Voices of Babylon (Empires Universe)

Voices of Babylon is the second serie of Empires TV Universe and  is based on the story of the Babylonian Empire's development during the age of the kings, ruled by Hammurabi, Nabopolasar, and Nebuchadnezzar I.

Episode 1: Holy Man

The serie begin in Mesopotamia in 1760 BC. The small city state of Babylon is growing under the energetic leadership of its new king, Hammurabi.

Mesopatamia had been ruled by the ancient inhabitants of Sumer, downriver from Babylon. However, with the decline of this civilization, a new people to the north, called the Akkadians, rose the prominence. Their king, Sargon, conquered the entire region and united the Sumerians and Akkadians, creating the first great empire in Mesopotamia around 2350 BC. This empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to Anatolia, but crumbled by 2250 B due to internal rebellions and the invasions of Gutian tribesmen from the Zagros Mountains to the east, and semi-nomadic Amorites from the northwest. To what extent Sargon's empire was an actual empire is still debated. Sources mention trade routes with India and the Arabian Peninsula, and expeditions to Syria and the Levant; but it seems that most cities in Mesopotamia enjoyed a large amount of autonomy, and that military expeditions were issued with the objective of securing trade and extending the Akkadian sphere of influence, rather than full-on conquest. After the fall of Sargon's empire, Mesopotamia came under the influence of the Gutians and Amorites. Nevertheless, the city state of Ur managed to resist them, and its leaders became the kings of Sumer and Akkad, founding the dynasty of Ur. The Gutians disappeared as a power, but the AMmorites, on the other hand, were persistent and slowly displaced the local rulers. The dynsaty of Ur started to decline and was replaced by small Amorite and Akkadians states. Hammurabi inherited the city-state of Babylon, one of these smaller Amorite states, in 1792 BC. At that time, Babylon only consisted of the city and its farmlands, and was surrounded by similarly small kingdoms centered on other minor cities. Hammurabi's first act was to unite all the cities and city-states of southern Mesopotamia, forming one large kingdom, ruled from mighty Babylon. The main character, Nebo have been sent down river to bring some enclaves of Sumerians and Akkadians into the fold.

Nebo is a priest with a high capacity of persuasion. Hw walk in a north easterly direction, following the river Euphrates, until he meets a swamp that allows him to cross to the other side of the river.

He see a akkadian city. He can convince some people to join to the rulership of Hammurabi, take a mining stone, and they used the stones to build a fortress near of the city. The villagers begin to collect resources to develop the fortrees while the villager return to akkadian village to covert more people. Days later, the fortress have a granary and barracks, and some villagers become clubmen, attacking the barracks of the akkadian city. An akkadian priest is killing by the soldiers. The akkadian city surrender to Babylon.

The fortress is attacked by sumerians, but is too too strong. Nebo leads the converted akkadians to the sumerian city and desstroy it.  This action with other campaigns of Hammurabi reestablishe a great part of Sargon's old empire. With Babylonian rule extended to the other city states, Nebo bring the new Hammurabi's law code to them and ensure further peace and stability in the empire. However, arrive rumur about the people in the Zagros mountains are restless and threaten the peace, and Hammurabi has called upon his services once again to deal with them.

Episode 2: Tigris Valley

The addition of the Sumerian and Akkadian cities to the rising Babylonian Empire pleases Hammurabi greatly. Now, he sets a more difficult task for Nebo now. One of the frontier cities was recently sacked and important treasures, including a copy of Hammurabi's law code engraved in stone, were carried off the Tigris Valley. Nebo is sended to chase the raiders to where the treasures were taken and build up a force to recover them.

Nebo and his army arrive to the Tigris and stablished a base. The raiders from Elam, Ebla and Mari arrives and build ships to cross the river. Nebo's fleet defeat the the fleet of the raiders, and them flee to their homes.

When Nebo comes back to Babylon, Hammurabi has died and the Babylonian Empire has gradually started to decline. Nebo awaits that the next king can keep the empire.

Episode 3: Vengeance

In 1595 BC, Nebo's descendant, Shamas flee of Babylon when the Hittites army descent from the Euphrates and invades and sack Babylon.

Shamas leads a group of warriors near of the banks of the Euphrates River. They stablished a base and attract more survivors, wanting revenge to the Hittites.

Shamas send a landing party to the central island of the Euphrates where a group of warriors join him and fight against the Hittites tropes.

The Hittites launch an attack to the Shamas's base, sending Axemen and Bowmen, but thanks to a galley in the Euphrates, Shamas can stop the attack.

Shamas and his men takes the ruins of Babylon, but the city has been sacked and their future is grim. At leastthey can return home, knowing that they have done everything they could to prevent this disaster.

Episode 4: I Shall Return

Following the Hittite sack of Babylon, the city has come under the dominion of the Kassites, who have controlled it for nearly 500 years. Kassite rule is in danger, however, because of Elamite and Assyrian intrusions. Another Elamite army is pressing forward at this moment.

Obodas, a descendant of Shamas, go to the eastern frontier, but the elamites attack the base. Obodas and his men must flee and cross the Tigris, triying to resist behind the river.

They fight against the elamites, but the waves of elamites are uncountables and Obodas must flee to Babylon.

Even though they lost the war against the Elamites, there is a silver lining in it all. The Kassite overlords have fallen, and their dynasty has been overthrown. Obodas put the new army he have built to serve the new Babylonian king. Under him, they will able to restore Babylon to its former glory.

Episode 5: The Great Hunt

The glory of Babylon has been restored by the reconquest of the lands formerly lost to the Elamites, and by ejecting the foreign Kassite rulers from our territories. However, King Nebuchadnezzar I vows that taking back former Babylonian land is not enough. The Elamites must feel his wrath in their homeland. Nebuchadnezzar I has ordered Obodas to attack Susa, the capital of the Elamites, just across the Karun river. In one of their previous raids, the Elamites carted off a golden statue of the most important god of the Babylonians; Marduk. His task is to recapture it to strengthen Nebuchadnezzar's legitimacy back home.