Siege in Canaan is the twelfth and last map 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
| “ | 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. | ” |
Objective
- Destroy Canaanite Government Center.
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.)
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 | ||
