The World

TO MY DARLING SON,

SASHA

In memory of my parents,

Stephen & April

CONTENTS

Dedication

Title Page

Epigraph

Preface and Acknowledgements

Note

Introduction

ACT ONE WORLD POPULATION:

Houses of Sargon and Ahmose: Ziggurats and Pyramids

Poetess, Princess, Victim, Avenger: Enheduanna

Kubaba: First Queen

Khufu and Mother: The Pyramid Builders

My Father I Knew Not: Sargon King-Smasher

Enheduanna’S Revenge

The Shattered Head of Seqenenre the Brave

Hatshepsut: Foremost of the Women – First Pharaoh

Boy Racer, Marksman, Horse Whisperer, Bull Breaker: Amenhotep

Mistress of Egypt: Gold, Wives and Diplomacy

Houses of Hattusa and Rameses

Sun Mania: Nefertiti and the King of Hatti

Transitioning: The Male Nefertiti, Tutankhamun’S Wife and the Prince of Hatti

Clash of the Charioteers: Rameses and Muwatalli

War Queens: Lady Hao of Shang, Pudehepa of Hattusa and Nefertari of Egypt

The Nubian Pharaohs and Great Kings of Ashur: House Alara versus House Tiglath-Pileser

Three Queens: Jezebel, Semiramis and Athaliah

Tiglath-Pileser and Family: The World -Conquering Assyrians

Alara of Kush: First African Empire

Africa Versus Asia: Shabaka Versus Sennacherib

Depression of A World King: Esarhaddon and Taharqo

Ashurbanipal and Grandmother: A Power Partnership

ACT TWO 100 MILLION

Haxamanis and Alcmaeon: Houses of Persia and Athens

Nebuchadnezzar, His Queen and the Whore of Babylon

Cyrus and Queen Tomyris: Conqueror To Goblet

Darius and Buddha: The Wheel

The Alexandrians and the Haxamanishiya: Eurasian Duel

Queen Amestris and the Mutilation of Artaynte

Pericles, Aspasia and the Plague of Athens

Alcibiades and Socrates

The Poison Contest of Persia and the Literary Halitosis Plot of Macedonia

One-Eyed Philip and Queen Olympias

Roulette: Darius Iii and Alexander Iii

Alexander, Roxane and Chandragupta: World King, Afghan Queen, Indian King

Death In Babylon: The Killing Commences

The Mauryans and the Qin

Seleukos In India: The Rise of Chandragupta

Ashoka – Wheel -Turning King

Heart of Tiger and Wolf: Enter the Qin

The Barcas and the Scipios: The Houses of Carthage and Rome

Love Among the Ptolemies

African Lightning and Human Sacrifice: Barca of Carthage

Scipio, Hannibal and Masinissa

Demetrios, King of the Indians

Rotting Fish of Qing: The Rise of Little Rascal

Monstress: Meet the Human Swine

Mihrdad and Judah: Jewish Hammer; Parthian Shot

Africanus the Younger and the King of Numidia: The death of Great Cities

ACT THREE 120 MILLION

The Han and the Caesars

King Fatso, His Son and the Cleopatras

Harmonious Kinship, Blood -Spattered Marriage: A Princess with the Nomads

The King Who Couldn’T Be Poisoned, The Monorchistic Dictator and the Teenaged Butcher

The Castrated Historian and Emperor Wu

Bald Fornicator and Egyptian Queen: Caesar and Cleopatra

Crassus’ Head and the Million Dead Gauls

Who I Screw: Cleopatra, Caesar and Antony

Cleopatra’S Snake, Alexander’S Nose

Augustus, Julia and the One -Eyed Queen of Kush

Flying Swallow and the Passion of the Cut Sleeve

The Reptile of Capri

If Only Rome Had One Neck: Caligula and Sisters

Trajans and First Step Sharks: Romans and the Maya

Swinger in the Palace: Messalina’S Coup

Rule of the Freedmen: Agrippina’S Marriage

Mothers, Brothers and Sisters: Nero, Agrippina and the Bans

Authoress and the Protector-General in the Tiger’S Lair: Ban Chao and the Wise One

Star Wars, Pierced Penises, Sex Slaves and Steam Baths

Hadrian In Love: Death on the Nile

Severans and Zenobians: Arab Dynasties

The Eunuchs, The Imperial Philosopher and the Pandemic

The Philosopher’S Monster: Commodus

Slaughter of Eunuchs and the Megalomania of Exsuperatorius

Elagabalus In Transition: The African Emperor and Three Arab Empresses

The Shah, The Stuffed Emperor and the Salted Testicles

Zenobia and Constantine

ACT FOUR 200 MILLION

Houses of Constantine, Sasan and Spearthrower Owl

Christian Family Values: Wife Killer and Thirteenth Apostle

The Crowned Embryo and the Pagan Emperor

First Crocodile and Rugila the Hun

Attila and Empress Placidia

Attila’S Bloody Wedding – and Justinian’S Bride

Qusay and Justinian: From Constantinople To Mecca

Justinian: Solomon, I Have Surpassed You

Justinian’s Pandemic – and the Killer Birds of Mecca

ACT FIVE 300 MILLION

The Muhammad Dynasty

Family Feud

The Emperor Who Crowed Like A Cock and Barked Like A Dog: The Madness of Justin

Recite! I Cannot Recite! Recite! The Revelation of Muhammad

Tang and Sasan

Deadly Hunter, Lion of the East: Khusrau’S Megalomania

Taizong and the King of Tibet

Xuanzang’S Travels: The Opening of the Indosphere

The Family of Muhammad

Prune the Foreskinned Ones With Your Swords! Conquests of the Muhammad Family

Enchanting Wu: The Empress Killed My Baby

ACT SIX 207 MILLION

Houses of Muhammad and Charlemagne

Arab Caesar and Yazid of Whoring, Yazid of Monkeys

Political Jism: The Teeth and Claws of Empress Wu

The Fly Killer of Damascus and the Empresses of Tang

The Hammer and the Playboy Caliph: Cunts On A Lion’S Brow

The Bloodshedder and the Giant Baby: Rise of Abbas, Fall of Tang

The Falcon of Al -andalus and the Crowned Doves of Aix: Abd Al-Rahman and Charlemagne