Ascent of Egypt

Ascent of Egypt is the first serie of Empires TV Universe and based on the history of the establishment of the Old Kingdom in Ancient Egypt.

Episode 1: Hunting.

In 8000 BC, in a island of the Delta of Nile, Semej is being attacked by an Alligator and he is saved by his brother Bayak. They come back to their town, meeting with their friend Hepzebah. They lived their lives peaceably, hunting animals and collecting fruit to their town has food. Semej and Hepzebah fell in loved and both build a house, having a son named Pepi. Bayak take a woman named Nefer and they have a daughter. The time passed and the town is growing with people living of hunt and collecting food. Pepi lead a small group of  moving along the migratory tracks of large animals.

Episode 2: Foraging

The year is 6500 BC in the Nile Delta and for generations, the rich hunging lands along the Nile have provided for the town of the island. One day a series of droughts have withered the size of the herds and forced to the actual members of the goup of hunt stablished by Pepi to forage fo new food sources. Fortunately, the banks of the Nile teem with fruits and edible plants.

The leader of the goup Khaif, a descendant of Pepi, lead part of the goup to the east, while his friend Adeben leads works to build a granary. The expedition of Khaif comes back with berries, dates and leeks, that are stored in the new granary. The hunters also obtained meat, but storing meat presented special problems because it spoiled so quickly and easily, so Adeben builds a Storage Pit to the meat. Khaif is acclaimed how a hero and Adeben is admired by his intelligence in the buildings.

Khaif and Adeben plan the creation of a dock to build little boats so that the villagers can taking shellfisch and the eggs of seabirds. Adeben look that the Nile River flooded each year, covering the lands along its course with a fresh layer of silt. He check how these lands were very productive and the Nile Valley was an excellent place to gather wild plant foods. The villagers learnto gather plant foods to supplement their hunting. Khaif predict a glorious future for his people.

Episode 3: Discoveries

Three years later, the hunting group of Khaif venture out, they begin to encounter other cultures to the west, along the Mediterranean Coast. He sent parties of explorers to search the borderlands to learn about these people called Libyans. He learns that the Lybians is trying to find a sacred sites nearby that can be recognized by the Shape of a white horse etched into the ground.

Adeben finds the first sacred place in the Nile river, near of the town. He don't believe in legends but know that his friends are very believers and if they finds this places their faith and spirituality will be strengthened and the people will prosper.

The explorers leaded by Khaif find another sacred places. When they find a sacred place in the west, they find that a group of Lybian scouts have take it. Khaif and his men fights against the Lybians and the Lybians flees to the west. Khaif take the sacred place (a circle of stones) and they celebrate the victory. Adeben, cautious said that the Lybians will come back.

Episode 4: Advancing to a New Age

In 6000 BC, the town, now leaded by Akil, Khaif's descendant, learned new skills, including technologies for fishing and more complex stone tools, thanks to the contact with other cultures. Akil leaded the founding a new settlement in the coast, with a dock and a storage pit, like the town of the island.

With the new tools, Akil lead a hunting expedition, killing two elephants, but he notes that in this zone, the food is scarce. People builds boat and begin to phising, obtaining large amount of fish. Akil discard bulky choppers and hand axes, and with his people creates blades struck from a core stone. These small blades, called microliths, were fitted into handles as knives and onto shafts as arrow and spearpoints. These tools were much more efficient than their predecessors and made daily tasks much easier and thank to these new tools, they prosper and Akil is consider it as a good leader.

Episode 5: Skirmish

In 3800 BC, the tribe of Akil have expanded to all Lower Egypt. Abasi is the leader of a group of warriors, formed from the hunting groups, now with the objetives of defend the towns of the Lower Egypt.

New technologies have allowed the tribe to grow but have also brought conflict. The spread of the Sahara's sands has forced neighboring tribes to migrate into these lands to seize control of the foraging Sites and defensive positions. Raiding parties from Upper Egypt have come down the river.

To stop these raiders, Abasi leads a expedition of bowmen and axemen. They travel across the Nile and find the group of raiders in the limits with Upper Egypt. They fight and Abasi wins when he enconunter a weak point in the defense of the raiders, that flee back to their homes. His successes and the threats of powerful neighbors have encouraged smaller nearby tribes to join him for safety. They offer food and their wealth in exchange for Abasi's protection. This concept called kingship begin to take form in Abasi's head.

Episode 6: Farming:

In 3100 BC, the population boom brought about by agriculture caused villages to coalesce into small kingdoms along the Nile. These kingdoms invaded and annexed others until only two kingdoms remained, those of Upper and Lower Egypt in the south and north, respectively. Abasi's  descendant, Haji and his warriors, serves the ruler of the Lower Egypt, the great Pharaoh Narmer that seeks to unite the Upper and Lower Kingdoms into a unified Egypt. Using the wealth brought from farming along the Nile's banks, he will finally be able to defeat his rivals.

Haji and his men are members of a brotherhood, name Brothers of Peace, that wants to avoid that the tribes of Lower Egypt are destroyed, and the best way is making reality the plans of Narmer, the new Pharaoh.

Haji orders the building of new farms and the improvement of the old farms, increasing the production of food. He receive an advice of that a group of men from Upper Egypt try to attack the border farms. He and his men defends the farms stopping the Upper Egypt's soldiers, bowman and their ships.

Then, Haji leads and expedition to cross the desser until the ruins of Nabta Playa. These makes that the king of Upper Egypt trecognized the power of Narmer that unifies the two kingdoms, creating Egypt. The episode ends when Narmer looks the creation of the Pallette of Narmer to remember this fact. He reward Haji, promising him a spot in the Pallette.

Episode 7: Trade

The year is 2700 BC and the reputation of a united Egypt is spreading to all corners of the world and trade has vastly increased people's wealth. With this prosperity, the Pharaoh Djoser has decided that a mere mastaba, a simple mud tomb, will not be enough to serve him in the afterlife. Instead, he has ordered the architect Imhotep to design a stepped pyramid that will be visible from miles away. Such a large project will require great resources. The Haji's descendant Knhemu and the new leader of the group ,have been ordered to go to the north and set up a trade post to collect the gold for the pyramid and venture into the desert and find a quarry to supply stone for the construction.

Khemu send a group to cross the dessert, finding stone's mines. They begin to extract stone, but they are attacking by a group of Lybians that they have a ballista. They can destroy the ballista and the Lybians retreat.

In the trade post Khemu talks with a trader of the Minoans of Crete and they stablished an accord to trade gold in exchange to food. The first merchant fleet with the gold is attacked by a fleet Cannanite. Khnemu send his own fleet and destroy the Cannanite fleet. The gold and the stone begin to arrive to Memphis and Imhotep begin the building of the pyramid located in Saqqara. Khemu thinks that is probably that the sucessors od Djoser going to try to overcome the pyramid.

Episode 8: Religion

Egypt's culture is flourishing and the population is growing. In order to provide for the administration of the kingdom and serve the gods, new professions have been established. Scribes and priests help the pharaoh in his dealings with the military, the people, and the gods. These new specialists have quickly gained prominence and become vital to Egyptian civilization.

In the north, west of the Nile Delta, scouts report Libyan raiding parties are approaching one of Egypt's most sacred cities, Heliopolis, built to honor the Sun God Ra. As the new lector priest of the city's main temple and army scribe of the pharaoh Djoser, Khnemu are commanded to stop these raiders at all costs. The priests in the city have offered his services to support the army. However, Knhemu must be wary of the Libyans who bring a siege engine with them to demolish the city's walls.

The Lybians attack Heliópolis, but Khnemu leads ad attack and fight against the Lybians. The priest of Heliópolis manage to convice some Lybians to surrender, and they take the siege engine bring to Heliópolis. Knhemu use the siege engine, a stone throwe, to destroy the lybian base.

Episode 9: River Outpost

For centuries, the Nubians of the South have attacked and pillaged the cities in Upper Egypt. In 1883 BC Pharaoh Senusret Ill is determined to deal with them for good. His plan is to subdue lower Nubia by building forts along the Nile River all the way to the Fourth Cataract. The descendant of Khnemu, Jumoke is sent to the south, to an island on the Nile which would be an ideal location for such a fort.

Jumoke arrived to the island an with his men, they building a fortress. Some stone thrower are builded and are sendind to destroy the nubian bases in the river. The soldiers also kill lions and crocodiles that can kill the builders. With the cuilding of sentinel towers, the fortress is finished. This fortress, together with the expedition of Senusret to Nubia, make that the nubians stop raiding the Nile.

Episode 10: Naval Battle

Egypt is living a age of prosperity. The cults of Osiris and Amun became increasingly popular and Osiris would become a very important god of the afterlife, where he served as ruler and judge. Senusret Ill also finished the construction of Amun's Temple near Karnak begun by Mentuhotep ll.

The forts along the Nile have brought peace to the south, but the Libyans have once again become a problem. They have been raiding the coasts and intercepting trade ships bringing goods from other lands to Egypt. Recently, they captured an important ship belonging to the pharaoh himself, and carried off a treasured artifact sent to him by the kings of Canaan. Jumoke is sent to the north to build a naval base in this area of the coast and attack the Libyan raiders in the Nile Delta and recover the stolen artifact.

The fleet drawns on the lybian base and Jumoke leads the attack, with warriors and chariot archers. They destroy the lybian base and recover the artifact. Jumoke go to Memphis with the artifact.

Episode 11: A Wonder of the World

The Hyksos ruled Lower Egypt until they were driven out of Egypt by Ahmose l, founder of the 18th dynasty. After successfully besieging the Hyksos at their capital of Avaris, Ahmose I expanded Egypt's borders to defend against further invasions. Even though Lower Egypt was occupied by the Hyksos for a long time, the Egyptians benefited from this occupation. New technologies, such as chariots, improved bronze working, and advanced weaponry, were introduced. The Egyptians also began to appreciate the need to expand beyond Egypt to protect the borders of the Egyptian homelands.

The pharaohs have driven out the foreign invaders and secured Egypt's borders. The reigning pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, promises to be one of the greatest rulers of this land. She has already extended the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor, but her ambition knows no bounds. She plans to construct an even larger temple called Djeser-Djeseru, the "holy of holies," and has given Mahaes, the Jumoke's descendatn the opportunity to oversee its construction. Gathering all the resources for such a monument may prove difficult because the troubled relations with the canaanites.

Mahaes deploy the egyptian fleet to protect the merchant boats that trade with Crete, protecting it from the cannanite's attacks. The Mahaes's mens begin to extract stone from the mines.

A egyptian fleet attack a cannanite base and take all the gold that thay have. The gold serves to finance the temple and the destruction of cannanite base make that is not having to keep watching out for attacks from them and no need to build an army for protection.

With all the resources obtain, the temple of Djesser-Djesseru is builded, becoming one of the most unique and memorable monuments ever constructed. lt is a sign of the greatness and renewed hegemony of Egypt over the Nile region. Hatshepsut has invited Mahaes to accompany her on her expedition to the far away land of Punt. This is a great honor, only bestowed upon those closest to the Queen

Episode 12: Siege in Canaan

Egypt is thriving under the rule of her new pharaohs, but it is time to look outward. Pharaoh Thutmose III is expanding the army and intends to use it to invade Canaan. For centuries, that land has been within the Egyptian sphere of influence, but now it must be added to the Empire once and for all. The Canaanites think they can resist Egypt and have formed an alliance, led by the kings of Kadesh and Megiddo. They are gathering a vast army, but the gods favor us. The pharaoh entrusts Mahaes with the first attacking division.

The kings og Meggido and Kadesh mustered an army which threatened Thutmose III's forces. The Egyptians defeated this Canaanite army, which retreated to the City of Megiddo.

The cannanites of Meggido sent some troops near of the base of Mahaes. The egyptian bowman become to kill canannites soldies. The cannanites sents clubmen and Bowmen, while Mahaes sent war galley to destroy the towers of the cannanite base.

After a long siege, Meggido was taken, pillaged, and its inhabitants put to death.

All of Canaan has been added to the Empire and Egypt has reached its greatest territorial extent. The scribes will write of this day and Mahaes's exploits will be read for eternity. The pharaoh will need his services again, however. These conquests have brought Egypt face to face with another empire which contests Egypt's claims to these lands. Now Mahaes is ready to lead the egyptian army in a war against the Hittites.