Asteklion: Difference between revisions

Asteklion, archaically known as Asteia, rose to power during 743 BC under Queen [[Arethusa I]]. She established Asteia as the primary military land-power on Istroya after conquering three neighbouring poleis; Hademos, Pagaieus and Misthia. She spent many of her years consolidating that power until her passing and the succession of her son, King Heirax, in 709 BC. She famously adopted polygamy as a means to create more alliances with poleis across Istroya, kick-starting one of the significant dynasties of the era. Arethusa I was known to have had at least three consorts, two of which were the sons of other growing powers within the known Istroyan world; the polis the third son belonged to has been lost to time and historians assume it was abandoned or razed during the decline and subsequently scavenged for resources.

Subsequent wars with Hademos and Misthia ensued two years later in 727 BC. The [[Misthian Conquest]] was short-lived as the mercenary army hired by the city was immediately routed in the [[Battle of Misthia]] after a devastating flank by cavalry, on the farmland plains outside the city. The [[Hadrite Conquest]] was a much more extensive campaign, ending in 710 BC; lasting for most of Arethusa's reign. Hademos had an equally powerful military attributed to the rigorous training and startling quality of equipment at the time. The King of Hademos issued standardised equipment to his army, resulting in equally capable phalanxes utilised in battle. Other armies in the period had their soldiers rely on equipping themselves, resulting in varying degrees of capabilities across each unit. Hademos rests upon a hill and, naturally, the siege took the Asteician army an extended period of time. Though victorious, casualties on both sides were extreme with a total of 79,000 casualties throughout the conquest, 43,000 of which were caused in the [[the Battle of Myndomenus]].