprecedented scale.
At the beginning of 331 AD, when most of the Tauric Empire's forces were engaged in fighting in southern armenia, an unprecedented raiding attack by eastern nomads took place. The raid was carried out by the nomadic confederations of the Krugli, Saksaul, and Gurganji. Within a few months, they managed to plunder significant territories on the eastern frontiers of the Tauric Empire. This attack, likely provoked by the Persians, forced Kephisodoros I to agree to a truce with Datis I and end the war with the Persians. Especially since reports indicated that the nomadic armies had managed to plunder Urgath and Porach, located in the province of Hyrcania. The Stratos of Borythenia, commanded by Molon Taurides, the son of Kephisodoros I, also suffered a defeat in a battle near Kichpa.
The agreement reached under these circumstances was much more favorable to the Persian ruler. Kephisodoros I effectively gave up his demands regarding Palmyra's obligations and agreed to the territorial division of the two buffer Armenian kingdoms, with their southern territories being directly incorporated into the Persian Empire.
Kephisodoros I managed to return to the Empire at the end of 331 AD. The legions under his command headed to the eastern provinces, where they managed to relieve Kichpa in November, a city under siege by the nomadic armies of the Krugli, Saksaul, and Gurganji confederations. The battle fought on November 24, 331 AD, pitted a 65,000-strong Tauric Empire army against a 50,000-strong nomadic warrior force. In this battle, Kephisodoros I inflicted significant losses on his nomadic enemies but failed to completely break their army, which fled towards the Oarus River (Volga). The punitive campaign organized by Kephisodoros I against these three nomadic confederations from 331 to 335 AD, however, ended in failure.
The imperial legions used in this effort were a mix of infantry and cavalry, which proved ineffective in trying to annihilate the nomadic forces of the Krugli, Saksaul, and Gurganji confederations. Ultimately, due to his deteriorating health and advanced age, Kephisodoros I returned to the Empire at the end of 335 AD. A decision was made to abandon the territories east of the Oarus River (Volga), known as Raha Ulterior, and to begin building a series of fortifications on the right bank of the Oarus River (Volga) to secure against further attacks.
Kephisodoros I died on December 21, 336 AD, and his eldest son, Molon I Taurides, succeeded him to the throne.
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The formation of a new tribal federation on the border benefits Taurica since it prevents tribal raids, I guess... where will Taurica get their slaves from, though?
RIP Palmyra. How much of an enemy will Persia become to Taurica? How much will they contribute to its fall?
RIP Palmyra. How much of an enemy will Persia become to Taurica? How much will they contribute to its fall?
In the next chapter the topic of religion will be discussed.
The subject of slavery was raised mainly because it would contribute to the end of the First Empire to some extent. Persia would also play a role here.
Molon I (336 AD – 361 AD)
The collapse of the Aorsian confederation in the mid-3rd century AD ended this golden age on the Central Asian steppe. Trade and the exchange of ideas slowed, effectively halting the northern branch of the Silk Road that had its beginnings in the 2nd century BC. From 254 AD to the early 4th century, there were conflicts between clans and nomadic tribes that emerged from the disintegration of the Aorsian confederation. By 336 AD, the Central Asian steppe was dominated by four strong nomadic federations: the Krugli, Saksaul, Gurganji, and Xojand.
The work initiated in 335 AD, the final year of Kephisodoros I's reign, aimed at strengthening the eastern frontier, lasted until 350 AD. On the right banks of the Oarus (Volga) River, the line of fortifications was to extend from the city of Zurka to Karpovka in the territory of Sarmati Esgha in the Province of Sarmatia. The new line of earthworks and trenches was to replace the fortifications built in previous centuries. This section of the new line of fortifications was to be further strengthened with fortified camps at points where crossing to the other side of the river was possible. Approximately every 15 stadia (5 km), border watchtowers were to be placed along the line of earthworks, with the main purpose of providing early warning of threats from nomads attempting to cross the border. This line of fortifications was to be known as γραμμή Sarmatica (the Sarmatic Line). The construction and subsequent manning of these fortifications utilized the Stratos of Sarmatica. These fortifications, built between 335 and 350 AD, were also supported by the nearest urban centers: Zurka, Vaski, Kalm, and Karpovka.
A second line of fortifications, consisting of earthworks and trenches strengthened with fortified camps, was built from the devastated city of Urgah to the mouth of the Oarus (Volga) River at the Hyrcanian Sea. The Hyrcanian Line (Yραμμή Hyrcani) was constructed using the new legion, Stratos of Hyrcani, consisting of 10,000 men. The work on this line of fortifications, like that of the Sarmatic Line, lasted from 335 AD to 350 AD. Most of the newly built fortifications on the banks of the Oarus (Volga) River reinforced already existing border forts from the previous centuries, known as the period of Pax Aorsiana. Molon I also allocated significant resources to fortify the Tauric border with the Persian Empire. In the territories of the South Caucasus, a series of fortifications were built in the two dependent Armenian kingdoms of Miyuana and Arshatt-Arkashat. The border of Anatolia and Assyria, was also strengthened. The work on these fortifications between 335 and 345 AD resulted in a strong line of fortifications. Their primary purpose was to make direct penetration by Persian armies time-consuming, which was the main goal of the entire project.
The Spire of Hermonassa, the last architectural monument of the Tauric Empire, was built in the final period of antiquity. Commissioned by Molon I's grandfather, Theophilos I, in 292 AD, the construction was finally completed in 335 AD. The Spire of Hermonassa rises to a height of 250 meters, making it one of the tallest structures in the Mediterranean world. Its slender silhouette is visible from many kilometers away, and the gleaming marble from which it is built reflects the sunlight, making the structure shine like a lighthouse. The base of the Spire is surrounded by a wide fortified platform with a diameter of 100 meters and a height of 40 meters, made of white marble and adorned with intricately carved reliefs depicting scenes from mythology related to the origin of the first ruling dynasty of the Tauric Empire, the Spartokids.
The interior of the Spire was designed to captivate and inspire awe among all who were given the opportunity to visit it. On the ground floor is the Great Hall of Assemblies, capable of accommodating thousands of people. This is where the most important religious ceremonies, political meetings, and grand cultural festivals were to be held. The hall is decorated with frescoes depicting the history of the Tauric Empire and the legendary heroes and rulers who reigned before the Taurides dynasty.
The first floor of the Spire houses the Imperial Library, intended to become one of the largest repositories of knowledge in the Tauric Empire. Thousands of manuscripts and scrolls, covering science, philosophy, magic, and history, are stored on beautifully decorated shelves. The library is also a place of work for scholars and philosophers who come to the Tauric Empire from all over the world.
The second floor is occupied by the Temple of Imperial Cult, dedicated to former Tauric Emperors who were elevated to the status of living gods during their lifetimes or shortly after their deaths. The temple is filled with golden and silver statues and mosaics depicting the deeds of the most illustrious rulers who held power in Taurica, with a particular emphasis on portraying the founder of the dynasty, Artemidoros IV Taurides, in the best possible light. In the center of the temple stands a huge altar where priests offer sacrifices and perform rituals in honor of the Empire's rulers.
The upper floors of the Spire are the residences of the highest priests and serve as an astronomical observatory. The observatory is equipped with advanced instruments for observing stars and planets, allowing priests to conduct astronomical research and forecast events. At the very top of the Spire is the Crown of Light, a huge golden dome visible from afar.
Manichaeism, a new dualistic religion founded by the prophet Mani (316-376 AD) in the Gobryasid Empire in Persia, was introduced to Pantikapaion by its first priests in early 342 AD. Molon I, informed of the presence of these religious envoys seeking an audience, agreed to hear their petition. The emissaries of the prophet Mani presented the Tauric Emperor with the tenets of their faith. Manichaeism views the world dualistically, positing the existence of two opposing, eternal principles: Light and Darkness. These two principles are in constant conflict, forming the basis of all existence. The Kingdom of Light represents goodness, spirituality, and divinity. It is the domain of the God of Light, the Supreme Being. The Kingdom of Darkness symbolizes evil, matter, and darkness. It is the domain of dark forces and demonic beings.
According to Manichaean cosmology, in the beginning, both spheres were separate. However, due to the aggression of the forces of darkness, light and darkness became mixed, leading to the creation of the material world. The purpose of existence is to release the imprisoned particles of light from matter and return them to the Kingdom of Light. Humans are seen as spiritual beings with particles of light trapped within them. The body is inherently evil, as it comes from the Kingdom of Darkness, while the soul is good, being a part of the Light.
The religious life of Manichaeans involves practices aimed at liberating the soul from the body. Manichaeism promotes an ascetic lifestyle, which includes fasting, celibacy, abstaining from meat, and avoiding material possessions. This ascetic way of life is intended to purify the soul and free it from the body. Daily prayer and meditation are important elements of religious practice, helping to focus on spiritual goals and reject earthly temptations. The Manichaean community is divided into two groups: Electi (the Chosen): They live in full asceticism, dedicating themselves entirely to spiritual life. Auditores (the Hearers): They follow less stringent rules, supporting the Electi and striving for spiritual perfection.
After listening to and thoroughly considering the petition to allow the construction of a temple and the dissemination of the prophet Mani's teachings in Pantikapaion, Molon I permitted this new religious sect to spread its message among the masses. Essentially, the Tauric Empire allowed all religious practices as long as they did not challenge the authority of the Imperial throne and the Emperor as the divine representative on earth. The permission granted for the spread of Manichaeism within the Tauric Empire was motivated by a desire to counter this new religion against Christianity.
Christianity in the Tauric Empire was becoming increasingly widespread. Initiated nearly 3.5 centuries earlier, this religion was becoming more common, not only within the borders of the Tauric Empire but also in the wider Mediterranean world. The Tauric rulers had to grapple with the growing number of conversions among the lowest social classes. The vision presented by those preaching the teachings of Jesus Christ resonated with the masses. The promise of salvation and paradise after death for those who embraced the Christian faith was an enticing prospect for many, especially since their lives were filled with suffering.
The Tauric rulers, who had governed the Empire since the 1st century AD, were regularly informed about the spread of the Christian faith among the poorest layers of society within the Empire. This religion was becoming increasingly popular among slaves and the poor, even though the Imperial Cult was strongly promoted among Tauric society in the central provinces. The regions of Anatolia and Greece were becoming increasingly permeated by this religion, becoming dominant in those areas in the following centuries, unlike the situation before the outbreak of the Theodosian pandemic in the early 3rd century AD. By 350 AD, nearly the entire Near East, from distant Nubia through Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Greece, had been dominated by Christianity.
Molon I, whether he liked it or not, had to reckon with the subjects who practiced this faith, as they constituted the majority in the territories of Anatolia. The Tauric Empire, which practiced religious tolerance, increasingly faced problems with its territories in Asia Minor. The permission to establish official institutions and a church hierarchy in Anatolia, granted by Molon I's father, Kephisodoros I, in 323 AD, was beginning to yield unexpected results. Although the clergy of the church hierarchy did not openly oppose the Tauric rulers, preachers calling for open rebellion and disobedience against the pagan rulers of Taurica were becoming more common. Many of them prophesied that the end of days was near and that only conversion and the overthrow of pagan idols could save human souls from hellfire.
Maintaining order in the lands where Christianity had spread was becoming increasingly difficult over time, not only due to the preachers who heralded apocalyptic visions but also due to the growing discontent among the local population. At the Imperial court in Pantikapaion, reports of social unrest caused by Christians residing in Anatolia were frequently received.
Roman Emperor Volumnius IV Cornelius Scipio, who experienced a revelation in a dream, was said to have rejected the old gods and converted to the new faith, establishing Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. According to reports reaching Pantikapaion, Volumnius IV's successor and beloved son, Hostus, had fallen seriously ill, and the court medics were unable to help. His health was deteriorating day by day, and all methods employed by medics, healers, and priests were ineffective. Volumnius IV, in his dream, was said to have seen a white cross spreading across the sky and heard a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The voice was both majestic and warm, and the words conveyed by this disembodied voice offered hope.
As later interpreted by the Roman Emperor, it was believed that the god worshipped by Christians had revealed himself to him in the dream, with words saying, "He who receives the body of my son will not perish, and his eternal soul will be saved. He who firmly believes in me and praises my name to the heavens will not fear eternal damnation, and his loved ones will also know my grace." These words were received by the Roman ruler with some distrust, but the worsening condition of his only son prompted him to summon representatives of this then-insignificant religious sect in the Roman Empire. Summoned for an audience, the Christian clergy explained the words conveyed to the Roman Emperor. The Emperor was to take his first communion and renounce his old gods, accepting the one God into his heart, which was to save his eternal soul from damnation. Moreover, this conversion was to be the sacrifice required to save the Emperor's son's life.
According to the Christian clergy's instructions, Volumnius IV renounced his pagan gods and accepted the flesh and blood of the only son, Jesus Christ. The effect was not immediate, but the health of the Imperial heir visibly improved. Subsequent acts of worship, penance, and fasting, according to the clergy's recommendations, ultimately led to Hostus's recovery, thereby convincing the Emperor of the power of the Christian God, who was becoming the god of the Roman Empire. These events took place between 337 and 338 AD. Christianity, already strong in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, was becoming the main religion in the western part of the ancient world.
In 360 AD, the Tauric Empire experienced the outbreak of the second great epidemic of the ancient world, later referred to by historians as the Egyptian Plague. The first victims of this epidemic were observed as early as mid-360 AD in Olbia and other port cities along the Black Sea. The first cases of illness appeared among sailors and merchants who began complaining of high fever, chills, and painful ulcers. This disease was likely brought to the Tauric Empire by merchants conducting frequent trade expeditions to Egypt. In the Ptolemaic Empire, this disease had been spreading for several months before reaching the Black Sea ports and other parts of the Mediterranean basin.
From Olbia and other major trade centers along the Black Sea, this disease quickly spread to other cities in the Tauric Empire, similar to the situation 150 years earlier with the Theodosian Plague. Traders, merchants, and travelers unknowingly spread the plague to the Empire's major cities via the main trade routes, which were the Empire's rivers: Tyras (Dniester), Hypanis (Southern Bug), Borysthenes (Dnieper), Tanais (Don), and Oarus (Volga). By mid-360 AD, when the plague reached the capital, the streets of Pantikapaion became scenes of panic and chaos as the number of infected people began to rise rapidly, with the population fleeing the city en masse to escape the pestilential air.
Molon I died on November 21, 361 AD, his death caused by the infection, leaving the throne in the hands of his eldest son, Tauriskos I. Tauriskos I would have to contend with the chaos engulfing the Empire in the ensuing months.
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Might be time to rethink the dedication to the old gods and accept Christ. Surely He will save them all from the plague.
Tauriskos I (361 AD – 378 AD)
Tauriskos I Taurides, the eldest son of Molon I, ascended to the imperial throne at the end of 361 AD. The epidemic that struck the Tauric Empire in mid-360 AD was first observed among merchants and sailors returning from trade expeditions to Ptolemaic Egypt. Olbia, Nikonia, and Tyras were among the first cities where cases were reported in mid-360 AD. From these cities, the plague spread to other core areas of the Tauric Empire. The port cities on the Tauric Peninsula: Kalos Lime, Charax, Chersonesos, and Pantikapaion, reported the first cases at the beginning of 361 AD. In the eastern part of the Black Sea basin, the disease appeared in mid-361 AD, with Gorgippia, Hermonassa, Phanagoria, Lebedia, and Tanais were among the affected cities. From the ports, the disease spread along major trade routes, primarily the rivers Tyras (Dniester), Hypanis (Southern Bug), Borysthenes (Dnieper), Tanais (Don), and Oarus (Volga). By 364 AD, all core territories were affected by the plague, causing deaths among all social classes.
In Pantikapaion, the plague arrived at the beginning of 361 AD. With the rapid increase in infections, the city’s population panicked, leading to a mass exodus. In November 361 AD, Molon I succumbed to the disease, leaving the throne to his son Tauriskos I. Tauriskos I left the capital with his court and closest family, retreating to an isolated estate in the Tauric Mountains (Crimean Mountains). From there, he attempted to control the spread of the plague. Like his father Molon I, Tauriskos I understood the gravity of the situation and began implementing strict measures early in 361 AD. Cities affected by the plague were isolated, and travel between regions was banned. Quarantines were established wherever the disease appeared, with infected houses and city walls marked with red signs. These measures only slowed the spread of the disease, and by 364 AD, the core areas of the Empire were entirely affected by the plague.
Mass deaths in the major cities forced local authorities to take drastic measures with human remains. Most of the deceased were burned or buried in mass graves outside the city walls, without funeral rites or dignity. In the absence of effective medicines and the failure of quarantines, Tauriskos I turned to the gods, organizing large prayer ceremonies and sacrifices in the temples of the Imperial cult. Priests performed cleansing rituals, hoping the gods would intervene and save the Empire from chaos, similar to what had occurred nearly a century earlier during the plague of Thedotos. The Egyptian plague that spread in the Empire between 360 – 364 AD began to wane in 365 AD. Sporadic outbreaks continued until 380 AD in various parts of the Empire.
The plague was not the only problem Tauriskos I had to face. Famine and social unrest became increasingly severe issues for the Tauric Empire. Between 360 – 365 AD, the population suffered not only from the spreading plague but also from growing food shortages. Slaves used in agriculture were among the first to fall victim to the Egyptian plague; those who did not die from the disease fled and formed marauding bands along the roads. The plague caused a labor shortage, and the drought in the summer of 362 AD led to a massive crop failure, a situation that persisted until 367 AD.
Slaves, most affected by hunger and disease, began to flee en masse and organize into groups of various sizes, attacking travelers on the roads. In 363 AD, the first organized slave revolt broke out in the province of Hyrcania. Desperate and hopeless, slaves attacked their masters' estates, looting and burning them. This revolt was led by Ljaumantas, whose tribe, Sottika, had been annihilated by the Tauric Empire. The rebellion quickly spread to other provinces, gaining strength. In the cities, tensions also rose as hunger and plague caused the poorest residents to organize uprisings against the aristocracy and imperial authority.
The lack of immediate aid from authorities, who were unable to provide assistance, led to a series of riots that turned into open revolts. Desperate people attacked granaries and food warehouses, demanding justice and an equal distribution of resources. The first cities to experience these rebellions were the most plague-stricken Black Sea ports. Olbia, Nikonia, and Tyras were the first where the plebs openly revolted and took control at the end of 364 AD. The situation was no better in other core provinces, where riots were common in large cities. By 365 AD, much of the core territories of the Tauric Empire had been engulfed in chaos caused by the plague and famine.
The situation was even more dramatic in Anatolia and Greece, where plague and famine led to mass uprisings. Prophets and preachers predicting the end of days gained a much wider audience than before. The Christian population, forming the majority in Greece and Anatolia, began conducting pogroms and massacres of pagan fellow citizens. People of Tauric-Bosporan Greek origin were murdered en masse. Imperial garrisons fell to fanatic mobs within a few years. Greece and Anatolia slipped out of control by 367 AD.
Tauriskos I, who had taken refuge with his family and court in the Tauric (Crimean) Mountains, returned to the capital in 365 AD when the situation in Pantikapaion stabilized. Until 365 AD, he tried to govern the Empire from a fortified villa. Throughout this period, Tauriskos I could only react to the escalating disasters. The Imperial legions, commanded by his two sons, Kephisodoros and Hieronymos, were used to suppress riots and slave revolts. Imperial armies and the Imperial Navy, whose commanders were mostly from the Taurides family, remained loyal to Tauriskos I. The Stratos of Taurica, divided into two armies—1st and 2nd Stratos of Taurica—each numbering 25,000 men, were commanded by Kephisodoros and Hieronymos and used to quell the growing social unrest from 361 to 370 AD.
Kephisodoros, commanding the 1st Stratos of Taurica along with the Stratos of Scytia, was sent by his father to the western provinces between 362 and 370 AD. In Scythia, open revolts broke out in the Black Sea ports of Olbia, Tyras, and Nikonia in mid-365 AD. The inhabitants of these cities, amidst the unrest, lynched local authorities and stormed the city garrison, acquiring weapons. This unrest escalated into an open rebellion led by a few leaders, including a man named Cleisthenes. By the end of 365 AD, Kephisodoros began the siege of Olbia, the city first hit by the Egyptian plague and the first to experience popular uprisings.
Kephisodoros, the eldest son of Tauriskos I and heir to the imperial throne, initially tried to negotiate with representatives of the three rebellious port cities, but these efforts failed. He could not waste time as other cities in Scythia were also slipping out of control. By early 366 AD, the populations of Konea, Clepidava, and Donts had also overthrown local Tauric authorities and joined the rebellion. The rebel army, a desperate mob of 60,000, clashed with Kephisodoros' forces on March 11, 367 AD, outside the walls of Olbia. The battle was a one-sided massacre of the rebels, with only 20,000 surviving. The siege itself continued for several more months until July 10, 367 AD, when a blockade by the Imperial fleet and a surprise night landing of part of the legion in the port led to the city's fall.
Kephisodoros ruthlessly dealt with the leaders of the unrest and the resulting rebellion. Leaders were executed, and slave rebels were crucified. Other rebellious cities in Scythia either surrendered or were captured between 367 and 373 AD, with Kephisodoros eliminating leaders and slaves insurgents. By 375 AD, he had restored order in the western territories. Kephisodoros also faced barbarian attacks on the frontier. The western borders were attacked by the Aestuian confederation in 374 AD, leading to the destruction of Arhao and Lukowa by 375 AD. In 376 AD, barbarians invaded the former kingdom of Styr, destroying cities and estates. The Baltic army of the Aestuia confederation, led by Waisgailus, grew of 35,000 men, were swelling further as escaped slaves and the poor joined them.
In mid-376 AD, the barbarians crossed the former frontier between the Empire and Styr, attacking the western regions of the Borysthenia province. Gintei, Sulnis, and Zamhyl were captured and utterly destroyed. Waisgailus' army swelled to 65,000, with nearly half being escaped slaves. Kephisodoros halted the barbarian advance in late 376 AD near the city of Slot. On November 22, his forces surprised the enemy during preparations to attack the city walls. Kephisodoros used the chaos caused by his arrival and attack to break and decimate the Baltic and slave forces. Thirty thousand people died in the fields around Slot, with about 10,000 taken prisoner; the rest fled. Kephisodoros, unable to spare resources or time on prisoners, ordered their execution. From 376 to 378 AD, the crown prince tried to regain control over lands west of Borysthenia, once part of the kingdom of Styr and the tribal states of Arhao and Lukow. News of his father's death in September 378 AD forced him to march to Pantikapaion to secure his claim to the throne, leaving the Stratos of Borysthenia with 10,000 men to secure the frontier.
Hieronymos, Tauriskos I's second son, was sent to the eastern provinces to restore order and suppress the slave uprising. Commanding the 2nd Stratos of Taurica and parts of the Sarmatia and Hyrcania legions from 362 to 371 AD, he pacified rebellious cities in the east. Cities around Lake Maeotis—Lebodia, Hermonassa, Phanagoria, and Gorgippia—suffered from unrest and social turmoil, but Hieronymos' legions managed to suppress these rebellions before they became full-scale revolts. Kichpa, Paniardis, and Katys were among the first eastern cities in Hyrcania and Maeotia to experience significant unrest and uprisings. Hieronymos, commanding 40,000 troops, quelled these rebellions within four years by 366 AD.
A more serious issue was the slave uprising led by Ljaumantas. Ljaumantas proved to be a charismatic leader who, within a few years, turned his small band of escaped slaves into a massive horde, with his own ambitions. In 364 AD, the slave army captured Porach, an important city in Hyrcania, followed by the cities of Volna and Ikrat in Maeotia in 365 AD. The slave army then moved south, with Ljaumantas planning to cross the Caucasus Mountains into Colchis and Albania, likely aiming to join forces with Christians in Anatolia. Ljaumantas, like many slaves in the Tauric Empire, had embraced Christianity, hoping for a better life in the next world.
To achieve this, Ljaumantas had to capture the fortifications guarding the mountain passes. In early 366 AD, the slaves laid siege to one of the most important fortresses separating the northern and southern Caucasus, the fortress of Didai. Hieronymos, having restored order in the eastern provinces, directed his legions toward Didai fortress upon learning it was under attack by the slaves. According to available information, nearly 65,000 escaped slaves were attempting to breach the fortress walls to enter Colchis and Albania in the southern Caucasus.
Hieronymos' legions, numbering around 45,000 soldiers, confronted the slaves on November 12, 366 AD. The battle near Verkas, a small village, largely determined the fate of the slave rebellion. Ljaumantas, upon receiving news of the approaching Tauric army, abandoned the siege of Didia fortress and decided to confront the Tauric army. The slave rebellion leader believed his numerical advantage would secure victory in this battle. The two armies clashed in the early morning hours, and from the start, the difference between the two sides was evident. The well-trained and equipped Tauric troops faced a horde of escaped, starving slaves, most of whom lacked even decent weapons. This battle turned into a massacre, with 30,000 to 40,000 slaves killed, and the rest fleeing. Almost until 370 AD, Hieronymos was forced to hunt down the remnants of the slaves who had escaped from the battle at Verkas. This four-year period, from 366 to 370 AD, ended when Persian attacked borderland of Taurica.
In 370 AD, Persia attacked the border of the Tauric Empire. The new Persian ruler, Statespes I Gobryasid, took advantage of the chaos in the Tauric Empire to invade the border. This aggression initiated the third Persian-Tauric war, which lasted from 370 to 378 AD. Statespes I attacked two dependent Armenian kingdoms, Miyuana and Arshatt-Arkashat. He managed to break through the fortifications built during the reign of Molon I and completely destroy these two states within a few months. In 371 AD, the Persian armies invaded the southern Caucasus and Anatolia, where they faced not only the remaining Tauric garrisons but also widespread Christian rebels.
Hieronymos, who had to respond to the Persian aggression, decided to limit his actions to defensive and skirmish operations in the southern Caucasus. He was unable to oppose the Persian ruler, who commanded armies numbering 80,000 men. Between 370 and 378 AD, the Persians devastated the areas of Armenia, Albania, and Colchis in the southern Caucasus. Statespes I, at the end of 377 AD, began the siege of the important city of Karigluh in Albania, a place where the the war was decided. A renewed outbreak of the Egyptian plague occurred there, affecting the Persian troops and the great shah himself. Statespes I, in poor health, decided to retreat his forces, who were beginning to suffer from the spreading plague.
Hieronymos took advantage of this situation to harass the retreating Persians with raids, his attacks continuing until the end of 378 AD. During his campaign of guerrilla attacks, news reached the camp that Hieronymos' father, Tauriskos I, had died. Hieronymos, entirely occupied with harassing the retreating Persians, decided not to challenge his older brother's right to the imperial throne. Mainly because another important piece of information was relayed to him: the eastern border on the Oarus River (Volga) was reportedly crossed by nomads who were to invade the Tauric Empire by the end of 378 AD.
Tauriskos I died on September 3, 378 AD, his death caused by a renewed outbreak of the plague in Pantikapaion. The imperial throne passed to his eldest son, Kephisodoros, who managed to reach the capital with his troops by the end of 378 AD. Hieronymos recognized his brother's rights to the imperial throne and paid homage to him, thus avoiding fratricidal conflict, especially at a time when masses of nomads were pressing on the western border.
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With so many in Greece and Anatolia Christians, are the Tauric rulers tempted to convert?
I see the Chi-roh on the shield of one of the, I suppose, Tauric horsemen?
I see the Chi-roh on the shield of one of the, I suppose, Tauric horsemen?
The empire burns. Always the most fun parts of any AAR. Did your characters actually die from plague or was that just RP?
Manichaeism appeared in Taurica? And it has a rivalry with Christianity? Which religion will ultimately triumph? Is the more traditional Hellenic faith changing in ways that make it better able to compete against these new rivals?
The Spire seems to be a glorious monument. Is it in the capital? If not, where is it?
The fall begins, foreshadowed by a great plague. That is a lot of rebellions...
Who now rules Greece and Anatolia?
The Spire seems to be a glorious monument. Is it in the capital? If not, where is it?
The fall begins, foreshadowed by a great plague. That is a lot of rebellions...
Who now rules Greece and Anatolia?
The old beliefs are strong in the core provinces, where the Taurican rulers strongly promoted the imperial cult. A small spoiler of religion in Taurica undergoes some changes in the second part, sometime in the 6th-7th century AD.
He died of cancer, which is presented in the AAR as death by plague.
The old beliefs associated with the Imperial Cult are strong for now, but in time they will begin to change, although this will not happen anytime soon. The Spire of Hermonassa, as the name suggests, is located in the town of Hermnossa on the Azov Sea. Like most ancient monuments built in the period of classical Tauric antiquity, it did not survive. The situation of Anatolia and Greece will be presented in the next chapter, new states arose in these areas.
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Kephisodoros II (378 AD – 390 AD)
Kephisodoros II assumed power in Taurica after the death of his father, Tauriskos I, at the end of 378 AD. The Tauric Empire was in deep crisis. The Egyptian plague, which began spreading within the borders of the Tauric Empire in 360 AD, had reached the entire territory of the Empire by 365 AD. In 378 AD, the plague still posed a problem, with repeated outbreaks occurring until 380 AD, when the last cases were recorded within the Empire's borders. During the period from 360 to 365 AD, when the plague struck the empire, a significant number of slaves who worked on farms perished, and many others simply fled from their masters. The drought and the lack of slaves led to a severe famine, which resulted in social unrest, rebellions, and slave uprisings throughout the Tauric Empire.
By 378 AD, when Kephisodoros II ascended the imperial throne, the situation in the Empire, or at least in the central provinces, was again under the control of the Imperial Palace in Pantikapaion. The barbarian invasion by the Aestuian confederation and the Persians in the southern Caucasus severely affected the borders of the Tauric Empire. The barbarian invasion by the Aestuian confederation was halted by Kephisodoros II in a battle near the city of Slot, but this had its consequences. The warriors who fled the battle carried the Egyptian plague back to Aestuia, causing the confederation to break apart into smaller tribal states. Kephisodoros II, upon receiving news of his father's death, rushed to the capital to secure his right to the throne, abandoning the areas west of the former border of the Tauric Empire with the kingdom of Styr, leaving only Stratos of Borysthenia with a force of 10,000 men on the border.
The northwest border underwent significant changes. The lands annexed during the reign of Kephisodoros I were left to their fate, resulting in the emergence of new tribal states: Bastarnia, Gomel, Lunichno, Smarcho, and Narachanski. These tribal states arose as local barbarian warlords took control of the lands previously under Tauric rule. The powerful Aestuian confederation, whose leader fell in the battle near Slot, broke up into smaller tribal states. Among those bordering or in close proximity to the Tauric border were Daugave, Oriji, Sudinoia. These tribal confederations of Balts, Germans, and Slavs struggled with the Egyptian plague brought by fleeing warriors after the battle near Slot. Although this would have been an ideal moment to attempt to reassert control over these areas, Kephisodoros II, along with his brother, had to contend with a massive wave of nomads who began pressing on the eastern border of the empire at the end of 378 AD.
Greece and Anatolia, where open Christian rebellions against Tauric authority occurred, were also abandoned by Kephisodoros II. The Tauric Empire, facing renewed nomadic attacks, lacked the resources to reassert control over Greece and Anatolia. In Greece, two independent Christian kingdoms, Byzantion and Thessaloniki, emerged. Korkyra lost control over Macedonia, where a religiously motivated uprising led to the formation of the kingdom of Thessaloniki, whose new ruler also occupied part of the coastal areas previously controlled by the Tauric Empire. Byzantion, the second Christian state resulting from the religious rebellion in Greece, with its capital in Byzantion, took advantage of the chaos in the Tauric Empire and the Dacian kingdom to occupy significant areas in Thrace and along the coast. Korkyra and Naxos also seized the opportunity to gain independence from the imperial authority in Pantikapaion.
Anatolia, after the Persian invasion of 370 AD by Statespes I, also underwent significant changes from 360 AD. Hieronymos Taurides, in agreement with his brother, decided to abandon Anatolia in the face of the nomadic attack on the eastern border. By 380 AD, Hieronymos' troops had returned to the northern Caucasus. The province of Colchis in the southern Caucasus was handed over to the kingdom of Heniochia, the only loyal dependent kingdom of the Empire. In Albania, in the southern Caucasus, the dependent kingdom of Kurus was established. These areas had been devastated by the Persian invasion, plague, and social unrest. It was deemed safer to base the southern border on the Caucasus mountains, which formed a natural barrier.
In Anatolia itself, several kingdoms emerged: Pergamon, Gangra, and Ibora gained independence through local Christian uprisings. Local elites exploited the prevailing chaos and the population's fanaticism to establish these three kingdoms. The kingdom of Sakoina, devastated by plague and social unrest, disintegrated, giving rise to the kingdom of Kisko and the republic of Olbe. Eukarpia, which also used the Empire's troubles to gain independence, lost small border areas to its new neighbors. Qarassa, Sangibut, and Zir Tepe emerged from local Armenian and Arab uprisings. People there have taken advantage of the war between the Tauric Empire and the Persian Empire.
The plague, began to spread within the Persian Empire, causing significant social problems, exploited by Qarassa, which declared its independence and started a war with the Persians. Similar situations occurred with Sangibut and Zir Tepe, were also at war with the Persians. Kephisodoros II, currently preparing to repel the nomadic invasion on the border, decided to forgo the re-incorporation of the rebellious areas in Greece and Anatolia into the Tauric Empire, recognizing their independence from the imperial throne.
The Tauric Empire was not the only state that had to deal with the problems brought about by the Egyptian plague. The Ptolemaic Empire, where the epidemic first appeared in the late 350s AD, underwent profound socio-religious changes. The civil war that took place there from 358 to 363 AD led to the end of the old gods and the elevation of Christianity as the state religion. The Roman Empire also faced rebellions and the pressure of barbarians on its borders. The Persian Empire of the Gobryasids, into which the plague was introduced last, experienced a significant internal crisis.
At the end of 378 AD, the first attempts by eastern nomadic tribes to overcome the fortification line on the river Oarus (Volga) occurred. Huge masses of nomads from various tribes and tribal confederations from Central Asia began migrating westward in the mid-370s AD. These migrations were caused by recent periods of drought and other climatic disasters, as well as the pressure from other tribes from distant Asia, forcing these tribes to seek new pastures and resources. Nomadic confederations of the Krugli, Saksaul, Gurganji, and Xojand, which had recently controlled areas of Central Asia, found themselves under pressure from new peoples pushing them further west.
The first tribes that, at the end of 378 AD, tried to cross the border were the nearest two confederations, the Krugli and Saksaul, being pushed westward by their eastern neighbors, who themselves were victims of another people. The initial attempts at the end of 378 AD failed mainly because heavy autumn rains significantly deepened the river's current. Only with the onset of winter frost at the beginning of 379 AD did mass crossings by the nomads occur. The wave of people crossing the Oarus (Volga) in February 379 AD was unstoppable by the weakly manned border fortifications. Kephisodoros II, at the beginning of 379 AD, moved to the northeastern border at the head of the legions and conscripted citizens, managing to gather about 55,000 men under his command. His brother Hieronymos was to join him near Tanais, where they were to face the wave of nomads entering the territories of the Tauric Empire.
The nomads from the Krugli tribal confederation entered the provinces of Hyrcania and Sarmatia in mid-379 AD, where they attempted to settle. They even sent a delegation to Kephisodoros II to obtain permission to settle in the areas where they were currently located. However, the Tauric emperor delayed his response, awaiting the arrival of his brother, whose troops reached Tanais at the beginning of 380 AD. At the head of an army of nearly 80,000, Kephisodoros II marched against the Krugli. Between 380 and 385 AD, a series of skirmishes with this people took place. The Krugli tried to avoid direct confrontation with the imperial troops. When the imperial troops managed to catch one of the nomadic camps, it turned out that most of the population consisted of women, children, and the elderly. The campaign against the nomads lasted until 385 AD, leading to the extermination of the Krugli.
The destruction of this nomadic people did not mark the end of problems coming from the east. Already in 386 AD, there were further incursions into the Tauric Empire. The Saksaul confederation crossed the border with the onset of winter in 386 AD. Like the Krugli, they were being pushed westward. The Saksaul were much more aggressive in their actions, sending no offers to the Tauric emperor but instead attacking towns and villages, causing destruction wherever they appeared. They divide their forces in to smaller bands traversing the territories of the provinces of Sarmatia and Borysthenia, utilizing the network of roads established in previous centuries. Within a few years, by 388 AD, they had caused significant damage in these provinces. Cities such as Zurka, Vaski, Kalm, Vite, and Naktis on the right bank of the Borysthenes (Dnieper) falling victim. In the province of Hyrcania, the last major city, Kichpa, fell.
Kephisodoros II was forced to divide his forces into smaller armies to contain this aggression. He used his legions to create a new line of fortifications along the banks of the Borysthenes (Dnieper) at key crossing points. This endeavor utilized all the infantry units of the Tauric Empire, while the cavalry armies, under Hieronymos, were employed to combat the nomads. The Saksaul nomads made several attempts to cross the Borysthenes (Dnieper) over the two years from 388 to 390 AD. Until March 390 AD, they probed for the weakest point in the line created to stop them. The conflict with these nomadic people lasted until 390 AD when the warriors of the Saksaul confederation concentrated their forces in June and crossed the Borysthenes (Dnieper) at a point deemed impossible by the Tauric Empire, near the city of Krepkaya. A mass of 100,000 nomads, including women, the elderly, and children, crossed the river and began besieging the city. Kephisodoros II, along with his brother Hieronymos and his eldest son, also named Kephisodoros, quickly gathered their forces to repel this attack. The Saksaul nomads aimed to capture the city to acquire resources, especially food, for their most needy.
Both armies gathered near the site of the confrontation by the end of June 390 AD, spending several days preparing for battle. Confident in their numerical superiority, the Saksaul warriors set up camps on the open plains, relying on their mobility and experience in open-field combat. The imperial legions, organized and disciplined, took defensive positions on the hills surrounding Krepkaya, giving them a strategic advantage. The battle began on June 28, 390 AD.
The battle began at dawn when the Saksaul launched a frontal attack on the imperial positions. Their cavalry, equipped with bows and light lances, started a long-range assault, trying to break the ranks of the legions. The Tauric legions, shielded by infantrymen and supported by ballistae and catapults, repelled the attacks while maintaining a tight formation. As the battle dragged on, the Saksaul adopted more aggressive tactics, attempting to encircle the imperial positions. Kephisodoros II, recognizing the threat, ordered a counterattack. Kephisodoros the son, and heir to the throne, led a swift and decisive cavalry charge on the left flank, breaking through the nomadic lines and forcing them to retreat.
Seeing that the enemy was beginning to withdraw, Kephisodoros II ordered an attack on the nomad camp, where women, children, and the elderly were located. The reserves of the imperial army were utilized for this assault, with Kephisodoros II himself directing the attack. At the same time, Hieronymos launched a frontal assault with the infantry, supported by cavalry on both flanks. The fierce fighting continued for many hours, but the discipline and better organization of the imperial troops began to prevail.
The key moment came in the late afternoon when the nomad camp was surrounded and forced to surrender. Kephisodoros II had the families of the fighting warriors in his hands, but he paid for it with a severe wound sustained during the camp assault. Seeing the hopelessness of their situation and their families at the mercy of the Tauric troops, the remaining warriors began to lay down their arms, ending the battle. This battle temporarily ended the threat from the eastern nomads, but in the following years, the threat grew larger.
Severely wounded, Kephisodoros II was unable to oversee matters after the victory, so he decided that his son Kephisodoros would take responsibility. Kephisodoros II himself died from his wounds on July 1, 390 AD. Kephisodoros III assumed power after his father and decided the fate of the defeated warriors from the Saksaul confederation. Those who survived were granted the right by the new Emperor to settle in the devastated territories of the Hyrcania province, but they had to pay tribute to the Empire. This decision was influenced by the new knowledge obtained from the captured nomads, who revealed that a new people called the Huns were advancing from the east. The situation described by the captured prisoners painted a terrifying picture: these new nomads were pushing westward, destroying and looting those who opposed them along the way.
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At least the first wave of barbarian invasions was defeated...
Will their shared Christian faith cause an alliance to form between the new states in Anatolia and the Ptolemaic Kingdom?
Will their shared Christian faith cause an alliance to form between the new states in Anatolia and the Ptolemaic Kingdom?
Kephisodoros III (390 AD – 395 AD)
The provinces of Hyrcania and a significant part of the Sarmatia province east of the Borysthenes (Dnieper) were devastated. Villages and towns were abandoned or destroyed. Towns such as Naktis, Vite, Kalm, Vaski, and Zurka were destroyed during this period; their populations either perished or managed to flee to the western side of the Borysthenes (Dnieper). The surviving members of the Saksaul nomadic federation were allowed to settle on these lands, but only on the condition of recognizing the supremacy of the Tauric Empire.
By late 390 AD, another wave of nomads began pressing on the frontier, migrating westward. In November 390 AD, new nomadic tribes the Gurganji and Xojand federations crossed the Oarus (Volga) in their westward migration. Kephisodoros III, along with his uncle Hieronymos, managed to stop these tribes from penetrating deeper into the empire's territory. This was achieved through a victorious battle near Kurennoe, where on July 1, 391 AD, the armies of both sides clashed.
The battle began with dynamic skirmishes between the light cavalry of both sides. The nomads mounted archers tried to break the formations of the imperial infantry, but the well-trained legionaries effectively repelled their attacks with tight formations and artillery support. Kephisodoros III, exploiting the advantage of his heavily armored cavalry, launched a massive attack on the nomad center. The cataphracts broke deep into the enemy lines, causing confusion and chaos. As the fighting intensified, Hieronymos executed a crucial maneuver. He ordered the left wing to flank the enemy while simultaneously issuing a command for a frontal assault. This coordinated action surprised the nomads, who began to retreat. Effective flank attacks and a frontal assault by the legionaries caused the warriors of the Gurganji and Xojand federations to lose their lines. Faced with mounting losses and chaos, the nomadic leaders decided to withdraw. The imperial troops, maintaining discipline, continued their advance, forcing the nomads to retreat northward.
Following the lost battle, the Gurganji and Xojand federations, forced to retreat, moved northward, leaving the empire's territory. Fleeing the advancing Huns from the east, they were compelled to confront the empire, and their defeat in battle forced them to continue migrating westward, this time trying to bypass the lands of the Tauric Empire. The nomads, unable to find refuge in the north, were forced to turn south, toward the territories of the Venedi and Vistuli. There they encountered resistance from local peoples—Slavs, Germans, and Balts. Numerous clashes occurred between the nomads and the local tribes in these territories. The Slavs, Germans, and Balts, defending their lands, put up fierce resistance against the invaders. This led to battles and further migrations of people from those lands. Under the pressure of the nomads from the Gurganji and Xojand federations, the Slavic, Germanic, and Baltic tribes began to move westward and southward. Consequently, the Germans from the Bastarnia federation attacked the western frontier of the empire in 393 AD.
In 393 AD, renewed attacks from barbarian tribes on the western frontier began. The Bastarnia tribal confederation, located on the northwestern frontier of the Tauric Empire, had for years harassed the Tauric settlements in the Scythian province, plundering them and destroying crops. This problem had been growing since the reign of Kephisodoros II, with sporadic attacks occurring. At that time, the Tauric Empire had used all its resources to repel the eastern nomads. The situation took a dire turn when the Bastarnia managed to defeat the Stratos of Borysthenia in May 393 AD. The Bastarnia invaded the empire's territory with a significant number of warriors, estimated to be between 20,000 and 40,000.
Now that the eastern threat had momentarily subsided, the barbarians from the western frontier became a significant threat again. Kephisodoros III decided to deal with the Bastarnia. The emperor resolved to end these raids once and for all and led a 50,000-strong army, composed of the Stratos of Taurica, against the Bastarnia. The remaining two legions, the Stratos of Scythia and Sarmatia, remained on the eastern frontier in case of further attacks by nomads. During the year-long period from 393 AD to 394 AD, the Bastarnia invaded deep into the Scythian province, causing significant destruction. Towns such as Donts, Gelts, and Hdzyen were captured and plundered by the Germans. The imperial armies first managed to repel the Bastarnia from the important city of Ekhere and then pursued them along the Borysthenes River. The decisive battle occurred on September 8, 395 AD, when the imperial forces met the enemy in the Borysthenes valley, where the Bastarnia were gathering their forces along with other tribes.
The battle began early in the morning as the imperial infantry and Bastarnia warriors approached each other. Emperor Kephisodoros III personally commanded his legions, striving to maintain formation and discipline. The fighting began with an exchange of arrows between the archers of both sides. The imperial archers, shielded by the infantry, inflicted the first losses on the enemy, forcing the light-armed Bastarnia warriors to retreat. Seeing the advantage of the imperial archers, the barbarian German army from the Bastarnia confederation launched a massive attack with their light cavalry and infantry. They struck the left wing of the imperial army, trying to flank and attack from behind. Kephisodoros III, anticipating this maneuver, sent his heavy cavalry, the cataphracts, to stop the attack and break the enemy formations.
The battle was fierce and brutal. Both sides fought with extraordinary determination. Kephisodoros III, known for his courage and charisma, personally led his legions, inspiring and encouraging his soldiers to fight the enemy. Sensing a weakness in the barbarian lines, he decided to lead an attack, charging at the head of his forces. His uncle, Hieronymos, watched as his nephew led the additional cavalry units into battle.
In Hieronymos's thoughts: "My dear nephew, rush to your doom; your courage will be your downfall." During the charge, at the moment of greatest confusion, a group of Kephisodoros III's personal guards turned their swords against their ruler. Kephisodoros III, not suspecting treachery, was focused on commanding his troops, shouting orders and urging the soldiers to attack the enemy. At that moment, the guardsmen, acting on his uncle's orders, struck the ruler. The assassination was swift and brutal—the emperor was struck from behind by his trusted guardsmen, killed by several quick blows that left him no chance to defend himself. The chaos of the attack and the turmoil on the battlefield concealed this crime from the legionaries, who pressed forward against the enemy, unaware of the murder committed behind them. The death of Kephisodoros III could not remain hidden for long. When some officers realized that the monarch had fallen on the battlefield, it caused temporary chaos in the ranks of the legions.
Hieronymos Taurides, who had foreseen this moment, immediately took command of the army. He quickly stabilized the situation, issued orders to reorganize the units, and continued the fight. Using the element of surprise and the confusion in the Bastarnia ranks, he ordered a massive counterattack. The imperial legions, supported by heavy cavalry and artillery, launched a decisive attack on the enemy's center. Using ballistae and catapults, they broke the morale of the barbarians, who began to retreat. The imperial troops, with their new commander at the helm, launched a decisive assault on the flanks and rear of the Bastarnia. Motivated soldiers, seeking to avenge their emperor's death, fought with immense ferocity. Finally, they managed to break through the barbarian defensive lines, forcing them to flee.
Hieronymos, who directed the subsequent course of the battle, ensured that the barbarians were completely defeated. Although the battle was victorious, it was paid for with heavy losses, the highest being Kephisodoros III. After the battle, the emperor's body was found among the fallen. Hieronymos ensured that the body was quickly cremated and that no thorough examination was conducted, silencing the perpetrators of the murder once and for all. Watching the funeral pyre where his nephew was being cremated, the new ruler of the empire tried to justify his actions. Hieronymos, however, was above all ambitious and power-hungry. He had long felt overlooked and unappreciated. Seeing his nephew as an obstacle to achieving full power, he decided to eliminate him. He used the imperial guards, promising them high rewards and positions after the successful assassination, but in reality, they were quickly silenced once and for all.
Hieronymos ascended the imperial throne on October 10, 395 AD, as Hieronymos I Taurides. The new emperor reached an agreement with the defeated barbarians from the Bastarnia tribal confederation. They were to start paying tribute to the empire and to present themselves in the field at the empire's call.
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