Siege in Canaan is the twelfth and last scenario in the Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign.
It's very similar to a random map game - the player starts off in the Stone Age and can build up to the Iron Age.
Scenario instructions
Description
| “ | Our glorious new monument to the pharaoh is the envy of everyone and marks Egypt as the greatest civilization in the world. With this major project completed, the pharaoh wishes to turn his attention to the Canniness, who have been a thorn in the side of Egypt for generations. They have foolishly resisted becoming part of greater Egypt for too long. You are to take their largest city under siege and destroy their Government Center. This assault is intended to bring them to heel. The smaller Canaanite cities must surrender to you once their mightiest citadel has fallen. | ” |
Starting conditions
- Starting Age:
Stone Age - Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 200 gold, 200 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Gaia units: None
Objective
- Destroy Canaanite Government Center.
Hints
- Take this scenario one step at a time. First, build up a productive city and strong fighting force in the area where you begin the game.
- Next, advance across the ridges to the northwest, clearing out the enemy forces and towers you encounter. Secure and begin gathering the gold and stone found in this area.
- Clear the enemy from your side of the river and build up a powerful force of catapults and supporting units. Destroy the enemy towers guarding the river and advance toward the north.
- You might want to heal wounded troops after each obstacle or ridge is cleared.
- The enemy Government Center you need to destroy is in the north corner and is defended by walls, towers, and troops.
Players
Player
- Egypt(Egyptians): The player starts with a stone age base in the southern corner of the map. There is no gold or stone available in the territory initially controlled by the player.
Enemy
- Canaan(Phoenicians): The Canaanites start with a large base and army in the northern and eastern corner of the map. Additionally, they control the plateau in the west of the player. The base is fortified and they control all gold and stone mines, but are stuck in stone age througout the whole scenario. They change diplomatic stance towards the player from neutral to enemy within the first seconds of the game.
Strategy
The enemy has some troops near your base to the west. Avoid running into them, as starting a fight will cause large enemy reinforcements to show up. The enemy won't attack before the player wanders out and encounter them, so it's possible to build up the base extensively before any fighting takes place.
You'll be fairly short on food early on, with only a few berry bushes to harvest. Train a good number of villagers to gather these, but make sure you save enough to advance to the Tool Age. There's a forest to the northeast on a peninsula which is free of enemies, place a Storage Pit here to harvest wood. If you're short on food, there's a fishing spot here with 250 food, but you'll need a Dock and Fishing Boat to reach it. Once in the Tool Age, build a Granary, Market, and followed by Farms. Once you've got a steady supply of food from your Farms, you're pretty much set. Train about ten or more Bowmen (or more advanced units if you've advanced to Bronze Age) and start clearing the enemy from the vicinity. As noted, this will trigger a large enemy attack, so be prepared to fend this off. Enemies consist of Clubmen and Bowmen, and don't get any more advanced even later in the level. Having some War Galleys can also help with the enemy rush, as well as help destroy some towers. Once you've won the battle, you'll gain access to some gold to the west, and even more gold to the northwest. Build up your army however you like, and destroy the enemy base. Note that converting the Government Center with a Priest will not fulfill the victory condition; the building must be actually destroyed—which you can do easily with the delete key(Or confusing the enemy) after conversion.
(Having some 10 Chariot Archers would be more than sufficient to take out all advancing enemy units with minimal injuries suffered. Placing a few Stone Throwers behind the Chariot Archers to destroy the watchtowers and other buildings, as you advance into the enemy base, helps to cut down the playing time required.)
History
Historical notes
| “ | Looking back on the history of Egypt, we can discern three long-term foreign policy goals: a stable Nubian frontier to the south, freedom from piracy and invasion from Libya, and control of the Levant to Syria and beyond. While Nubia and Libya were more irritants than sources of potential profit, the eastern Mediterranean coast was an opportunity for real empire building. The cities of Canaan were the nexus of important trade routes between Egypt to the south, Mesopotamia to the east, the Hittites to the north, and the Minoans and Greeks to the west. Despite a relative paucity of natural resources and farmland, the Canaanite cities prospered due to their position in the middle. At one time or another, however, the central hub of Canaan was coveted by the bigger empires on the rim of the trading wheel that revolved around the center. Around 1450 BC, Egypt had benefited by the rule of several strong pharaohs in succession and held control of the southern Levant (modern Israel and the Sinai). Attempting to extend that control northward, the Egyptians encountered the two other super-powers of the area, the Hittites and Mitanni. The Mitanni controlled what is today eastern Syria and western Iraq, but were short-lived as a power and are little remembered now. The independent cities of the Levant, including Canaan, were caught in the middle. They had to choose an alliance with one power or risk alienating all three. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome
| “ | At the height of its power, Egypt controlled all of Canaan, taking cities by diplomacy or siege as necessary. Egyptian control of Canaan was never absolute for long, however. The Mittani made peace with the Egyptians around 1440 BC, temporarily strengthening Egyptian power in the region, but the Mitanni were in turn destroyed by the Hittites around 1370 BC. Rameses II fought the Hittites to a draw at Kadesh in 1284 BC and both sides backed off in their aggression. The growing power of Assyria to the east gave both reason to pause and a peace treaty between the Egyptians and Hittites was signed in 1270 BC. Copies of this remarkable document were recovered in excavations in both Egypt and Turkey. The peace of 1270 BC lasted for over 50 years and marked the zenith of Egypt as an ancient power. The peace was sundered by barbarian hordes whose origin and methods remain a mystery. What is clear is that they overran the Hittite empire, destroyed the cities of Canaan, and brought desperate war to the gates of Egypt. Although Egypt survived the onslaught, it declined thereafter and survived mainly as a possession of one empire after another. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
