Dawn of Empire

by H A CULLEY

  The young prince thought for a moment. ‘Then why don’t we make peace with Elam and leave Eshnunna to its fate so we can get rid of the snake who rules Sumeria?’

  ‘Because your father believes that he can free Eshnunna and then deal with Rim-Sim without interference from Elam,’ Adiar replied.

  ~#~

  Hammurabi was seething with anger. The meeting with Sullu-Sin had not gone well. In Hammurabi’s view the man was an upstart who had been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. By supporting him, Hammurabi had passed over his own wife’s right to rule Eshnunnan; for this he expected Sullu-Sin to at least be appreciative. He also expected more than a curt word of thanks for Babylon’s part in freeing Eshnunna from Elam’s grip once more.

  Instead, Sullu-Sin behaved as if he was Hammurabi’s equal and more or less said that his uprising would have been able to free the kingdom without help had he been given a little more time. Of course, this was arrant nonsense and he must have known it. It was obvious that he was taking this line to assert Eshnunna’s independence from Babylon as well as Elam. He had declined Arishaka’s offer to help him train a new army and more or less requested the Babylonians to leave his territory as soon as possible. At this point Hammurabi got up and left the meeting abruptly before he said something he might regret later.

  After the king had calmed down, he told Arishaka to prepare the army to march; not back to the Tigris but onward through Eshnunna to Diniktum.

  ‘I am not prepared to leave such an important border town in the hand of the Elamites. Nor will I hand it over to that wretched man who think he rules Eshnunna,’ he told his brother.

  ‘You intend to garrison it with our men?’ his brother queried.

  ‘Yes, I intend to take it over, at least for now. If that jumped-up sewer rat can’t see sense I’ll not hand it over to him. It can just as easily become a Babylonian city as an Eshnunnan one. And I certainly don’t intend for it to remain in the hands of the Elamites. If Sullu-Sin is difficult about this I shall depose him.’

  Arishaka realised that his brother meant every word and took his leave to prepare the army to march. He had hope that they might remain here until Uktannu re-joined them, but it looked as if the lad with his small escort and however many new slingers he’d managed to recruit would have to catch them up, though, as the boys would be on foot, that might be asking a lot of them.

  A week later the army arrived before the walls of Diniktum. The city lay on the Eshnunnan bank of the river opposite the Babylonian territory on the west bank to the south of Upi. A few miles further south on the eastern side of the Tigris lay the border with Elam. It was essentially a trading centre with easy access to the three kingdoms, especially along the river, and boasted a sizeable wharf and warehouse complex. It had not been designed with defence in mind; the merchants who controlled it were more interested in encouraging visitors than keeping them out. Walls had been built, but these were only ten feet high and were really designed to make sure everyone entering the city paid their dues at the gates. The arrival of the invading Elamites had come as something of a rude shock.

  Hammurabi had brought with him the infantry, archers, slingers and half the camel archers and horsemen to patrol the approaches from both Elam and Eshnunna. The chariots and the rest of the camels – those with trainee boys and archers - had been sent back to Babylon; the chariots because they were of little use in a siege and the camel archers to train. Until they could shoot accurately from the saddle, they would be more of a danger than a help.

  The Elamites were reputed to have five thousand men at Diniktum, mainly infantry and archers. Hammurabi wasn’t expecting the city to be a hard nut to crack. He decided to take it by direct assault using scaling ladders and sent a message downstream to Upi with a request that the necessary supplies be dispatched upstream as soon as possible.

  No sooner had the timber arrived and the men started to make the ladders than a patrol returned from the south in some agitation. They had spotted a big dust cloud about twenty miles south of Diniktum, which they thought was probably a large army of Elamites advancing towards the city.

  Hammurabi immediately sent several more patrols out to determine the strength of the Elamite column and a messenger after the chariots and other men returning to Babylon, telling them to return with all speed. He then sent for Arishaka and his senior commanders. Arishaka was discussing the tactics for the assault on Diniktum the next morning when he received the summons. He was puzzled as all the messenger could tell him was that the king had called an urgent war council.

  ‘Surely nothing could be more important at the moment than our attack on this city?’ he muttered to Mutu-Namaha as they made their way to the king’s tent, followed by the rest of the commanders.

  ‘Perhaps something has happened of greater import elsewhere in Mesopotamia?’ the boy suggested. He was now fourteen and had grown significantly in the past six months so that he was now nearly as tall as his uncle. He still had a lot of filling out to do but he looked older than he was and Arishaka now regarded him increasingly as his assistant rather than his pupil.

  When they entered the large tent, made of highly coloured goat’s wool panels stretched over a wooden frame, they found the king pacing up and down lost in thought. When the last man had arrived he turned to them and regarded them thoughtfully for a minute.

  ‘We have less than five thousand men and boys with which to confront the Elamites skulking in Diniktum. We don’t know their exact numbers, but they have suffered badly from desertions and their morale is at rock bottom. Our best estimate is five thousand; roughly the same as we have. Given the reputation we have gained in this war, they may well regard us as invincible. Certainly I would expect them to be dreading our attack. In the normal way of things I am confident of eating my supper in the governor’s palace tomorrow night.’

  ‘However, our patrols have sighted an army approaching from the south east. They are trying to discover their strength and composition now but, given the direction of their approach, they can only be Elamites. As we have largely destroyed their strength in the north, this is probably the better trained Army of the South. I have to confess that this, if true, is unexpected as it leaves Elam exposed to attack by Sumeria. Unless, of course, Siwe-Palar-Hupak has concluded a treaty with Rim-Sim.’

  ‘So, we find ourselves trapped between the Elamite garrison in the city and a relief force of unknown strength. Our options seem to be an ignominious retreat across the Tigris, which would undo most of what we have achieved and harm our reputation, or achieve the improbable by capturing the city before defeating the approaching army. I am open to your advice.’

  The reaction to the king’s succinct briefing was one of stunned silence. Then, unexpectedly, Mutu-Namaha was the first to break the silence.

  ‘Isn’t it difficult, lord king, to reach any firm conclusions until we know more about this relief force?’

  Hammurabi smiled at his son. ‘You are right; ideally I would like more information about the size and state of the forces within Diniktum as well as precise information about the force approaching us. However, time is of the essence and we need to have our plans ready so we can act as soon as we know more. What are your thoughts?’

  ‘Well, I don’t suppose the enemy within the city are eager to sally out and attack us. We can’t guarantee it, but my suspicion is that they will stay safe and sound inside their walls for now. If we marched away, they would probably just breathe a sigh of relief.’

  The boy sucked his lip, his normally smooth forehead puckered in a frown of concentration for a moment. ‘If we can find a suitable site to ambush the enemy, and they are not too numerous, perhaps we can tackle them first and then return to attack the city.’

  ‘It is a possibility, certainly. Thank you Mutu-Namaha. Arishaka, you seem to be training my youngest child well. What are your thoughts?’

  ‘I think my protégé speaks a lot of sense. Sunset is approaching and so the enemy
column will have to camp tonight and approach the city tomorrow. Rather than ambush them, I would suggest a night attack to confuse and demoralise them, and cause them as many casualties as possible. It will put them on their guard tomorrow but it should make them fearful of us. Is there any chance of the chariots and other camel archers returning to us before then?’

  ‘We can’t count on it, so it would be better to ignore them as far as our plans go.’ He looked around the tent. ‘Has anyone else anything to add? Very well. Dadanum, I want you to prepare to lead the attack. I suspect it doesn’t matter how strong the enemy is. In the darkness and confusion their superior numbers won’t matter too much.’

  Whilst Dadanum prepared for the night attack the patrols returned to report that the enemy column appeared to consist of ten thousand spearmen, a thousand archers and a hundred onager drawn chariots. It was preparing to camp beside the Tigris twelve miles south of the Babylonian position. Then a messenger arrived from Queen Adiar in Babylon. The message was full of the usual flowery terminology beloved of scribes and diplomats but in essence it said that she had concluded a treaty with Sumeria by which each would send an army of five thousand to assist the other in case of an incursion into their territory by Elam.

  Hammurabi smiled to himself when he read the message. That wily fox, Rim-Sim, had doubtless also concluded a treaty with Elam promising that they would not invade the other’s lands. This had left Siwe-Palar-Hupak and his sub-king in Susa, Atta-Merra-Halki, free to weaken the army in the south and send part of it to the relief of Diniktum.

  ~#~

  Dadanum had decided to keep his group fairly small so that he could control it better. His aim was to cut out the onagers and take them back to the Babylonian encampment to neutralise the chariots and to demoralise the troops by setting brushwood fires upwind of their camp then killing as many as possible as they fled from the smoke. He took two hundred archers and the same number of slingers for the latter task, a further two hundred boys to spirit the onagers away and fifty of the more skilled killers amongst the spearmen to eliminate the sentries and set the brushwood fires. A further hundred camel archers were to form the rear-guard to protect the retreat back to Diniktum.

  Forty of the spearmen were given the task of finding and killing the sentries whilst ten took the brushwood carried there by the camels and set them out ready for lighting. They and the others who were to take up a position on the edge of the camp, from where they could shoot at the enemy as they emerged from the smoke, were given until the count of three thousand before the fires were lit. By this time the boys should have escaped with the onagers.

  Dadanum waited patiently using several pieces of wood to tally his count up to three thousand. As the night progressed the air exhibited a distinct chill compared to the heat of the day. He gathered his wool cloak closer around him and settled down to continue his count. He had just reached two thousand when the silence of the night was disturbed by a shrill blast of a copper horn and cries of alarm. He suspected that the spearmen hadn’t managed to locate all the sentries and the boys leading the onagers away from their lines had been spotted.

  As the Elamites came tumbling out of their tents, if they were lucky enough to have them, or threw off their goat hair blankets in the open if they were not, fires began to spring up downwind. The brushwood was tinder dry but green with leaves so it quickly caught and nearly as quickly started to spew forth thick acrid smoke. The Elamites nearest the onager lines set off in pursuit of the boys but ran into the camel archers. Visibility was poor in the weak moonlight but a hail of arrows quickly dissuaded the more eager of the pursuers and they were forced to withdraw.

  From his vantage point Dadanum could see little of what was happening. He was aware that the fires were producing a thick smoke which had now enveloped much of the camp and he caught occasional glimpses of Elamites emerging from the smoke, only to be hit by a stone or arrow but he had no idea about numbers or his own casualties

  Eventually he became aware that the Elamites had recovered enough from the initial surprise to get themselves organised. They were forming up for an attack on the archers and slingers so he tapped the arm of the soldier standing by his side with a long horn. He lifted his instrument to his lips before blowing three short notes and then repeating the signal until Dadanum tapped him on the arm again. He lowered his instrument and recovered his breath.

  With the onagers captured and the archers and slingers on their way back to camp, Dadanum led his party away to the north as well. When they got to the spot where they had left their horses and camels, they found the place deserted. The cowardly boys who had been left holding the animals had presumably panicked and fled, leaving their masters in the lurch. The rear-guard were also gone, protecting the retreat of the others. There was nothing for it. Dadanum, his trumpeter and his escort of ten archers would have to try and make it back on foot.

  ~#~

  When Hammurabi found out that the boys guarding the mounts of Dadanum’s party had returned alone he was furious, despite the undoubted success of the raid. He had the other boys in the camp paraded at dawn and had the youth of seventeen, who had been left in charge, and the other boys, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen, brought out under guard. They were all bound and hung their heads in shame.

  The king mounted a hastily erected rostrum and looked down at the assembled camel boys and slingers. He indicated the prisoners with a sweep of his arm.

  ‘These boys aren’t fit to be called your companions or to be members of the Babylonian Army. They were fearful of their own lives and so deserted their posts, abandoning one of my senior commanders and his men to the mercy of the enemy.’ He looked around and paused for several seconds before continuing.

  ‘What punishment do they deserve? Should they be allowed to live and let their cowardice infect more of you? Or should they be put to death?’

  There was an uncomfortable silence. The boys weren’t sure whether the question was rhetorical or whether they were expected to respond.

  ‘Well, would you welcome these cowards back amongst you?’

  ‘No,’ one boy, braver and more confident than the rest called out; soon a chorus of ‘No’ and ‘Kill them’ echoed around the parade ground. As the sound died away and Hammurabi opened his mouth to speak again Balshazzar, the senior captain of a hundred slingers, who had been left in charge in Uktannu’s absence, suddenly spoke up.

  ‘Lord king, some of these boys who stand accused are my slingers and I know them to be loyal and obedient soldiers. No doubt they were led astray by the youth who led them last night. Let him pay the penalty by all means, but I crave your mercy for the others.’ This was greeted by a general murmur of agreement.

  Hammurabi thought for a moment, conscious that he needed to make plans for the day that was just about to dawn. ‘Very well. Their leader shall be beheaded now in front of you all to drive home to you what fate befalls a coward in battle. What punishment do you suggest, Balshazzar, for the rest?’

  ‘Twenty lashes to be delivered after the coming battle to those of them that survive, lord king.’

  Hammurabi frowned in displeasure, not at the punishment itself, but at the reminder to all the assembled boys that death might well await them that day. That would not help their morale and it was foolish of Balshazzar to have mentioned it.

  ‘I am sure that all of you will fight bravely today and we will smite the enemy, as usual, at little cost to ourselves, so I don’t think you boys need worry unduly on that score. If the prisoners acquit themselves with honour today, then I shall pardon them and they will not be lashed; but if they flinch in the face of danger or show any sign of cowardice, then not only will they be given twenty lashes but they will then be beheaded.’ That should encourage the rest, he thought.

  A large spearman, a captain of a hundred, then stepped forward carrying a sword with a scythe-like blade. Whilst two of his men forced the unfortunate youth to kneel and to bend his head forward so as to expose the ba
ck of his neck, the captain raised his sword in the air and then brought it down with all the force he could muster. The sharp blade cut through the neck but didn’t completely sever the head from the body. Blood spurted out powerfully but briefly before the heart stopped beating, creating a spatter pattern that covered the headsman and the ground around with droplets of blood, large and small. The man raised the sword again and this time he succeeded in severing it. It dropped to the ground and rolled down a slight incline towards a group of slingers who drew back from the gruesome object in horror. One of the spearmen picked it up by the hair and both it and the body were carried away to be slung on the midden heap near the camel stables.

  ~#~

  The commander of the Elamite force sent to trap and destroy Hammurabi’s army as it besieged Diniktum had been thoroughly unsettled by the night attack on his camp. Not only had he lost all his onagers, so that his chariots were useless, but he had lost over a thousand men as well. Only a couple of hundred had been killed or seriously wounded by the Babylonians but many more had deserted later that night rather than face Hammurabi in battle. As far as he could discover, the attackers had only lost four men killed; not a sustainable rate of attrition.

  His men had very nearly captured a small group who seem to have been left behind for some reason, but his incompetent men had lost them in the darkness. Not for the first time, he regretted that he had neither camel archers nor horsemen such as the Babylonians used.

  At dawn he issued the order to break camp and resume the advance towards Diniktum. In the absence of any onagers to draw his highly decorated chariot, he was forced to walk with his men. By the time that Diniktum came in sight he was footsore and tired. He had been surprised not to be greeted by the sight of the Babylonian army drawn up in formation but all that remained of them were the usual detritus left behind after an army that had moved on. The Babylonians had fled before him! He felt a great sense of relief as well as pride as he strode forward with renewed vigour to greet the equally relieved commander of the city’s garrison.