One hundred years before the birth of Christ, those of the House of Julii controlled vast swathes of the known world. From the Sahara to Britannia Inferior, from Lusitania to Crutia Triabus, all knew Roman ways and all worshipped Roman gods.

But this did not sate the hunger of the Julii and they soon set their sights on Egypt and the Pharaoh’s riches. The campaign against Egypt began well enough. Cyrene fell swiftly as did Siwa and a Roman army eagerly marched onwards to the Egyptian capital itself.

If the Romans thought Alexandria would fall as easily as Siwa and Cyrene, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Arrows, unerringly aimed and shot by the Pharaoh’s bowmen, mauled Roman legionaries even before they had reached the city’s towering walls.

Bloodied and disheartened, the Romans retreated to Siwa and regrouped. The Egyptians’ inevitable counterattack was not long in coming. But not a drop of blood was shed when Egyptians reclaimed their city; the treacherous curs of Siwa forsook their Roman honour for Egyptian gold.

With the fall of Siwa, the battle for Cyrene began in earnest and the Egyptians sent wave after wave to retake another of their captured towns. Many a battle was fought and many a proud Roman general fell in the sands in the ensuing years.

The Senate grew ever wrathful at the lack of progress but despite many exhortations, the forces of Julii failed to mount a serious effort to retake Siwa for they were too busy defending Cyrene.

The stage was thusly set for the one who would be known as Cornelius the Mighty to stake his place in history …

(My Rome: Total War campaign is approaching the endgame stage now and I’m completely engrossed in it. You can tell, right?)