View Full Version : Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team
DeathFinger
08-25-2014, 12:50
Not the very last ones but don"t worry, they sure will in the second release :yes:
Re-started work on Kilikia. I realize this bit of info is negligible with 2.0 so recently released, but I thought I'd commit online so I follow through... consider this a note-to-self type of thing :)
QuintusSertorius
08-31-2014, 00:17
Not negligible if it will make the second release.
Not negligible if it will make the second release.
Any ideas on when that will be?
Any ideas on when that will be?
The next minor version which will include fixes mostly, shouldn't be too long. A new big release will take a long while. At this moment we have no idea when it will be released. We have barely started work on that, instead our focus was were it needed to be, tweaking and fixing.
Alcibiade
09-03-2014, 07:54
I saw thre were placeholder in place of descriptions for lugdunum, gergovie, etc... It's weird because I thought you had alrready too many people for that kind of work compared to the programing/modding part.
Anyway, do you need people to write them ? English is not my mother tongue but with some focus I can write litterary english without accent. Just tell me, it would be an honnor to help and this is the only thing I can do with M2TW engoine...
DeathFinger
09-03-2014, 09:24
Gaul lacks of several Province Descriptions, as of now:
Gaul
21. Ikoranda Piktonis
22. Akuitanon
23. Ikoranda Uolkias
24. Aruernselua
25. Uidobiturigeis
26. Brogi Aulerikoi
28. Akitosekuanoi
29. Etusegusauoi
30. Uidi Saluuioi
33. Nikron
35. Liguria
36. Venetia
71. Talaallobrogis
72. Uidu Teuto Ikoranda
So feel free to help us and write what you can about one or some of them and don't worry about your English, it will be grammatically checked before insertion.
As for members doing descriptions, every member is more or less polyvalent, and priority those last months was on other domains that those descriptions, which explains the gaps ~;)
QuintusSertorius
09-03-2014, 09:42
Gaul lacks of several Province Descriptions, as of now:
30. Uidi Saluuioi
I made a start on this one, and Brennus is finishing it off, so it's not lacking as much as in the works.
I made a start on this one, and Brennus is finishing it off, so it's not lacking as much as in the works.
I am aiming to have it ready for Sunday.
Any volunteers looking to write Gallic provice descriptions please contact me beforehand, see the 3rd signature below for the reason why....
Alcibiade
09-03-2014, 13:54
I am aiming to have it ready for Sunday.
Any volunteers looking to write Gallic provice descriptions please contact me beforehand, see the 3rd signature below for the reason why....
Wow, impressive 3rd signature. I hope the fly which is walking over my screen atm is not underage (or worse, related to those flies).
Ok, I'll contact you then. I just would feel more confortable with a Gallic tribe from the region of France I know the best : south-west of France. The Petrocores would be perfect but I don't see them in the list.
Maybe Akuitanon means Aquitani ?
EDIT : I was so surprised to meet those placeholder in my campaign. I thought you were crumbling under help offers from historians and that the most wanted applications would be of programmers and 3D model designers.
Mouzafphaerre
09-06-2014, 18:35
Here is the map for specific region names and locations:
9126
I think this is somewhat outdated. Is it possible to extract the recent map from the installed mod?
I was so surprised to meet those placeholder in my campaign. I thought you were crumbling under help offers from historians and that the most wanted applications would be of programmers and 3D model designers.
Part of the problem is information for Iron Age France, specific information for regions and departments, is difficult to come by. The risk is that you end up with very generic descriptions ("All of Gaul is divided into three parts....") which rely alot on biased historical accounts which are not actually a true reflection of the archaeological evidence.
....also I nitpick which slows things down.
"From Samarkhand to Sardeis".
Finished reading this one earlier today. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Seleucids.
rickinator9
09-07-2014, 13:40
"From Samarkhand to Sardeis".
Finished reading this one earlier today. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Seleucids.
Is the book worth the price tag though?
DeathFinger
09-07-2014, 17:26
"From Samarkhand to Sardeis".
Finished reading this one earlier today. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Seleucids.
I second it, was pretty interesting for neighbouring states (Parthians also) and countains elements of interests for others (Baktria, Persis, ....)
Thanks to QuintusSertorius for all the help with the Uidi Saluuioi province description. Just so you can appreciate his work, here it is (with a bit of Brennus editing and additions):
Uidi Saluuioi Province description:
Traveller’s Log
In the foothill of the Alps, west into Gaul goes the traveller. Out in the far western reaches of the Mediterranean, north of Sikelia and the Hellenic cities of Italia, the traveller could be forgiven for thinking they have left civilisation altogether. However, beneath in the southern realms which form the vast realm of the Keltoi can be found a distant corner of Hellas. Here, clutching at the coast and surrounded by Keltoi and Ligures are the children of the Phokaeans, who long ago set sail in search of new adventure. It is Massalia, the new metropolis of the Phokaeans who reigns here, surrounded by her daughter cities of Monoikos, Antipolis, Nikaia, Olbia and others. Ringed by imperious walls whose bastions proclaim her reign as queen in this part of the Great Middle Sea, her fleets ply the waves, keeping even the mighty vessels of Karthadastim at bay. Forever in varying states of relation with her Keltoi and Ligures neighbours, when tempers may burn hot as Hephaestus forge, or as loving as Aphrodite’s loins, she has carved out and empire of trade with her northern neighbours. There are rumours too that the queen of the west even now courts the rising power of Roma, fearful that age is beginning to show.
Geography
Uidi Saluuioi approximately corresponds to the modern day French region of Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur. Like many estuarine regions the geography of Uidi Saluuioi is composed of a mix of rivers, but also other geographic features such as mountains and a coastland with numerous offshore islands. On account of its location it is also a zone of interaction for four major climactic systems. Its borders are framed by the Var river to the east and Rhodanos (Rhone) river to the west, the Mediterranean sea to the south and an open northern border. The Rhodanos river, named after Rhodian traders who were the first Hellenes to visit the region, is one of the largest rivers in Gaul, and a major highway for commerce and communication between inland Gaul and the Mediterranean. It originates from a glacier in the Alps, and is joined by the river Souconna (Saône), the major river of eastern Gaul, near Lugodunon (Lyon). Many other, smaller rivers, join the Rhodanos along its valley, on the right bank from the Cebenna mountains and on the left back from the Alps, including the Druentia. At Theline (Arles), the Rhodanos forks into two arms, forming the Carmague delta. The Druentia has its source in the Alps near Brigantium and flows south-west, acting as a natural boundary between their lands. The river valley was later used by the Romani as part of the path of the via Domitia. The Var river rises in the Maritime Alps and flows southeast into the Mediterranean near Nikaia (Nice).
At the mouth of the Rhodanos is the Camargue delta, a vast plain comprising large brine lagoons which are isolated from the sea by large sandbars encircled by marshes, beyond which are located cultivated lands. Although the delta itself was, and still is not, suitable for human habitation, not least because of the fact it was once a prime breeding ground for malarial mosquitos, it remains an important breeding ground for birds. In addition to the watercourses is an area bordered by the Maritime Alps to the east, which provide a regular supply of rainfall. There is also the Garrigue, a Mediterranean scrub land with light forests and grasslands which provides suitable environment for local wildlife.
Most of the province enjoys a Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers, mild winters, little snow, and abundant sunshine. Within the province there are micro-climates and local variations, from the Alpine climate inland to a continental one in the mountains further north. The winds of Uidi Saluuioi are an important feature of the climate, particularly the mistral, a cold, dry wind which, especially in the winter, blows down the Rhodanos Valley to Massalia, and often reaches over one hundred kilometres an hour.
The People, Society and Government
Uidi Saluuioi, along with the neighbouring povinces of Akuitanon and Ikoranda Uolkias, is unique in that it possessed a substantial non-Keltoi speaking population. In fact, Uidi Saluuioi possessed arguably the most eclectic population in Gaul. These included the indigenous Keltoi and Ligurian populations, but also a large population of Hellenes, and later Romani, as well as a very small number of Rasenna. The smallest non-indigenous population, the Rasenna, originally from northern Italia, did not settle in great numbers. Only one settlement has produced sufficiently strong evidence for permanent Rasenna population, Lattes in Ikoranda Uolkias, and even then the scale of Rasenna settlement is debateable. Instead, the Rasenna appear to have been seasonal visitors, plying their trade with the indigenous population by using their ships as floating markets. Although it is unclear what the Rasenna were accepting from the indigenous population, although slaves and raw materials are often considered the most likely goods, we do know what the Rasenna were providing in return: wine from southern Etruria, as well as a few buchero nero drinking ceramics and a few bronze basins. The consumption of Rasenna imports, however, was largely restricted to the coast, and in the case of only a few exceptions, such as the buchero nero ceramics and bronze vessels, as well as a few amphorae sherds found as far north as Lyon, few indigenous settlements more than 30km inland have revealed large quantities of Rasenna imports.
Arguably the most famous inhabitants of Uidi Saluuioi were the citizens of Massalia. The emporion of Masalia was established in 600BC by Phokaean Hellenes from Ionia. The Phokaens belong to the various waves of pioneers who struck out from Hellas in search of new lands, and in doing so founded some of the most famous cities in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Established between the Golf de Lyon and the Golf de Gênes, Massalia’s location afforded her command of both the Mediterranean coast of Gaul and access to the River Rhône and the lands in the interior of Gaul. This position provided her with excellent trading prospects, providing Mediterranean goods such as wine, exotic ceramics and bronzes to the Gallic tribes of the interior in exchange for cereals, timber and slaves. The Phokaean Hellenes are interesting for a variety of reasons, one of which is the close bonds which persisted between their cities. Although by and large all Hellene cities maintained ties between the mother city and daughter cities, for example Korinthos and her daughter Syrakosai, who called upon Korinthos to aid her in the Peloponnesian Wars against an Athenai led invasion (although conversely Syrakosai did not come to the aid of Korinthos during the Persian Wars, despite appeals), the relationship between the Phokaean cities was unusually strong.
The position which Massalia occupied was something of a double edged sword. On the one hand she enjoyed one of the most profitable trading locations in the Mediterranean, with a virtual monopoly on trading rights with Gaul until the end of the 2nd century BC. Her Phokaean heritage also meant that she was a powerful and competent naval power, which both served to defend her from external threats and meant that she was an important regional voice in western Mediterranean politics. Conversely however, her position made her incredibly vulnerable. Powerful though her navy was, it could not compare with Karthadastim in terms of size. Likewise, although she maintained the upper hand in trading activities, Massalia was still at the mercy of the Gallic tribes who, by the late 3rd BC century if not before, were beginning to form into increasingly large and powerful confederacies. Massalia provided the Gallic hinterlands and beyond with a range of Mediterranean goods, including olives, wine, exotic bronzes and new ceramic types. In exchange she received goods such as timber, grain, tin, copper and the lifeblood of large Mediterranean economies, slaves. Throughout her history of exchanges with the neighbouring Gallic and Ligurian peoples, Massalia remained the dominant trading partner, being able to pick and choose which indigenous peoples she preferred to trade with whilst remaining the sole source of many Mediterranean items. Around her, Massalia founded several daughter cities. The names of some of these, such as Olbia, are known from historical sources, however others, like the sites of Arles and Béziers, have only become known to us through recent archaeological work.
Massalia incorporated many of the trademarks of a Hellene town. Enclosed by a stone wall, it possessed the institutions of the agora (market), gymnasium, baths, as well as a theatre and temples. Two temples of note were temple of the Delphinian Apollo on a hilltop overlooking the port, and a temple of the cult of Artemis of Ephesus (the Ephesium) at the opposite end of the citadel. In addition to these were lesser cults dedicated to Artemis and Herakles. As with other Hellene colonies the Massalioi sought to preserve their Hellenic culture to the best of their ability, actively excluding non-Hellene influences where necessary. For this reason only those of Hellene ancestry could be recognised as citizens, whilst those who shared mixed Hellene-Keltoi parentage were excluded from such rights. As in any other Hellene polis, only free Hellene males participated directly in political life, in return for military service. In keeping with this idea of traditional Hellene mores, women were discouraged from drinking wine, whilst the more licentious sorts of plays were banned. Sumptuary laws restricted the amount of conspicuous wealth people could display, and limited the amount of a dowry that might pass from a woman's family to her husband. The Massalioi cultivated literature, but the city didn't produce a great deal, nor did it host any prominent philosophers or writers. There was however great demand for tutors and physicians.Theoretically, every member of the council was liable to be called up to fight should the city be threatened. On feast days, the gates were locked and the walls manned by citizens, after an attack by one of the Ligurian kings nearly succeeded in taking the city soon after its founding. However, the reality was that Massalioi preferred to let others do their fighting for them, co-opting the local tribes, and when all else failed seeking assistance from the Romani. Ultimately, Massalia was an affluent city prospering through trade, and its aristocrats and other worthy men were more interested in profit than anything else.
Initially, the government of Massilia was a narrow aristocratic regime. However, an attempt was soon made to reduce the power of the great families by insisting that, if a man belong to the Council his son could not, and if an elder brother belonged to the Council his younger brother could not be a member. Such specifics probably lapsed, but the tendency led to the evolution of the aristocratic system to a more plutocratic oligarchic system. This government was later headed by the Council of Six Hundred. To be a member, councillors had to be able to prove they were of citizen decent for at least three generations or, alternatively, had to possess children. It is likely that membership was also based upon certain property requirements, which excluded the majority of the population. Membership was for life. The list of councillors was revised from time to time. The Council elected an executive council of fifteen— oi timoukoi—from the main body. The timoukoi were led by three presidents, elected from amongst the timoukoi. An unusual feature of the Massilioi government was that a criminal condemned to death was maintained at public expense for one year, after which they were executed as a pharmakos or purification of the city. Another was poison was kept by the state: if a man wished to commit suicide, he would have to apply to the council, and if he could make his case would be granted a dose. The laws were those common to Ionia, and were displayed in public. Foreigners were also forbidden from carrying arms in the city.
Although preserving a conservative Hellene mind-set the Massalioi were nevertheless in constant contact with the local indigenous cultures. Through these mediums they also contributed in important ways to Iron Age civilisation in Gaul. Along with Makedon and the Hellene city of Taras, Masallioi coinage served as a basis for numerous Keltoi coinages, in particular the Aruernoi and other central Gallic tribes, although a few Belgic issues also used Masallioi coinage as a basis, and isolated examples of actual Massalioi coinage have been found as far north as Britain. In addition to coinage, various other important cultural influences were diffused into Gaul including the fast potter’s wheel, viticulture, sun dried bricks and food stuffs like the olive. Massalia was also instrumental, in addition to mercenary activity for the eastern Diadochi, for the adoption of the Hellene alphabet among Gallic peoples. It must be remembered, however, that the cultural impact of the Phokaeans did not affect every member of the indigenous population, and in some cases, such as the alphabet, would have influenced only a small part of the population.
In the land surrounding Massalia lived the indigenous population composed of Keltoi and Ligures. The former are well known and much is written about their culture elsewhere in Europa Barbarorum II, however the Ligures (or Ligurians) are not as familiar. Of all the populations which existed in Uidi Saluuioi the most perplexing are arguably Ligures. Despite bordering several literal peoples at varying periods, including the Romani and Rasenna further east, as well as the Phokaean Hellenes, little is known for certain about them. Toponyms and anthronyms indicate that they were an Indo-European people, however the exact classification of their language is still disputed, with some arguing it to be a close relative of Keltoi (thereby placing it in a reconstructed Celto-Ligurian sub-group) whilst some prefer to classify it among the Italic languages. According to Plutarch the Ligures referred to themselves as Ambrones, although this is disputed as Ambrones appears to be a word of Gaulish origin likely meaning "of the other side", and thus possibly signifying a geographic quality associated with the Ligures. By the time of Europa Barbarorum II the Ligures were increasingly restricted to inhabiting North West Italy, controlling an area slightly larger than the modern Italian region of Liguria, as well as small populations in Uidi Saluui. However, topnyms suggest that the Ligures were originally a much more widely spread people, or at least their language was much more widely spoken. Ligurian, at its height, appears to have been spoken in eastern Iberia, southern Gaul, Corsica, northern Sardinia, Sicily and in Italy as far south as Latium. Successive assimilations, or possibly more violent methods, by Punic, Hellene, Latin and Keltoi peoples is likely to explain for the decline in the distribution of the Ligurian language by the 3rd century BC. Archaeological studies of supposed Ligurian material in Iberia and southern Gaul has revealed evidence of commercial contact with Punic traders, whilst excavations of Celto-Ligurian settlements in Uidi Saluui and further east in Cisalpine Gaul has shown that, archaeologically, it is almost impossible to discern between the two ethnic groups. Strabo believed that the Ligures had once shared borders with the Skythians and Ethiopians, leading some earlier historians to postulate that the Ligures were the ancestors of many of the Indo-European peoples of Europe, however this statement is now widely dismissed. 4th BC century texts, from both Hellene and Latin authors, indicate that, even at this date, Ligurian peoples still lived in southern Gaul and eastern Iberia.
The Keltoi and Ligures tribes coalesced at various points to form tribal groupings like the Segobrigioi, Kamaktullikoi, Dekiates and the Oxybioi, as well as larger confederacies such as the Salluuoioi. The Kelto-Ligurian population inhabited a wide variety of settlements. Although it was formerly assumed that they restricted themselves to hill-top fortifications and oppida, it has become increasingly apparent to archaeologists that the settlement pattern in this region was as varied and complex as in other regions of Gaul. Many indigenous settlements close to Masallia were occupied continuously during this period, whilst others underwent regular periods of reconstruction. This period also witnessed the establishment of a variety of new, fortified villages on hilltops and mountain tops, such as Notre-Dame-de-Pitié, La Cloche aux Pennes-Mirabeau and Entremont. In the vicinity of Massalia a variety of indigenous settlements existed, ranging in size from 0.15 to 0.6ha, employing rectilinear forms and typically favouring hill-top and upland locations. At the same time the large, open agglomerated settlements which had been a feature of the earlier Iron Age appear to have been partially abandoned. The overall settlement pattern was therefore one of dispersed fortified villages and farmsteads perched on ridges, with a particular focus around the Rhône and near Masallia, although there is a lack of data available for the settlement pattern between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.
At the time of the arrival of the Phokaeans Gaul was in what is referred to by archaeologists as the first or Hallstatt Iron Age. Around this time the settlement pattern of the indigenous population was undergoing a series of important changes. One of these was the reappearance of fortification, a feature largely absent in the settlement record since the late Bronze Age. In addition to the traditional construction materials of wood and turf, stone became increasingly used in construction. Evidence shows that within settlements there was an increased emphasis on communal areas also, with public spaces being constructed and signs of planned settlements. The settlement pattern also became increasingly permanent, with a decline in the roving settlements of the Bronze Age, as well as an expansion into what might be termed liminal areas, with settlements appearing on the nearby marine islands. The abandonment of field systems in the region surrounding Massalia has often been attributed to the existence of a population which could not be sustained by the fields and economic practices which existed at the time. It was once theorised that, with the arrival of the Phokaean colonists, the indigenous population was driven out of the lowlands and forced to occupy the hills, as occurred when Hellene colonists arrived in southern Italia. However, it now appears that the indigenous population actually preferred the uplands, with their lighter, chalky soils, to the lowlands with their heavier, alluvial soils as it was easier to plough the former.
During the Hallstatt period there existed a vibrant trade between the Phokaeans and their Keltoi neighbours. Employing the Rhône as a route through which to trade with the peoples further north. Hellenic goods from Masallia were transported north into Gaul and southern Germany, with finds at famous Hallstatt sites like the Heuneburg and Vix. The latter site is of particular importance, at it is here that the arguably the finest and most impressive example of Archaic period Hellene metalwork was recovered. At Vix in modern day Burgundy, a massive bronze krater, a type of vessel used for serving wine, was recovered. The krater measures 1.63m in height with a volume of 1,100 litres. Decorated with a variety of figures, including a frieze of hoplites and chariots around the rim, and griffins and gorgons on the handles, it was shipped to Vix and assembled in pieces, as shown by the presence of Hellene alphabetical symbols on different parts of the krater.
With the onset of the second Iron Age, or La Tène period c.450BC, the changes in settlement pattern which had begun in the late Hallstatt period intensified. Settlements became increasingly permanent and longlasting, albeit with periods of abandonment at some. Some, such as Saint Pierre à Martigues, in the immediate environs of Massalia were occupied continuously between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, whilst others were re-occupied and rebuilt several times. This period also witnessed the construction of several new upland settlements such as Notre-Dame-de-Pitié and La Cloche aux Pennes-Mirabeau. The Keltoi of this region contrasted with their cousins elsewhere in Gaul in that they do not appear to have adopted the La Tène culture to the same extent. Pottery from this region continued to be produced entirely by hand, even after the fast potters wheel had become widespread across the rest of Gaul (despite it being introduced from Masallia). Likewise this pottery employed non-La Tène patterns in its decoration. Although items of metalwork decorated with La Tène patterns appeared in abundance in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, they appear to have been imports from elsewhere. Despite this the La Tène culture was not totally absent from local artistic styles, as evidenced by a mold for casting bronze Teste Nègre type bracelets recovered from the site of Lattes to the west in Ikoranda Uolkias. In further contrast to their northern neighbours, who relied more on timber and earth structures until the development of oppida from the 2nd century BC onward, the Keltoi of this region began to build in stone much earlier,. Houses with stone foundations and fortifications are known, as are a wide number of dry stone, timber laced fortifications such as the example from Teste-Nègre. The practice of producing dry stone fortifications was particularly long lived in this region of Gaul, with examples such as Entremont, Pierredon and Baou de Saint-Marcel continuing to be constructed into the 1st century BC.
Until c.200-180BC most Iron Age indigenous settlements were small, between 0.1 and 0.9 ha in area, with the exception of larger agglomerations such as the oppida at Saint Pierre. This suggests that much of the population was dispersed throughout the landscape.The process of indigenous urbanisation began in the mid-4th century BC. However it was in the 3rd century BC that it became truly perceptible when it is characterised by a rise in the variety of socio-economic pathways, the most noticeable of these being the rise in masonry and sculpture which date to this period. At this time it appears that indigenous elites sought to express their status by commissioning large stone statues of themselves (or possibly deities). This is at the same time that historical evidence allude to increased levels of confrontation between Massalia and the indigenous population, possibly as a result of new indigenous elites seeking to demonstrate their power in warfare and cultivating a martial identity.
Between 220-175BC there a dramatic change is observable in the indigenous settlement record with numerous sites being abandoned, some apparently violently. From c.180-170BC there was a reconfiguration in the settlement pattern with the establishment of much larger settlements. Some of these, such as the oppidum at Mayans and the site of Teste-Nègra made use of projecting bastions, such as those which surrounded the walls of Massalia. These larger sites have often been interpreted as seats for paramount chiefs who descended from the powerful rulers of the 3rd century BC. Even those smaller sites which had been abandoned in the preceding period, and were subsequently reoccupied, were enlarged to become between twice and six times as large as they had previously been. As the site of Martigues the original settlement grew from 0.5ha to double in size, and in doing so was re-orientated and urbanised. At Pierredon the original settlement of 0.5ha, erected c.200BC, was violently abandoned and a new settlement covering 3ha in area was established. The same is true of Entremont, where the site grew from 0.9ha to 3.5ha. Many of these new settlements incorporated long roads and open public spaces, indicating an increased emphasis on the role of public life and communal identity.
An excellent and well-studied example of the sequence and changes which affected indigenous settlements is the sanctuary and hill-fort of Roquepertuse. Situated in the Arc valley in the west of Uidi Saluuii, the site of Roquepertuse yielded over two hundred fragments of limestone when it was excavated. These fragments of malleable limestone, mined from a local quarry, were found to have been carved into a variety of forms and painted, a practice more commonly associated with Mediterranean peoples than Keltoi. Nevertheless the sculptures from Roquepertuse are clearly the result of indigenous craftsmen. They occur in a variety of forms including two seated men with crossed legs, wearing torcs and what appear to be either checkered tunics or some forms of leather armour, possibly a linothorax. In addition to this are a double headed deity, similar in appearance to the Romani god Janus, a bird of prey, horses engraved into stone slabs and a variety of paintings, including examples of marine life. Although there is debate as to what these statues were intended to represent, it appears that the two seated men were originally part of a set of four which were arranged together in a portico, possibly to serve as guardians, in front of an complex constructed of timber of stone, into which were set the double headed deity, the bird of prey and the carved and painted stone slabs. The sanctuary at Roquerpertuse was destroyed by a fire in the 2nd century BC after which point the site was abandoned.
The actual system of government employed by the Keltoi and Ligures in this area is unclear. As noted above it appears that, at certain points, paramount chiefs or local warlords rose to power. Likewise we have mention in the historical records of individuals who are listed as kings. Considering the Saluuioi, the most powerful indigenous group by the time of the Romani conquest, were described as being a confederacy who possessed kings, it is likely, as was the case that with numerous other Keltoi peoples, that they shifted between periods of being dominated by an aristocracy and other times when individual aristocrats were able to exert themselves as the sole ruler. Throughout the Iron Age, although there is ample evidence or sanctuaries such as at the sites of Entremont and Roqueoportuse, there is a lack of evidence for mortuary practices. This is likely the result of soil conditions and the placing of the dead on hill-tops and sides which subsequently eroded away. From what evidence we do have it appears that inhumation and cremation were both practiced in the region, although inhumation was more common. Typical grave goods which survive include ceramics and metal items of personal adornment, although there are rare instances of swords as well.
The arrival of Romani settlers in 121BC brought with it important changes in the landscape. Excellent hydrologists and engineers, the Romani drained the lowland floodplains, opening up large areas of land for cultivation. Furthermore they established vast vineyards which ultimately formed the basis of the modern French wine industry. Although it would take until the 2nd century AD for these vineyards to reach maturity, they would ultimately eclipse the Italian wine industry and become the mains source of wine for the Western Empire. The effects of the rapid Romani colonisation of the area beginning in the late 2nd century BC can be observed on the indigenous population in two ways. Firstly there was a widespread abandonment of Iron Age settlements (although it is unclear if the population was removed from the land or simply relocated into Romani settlements), secondly it appears, based on epigraphic evidence and hoards of coins, that several indigenous individuals (the most philhellenic of society) managed to accrue large private domains. It is interesting to note the differences between the cultural and colonial impacts of the Phokaean Hellenes and the Romani. In the case of the former the long lived settlement of Massalia had important influences, but often on only a limited, upper strata of society. The Phokaeans made no attempt to actively incorporate the indigenous people into their society and, aside from the adoption of the Hellene alphabet, made no real impact upon the Keltoi language. By contrast the Romani actively incorporate the Gauls into their society, with Keltoi nobles holding high ranking military and administrative positions within the empire. Likewise Romani culture was pervasive, eclipsing the La Tène culture of the Gauls within a century, whilst Latin likewise replaced Keltoi as the mother tongue of many peoples in Gaul, ultimately forming the basis of the French language.
History
Although a variety of peoples had visited and settled in the region since the Palaeolithic, it is during the Iron Age that this history begins. The first non-indigenous peoples to visit the region were the Rasenna, who began to visit the coast of Uidi Saluuioi in the late 7th century BC although, as noted above, they did not establish a strong permanent presence in the area. They were quickly followed at the beginning of the 6th century BC by Hellene settlers from the city of Phokae in Asia Minor. Upon their arrival they founded the emporion of Massalia. The founding of Massalia is, like the founding of so many Hellene and Phoenician settlements from this period, recorded in legend rather historical fact. The story goes that a Phokaean explorer, named Protis, located a suitable place to land near the site which would subsequently become Massalia. Upon arriving on shore he was invited to attend a feast by the local Celto-Ligurian chief, Nann, ruler of the Segobriges. At the banquet the daughter of the chief, a woman named Gyptis, was expected to select a husband from among those assembled by offering him a cup of wine. To everyone’s surprise she selected Protis. As a wedding dowry Protis was gifted the lands around the area he and his men had landed, and on a nearby hill Protis and his wife settled and established Massalia. Another legend has it that the location was suggested by the oracle at Delphi.
Sometime in the 4th century BC the Massalioi attempted to establish trading rights with southern Iberia, with the aim to taking advantage of the legendary silver mines of the kingdom of Tartessos in modern day Andalusia. Herodotos records that the Massalioi emissaries were embraced by Arganthonios, king of Tartessos, with open arms. In addition to the account of Herodotus, archaeologically evidence attests to contacts between Massalia and southern Iberian at this time, with Phokaean ceramics dated to this period having been recovered in Andalusia. In addition to such trading expeditions, the Massalioi also attempted to expand their overseas colonies. Although the founding of new colonies was always a risky endeavour, it was made more so by the fact that the western Mediterranean, excluding southern Italia and Sicilia, was increasingly under the monopoly of the Phoenicians. In c.540BC relations between the Phokaeans and Phoenicians reached a climax when, in an effort to prevent the Phoakaeans from establishing a successful settlement at Alalia, Corsica, an allied fleet of 60 Rasenna and Phoenician ships assembled. At the Battle of the Sardinian Sea the allied fleet was victorious, with the Phokaeans having abandoned their Corsican colony by 535BC and thereafter being restricted to southern Gaul and northern Italia.
The date of 540BC also coincided with the fall of Phokaea itself to the Achaemenid Persian Empire, thereby resulting in the flight of numerous refugees from Asia Minor to Massalia. The fall of Phokaea meant that Massalia now assumed the mantle of Metropolis (mother city) for the Phokaean Hellenes. As a result of the loss of Phokaea, coupled with the dominance of the navy of Karthadastim around Sardinia, Corsica and southern Iberia, Massalia was forced to reduce the scope of her colonial ambitions. As such she no longer attempted to found new colonies far from southern Gaul, preferring instead to form a dense web of settlements in her immediate environs. It was with this policy in mind that many of Massalia’s later colonies, such as Olbia in the mid-4th century BC, were founded.</p>
<p>Between the founding of Massalia and the establishment of the Romani province of Gallia Transalpina in 121BC, relations between the Hellenic colonists and local Keltoi and Ligurian tribes varied between amicable to openly hostile, with Livy using terms like "savage and bellicose" and "quarrelsome" to describe the indigenous population. One particularly dangerous period for Massalia was in c.390BC when the local Keltoi ruler Katamandos placed the city under siege. Strabo records that, in order to defend against incursions from the indigenous population, Massalia established bastions known as epiteichismata. However this was also something of a cultural golden age for Massalia. Between 330 and 320BC, the renowned mathematician, astronomer, navigator and native of Massalia, Pytheas, the first man to theorise that tidal patterns are connected with the movements of the moon, organised a long distance voyage. He circumnavigated Iberia, sailed up the Atlantic coast of Gaul and managed to reach the British Isles. Due to the fact the original account of Pytheas has been lost, and details of his voyage only survive as fragments in later works, it is unclear how far he actually went. Pytheas appears to have reached a land known as Thule, which some have theorised to by Iceland.
By 220BC Massalia had allied herself with Roma, although according to legend amicable relations had existed between the two since the reign of the Romani king Tarquin the Elder in the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC. The latter’s conquest of the Rasenna, defeat of Karthadastim, generally anti-Gallic outlook, and the fact that the other great Hellene city in the western Mediterranean, Syrakosai, was a Romani ally, were strong incentives to the Massalioi to ally themselves with the growing Italian power. The alliance between Massalia and Roma was to prove a long-lasting and highly rewarding one for both parties. Roma guaranteed Massalia protection from the neighbouring Gallic tribes and Karthadastim, whilst Massalia provided an overland route into Iberia. The economic situation was likewise highly favourable to both, with Massalia serving as an exporter of raw materials and slaves procured from the Keltoi, whilst Roma served as an insatiable market for these goods. Massalia also served as a place of exile for Romani over the years, most famously Titus Annus Milo, who fled to Massalia following his conviction for the murder of Publius Clodius Pulcher, where he subsequently developed a great liking for the red mullet of Massalia.
It is interesting to note that, despite having been founded c.600BC, it was not until the late 3rd century BC and lasting until the end of the 2nd century BC, that Massalia sought to expand the chôra (the land surrounding her metropolis, c.7-8km). With the establishment of the alliance between Roma and Massalia, the Romani established an overland route to Iberia which, ironically, would initially serve as a route for Hannibal to invade Italia, before the tide turned and Roma used it to attack the Iberian possessions of Karthadastim. Massalia did possess her own army, however like several other Hellenic poleis, her real strength lay in her navy. As a result she tended to call for help from the Romani when it was required, as occurred in 154BC when Massalia found herself in conflict with the Kelto-Ligurian Oxybioi and Dekiates, and again in 123 BC against the Saluuioi. The conflict with the Saluuioi ultimately proved to be a spark which brought about a change in Romani foreign policy in Transalpine Gaul. This change in policy was based on the perceived threat posed by an alliance between the Aruernoi and Allobroges. From the 2nd Punic war onwards, the Aruernoi had been constructing a powerful hegemony in Gaul which, at its zenith, stretched from the Atlantic coast, to the borders of the Belgic tribes in the north, to the borders of the Aedui in modern day Burgundy in the east, and down to the borders of Massalia. The alliance with the Allobroges, who in 123BC had given shelter to Teutomalius king of the Suluuioi and an enemy of Roma, was perceived by the Romani as presenting a serious threat to their interests in the region. Under the command of Quintus Fabius Maximus the Aruernoi-Allobroges alliance was decisively defeated. The Allobroges were incorporated into the Romani territories, whilst the Aruenoi, although remaining independent, suffered such a blow to their prestige that it caused their hegemony to be broken, thereby paving the way for the Aedui to rise to prominence. The Saluuioi, however, disappeared completely from history.
After the defeat of the Allobroges and the Aruernoi, the Romani expanded their control of the area, establishing the colony of Narbo, possibly named after a local deity, close to Massalia in the neighbouring Ikoranda Uolkia, although they also donated part their newly won land to Masallia. Narbo, which subsequently became a serious economic competitor to Massalia, became the capital of a new Romani province: Gallia Transalpina, or Gaul beyond the Alps. Gallia Transalpina incorporated the Europa Barbarorum II provices of Ikoranda Uolkias, Uidi Saluuioi and parts of Talaallobrogis, and it was from here that Caesar launched his conquest of the rest of Gaul in 58BC. It should also be noted that it was in this region, at Aquae Sextiae, that the Teutones, a tribe from the far north who, with their allies the Kimbroi, had rampaged through much of Europe, were decisively defeated in 102BC.
Despite the establishment of Gallia Transalpina, Massalia did not lose her independence, and was allowed to retain her territories and navy. This changed however in the Romani civil war of 49-45BC when Massalia, like so many of Roma’s protectorates, allies and power brokers, was forced to choose between the Populares of Caesar or the Optimates of Pompey. Massalia chose to ally with the Optimates and were subsequently put under siege by an army and navy led by Caesar. After a long and violent siege, which saw diplomatic trickery on the part of the Massaliotes and a surprising victory for the Populares fleet against a numerically and technologically superior Massaliote one, the city fell. Caesar, displaying his customary clemency, allowed the city to retain its independence, although he confiscated her fleet and the surrounding territories, thereby effectively ending her independence.
Strategy
Massalia is a rich prize to hold, for while it lacks precious metal mines, it has great maritime trade prospects, acting as the gateway to Gaul. The deep ports are also well-suited to the construction of warships, which may be a necessary component of any naval strategy in the region. While the provincial capital Massalia itself is well-defended, both by an extensive stone wall against land, and by the sea, holding Uidi Saluuioi is a trickier prospect. It is a province surrounded by potential rivals, first and foremost amongst them the Romani to the south-east. To the north are the warring tribes of the Aedui and Aruernoi and to the west the Areuakoi, and to the south-west and at sea the Karthadastim.
Great work Brennus! As always.
Thank you, but if it were not for QuintusSertorius laying the foundations of this it would not be ready now.
QuintusSertorius
09-12-2014, 13:07
Thank you, but if it were not for QuintusSertorius laying the foundations of this it would not be ready now.
However, you've taken what I started with and turned it into something of beauty. Much respect is due.
In the regional description for Lakonike I rendered the Spartan royal family names to mean, perhaps, the "leaders" and of the "wide sea". While this makes sense to me, I am no linguist and this could be way off base. I saw it has been included in the game. I would like to point out that this is my own non-professional interpretation and I have not seen any relevant reference anywhere. I think the team should consider revising or verifying this for future releases.
Thanks for highlighting this for us kdarak. abou Arjos You two are better with Ancient Greek and I, what are your thoughts?
Antigonos Karchedonios
09-14-2014, 10:17
Now this is really nitpicking, so I apologize in advance:
In the province description of "Raition" you talk several times about the oppida on the "Engelhalbinsel of Berne. The "L" is incorrect as it is called "Engehalbinsel". (Engelhalbinsel meaning "Angel penninsula" wheras "Engehalbinsel" is a rather geograhic descrition.)
This is really the smallest of bugs, but as I'm basically living in this very place I thought I would point it out. ;-)
Everything else is detailed and great to read as usual!
Afaik the Agiadai and Eurypontidai were simply named after two eponymous kings: Agis and Eurypon. So there should not be any etymological significance...
As for the translations I don't know if the name Agis derives from the verb ago "to lead", but I doubt Eurypon has anything to do with eurus "wide" and pontos "sea", because the name simply has a double stem declension...
Afaik the Agiadai and Eurypontidai were simply named after two eponymous kings: Agis and Eurypon. So there should not be any etymological significance...
As for the translations I don't know if the name Agis derives from the verb ago "to lead", but I doubt Eurypon has anything to do with eurus "wide" and pontos "sea", because the name simply has a double stem declension...
While these are not necessarily the progenitors of the two lines of kings (other kings are mentioned before them), it is perhaps possible that the families were named after them. This makes far more sense than my "theory". I think the text should be edited to correct my assumptions. After all this is EB!!
Kilikia long overdue.
Province Kilikia
Traveler’s Log
So these are the gates… Many crossed, but many failed too. This is the land that the people of the Nile called Kode. Its Hurrian name though is Kizzuwatna! The west is rugged mountain territory and the east is fertile river-land. Indeed, this is a land of contradictions. The mountains can provide shelter in time of need, but the lowlands offer none… and they invite invaders too often. From North and South they come; to hold the gates, to mine valuable ore and to reap the harvest of the fields. Trade too flourishes as natural harbors and emporia make Kilikia a haven for seafarers of all sorts in the eastern Mediterranean, sailing the ancient routes from the Levant, to Kilikia, to Cyprus, to Rhodes and the Ionian coast, to Hellas and the islands, to Crete, to Cyrene and to Egypt. Trade, grain, water, mines, gates, all make for a rich kingdom. Yet, only a handful of local kings ruled this land throughout history…. indeed, this is a land of contradictions.
Geography
The Kilikian coastline consists of a well-watered plain to the east and a rough wooded mountainous area to the west. The plain is embraced by mountains to its west and northeast and is accessible through passes that the Greeks called “gates”. The Kilikian country possesses valuable resources, such as mines of silver and iron ore in the Taurus Mountains. The Hittite King Hatussili III, sent a message to his Assyrian counterpart informing him that the iron ore of good quality was not available at that time in Kizzuwatna. They would produce some, soon. As a token of friendship an iron sword was sent to him!
Along with the metal resources of the mountains beyond Karatepe there was a resource in Kilikia that left no archaeological footprint: horses! In the book of Kings, King Solomon of Jerusalem received horses for his chariots from “Que”, the Kilikian plain. Shipping horses is a practice well attested in Greek history and probably used early on in the area around Kilikia and further down the coast.
Three rivers come down from the mountains and grant the plain its exceptional fertility. The plains at the lower course of the Ceyhan River provided especially rich cultivated fields. Furthermore, annual winter rains make agriculture possible in the area at a very early date. Dioscurides noted the presence of many medicinal and scented plants. Rosa Phoenicia, an exquisite variety of the white rose, also blooms here, twice a year too! Wild life abounded with even buffaloes making their home in the plain.
The People, Society and Government
Several ethnic groups coexisted in Kilikia in the Bronze Age. Luwians, Hittites and Hurrians shared the land and formed its culture. Luwians were probably the first inhabitants at the start of the 2nd millennium BC. Hittites likely came in significant numbers to southeastern Anatolia following the Hittite conquest in the early Old Kingdom period, under Kings Hattusili I and Mursili I, but Hurrians too inhabited this area at least since the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. After the weakening of the Hittite Old Kingdom in the 15th century BC, Hittites and Luwians contributed to the formation of a short-lived independent kingdom of Kizzuwatna. The toponym Kizzuwatna is possibly a Luwian adaptation of Hittite kezudne meaning “country on this side (of the mountains)”. Hurrian culture became prominent in Kilikia, once it entered the sphere of influence of the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni, at the peak of the latter’s power. A volatile area, socially, culturally and politically, Kilikia incorporated cultural and linguistic elements from all three distinct ethnic constituents.
Temple-cities were a noteworthy feature of Kilikia, defining governmental and social organization. Such a city was Kummani, the capital of Kizzuwatna, situated in the highlands. Strabo indicates classical Komana was a temple city from ancient times by his reckoning, relying on the temple for any social structure, where the head priest was also the local political leader. Kummanni, whose Hittite name was Kummiya, was the political, cultural and religious center of the Anatolian kingdom of Kizzuwatna. Its location is uncertain, but is believed to be near the classical settlement of Comana in Cappadocia. Kummanni was the major cult center of the Hurrian chief deity, Tešup. Its Hurrian name Kummeni simply translates as "The Shrine."
Puduhepa, queen of the Hittite king Hattusili III, came from Kizzuwatna, where she had been a priestess, the daughter of the head-priest. Their pantheon was also integrated into the Hittite one, and the goddess Hebat of Kizzuwatna became very important in Hittite religion towards the end of the 13th century BC. Hurrian goddess Hebat was almost just as important as her husband Tešup, the Weather God. Both were worshipped at Kummani, where it is even possible that she had preeminence. A corpus of religious texts called the Kizzuwatna rituals was discovered at Hattusa. Despite this fact, it seems the King did have to visit Kummani to fulfill religious duties. Queen Puduheba was of Hurrian descent and after her marriage to the Hittite King Hatusili, correspondence from her time identifies Hebat as the Sun Godhess of Arinna, a major cult center near Hattusa in the Hittite heartland. This is another clear piece of evidence of the syncretism that was present in all layers of life in Kilikia from the Bronze Age.
The city persisted into the Early Iron Age, and appears as Kumme in Assyrian records. It was located on the edge of Assyrian influence, separating Assyria from Urartu and the highlands of southeastern Anatolia. Kumme was still considered a holy city in Assyrian times, both in Assyria and in Urartu. Adadnirari II of Assyria, after re-conquering the city, made sacrifices to "Adad of Kumme" and the three chief deities in the Urartian pantheon were "the god of Ardini, the god of Kumenu, and the god of Tushpa." This testifies to the importance of Kummani and of the culture that flourished in Kilikia fot the wider region.
History
The first mention of Kilikia in historical record informs us that King Sargon of Akkad reached the Taurus Mountains in the 23rd century BC, during a campaign from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, but left no lasting influence. The trade routes from Assyria to the “karum” in the Anatolian highlands went through Kizzuwatna by the early 2nd millennium BC. The kings of Kizzuwatna of the 2nd millennium BC had frequent contact with the Hittites to the north. The earliest Hittite records seem to refer to Kizzuwatna and Arzawa in Western Anatolia collectively as Luwia. Kilikia was conquered by the Hittite Kings of the old kingdom Hattusili I and Mursili I. Fortifications similar to those at the Hittite capital have been found in Kilikia. The Hittite hieroglyphs themselves probably originated in Kilikia, since the oldest example is the seal of Isputachsus, king of Kizzuwatna. Telipinu was the last Hittite king of the old kingdom at the turn of the 15th century BC and probably had to recognize the ruler of Kizzuwatna as a king in his own right, perhaps even as an equal. Isputahsu made a treaty with the Hittite king Telepinu. Later, Kizzuwatna shifted its allegiance, perhaps due to a new ruling dynasty. The Hurrians formed the Mitani state in Syria, but were also dominant over Kizzuwatna in the dark ages of the Hittite Middle Kingdom. The Mittani formulated a policy of containment for the Hittites. Kizzuwatna was an important buffer state and was supported by the Mittani to keep the weakened Hittites in their Anatolian plateau. This close relationship came about when the city state of Alalakh to the south of Kilikia expanded under its new vigorous leader Idrimi, himself a subject of the Mitanni King Barattarna. King Pilliya of Kizzuwatna had to sign a treaty with Idrimi. It was then only natural for Kizzuwatna to become a Mitanni ally. This alliance persisted from the reign of Shunashura I, until the Hittite king Arnuwanda I overran the country and made it a vassal kingdom. Kizuwatna was “liberated” from the Mittani, but was subdued and became a client kingdom to the Hittites. And while the agreement appears to have been a mutual aggressive and defensive alliance, it was the Kizuwatnnan ruler that had to visit Hatousa on a yearly basis to pay homage to the King and was prohibited from having any connection to the king of Hurri. As the New Hittite Kingdom became stronger, Kizzuwatna was incorporated to the empire yet again and the Hittites pushed deeper into Mittani territory. Kizzuwatna rebelled during the reign of Suppiluliuma I, but remained within the Hittite empire for two hundred years. In the famous Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BC), Kizzuwadna supplied troops to the Hittite king. This was the status quo until the collapse of the Bronze age near the turn of the 12th century BC, when smaller Neo-Hittite kingdoms such as Tabal, Kammanu and Quwe seem to have emerged in Kilikia and were relatively spared from the devastation that the Sea Peoples wrought in the wider Near East.
The events that took place in Kizzuwatna are as vague as they are in many other places during this extremely volatile time. Evidence found in Egypt provides us with some information, though, as in other cases, the authors were perhaps more interested in impression than accuracy: “No land could stand before their arms from Hatti, Kode, Kargamish, Yereth, Alashia on.” Kargamish, for example, seems to have suffered no such fate as nearby Ugarit did. Yet Kode (i.e. Kizzuwatna) was probably not spared. The Tursha of the Sea peoples that joined the Libyans against the Egyptian Pharaoh Mernepta were perhaps from Tarsos according to one interpretation of the information available. People from nearby Adana may have been involved in the attack a generation later. But Tarsos had been burned almost to the ground around that time. Archaeology remains inconclusive on the matter.
Kilikia after the sea peoples was a dark spot in history until the Karatepe inscriptions were found. The author was Azativatas, himself probably not a king or ruler, but a subject of the King of Adana. In the Phoenician version of the inscriptions the king is not of Adana, but of the Dnnym. A connection with the Homeric Danaoi has been attempted, but is somewhat problematic.
Enter Mopsos! This mythical seer makes a spectacular entry in the stories of post-Trojan adventures. His extraordinary divinatory skill and his achievement are truly remarkable though not all that well known. Mopsos and Calchas, the great Greek seer, had a divining contest after the Trojan War, when Mycenaean veterans went down the Anatolian coast and landed in Claros near Colophon. Mopsus was the local seer. Calchas lost and died of shame on the spot according to one version of the myth. After the contest, he took the group of veterans and went through Pamphylia to Kilikia establishing settlements all along his route. The sites of Mopsion, Mopsou Krene and Mopsou Hestia attest to the trace of truth in the myth. In Perge, inscriptions that include both Calchas and Mopsos as founding fathers have come to light. In 800-700BC, Azitawadda, a local ruler, set a bilingual inscription in Luwian and Phoenician, claiming descent from Mopsos. The name is mentioned in Hittite texts, in Knossos tablets and the Phoenician version as well, retaining the linguistic characteristics of each language (Moxos, Mo-ko-so and Mopsus respectively). The importance of the Mopsos story is that it describes a mix of Greeks (Mycenaean) and Anatolians – possibly the Sea Peoples - from the west into Kilikia and then farther south into Canaan.
Back to history then: The House of Muksas was based in Adana in Kilikia before the Assyrians conquered the area in 830BC. This is another rare instance of a probably independent kingdom in Kilikia. Texts were inscribed in a hieroglyphic neo-Hittite script to render the Luwian language. Later big bilingual inscriptions were set up including the Phoenician language. It is assumed that Phoenician sea-men reached Kilikia perhaps sailing up the Pyramus River to where the bilingual inscription stood. On the coast of the rough part of Kilikia the one the Assyrians called Hilakku, Greeks from Samos and Rhodes settled in Soloi, Nagidosa and Celenderis. The city of Mallos traced its origin to the hero Amphilochos of Argos, but that might be later attempt at Hellenization of some sort. It was not uncommon for cities to fabricate claims of Hellenic origin during the Hellenistic Era. Still, a text from Assyrian King Sargon’s court (721-705BC) refers to Ionian Greeks from “Que” raiding the Levantine coast as far as Tyre, so there may well be more to the legends than political calculation.
A rebellion broke out in Kilikia in 696bc. According to Assyrian texts, Kirua, the leader of the rebellion and probably an Assyrian client, gathered troops from his base in Illubru in the mountains to the North. Assyrian troops including chariots, cavalry and infantry were sent against him and defeated him after heavy fighting. Tarsos and Ingira, that the Greeks called Anchiale, were captured during the campaign for assisting the rebellion, as was Kirua himself. He was sent to the capital in Nineveh to be skinned alive, in a typically, for ancient middle-eastern kingdoms, cruel fashion of punishment meant to make an example of the rebel. But from later Greek sources we learn of two battles between Assyrians and Greeks, one on land and one at sea.
The land battle was against Ionian Greeks that marched against Kilikia. The Assyrians won but “lost many men”. The Assyrian King Sennacherib was not present in the battle yet he set up a statue, an image of himself towering over the battlefield. Alexander the Great was able to see this statue when he crossed into Kilikia and his historians recorded its presence in Ingira, which would otherwise have been lost to us.
The sea battle was fought separately in a different location and Sennacherib caused another monument to be built at the location, a temple dedicated to the Athenians, according to one translation, raising bronze pillars, a trademark of his building activity in other locations too. Lost in the translation, the actual meaning rendered as Athenians (which is highly unlikely) could perhaps be of Athena. At the mouth of the river Pyramos such a temple was situated near the town of Magarsos, yet it had an eastern air about it and many a characteristic that could be traced to Eastern styles. This serves our understanding of the story quite well. The temple was originally commissioned by Sennacherib in honor of the war goddess Anat (Ishtar) for her help in dealing with (winning?) over the Greek naval invaders of his territory. This however was not the only Greek misunderstanding related to Sennacherib’s monuments. When Alexander passed through this same stretch of land in 333BC and saw the statue of Sennacherib, his advisors misread the inscription on the statue into an exhortation to fornication as the meaning of life! No comment on that…
Assyrians were not seafarers and their skill in naval combat, even in the relative confines of a river’s mouth, has never been celebrated. Still, even if the claims of “truthful” celebration of his victory mentioned in the inscriptions found at the monuments are more akin to those of the Egyptian Pharaoh after the battle of Qadesh (now considered a near save for him and a far cry from victory), than his other claims of victory during his brilliant campaigning career, the fact remains that Sennacherib himself was not present at the battle. So “truthful” reporting of the facts has already taken a hit. Coupled with the heavy fighting and many losses taken by the Assyrians mentioned in the Assyrian texts there is a real possibility that this was a form of royal propaganda so common both at the time and in previous eras. Yet it really makes little difference. Regardless of the outcome, after the battles the Greeks either left or were chased out of Kilikia and Sennacherib reclaimed it as his own, undisputed. Some claim that after this part of the Mediterranean was made inaccessible to the Greeks they turned to the West and relied more heavily in trade with the West and Graecia Magna. Ironically the Hittites forbidding the Greeks to trade with Assyrians at a time long past may have caused great conflict that spilled all over the eastern Mediterranean. Now the Assyrians were pushing the Greeks out of trade colonies in what was once Hittite territory.
According to Herodotus after a major battle between the expanding Medes and Lydian kingdom a treaty was agreed upon by the two kingdoms, under the auspices of the kings of Babylonia and Kilikia, which leads us to believe that Kilikia was independent around the 600s BC. Neriglissar of the Neo-Babylonian kingdom annexed Kilikia later on (559-556BC). After Babylon was taken by Cyrus the Great, Kilikia was incorporated to the great Persian Empire of the Achaemenids. It was conquered again by Alexander the Great, after his spectacular victory at the battle of Issos. Following Alexander’s death and until the end of the end of the 4th century BC Kilikia was under Antigonos Monophthalmos’s rule and a treasury was set at Cyinda. After his demise, Kilikia came under the Ptolemies, but for the next decades changed hands a number of times during the Diadochi Wars. It was contested during the First Syrian War (274-271BC), but Ptolemy retained it and added to it other parts of southern Asia Minor. In the Second Syrian War (260-253BC) these conquests were largely unmade and the territory became part of the Seleucid Empire. In the Third Syrian War (246-241BC) the Ptolemies enjoyed great success and retook Kilikia among other more spectacular achievements, such as reaching Babylon and occupying Antiocheia. In the Fourth Syrian War (219-217BC) Antiochos III Megas reclaimed large swathes of land from Ptolemaic control, including most of Kilikia. The rest of it he would bring to the fold toward the end of the Fifth Syrian War (202-195BC) after his undisputed success in solidifying Coele Syria as Seleucid territory, following the battle of Panion. After 187BC, as a result of the Battle of Magnesia, Kilikia became Seleucid borderland with a number of “independent” buffer states, between the Romans and the Seleucids. It remained virtually uncontested, until the death of Antiochos VII Sidetes, after which the Empire began to disintegrate under the pressure of Parthian conquest, Roman intervention and civil war. Kilikia Pedias as it was called became Roman territory in 103 BC after being conquered first by Marcus Antonius Orator in his campaign against pirates. Sulla acted as its first governor and foiled an attempt at invasion by Mithridates the Great of Parthia, denying him pretext and forcing him to execute his diplomat in charge of bilateral negotiations. Kilikia was organized into a province by Pompey in 64 BC which, for a short time included part of Phrygia. This happened only after Pompey Magnus had dealt with what was perhaps the largest pirate enterprise in the history of the Mediterranean, which was mounted from bases in Kilikia. From Kilikia pirates radiated to secondary bases and threatened the grain supply to Rome, among other things. Anything that threatened Rome's grain supply was cause for panic. Still the threat was very real and wide-spread. Ever Julius Caesar was captured at some point and held for ransom. However, the remarkable energy and talent for organization that characterized Rome at the time, found in Pompey the perfect agent for the job. An extensive, well-coordinated land and sea campaign was mounted, that eliminated the secondary bases and forced the pirates back to Kilikia where they were thoroughly destroyed… or so the story went. Some form of treaty or payoff is likely, with Pompey as chief negotiator. This was standard practice, but not as dignified and seldom acknowledged; Rome's generals were supposed to wage and win wars, not buy their enemies off.
Kilikia was reorganized by Julius Caesar, in 47 BC and in 27 BC became part of the province Syria-Kilikia Phoenice. At first the western district was left independent under native kings or priest-dynasts as it had been since ancient times, and a small kingdom, under Tarcondimotus I, was left in the east. These were finally incorporated to the province by Vespasian in 72 AD.
Kilikia would eventually conquer Rome… after a fashion; when men from Isauria, an area between Rough Kilikia and Eastern Pisidia (which could be claimed by both regions), sat on the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople, long after Rome had repeatedly been burned and plundered by barbarians, lost its preeminence, its relevance and glamour.
Strategy
Kilikia has always been coveted by the powers ascendant in the region, as it grants access to northern Syria and includes a geopolitical drawbridge for the Taurus mountain-fortress in the Kilikian Gates.
DeathFinger
11-06-2014, 17:33
Thanks, it will be added in the ext release :bow:
Eliasmanos
11-25-2014, 18:58
Hi guys :) The region of Corinth could perhaps be named more precisely (especially in comparison with Sparta). The term Peloponnesus is applied to the whole peninsula of S.Greece, not only the north part of the peninsula. It should (perhaps/imo) be called Korinthia (& Elis, since it is supposed to include Olympia). The regions in Peloponnesus are 7; Korinthia, Argolis, Arkadia, Elis, Achaea, Messine(Messinia) and Lakonia (Lakonike).
Im working on saurastra is anybody currently doing this?
Im working on saurastra is anybody currently doing this?
Not that I know of, no...
I did this map to see where the gaps are. Its interesting to see where people have chosen to do first, and the large regions of bare history.
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If anyone wants to help ask first. I don't know what has been done since first release.
Get in contact with Mithridates VI Eupator I believe he either has started working on, or has a general idea for Saurashtra and Sindh among other descriptions...
As for your map, it seems to be missing only Maiotis and Elymais, which were written, but did not make it in the first release :)
joshmahurin
03-09-2015, 18:51
Interesting perspective thanks!
I sent him a message ill see what happens
Mithridates VI Eupator
03-11-2015, 11:12
And I replied!
To quickly reiterate what I said to Chap, Sindh and Xiyu are works in process (With Xiyu a bit further along).
Just in general, as can be seen by the map, any assistance in the Central Steppes, the Balkans and Northern Africa would be greatly appreciated, though. You might want to get in touch with Brennus regarding the status of Gaul.
athanaric
03-13-2015, 23:35
I did this map to see where the gaps are. Its interesting to see where people have chosen to do first, and the large regions of bare history.
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If anyone wants to help ask first. I don't know what has been done since first release.I actually did write a description for Dahyu Mazsakata (one of the "grey" provinces on your map), which was received with some degree of appreciation on the Campus Martius subforum (no idea if that one still exists). However, it didn't appear in the game at all, not even in a version improved and expanded upon by someone else (instead, there's still a blank). So yeah.
joshmahurin
03-13-2015, 23:38
Probably just got temporarily lost somewhere in the myriad random things to do.
athanaric
03-13-2015, 23:45
Probably just got temporarily lost somewhere in the myriad random things to do.
Well, I seem to have lost access to the CM and in any case, can't promise to do anything constructive in the next month or two due to real life interference. So I guess someone else needs to re-find it (and maybe amend it in case any release before Easter is planned).
It is linked in the EBH fora, just needs to be worked on by someone, as it follows the older structure and if possible give it a more narrative nature...
Dahyu Mazsakata
Overview:
(1.215.1) “These Massagetae are like the Scythians in their dress and way of life. They are both cavalry and infantry (having some of each kind), and spearmen and archers; and it is their custom to carry battle-axes. They always use gold and bronze; all their spear-points and arrow-heads and battle-axes are bronze and the adornment of their headgear and belts and girdles is gold.
[2] They equip their horses similarly, protecting their chests with bronze breastplates and putting gold on reins, bits, and cheekplates. But they never use iron and silver, for there is none at all in their country, but gold and bronze abound.
(1.216.1) Now for their customs: each man marries a wife, but the wives are common to all. The Greeks say this is a Scythian custom; it is not, but a custom of the Massagetae. There, when a man desires a woman, he hangs his quiver before her wagon, and has intercourse with her without fear.
[2] Though they fix no certain term to life, yet when a man is very old all his family meet together and kill him, with beasts of the flock besides, then boil the flesh and feast on it.
[3] This is held to be the happiest death; when a man dies of an illness, they do not eat him, but bury him in the earth, and lament that he did not live to be killed. They never plant seed; their fare is their livestock and the fish which they take in abundance from the Araxes.
[4] Their drink is milk. The sun is the only god whom they worship; they sacrifice horses to him; the reasoning is that he is the swiftest of the gods, and therefore they give him the swiftest of mortal things.“
Herodotos: The Histories. Book I, Chapters 215-216.
Geography:
The geographer Strabon writes:
“Statements to the following effect are made concerning the Massagetae: that some of them inhabit mountains, some plains, others marshes which are formed by the rivers, and others the islands in the marshes. But the country is inundated most of all, they say, by the Araxes River, which splits into numerous branches and empties by its other mouths into the other sea on the north, though by one single mouth it reaches the Hyrcanian Gulf. […] Silver is not found in their country, and only a little iron, but brass and gold in abundance. (Strabo: Geographika, XI/8/6)”
This region encompasses the plains between the Syr Darya, the Aral lake and the Amu Darya. This is a harsh, arid land, with hot summers, cold winters, and a dry climate. It is mostly flat and dominated by steppe vegetation and semi-deserts. The riverbanks and the shores of the great lake allow for fishing and agriculture.
As for wildlife, there are various sorts of game, especially Saiga antelopes and wild sheep and horses as well as bustards. Even large predators such as the Caspian Tiger would occur in the wetlands. Eagles patrol the skies and, once captured and trained, are cherished hunting companions for the steppe peoples.
History:
Of old, these lands were populated by Iranian peoples of nomadic and pastoral tendencies. They are called “Saka” by Eastern sources and “Skythian” by the Greek. Ethnically, these would have been mainly Iranian, possibly with an admixture of Mongoloid population from the eastern parts of Central Asia.
The eponymous Massagetae tribe rose to some literary prominence among its civilized contemporaries. According to legend, it was the Massagetae queen Tomyris whose army slew the famous King Kyros II “the Great” of Persia, when he tried to conquer her people.
The Massagetae appear to have been a semi-nomadic people, who, besides cattle herding, also relied on other sources of sustenance. According to our source, “they never plant seed; their fare is their livestock and the fish which they take in abundance from the Araxes. [4] Their drink is milk.” (Herodotos, I.216). Another source is a little more informative:
“Now those who live in the islands, since they have no grain to sow, use roots and wild fruits as food, and they clothe themselves with the bark of trees (for they have no cattle either), and they drink the juice squeezed out of the fruit of the trees. Those who live in the marshes eat fish, and clothe themselves in the skins of the seals that run up thither from the sea. The mountaineers themselves also live on wild fruits; but they have sheep also, though only a few, and therefore they do not butcher them, sparing them for their wool and milk; and they variegate the color of their clothing by staining it with dyes whose colors do not easily fade. The inhabitants of the plains, although they possess land, do not till it, but in the nomadic or Scythian fashion live on sheep and fish. Indeed, there not only is a certain mode of life common to all such peoples, of which I often speak, but their burials, customs, and their way of living as a whole, are alike, that is, they are self-assertive, uncouth, wild, and warlike, but, in their business dealings, straightforward and not given to deceit.(Strabo XI.8.7)” Strabo also differentiates between Saka and Massagetae.
Archaeological finds attest to a development of a class society, with prominent burial mounds called Kurgans erected for important leaders. The political organisation of the Massagetae seems to have been monarchy. Slavery was widespread and common but developed somewhat differently from slavery tradition in Mediterranean cultures. Women are said to have held a relatively high position compared to Mediterranean cultures. However, as one source puts it, “it is not clear whether a parallel can be drawn between Saka-Massagetian society and its western neighbour, the matrilineal Sarmatian society.”1 Also, they were reported to share their wives amongst each other and to eat their dead. However, this may be a conflation of actual facts and Greek imagination.
Like other Skythians, the Massagetae were known for goldwork, usually depicting mythological elements and scenes, especially griffins.
Of their religion, it is said that “The sun is the only god whom they worship; they sacrifice horses to him; the reasoning is that he is the swiftest of the gods, and therefore they give him the swiftest of mortal things.“ ( Herodotos, I.216)” - which also reflects the increasing importance of the horse in those parts, which was another factor in the transition from a culture of Pastoralist cattle herders to a culture of true nomads.
Accordingly, cavalry became increasingly important. It has been indicated that the Massagetae were the ones who first developed horse armour, thus instigating the development of the fully armoured cavalry that was the pride of ancient Iranian and Medieval European knighthood. This is hinted at even in Herodot's description of their martial traditions. Similarly, Strabo writes: “They are good horsemen and foot-soldiers; they use bows, short swords, breastplates, and sagares made of brass; and in their battles they wear headbands and belts made of gold.“
In these parts of Central Asia, there appears to have been some form of coexistence between the nomadic Saka (or, in this particular case, Massagetae), and the sedentary farmers who settled the oases. The Skythians, much like their various successors, were of great importance to trade between East Asia on one side and Europe, the Near East, and India on the other. It was in their own economic interest to keep open extensive trade routes that connected China with Persia, so as to profit from the revenue. Especially Bukhara, the region capital, was to become an important hub of trade and cultural innovation. Even after the Turkic invasions, Sogdian traders played an important role in the Silk Road business.
It has been said that the Massagetae were the forefathers of the Alans, who in turn not only were the ancestors of the Ossetian people, but also greatly influenced Later Sarmatian culture and left their traces all over Europe during the Migration period, reaching as far as Spain and North Africa. Medieval Persian historian Al-Biruni claims that the Alans originally dwelt at the lower Amu Darya. Also, several place names containing the name “Alan” are known from Central Asia, according to V. Kousnetsov and Y. Lebedynsky, and “It is likely that the Sako-Massagetae tribes played an important role in the ethnogenesis of the new, very mixed Turkic-language peoples in Western Central Asia (…).”
Strategy:
Any conqueror of this territory will find themselves faced with stern opposition and an unforgiving continental climate, which, along with the open nature of the land, make it a daunting task to control the region. This province has the typical benefits and drawbacks of a steppe region; it will not offer many resources to sedentary factions. However, powerful and efficient nomadic cavalry troops may be available as auxiliaries. Nomadic factions should focus on developing trade routes and keeping an eye open for unwelcome visitors.
I'm looking to do the province of Heruskolandaz, but i'm having a bit of trouble understanding why the tribe of Herminones is supposed to be in this province. So far as i understand it, Heruskolandaz corresponds roughly to the Istvaeonic tribal grouping, which is distinct from the Hermionic/Irminonic group. The territory of the Hermiones seems to corresponds more accurately to Albihoimoz province (Pliny actually names the Suebi as part of the Hermionic group with the Cheruski and the Hermunduri). Wouldn't a tribe like the Chatti, Bructeri, Sugambri, Cannenifates or Batavi be more accurate as residents of this area?
I suppose this isn't strictly relevant to a geographic description, but it would help me deliniate exactly what area i would have to describe.
Cannot speak for the germanic FC, only TheTank can clear this up...
Nevertheless the borders you see in-game are those that should be written about in the description, so as far as Raurikon is concerned: the northern Rheinland should be it :)
Afterwards I do not know what migrations and archaeological evidences were taken in consideration for the residents as of 272 BCE, still in the history section of the description you can easily cover down to the first decade of the 1st century CE, so you can speak of all those tribes too...
It is also possible that the tribal migration buildings aren't completed yet and those are just stand-ins...
A felllow TW center user http://www.twcenter.net/forums/member.php?413270-DurinElminpietra is intereseted in writing the description of Venatia, could someone please contact hi to let him know whether the province is still available?
Also if someone from EB team could check this www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?684290-HELP-THE-EB-TEAM!-PROVINCE-DESCRIPTION-THREAD! thread once in a time that would be great:D (@Arjos ?)Maybe there will be some volunteers :D
Hello guys, I'm interested in helping with regional descriptions in North Africa. With whom should I talk in order to get enough info about the zones still not worked or completed?
Hello guys, I'm interested in helping with regional descriptions in North Africa. With whom should I talk in order to get enough info about the zones still not worked or completed?
This is the current situation with Africa:
Africa
163. Mauretania Tingitania: Inserted Here (1)
164. Mauretania: Inserted ("Strategy" section empty) (1)
165. Mauretania Massaesili: Inserted (1)
166. Mashiliem: To Do (-)
167. Numidia: To Do (-)
168. Gaetulia: Inserted Here (1)
169. Atiqa: WIP Here (-)
170. Zeugei: Inserted Here (1)
171. Byzacena: To Do (-)
172. Phasania: To Do (-)
173. Syrthim: To Do (-)
174. Kyreneia: Inserted Here (1)
175. Numidia Massylii: To Do (-)
176. Libye: To Do (-)
178. Delta Neilou: Inserted Here (1)
179. Heptanomis: Inserted Here (1)
180. Thebaïs: Inserted Here (1)
182. Oasis Megale: Inserted Here (2)
183. Triakontaschoinos: To Do (-)
184. Kush: Inserted Here (1)
185. Erythraia: To Do (-)
186. Di'amat: To Do (Has a very short "trade resources" description in-game) (-)
199. Eremos: No building
joshmahurin
03-28-2015, 00:37
Hi guys :) The region of Corinth could perhaps be named more precisely (especially in comparison with Sparta). The term Peloponnesus is applied to the whole peninsula of S.Greece, not only the north part of the peninsula. It should (perhaps/imo) be called Korinthia (& Elis, since it is supposed to include Olympia). The regions in Peloponnesus are 7; Korinthia, Argolis, Arkadia, Elis, Achaea, Messine(Messinia) and Lakonia (Lakonike).
paullus your thoughts?
iv finished Saurashtra that history took along time. I'm just doing the travelers log now its going to be a mauryan spy :)
Mithridates VI Eupator
04-08-2015, 16:12
Great, looking forward to Reading it.
Don't make the traveler's log overly actiony or character driven. Whatever province you read about, you should feel that the "traveler" could really be you. At the same time, it should really be like a slightly more immersive summary of the following, more academic, texts about history, geography etc.
joshmahurin
04-08-2015, 19:15
Yes it is supposed to be from the perspective of any generic traveler visiting the region, nothing specific or it won't make sense to everyone's circumstances. But very glad to see another province only done :) Thank you for taking the time and effort!
joshmahurin
04-08-2015, 19:22
Cannot speak for the germanic FC, only TheTank can clear this up...
Nevertheless the borders you see in-game are those that should be written about in the description, so as far as Raurikon is concerned: the northern Rheinland should be it :)
Afterwards I do not know what migrations and archaeological evidences were taken in consideration for the residents as of 272 BCE, still in the history section of the description you can easily cover down to the first decade of the 1st century CE, so you can speak of all those tribes too...
It is also possible that the tribal migration buildings aren't completed yet and those are just stand-ins...
cmacq
joshmahurin
04-08-2015, 20:10
It is linked in the EBH fora, just needs to be worked on by someone, as it follows the older structure and if possible give it a more narrative nature...
athanaric would you feel like making a Travelers log section for this description and bringing it more in line with our current format? If not Arjos or tobymoby would you be capable of at least adding the Travelers log?
Right now I'm writing Paphlagonia, so don't know...
Regardless it is also missing "The People, Society and Government", or rather some informations are there, just need to be edited...
Will see what I can do...
BTW Chap, for the sake of tallying, you can consider Dahyu Alanna WIP too :)
tobymoby
04-09-2015, 00:58
I can do that. Give me a few hours.
joshmahurin
04-09-2015, 04:47
Awesome :) If you feel like editing it and throwing in anything off the top of your head that would be good too.
Here it is.
I'm not a historian or a writer, so i would appreciate it if you could edit this if anything does not feel right.
I had trouble finding specific tribes of Saurashtra and I have separated the Sudarshana Lake description so you may choose to add it as a unique building/wonder just like the Sabean dam.
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If you want another format instead of .Doc just ask
This is my interpretation of the periplus voyage near Saurashtra 50AD.
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and an update on the provice description map its all happening in the east.
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Adalingum
04-17-2015, 12:32
Well, I'm gonna give this another shot and since Lakonike has been completed by now, I'm planning to go and write one of these for the province of the Odrysai. I've requested some books via the network of libraries (at least the ones I have access to) which seem useful to me, but suggestions are very, very welcome. For starters I plan to read the following:
-Thrace & the Tracians, Aleksandur Fol (cannot type an accent in his first name on my phone)
-The Odrysian kingdom of Thrace; Orpheus unmasked, Z.H. Archibald
-The policy of Darius and Xerxes towards Thrace and Macedonia, Miroslav Ivanov Vasilev
I just volunteered in the volunteer thread to do grammar checks if yall need them (I won't include yall in my grammar checks haha) so if you want any help with that just holler at me and tell me what to do :)
Well I'd probably go over Chap's description if I were you, thanks :2thumbsup:
Dear, Adalingum
Here are some good links to get started:
www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper
www.jstor.org
https://archive.org/details/texts
The internet is also useful for archaeological reports by searching
Excavation Archaeology "name of site or modern day town" .pdf
This has good results for me, just make sure its from a professional. The .pdf is important as most of the time this is the format they use. Then you can check their bibliography for recommended reading as they sometimes talk about the history of the place.
I have gathered information on the western oasis's of Egypt but i have not investigated it or written anything yet.
Alrighty!
Well I'd probably go over Chap's description if I were you, thanks :2thumbsup:
Sorry, but no, Mithridates VI Eupator is currently going through Chap's description, so there might end up being revisions...
tobymoby
04-19-2015, 03:07
Ok guys, here is the refined version of Dahyu Mazasakata. Please critique at will. athanaric, great job with this! I took and fixed up your work. Great job in getting the hard part out of the way!
Primary Sources:
Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander the Great
Herodotos, Histories
Strabo, Geographia
Secondary:
Encylopedia Iranica articles
Attalos.org
Lancus Curtius @Penelope
Livius.org
Traveler's Log: Coming from the south along the Jaxartes river, one enters the land the Massagetai. The land is flat and quite dry, especially in the summer. The land is also hard and breeds harder men, and only near the Jaxartes river can agriculture occur at all. The river forms the northern borders of this land, and south it stretches a massive plain. Here dwell the most fearsome of the Saka nomads: the Massagetai. They are superb horseman, but also know how to fight on foot. They are superbly well armored in bronze and can make very difficult foes even for the bravest of soldiers! For a nomadic king wishing to invade the effeminate settled southerners, the Messegatae can make superb allies. However, for a settled king wishing to bring order to these nomads, it may be wise to think about Kyros the Great, and how he died...
Geography:
The geographer Strabo writes:
“Statements to the following effect are made concerning the Massagetae: that some of them inhabit mountains, some plains, others marshes which are formed by the rivers, and others the islands in the marshes. But the country is inundated most of all, they say, by the Araxes River, which splits into numerous branches and empties by its other mouths into the other sea on the north, though by one single mouth it reaches the Hyrcanian Gulf. […] Silver is not found in their country, and only a little iron, but brass and gold in abundance. (Strabo: Geographika, XI/8/6)”
This region encompasses the plains between the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes river), the Aral lake and the Amu Darya. This is a harsh, arid land, with hot summers, cold winters, and a dry climate. It is mostly flat and dominated by steppe vegetation and semi-deserts. The riverbanks and the shores of the Aral Sea allow for fishing and agriculture. As for wildlife, there are various sorts of game, especially Saiga antelopes and wild sheep and horses as well as bustards. Even large predators such as the Caspian Tiger wander in the wetlands. Eagles patrol the skies and, once captured and trained, are cherished hunting companions for the steppe peoples.
The region of Dahyu Mazsakata comprises modern day Kyzlorda and Southern Khazakstan provinces in the country of Khazakstan as well as Navoiy and Bhukara regions of Uzbekistan. Unlike in ancient times, the region is far drier than it was before, limiting populations to areas around the river Jaxartes.
People, Society, and Government:
Due to a lack of proper written sources, very little is known about the people of the region, except that they identified themselves as "Massegetai" or the Iranian form "Mazasakata." The name itself can be broken down into three parts: Maz-saka-ta; Maz means "Man", Saka means "Deer," and the ta refers to the plural case. Thus the overall name may translate to "Deer Men" or possibly "Descendants of the Deer."
Culturally, the Messegetai they are unique amongst the other Saka. For example, on Massegetai religious beliefs, Herodotos remarks “The sun is the only god whom they worship; they sacrifice horses to him; the reasoning is that he is the swiftest of the gods, and therefore they give him the swiftest of mortal things.” ( Hdt 1.216) This may reflect the increasing importance of the horse for the Massegetai, which was another factor in the transition from a culture of pastoralist cattle herders to a culture of true nomads. There are suggestions that the Massagetae were the ones who first developed horse armor, thus instigating the development of the fully armored cavalry that was the pride of ancient Iranian and Medieval European knighthood. This is hinted at in Herodotos' description of their martial traditions. Similarly, Strabo writes: “They are good horsemen and foot-soldiers; they use bows, short swords, breastplates, and sagares made of brass; and in their battles they wear headbands and belts made of gold.” Militarily, Herodotos mentions that the Massegetai were “both great and warlike.” (Hdt 1.201) This is most certainly indicated by Kyros' campaign against the tribe and in the end, his whole army was annihilated, and Kyros' skull turned into a drinking cup (Hdt 1.214).
Archaeological finds attest to a development of a class society, with prominent burial mounds called Kurgans erected for important leaders. The political organization of the Massagetae seems to have been monarchy. Slavery was widespread and common but developed somewhat differently from slavery tradition in Mediterranean cultures. Women held a relatively high position compared to Mediterranean cultures an example being Queen Tomyris: Herodotos remarks that she had come to power with the death of her husband. (Hdt 1.205) However, as one source puts it, “it is not clear whether a parallel can be drawn between Saka-Massagetian society and its western neighbor, the matrilineal Sarmatian society.”1 Also, they were reported to share their wives amongst each other and to eat their dead. However, this may be a conflation of actual facts and Greek imagination.
In these parts of Central Asia, there appears to have been some form of coexistence between the nomadic Saka (or, in this particular case, Massagetae), and the sedentary farmers who settled the oases. The Saka, much like their various successors, were of great importance to trade between East Asia on one side and Europe, the Near East, and India on the other. It was in their own economic interest to keep open extensive trade routes that connected China with Persia, so as to profit from the revenue. Especially Bukhara, the region capital, was to become an important hub of trade and cultural innovation. Even after the Turkic invasions, Sogdian traders played an important role in the Silk Road business.
A final point is in regards to the Messagetai and the region of Chorasamia to the west. Strabo remarks that the people of Chorasamia were settled Massegetai tribesmen (Strabo 11.8.8). He does not mention any specific cultural differences between the two groups as despite the Chorasamians being more inclined for agriculture and a settled mode of life; culturally, they were very much in touch with their nomadic, Messagetai roots. Our evidence for the settled nature of the Chorasmians comes from archaeological studies conducted in the region, which have found both kurgans (nomadic burial tombs), complex irrigation networks, as well as walled fortresses that were geometrically oriented to withstand nomadic attacks (Rapoport 1991).
History:
The first reference to the Massegetai comes from Herodotos, who mentions that Kyros the Great (r. 576-530 BC) “had a desire to bring the Massagetai into subjection to himself.”(Hdt. 1.201) The reasons for the campaign, as supported by Herotodus are unsatisfactory: “for there were many strong reasons which incited him to it and urged him onwards [to conquer the Massegetai],--first the manner of his birth, that is to say the opinion held of him that he was more than a mere mortal man, and next the success which he had met with in his wars...” (Hdt 1.204) This does not seem like a good enough reason to conquer a bunch of nomads, although because the region had an abundance of gold, Kyros may have been thinking about economic benefits. Further, the passage suggests his confidence, having been successful in conflicts with the Lydians, Babylonians, etc, he felt strong enough to go against the Massegetai. It cannot be doubted that Kyros would have had extensive military experience, but it is unclear what his motivation was to move against the Massegetai, and Herodotos' argument for hubris and pride make little sense.
Regardless, Kyros went through with the plan and began to bridge the Jaxartes rivers and their branches when he encountered the entourage of the Massegetai queen, Tomyris. In essence, the latter told Kyros to go home, and Kyros' councilors agreed with her, except Kroisos, the (former) king of the Lydians. He argued that it was unseemly that Kyros should yield to the whims of a woman and they should press the attack (Hdt 207). Why Kroisos would do this is unclear, but likely having lost his kingdom to Kyros perhaps wished to be rid of the man; thus having some information about the power of the Massegetai, he willingly pushed Kyros to attack this tribe for his own benefit. After this, the war occurred, but despite initial Persian victories (including a battle where Tomyris' son was captured), Kyros and his army was utterly destroyed after a devastating battle, and his skull famously turned into a drinking cup for Tomyris (Hdt. 1.214).
This was the reported end of Kyros, who after forming a massive empire stretching from the Aegean to the borders of India, died not only to a bunch of nomads, but to a woman. Of course, this story is likely highly embellished. Problems start with the purpose of the campaign as we discussed before: Herodotos remarks that it was out of hubris; however, owing to Kyros' previous conquests of Media, Babylonia, and Lydia, in which he had made shrewd tactical and strategic decisions, he would have known the perils of fighting these nomads; further, there is seemingly nothing to gain by conquering these people. In the end, Herodotos' account is more moralizing than historical, in that Kyros “humbly” conquered an empire, but when his pride grew, he believed he could take on any opponent, and met his end to a bunch of nomads, and a woman no less.
In any case, the Massegetai had proved themselves historically as a Saka tribe not to be trifled with. The final battle between the Persians and Massegetai was remarked to be “the fiercest” Herodotos had ever heard, and involved an initial archery shootout then close-quarter melee (Hdt. 1.214). There is no doubt that the Massegetai employed armored horses which were likely proto-cataphract cavalry (Hdt 1.215) and they destroyed the Persian army.
Unfortunately, there are no more records of the Massegetai specifically until Alexander's conquests; it appears that even during the heyday of Achaemenid power, the Massegetai were left alone, no doubt owing to their victory over Kyros. During the conquests of Megas Alexandros in the Iranian plateau, the traitors Bessos and Spitamenes fled to the land of Massegetai and used their troops to harass and cause problems for Alexander in Baktria (Arrian 4.26). Alexander's general, Krateros was sent to deal with the Massegetai, but they “fled as fast as they could towards the desert. Following them up closely, he [Krateros] overtook those very men and more than 1,000 other Massagetian horsemen, not far from the desert. A fierce battle ensued, in which the Macedonians were victorious” (Arrian 4.27). This battle is interesting, because there it seems that the Massegetai were not “fleeing” from the Makedonians in fear, but rather to draw them deeper into the desert and defeat them there (Surena would employ similar tactics at Carrhae against M. Licinius Crassus); unfortunately for them, the Makedonian cavalry (likely Companion cavalry) was more than adequate to take on the Massegetai cavalry. In light of this and other defeats, the Massegetai decide to cut their losses by beheading Spitamenes and present his head to Alexander, hoping that he would not attack them (Arrian 4.27). There are no mentions that what happened afterwords with the Massegetai, but likely they were allowed to live in peace.
The last written reference to the Massegetai comes from Ammanius Marcellinus (AD 330-391) who remarks that the Alans were descendent from the Massegetai tribes (31.2). Further evidence is archaeological, as burial tombs being studied in the area around the northern Caspian sea (where the Alans lived) as well as studies near Tanais at the Don river (where the Alans reportedly migrated to) both contained burial tombs that were geometrically similar to ones being studied in the area of Dayhu Mazasaka. This, along with the account of Marecellinus may suggest that upon the Yeuzhi invasions (around the 1st-2nd centuries AD) had forced many of the Massegetai to migrate westwards and merge with the Alani.
Any conqueror of this territory will find themselves faced with stern opposition and an unforgiving continental climate, which, along with the open nature of the land, make it a daunting task to control the region. This province has the typical benefits and drawbacks of a steppe region; it will not offer many resources to sedentary factions. However, powerful and efficient nomadic cavalry troops may be available as auxiliaries. Nomadic factions should focus on developing trade routes and keeping an eye open for unwelcome visitors.
Just a little note: Maz-saka-ta, is far more likely to mean "Man-Deer-plural", from a contracted PIE *mon-g for "The Men-deer" or possibly "The descendants of the deer"...
I personally find it valid, cosidering that ungulates in the steppe were solar symbols and it might even speak for shamanic beliefs...
The great saka etymology doesn't really hold up (besides that it comes from medieval "made-up" etymologies), because even if comparing Iranian "massa", it yields Massa-ka-ta, which is "Great-adjective of quality-plural", something like "The Greatly ones" or "The Great-like ones"...
While about Marcellinvs remark, considering that burials in the area from the last centuries BCE increasigly are lined with round or rectangular gound-level chambers built of raw brick, like those of the lower Syr Darya/Yakhsha Arta River since the 4th century BCE, and they also show the positioning of the dead like contemporary Sauromatian burials in South of the Urala Mountains, I'd link it with the advent of Alantae in the region (the Shiji comes to mind, stating that the Yantsai (later Alanliao) lived 800 li from Kangju, exactly where this province is), who replaced the former circular-plan mausoleums with cruciform interior holding multiple burials...
I think that Marcellinvs was keeping literary topoi alive, since the Alantae now lived there, they must've been the Mazsakatae of olden times, like calling the Goths as Skythai...
Like you mentioned the Mazsakatae must've been overran by eastern nomads, although they likely partly were assimilated by the Alantae and also might've be part of the communities that formed Kangju (Kangha)...
Also don't know if we want to mention this, but the "eating of the dead" could be similar to Dakhma or Sky-burials...
I remember a russian book on this, which thought that it could explain missing muscles from some of the buried people in the Altai. Maybe a custom emerged through contacts with neighbouring polities, whereby eating (although Herodotos also speaks of cattle being cooked and generally of the dead as being sacrified) or more likely exposing certain parts of the dead will allow their qualities to be distributed and strengthen the tribe, its territories and their animals...
Still tobymoby great work all-round :)
Here it is.
I'm not a historian or a writer, so i would appreciate it if you could edit this if anything does not feel right.
I had trouble finding specific tribes of Saurashtra and I have separated the Sudarshana Lake description so you may choose to add it as a unique building/wonder just like the Sabean dam.
15076
If you want another format instead of .Doc just ask
This is my interpretation of the periplus voyage near Saurashtra 50AD.
15074
and an update on the provice description map its all happening in the east.
15075
I appreciate all the work you put into this, as I am sure all members of EBII do too. However, I must ask:
"In 185BC the Bactrian leader Euthydemus ordered the invasion of India. General Apollodotus conquered as far as Ujjain while Menander reached Patalipatura. When Bactria was usurped by Eucratides, the generals took the chance to declare independence. Apollodotus died and Menander assumed control of Ujjain. In 148BC his son Soter I inherited the kingdom and Saurashtra was governed by his satrap Apollodtus II."
Where did you get this? As far as I know none of this goes far beyond fantasy. The only element of certainty is that the people mentioned did exist.
Furthermore, it needs to be noted that Periplus is not a person. There are a few more details that in my opinion need to be ironed out, but that should be left to the EBII editors.
Let me repeat that my comments do not mean I do not appreciate and value the work you put into compiling the text. I was glad both to read it and to see that the effort for EBII completion goes on.
Don't worry i know large chunks of this text might be twisted because I just summarize all the information i can find and i don't know how make sure its true. I generally try and find historians that have already studied primary sources.
I found a book published in 1952 "Ancient history of Saurashtra by Dr Krishnakumari J Virji". The introduction chapter talks about early Saurashtra and the main text is about the Maitrakas of Valabhi.
http://asi.nic.in/asi_books/3227.pdf
page 5 - hellenic conquests
what do you think is the book incorrect?
It could be rewritten better but i made an extra short version of the events because i wanted the focus to remain in Saurashtra.
Mithridates VI Eupator
04-19-2015, 20:44
Thanks Chap. I'm going to go through the Saurashtra description, but it might take me a while. The above book sounds interesting. There have been several texts suggesting a hellenic presence in Saurashtra. For instance, the local Mauryan governor, Tushashpa, may have a Iranian name, but he is given the title Yavanarajya, litteraly "King of the Greeks", so it has been suggested that he may actually have been of hellenic, or at least mixed, ancestry. Saurashtra was also part of the Saka kingdoms of the western Kshatrapas, and there may have been some hellenic influence carried over into the region at that Point too. I'm unsure if Demetrios or Menandros actually conquered Saurashtra, but given that Menandros supposedly even reached Pataliputra with his armies, it does not sound improbable.
I haven't begun working that much on Sindh yet, apart from some notes, so if you really want to work on that, you may, but if you can, it would be great if you could help out with Kangju province. Of course, the most glaring hole is Libya and the Numidian provinces, so anything you could do there would also be of great help! Especialy since we actually have no one covering that area at the moment.
tobymoby
04-20-2015, 01:17
Just a little note: Maz-saka-ta, is far more likely to mean "Man-Deer-plural", from a contracted PIE *mon-g for "The Men-deer" or possibly "The descendants of the deer"...
I personally find it valid, cosidering that ungulates in the steppe were solar symbols and it might even speak for shamanic beliefs...
The great saka etymology doesn't really hold up (besides that it comes from medieval "made-up" etymologies), because even if comparing Iranian "massa", it yields Massa-ka-ta, which is "Great-adjective of quality-plural", something like "The Greatly ones" or "The Great-like ones"...
While about Marcellinvs remark, considering that burials in the area from the last centuries BCE increasigly are lined with round or rectangular gound-level chambers built of raw brick, like those of the lower Syr Darya/Yakhsha Arta River since the 4th century BCE, and they also show the positioning of the dead like contemporary Sauromatian burials in South of the Urala Mountains, I'd link it with the advent of Alantae in the region (the Shiji comes to mind, stating that the Yantsai (later Alanliao) lived 800 li from Kangju, exactly where this province is), who replaced the former circular-plan mausoleums with cruciform interior holding multiple burials...
I think that Marcellinvs was keeping literary topoi alive, since the Alantae now lived there, they must've been the Mazsakatae of olden times, like calling the Goths as Skythai...
Like you mentioned the Mazsakatae must've been overran by eastern nomads, although they likely partly were assimilated by the Alantae and also might've be part of the communities that formed Kangju (Kangha)...
Also don't know if we want to mention this, but the "eating of the dead" could be similar to Dakhma or Sky-burials...
I remember a russian book on this, which thought that it could explain missing muscles from some of the buried people in the Altai. Maybe a custom emerged through contacts with neighbouring polities, whereby eating (although Herodotos also speaks of cattle being cooked and generally of the dead as being sacrified) or more likely exposing certain parts of the dead will allow their qualities to be distributed and strengthen the tribe, its territories and their animals...
Still tobymoby great work all-round :)
Thanks! The etymology is interesting, I took it from the EB1 page on the Saka. If it is "Deer-Men" why are there no mentions of that in Hdt or Strabo? Surely there would be some reverence for deers if the tribe was named in that way?
Dear, Mithridates VI Eupator
I read that Yavana in Persia meant Greek but in India was interchangeable for a Hellenic or Iranian person (basically like 'westerner', the people west of the Hindu Kush) and that Tushashpa sounded Iranian so that's what i went with. About half of the books say he is either Hellenic or Iranian, so ill leave it up to you.
Thanks! The etymology is interesting, I took it from the EB1 page on the Saka. If it is "Deer-Men" why are there no mentions of that in Hdt or Strabo? Surely there would be some reverence for deers if the tribe was named in that way?
I don't think either Persian or Hellenic writers were aware of what Saka meant (honestly it is still debated :P)...
It is even possible that this ethnonym took form in the Bronze Age, and it crystallised so that people identified themselves as Saka, without much explaining...
Also except for campaign reports, no foreigner ever met, lived among those tribes in Central Asia and wrote about it until Ssu-ma Chien, even him having a mindset towards future campaigning recording accurate distances and how many people could fight...
The connection I can give you is deer stones in the general area, deer as a solar symbol and their sun-worship, other tribes in the vicinity with similar ethonyms (Thyssagetai possibly Tur-saka-tae "swift/strong-Saka" and Apasiacae maybe "water-Saka", this last one also being from another dialect as it does not show the plural with -t-) and Uralic creation myths with a cosmic deer giving birth to the first man...
Don't worry i know large chunks of this text might be twisted because I just summarize all the information i can find and i don't know how make sure its true. I generally try and find historians that have already studied primary sources.
I found a book published in 1952 "Ancient history of Saurashtra by Dr Krishnakumari J Virji". The introduction chapter talks about early Saurashtra and the main text is about the Maitrakas of Valabhi.
http://asi.nic.in/asi_books/3227.pdf
page 5 - hellenic conquests
what do you think is the book incorrect?
It could be rewritten better but i made an extra short version of the events because i wanted the focus to remain in Saurashtra.
Yes the book is incorrect. It uses a story-line written a long time ago which was based on virtually nothing. The funny part is that the people who wrote the fairy tale were heralded as towering figures of Bactrian history in their time.
We know these kings existed and we know some of them at some point conquered parts of modern day Pakistan and India. We don't know who was a general and later a king and so on. You can search the forum for Bactria and Bactrian Kings to get more info on what we know and what we don't as well as what's been written on the subject, be that fact or fairy tale.
Bottom line is we only have a significant amount of coins some of which are truly spectacular and very few textual sources. Bactrian history can be outlined as a line of kings with occasional confirmation on what they did here and there. But that's if you choose the older method of history that follows powerful individuals' personal actions assuming that in their time they defined events and trends. An other method for writing history focuses on impersonal forces in place at the time and tries to shape an idea of events that transpired based on that. In this case we are less fortunate still.
Bactria and the Indo-Greek kingdoms are fascinating in my opinion and I've tried to locate and read as much material as possible. I was shocked at the lack of what we now may call scientific approach to history. The fairy tale was (and in many cases still is) believed to be true because noone called "BS" early on.
I had hoped that Indian sources might have held some clearer insight, but it seems they do not.
p.s. I recently bought Keay's book on India. I hope it doesn't follow the same narrative when it comes that place and that point in time.
Thanks for clearing that up, i thought it was strange that all that information could be obtained from coins.
Keay's book is vague about the Bactrians in India because as you said it is only based on coins (Chapter 6, An Age of Paradox). So i tried to search else where for more concrete information. It means that paragraph will have to be rewritten, probably they never even entered Saurashtra.
The paragraphs about the saka ksatraps are from that old book too so they may be wrong as well. I'll see if i can find a more current book about them.
Thanks for clearing that up, i thought it was strange that all that information could be obtained from coins.
Keay's book is vague about the Bactrians in India because as you said it is only based on coins (Chapter 6, An Age of Paradox). So i tried to search else where for more concrete information. It means that paragraph will have to be rewritten, probably they never even entered Saurashtra.
The paragraphs about the saka ksatraps are from that old book too so they may be wrong as well. I'll see if i can find a more current book about them.
I wish you the best of luck. I'd love to read something I do not know about in your rewritten version. And thanx for going through the trouble for us readers.
tobymoby
05-02-2015, 22:54
Hey Arjos, I modified the Dahyu Mazasaka description to account of the proper linguistic reconstruction as well their relationship with the Alani. What do you think? My understanding of the Yuezhi invasion is really shaky. Thanks so much!
Dating the Yuezhi (Ta-kara/Tau-kara) in the 1st-2nd century CE is very late, they in fact moved into Sogdiana and Baktria some time after 133-2 BCE, when the Wusun (Asheinae) expelled them from the Ili Valley...
Their actions possibly coincided, or allowed, with the Alantae defeating the Mazsakatae in the lower Syr Darya (Yakhsha Arta) [change in burials there], as Ssu-ma Chien says that they were independent and dwelled in that area too...
However by 80 BCE the Yuezhi (Ta-kara/Tau-kara), who started to call themselves Kushine (its meaning being the same as Arshi, luminous, bright, white. A religious colour for purity and also the name of the leading tribe of the Ta-kara), had taken over all of Baktria and now extended their influence over Kangju (Kangha), which recognised their suzerainty...
It would seem that the people of Kangha were remnants of the former confederations and possibly those Mazsakatae, who were not assimilated by the Alantae, lived there. Becoming "vassals", at the same time they nominally recognised the Hsiung-nu (Dzonyu) as overlords, allowed them to turn the tide against the Alantae, who in the early 1st century CE had become a dependency of Kangha...
This would not last long, because the Hsiung-nu (Dzonyu) had already been split into two polities and the northern one increasingly moved into Central Asia, unable to act as hegemon like before, it became another force of instability...
Something definitely tied to the expansion and large scale raids launched by the Alantae in Media, Parthia and the Pontic region...
The Gypsy
05-08-2015, 03:13
Hey,
Can I just confirm that the front page of this thread is up to date? If so, I'd be happy to do the grammar check for a few provinces. The ones I was looking at were
"122. Mesopotamia: waiting grammatical check. Here
123. Babylonia: waiting grammatical check. Here"
However, the links in the front page are not working for me, something to do with forum permissions and such. Any idea as to what is going on?
However, the links in the front page are not working for me, something to do with forum permissions and such. Any idea as to what is going on?
That post was pasted from the EB team's internal fora, so the links are locked, but I can confirm that the grammatical check is still needed. You could use directly the .txt file from /mods/EBII/data/text/export_buildings.txt if you want :)
The Gypsy
05-08-2015, 08:32
Mesopotamia Edits
<h>Overview</h><p>Anyone entering the lands of Mesopotamia, be it south from Babylonia, east from Persia or west from Syria or north from Armenia is unable to escape from the sight of the great Tigris River. From its springs in the mountains to the great delta in the lands of Mesene, the river lazily finds its way across the desert, creating a land of great bounty in what would otherwise be a hostile environment. From the highlands of the Zagros to the waterways between the meandering streams of the Tigris and Euphrates, this is the cradle of the Akkadian, Sumerian and Babylonian civilisations and the birthplace of history.</p><h>Geography</h> <p>Mesopotamia is situated between the Zagros Mountains to the north and the Euphrates River to the south. To the west it is bordered by the province of Assyrie, where the flat Mesopotamian plateau is gradually replaced by rocky highlands. The Zagros mountain range seperates Mesopotamia from the Persian heartland to the east. This mighty range, penetrable only at one or two locations, stretches from the very fringes of the Parsa all the way to Armenia. While its peaks are not as high as those of the Hindu Kush or the Carpathians, they are of no small size either; the Zard Kuh has an elevation of 4,548 meters, closely followed by Mount Dena with an elevation of 4,359 meters.</p><p>The soil of Mesopotamia is one of the richest of the known world, at least as bountiful as that of the Egyptian Nile. Herodotos notes that no other country produces as much grain in one year as Mesopotamia and it remains one of the most important sources of revenue. Other than grain, the date palm has proved to be another great source of income. It was cultivated from the earliest of times and that cultivation has not ceased until this day. Other important agricultural products are the fig, the olive and the vine.</p><p>The most dominant feature in Mesopotamia is the Tigris River, which is in sight almost regardless of ones position in the province. In March the river begins to rise, reaching its greatest height in April, at which point it rapidly declines, leaving behind a very fertile land fit for any kind of agricultural exploitation, before returning to its natural borders in June. Further to the south, where the Tigris and Euphrates both gain volume and speed and nearly collide, a great marshland is created. To this day, it is inhabited by the descendants of the ancient Sumerians, who have retained the customs and culture of their forefathers.</p><h>History</h><p>The history of Mesopotamia is one of the richest and most turbulent of our age. It was first settled by the ancient Sumerians many years ago when they revolutionized they’re way of living by domesticating local crops. Due to rapid urbanisation, many independent city states formed on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates. Finally, these city states formed minor independent kingdoms such as Uruk, Kish and Lagash. After several dynastic periods in which certain cities ruled supreme before power was usurped by yet another city, the Sumerians were united under a single ruler, Sargon of Akkad who formed the Akkadian Empire (circa. 2200 BCE). The Akkadian Empire reached from Elymais to the borders of Armenia and all the way west to the Mediterranean Sea. However, less than two hundred years later, the Akkadian Empire collapsed. However, it was a sign of things to come.</p><p>A few centuries after the collapse of the Akkadian Empire, Hammurabi, King of Babylon, conquered large swathes of land in Mesopotamia (circa. 1800 BCE). The Babylonian conquest of Mesopotamia was a double-edged sword; on the one hand, the old Assyrian city-states of Assur, Nuzi, Sippar and Esnunna declined in political importance due to the Babylonian centralist administration. On the other hand, because of the political stability that Babylonian rule brought, the fertile soil of Mesopotamia was able to be fully exploited. This prosperity would last for a long time, as even under Persian rule, it was noted that the Babylonian satrapy was the most prosperous and yielded the most tax income.</p><p>The Hittite Empire was the next power to dominate Mesopotamia after the collapse of the short-lived Babylonian Empire. They arrived from Asia Minor and dominated the region until around 1100 BCE, before splintering into multiple city-states during the Bronze Dark Age. Shortly after this period came to an end in 900 BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire began to gain power. Located in the Mesopotamian heartland, the Assyrians were one of the oldest city-states of the region. They rose to power and swiftly took control of Mesopotamia and Babylonia. During the reign of Shalmaneser III, the Assyrians repeatedly defeated Babylonian, Syrian and Caucasian foes. Once again, Assyrian armies marched towards Lake Van. Syria and Phoenicia were added to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, while Judea was subjugated by King Tiglath-Pileser. After his death, the Israelites rebelled against Shalmaneser V, who died during the siege of Samaria. Power came into the hands of his brother Sargon II, who destroyed the Israelite kingdom and deported many Jews to Babylonia. It was during the rule of Sargon's great-grandson, Ashurbanipal, that Egypt was conquered. After his death, however, the Assyrian Empire underwent rapid disintegration (circa. 620 BCE), after which the Neo-Babylonian Empire shortly ruled Syria, Assyria and Mesopotamia, and even though Mesopotamia would once again thrive under Babylonian rule, the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire meant the end of Mesopotamian independence.<p/><p>As the Persians took control of the old Median Empire and conquered Babylon shortly afterwards Mesopotamia would gain a position as one of the most important provinces in the empire. Despite several attempted rebellions, it would remain firmly under Persian control up until the conquest of Alexandros. After Alexandros' death, Seleukos was awarded the satrapy of Babylonia and gained control of Mesopotamia. However, he had to flee his satrapy after Antigonos I Monophtalmos gained too much power. The other Diadochoi combined forces and were able to defeat Antigonos, allowing Seleukos to regain his lost provinces.</p><h>Strategy</h><p>Any ruler in possession of Mesopotamia should try to exploit its wealth as soon as possible. The Mesopotamian soil is very fertile and a desirable location for both crops and people. The province remains vulnerable to assault from the Zagros Mountains to north, but if neighbouring Babylon remains under your control, securing those mountains should be a priority. With Babylonia and the Zagros Mountains pacified, the only viable threat comes from Susiana and Charax Spasinou, and great care should be taken in the protection of those southern borders.</p>
Babylonia Edits
<h>Overview</h><p>Babylonia is an ancient land. Warring chieftains and tribes, great kings and emperors have left their mark on the land of the Euphrates. From the Sumerians and the Akkadians to the Persians and the Macedonians, it is a contested land of great wealth and power.</p> <h>Geography</h><p>The land of Babylonia is characterised by its farmlands that follow the lazily flowing Euphrates all the way to the border with Charax Spasinou. Babylonia is also widely known for its mild climate; while summer temperatures can reach incredible heights, frequent winds from the Zagros Mountains come blowing over the flood plains, bringing much-needed coolness to an otherwise hot and arid land. The winters are exceptionally mild, with no snows ever reaching the plains or cities of Babylonia, although hail storms can occasionally wreak havoc upon the crops.</p><p>Babylonia is bordered to the north by Mesopotamia, with which it shares many of its characteristics. To the south-east, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge, it is bordered by Charax Spasinou, while the north-western border is shared with the province of Assyria. To the south-west, however, any notion of a border becomes irrelevant; the wide and harsh Arabian Desert stretches nearly infinitely on towards the horizon, and is trod by no-one, save the hardy Bedouin. \n\nBabylonia is famed for its fertile ground; several writers have noted the abundance of wheat, barley, millet and lentils. As for fruits, the date-palm is widely cultivated, as well as the olive, which is found in abundance further upstream, near the border with Assyria. The rivers and fresh-water lakes offer fish in great abundance; especially the barbel and carp.</p><h>History</h><p>The first Babylonian Empire was formed around 1750 BCE by Hammurabi the Great. His empire was short-lived, lasting only until his death after nearly 40 years of rule. However, his famous Code of Hammurabi represents the first law code in existence, holding the immortal phrase, “An eye for an eye…” Babylon was a subject kingdom for more than a thousand years before regaining independence under the Chaldeans, who ruled for a short time as the Neo-Babylonian Empire (600 BCE-540BCE). The overlords they overthrew were the Assyrian Empire, neighbours and rivals from Mesopotamia. </p><p>The man who rose to power after the disintegration of the Assyrian Empire was Nabopolassar, who reigned only for a short while before he was succeeded by one of the greatest kings in the history of any civilisation, Nebuchadnezzar. Under the rule of the Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Empire regained its political power, and the rule of the Babylonians stretched from Syria all the way across the Fertile Crescent to the delta of the Tigris and Euphrates.</p><p>Nebuchadnezzar was also responsible for two of the greatest monuments to exist in our day; the Ishtar Gate and the fabled Hanging Gardens. While some scholars have contested whether or not the Gardens existed at all, it cannot be denied that under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, Babylon thrived, both economically and politically. The Hanging Gardens may have been confused with those in Assyrian capital of Nineveh, an explanation that seems ever more likely since no evidence of its existence have been found in Babylon.</p><p>Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by King Neriglissar, who reigned for no more than two years before his demise, after which his son, Laborosoarchod, or Labossoracus to the Greek writers, came to the throne. However, he was only a young boy, and was unable to wield sufficient political power to effectively rule the Babylonian state. Before long, a group of conspirators had him tortured to death, after which the throne passed to Nabannidochus, a relatively incompetent man.</p><p>At this time, Kurush, more commonly known as Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire, had laid waste to the kingdom of Croesus and turned towards Babylon. In a great pitched battle, Cyrus utterly defeated Nabannidochus, who fled to the city of Borsippa, and with great cunning, the Persians are able to take control of Babylon, after prompt analysis of the rise and fall of the river's tides. In this way, the Persians were able to conquer Babylon without spilling a single drop of blood.</p><p>Under Persian rule, Babylonia once again thrived. The Persian King Darayavaush took up residence in Nebuchadnezzar's palace before he built his own in the western part of the city. The satrapy of Babylonia was held in great esteem and being granted governorship over the Babylonians was a great honour for any satrap. The importance of Babylonia was further stressed by the enormous amount of tribute it paid: an annual thousand talents of silver, more than any other satrapy in the Empire.</p><p>Under King Khsayarsha (Xerxes) Babylonia revolted, killing the Persian satrap and the leader of the revolt, Belshimanni, proclaimed himself King of Babylon. Khsayarsha's brother quickly stifled the revolt and retook Babylon, tearing down its famed fortifications and melting down the eighteen-foot statue of Bel Marduk. The destruction of Babylon's defences and the sacrilege of its holy places marked the waning of Babylon's political importance.</p><p>When the Macedonian King Alexandros defeated Darayavaush III at Gaugamela, the Persian King fled, surrendering his claim to the Persian Empire, and when Alexandros descended on Babylon, the priests and officials opened the gates of the city to him. Alexandros commanded the temples to be rebuilt, including that of Bel Marduk, which had laid in ruin since its destruction by Khsayarsha. The Persian satrap that had surrendered the city was promptly returned to his position. Military control remained firmly in hand of the Macedonians, however.</p><p>Alexandros died in Babylon, leaving no heir. Several of his commanders styled themselves his successors, the Diadochoi, and they convened in Babylon. Perdikkas would remain regent in Babylon, while the others would all get a share of the lands conquered. He was assassinated scarcely a year later, with control of Babylonia passing into the hands of his general, Seleukos. After an extensive civil war in Greece, Antigonos "The One-Eyed" was the uncontested ruler of the Anatolian and Syrian part of the Empire. Four of Alexandros' generals, including Seleukos conspired against Antigonos, who was utterly crushed and subsequently killed at the battle of Ipsos.</p><p>With the death of Antigonos, Babylonia remained firmly in the hands of Seleukos.</p><h>Strategy</h><p>Babylonia is inhabited by a great many people. Alexandros left a sizeable Macedonian military contingent within the city of Babylon after his conquest, while the city also supports one of the highest concentrations of Jews outside of Jerusalem. Furthermore, it is frequently visited by Arab traders and is inhabited by native Chaldeans, Assyrians and Persians.</p>
I found the UNESCO documents of central Asia which is very helpful for discovering the whole story. If the team still needs Kangju i have done a brief chronology in the history section, but i wonder if it is correct.
Here is a rough copy of the province description.
Kangha
Kangju/ K'ang chii/ Kangui/ K'ang chu
---------Traveler's Log----------
----------Geography----------
oasis
steppe
Syr Darya - kanga river - Jaxartes
tributaries
Tein shen mountains
Pines
Kara tau range
----------The People, Society and Government----------
Iranian speaking
Sedentary and nomadic societies - Nomadic leadership
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Yuyeni (Yuni) - tashkent - bityan - chach - Stone city - capitol
oasis town
Late Burgulyuk period - 600bc -500bc
Kaunchin culture 400bc- 900ad
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kangju coins 2nd-3rd century AD
Winged camels are sign of kingship in Khwarezm and Kangju
Kultobe - script fragments
----------History----------
~1500BC - nomadic tribes arrive in the area, with horses and chariots. Bronze age centers are abandoned and new ones are founded. Settlements and nomads interchange technologies, bronze working, horses and chariots. indo-iranians (Androvono karasuk)
800-600BC Iron working establishes the vision of nomads as we know today of weapon, horse, saddle, 'scythian animal art style' cultural continuation from bulgaria to mongonlia. (Uyuk pyzerk)
Kangha - avesta?
Turan afrasaib?
593BC Cyrus invades. Syr Darya - frontier of the achmeniead empire against the northern sakas. fortresses established along the river.
329BC Alexander invades. No mention of kangju, may be part of massagetae(Tribes beyond the jaxartes, Spitamenes allies). chorasmia and macedonia(alexander) vs (spitamenes)sogdia and massagetae.
162BC Nomadic migrations begin with the bitter defeat of the yuechih by the Hsungnu. They begin political influence of central asian tribes, extracting tribute. The Kangju emerge sometime during this chaotic period, and assume control of independant Sogdia, Samarkand and Bukhara.
In 138 BC, the Han Emperor Wu sent an embassy headed by Zhang Qian to Central Asia to form an alliance against the Hsungnu. The 100 man delegation is captured by the Hsungnu and Zhang Qian is held captive.
132BC The Wusun, take revenge on the yuechih for past grevences and attack them at lake isuk-kul, with Hsungnu permission or alliance. Wusun take isuk-kul for themselves forcing the yuechih to move south.
131BC yuechih arrive in kangju controlled sogdia, either peacfully or forcefully.
130-125BC After 10 years of captivity Zhang Qian escapes, instead of going home he continues his diplomatic mission. During his stay in sogdia he takes note of the surrounding tribes including Kangju.
He notes that they are subservient/tributary to the Hsungnu and yuechih both. As the yuechih are now gaining control of sogdia and northern bactria. Kangju sends a prince as a royal diplomatic envoy to the Han court. They have a powerful army and control 5 kings/tribes
1??BC Kangju expands west past the Aral sea, reaching the southern urals. They subjugate the arosi tribe, force the alans west and have contact with the Sarmatians.
101bc kangju protects dayuan independence against Han through alliance.
60BC kangju leader invites chichi, leader of northern hsungnu into kangju to form an alliance, by exchanging daughters for marriage. they plan to attack Han ally Wusun.
42BC chichi and kangju leader reach the wusun capitol at issuk-kul, chichi starts demanding tribute from dayuan and other kingdoms.
36BC During a quarrel with his allies, Chichi confronts the Han army at talas. the same area of the abbasid vs tang battle. Chichi is killed in battle and the whole campaign falls apart. Han protects wusun and forces submission of kangju by demanding the kings son as a hostage
~0BCAD Northern hsungnu migrate north of kangju to the surrounding lake Bulkhash steppe. Kangju is increasingly trapped between the kushan/yuechih empire to the south and the rising Yue-pan/hsungnu kingdom into north.
83AD Kushans ally and intermarry with Kangju dynasty.
123-135AD prince Hu-yen of the Yue-pan creates a powerful kingdom.
~300AD Kangju remains independant untill absorbed into hephthalites.
Kara Kanga turks?
----------Strategy----------
----------source----------
History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The dawn of civilization earliest times to 700BC - UNESCO
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0009/000944/094466e.pdf
History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The Development of Sedentary and nomadic civilizations 700BC to 250AD - UNESCO
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001057/105703eo.pdf
History of Civilizations of Central Asia: 250-750AD
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001046/104612e.pdf
The Yuezhi Migration and Sogdia - Dr. Craig Benjamin
http://www.transoxiana.org/Eran/Articles/benjamin.html
So if you still need it i can continue investigating and turn it into a proper description. Also, I can look into the Indo-saka and indo-greeks these documents have good information but i don't know if i can trust them.
This is how i view the tribes:
Scythian = European word for the steppe nomads
Saka = Iranian word for the steppe nomads
Sai = EB's Saka Rauka
Yuechih, Tocharians are the royal tribe > Kushans
Wusun
Kangju
Dayuan = Fergana
Hsungnu > Northern Hsungnu > Yue pan > Hephthalites/White huns
Hsungnu > Northern Hsungnu > westward huns? > Attila's Huns
Province Map
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Mithridates VI Eupator
05-08-2015, 17:04
Just for clarity regarding the Yuezhi: They were most likely Tocharians who were ousted from the Tarim and later the Issyk river basin by the Xiongnu and Wusun. They established 5 kingdoms in Sogdia. It is the most plausible theory that the Kushans were the rulers of one of these kingdoms, who later established hegemony over the other four and then expanded to become the Kushan Empire.
I have the UNESCO volume, it is generally good, but now it is getting a bit dated. Like Kangju going all the way to the Aral is just made up, there's no source for it. What the Han Shou says is that at one point Kangju held nominal suzerainty over the Alantae...
As for the Aorsi, that is nonsense, archaeology shows nothing of the sort and the Romani were even allying themselves with the Aursatae, recognising them as a major power in the region at that time...
This is how i view the tribes:
Scythian = European word for the steppe nomads
Saka = Iranian word for the steppe nomads
Sai = EB's Saka Rauka
Yuechih, Tocharians are the royal tribe > Kushans
Wusun
Kangju
Dayuan = Fergana
Hsungnu > Northern Hsungnu > Yue pan > Hephthalites/White huns
Hsungnu > Northern Hsungnu > westward huns? > Attila's Huns
If you are interested in these etymologies:
Skythai is a Hellenic transcription of Skuda "archers"...
Saka was an endonym, meaning "deer", but was reinterpreted by Persian speakers as "those who roam", this folk etymology being extended to all nomads...
Sai is just a Han Chinese transcription of Saka, which in the Han period was pronounced Saek...
Yuezhi a Han transcription for Arshi, its pronounciation was Ruzhi, which appears in Tocharian texts to denote their own language (in the tongue of Arshi). It meant White/Luminous...
Tocharoi was a Hellenic transcription for Ta-kara, kara appears on Kushan coins, it's a tocharian noun meaning "group of people". It appears even in Khotan Saka, whereby texts speak of the "neighbouring Gara people", reinterpreted in Khotanese to mean mountaneers, due to Iranian gar (that is mountain). While Ta, or Tau, is again a tocharian noun which means large/many. This particular word had a much linguistic success, it is thought that even Mongol Tumen is a borrowing of it. Anyway Ta-kara, meant something like "the large group of people", perhaps "confederacy", hence it was an inclusive collective, making it harder to determine ethnicities, because whomever followed the royal tribe of the Arshi, was by definition a member of their large Kara...
Wusun is another Han transcription, it sounded something like Aswen, it reflects Asana (Hellenic Asioi, Asianoi) meaning "noble, worthy" in Khotan-Saka...
Kangju yet more Han transcripting, pronounced Kangka, ultimately reflects the North Iranian Kant or Kand meaning "city/building" and an adjective suffix -ka, something meaning "those of the city". If you are familiar with Kangju's history, it centered around urban Chach and was inhabited by various peoples...
Dayuan is just Han Chinese for "The Great Yuan", this last name being a transcription of Yauna, the Iranian name for Ionian/Greek...
Hsiung-nu is a Han transcription, which went through subsequent folk etymologies, its contemporary pronounciation was something like dzunha, reflecting an Altaic noun meaning "population, people, country, community". Cognates are Mongolian dzon, Buryat zon,Yakutsk djon, Tuva, Shors, Sagay čon, Altaic Turks jon, Evenki ngōnmin and Chuvash şыn...
The Gypsy
05-09-2015, 03:08
Widura/Silengolandam Edits
Introduction\n\nDescending from an Alpine pass the weary traveller is invited to lie amidst the calm of a holy grove and attend more than the song of birds. This scared shrine is centred atop a broad hill that overlooks the upper basin of the Widur (Oder) River. In fact, this region is called Widura (Silengolandam), meaning the "middle place”; taking a name from this waterway. This land of mountains, hilly forests, and open plains is home to the Didunes, who dwell in small scattered settlements that lack defences. As colonial descendants this tribe speaks the language, follows custom, and practice the art and industry of the eastern Celts. However, they are wed to the people of Luguwa and to great extent share the latter's economy, government, and laws. Collectively, they devote themselves to their cattle and spend little time on farming; leaving that to those indentured. As with the other tribes of greater Germania, the Didunes are exceedingly addicted to both the conduct and income of trade and war. \n\nGeography\n\nThe province of Widura is centred on much of the upper and middle Oder River basin and includes much of the historic extent of Silesia and western Poland; as well as the portions of Saxony and Brandenburg that border the middle Oder River. This region can best be characterized as relatively flat lowlands that form the middle and upper basin of the Oder river system. This area is bounded on the northeast by modest uplands and on the south by a western extension of the Carpathian Mountains. The regional vegetation is directly related to geomorphology setting. For example, the hilly plains of the lowlands are dominated by grassland and scattered groves of deciduous trees. In contrast, highland areas below the timber line feature large and diverse deciduous and coniferous forests. The climate of Widura is temperate with precipitation primarily concentrated in the rugged highlands. Spring and fall are somewhat short, the summers typically range from moderate to warm, while the winters are cold to very cold, depending on altitude.\n\nSocial and Political Organization\n\nThe social and political organization of Widura can best be characterized as a system of tribal based chiefdoms that represent relatively egalitarian collectives that displayed little evidence of stratification. As a multi-layered ethnicity these communities seem to have shared a somewhat common set of legal, religious, and militaristic customs. Overall, these tribes were informally administered by an ill-defined religious caste and ruled by dominant clan affiliations and an assembly of the general citizenry, which formed the overwhelming bulk of the populous.\n\nProto-History\n\nThe culture or proto-history of this area, is relatively well understood; however present day political issues often cloud normative assessments of the Widura region. Putting aside recent projections of nationalism on the past, the Widura region can be confidently included within the southern periphery of the Lusatian Culture. Based on agriculture, the Lusatian Culture was characterized by large fortified settlements and extensive cremation cemeteries. About this same time Celtic elements associated with the late Hallstatt Culture appear to have crossed over the Moravian Gate into Silesia and southern Poland brining advanced iron working technologies. However, in the 6th century BC this region was also repeatedly attacked by Scythian nomads who seem to have specifically targeted the large Lusatian settlements. In fact evidence of widespread destruction throughout southern Poland and Silesia and the burial of a wealthy Scythian war lord at Witaszkowo, indicates they gained temporary control of several local districts. Nonetheless, around 500 BC the Lusatian Culture collapsed, the large fortified settlements were abandoned, and attacks by eastern nomads seem to have stopped. \n\nLarge areas of Silesia appear to have been effectively abandoned until the beginning of the 4th century when Celtic elements associated with the La Tené Culture were established in Upper Silesia. These are referred to as the Głubczyce, Ślęża, and Wrocław archaeological groups which were associated with the Púchov Culture. They were characterized by the distinctive La Tené weapons and metallurgical technology; as well as wheel-made ceramics and Celtic subsistence patterns. However, their settlements were small undefended farmsteads, while fortified villages and oppidum were entirely absent. Although apparently established in the period of the Lusatian and Hallstatt cultures, during this later period the cultic site found atop Mount Ślęża seems to have gained a certain degree of prominence. Additionally, as this region sat astride one of the main avenues of amber exchange, coins minted by Boii chieftains to the southwest and those produced by Greek city-states are often found at settlements occupied during this period.\n\nMany of the Celtic settlements in Lower Silesia were abandoned soon after 120 BC. This seems to roughly correspond to part of the 100 mile wide Vacare Agros mentioned in Book 4 of Caesar's Gallic War. On the other hand with the steady political decline of the east Celts, and retraction of the La Tené Culture, Upper Silesia was increasingly pulled into the sphere of the Przeworsk Culture. This archaeological construct may be characterized as pastorally based tribal society, without an established capital, that was based on small scattered unfortified farmsteads and hamlets. Although written in the early 2nd century AD, form Ptolemy's Geographia we learn that Upper Silesia was occupied by the Omanoi and Didunoi tribes, who were associated with the Lugii confederation and Lugidunum, apparently an important settlement. The Didunoi or Diduni tribal name may represent Greek and Latin forms of the Celtic Dī dunos; meaning "those of" or "from the uplands." In contrast the tribal name Omanoi or Omani may be similar to the Gaulish "komantos" and mean "those who are equals." \n\nStrategy
Kottinon Edits
Introduction\n\nFollowing a narrow trail over a high mountain pass, the rugged traveller enters the realm of the Oesioi and Kottinoi. A precipitous land of high peaks, deep valleys, forests, lakes, and streams takes the name, Kottinon, after the latter tribe of eastern Celts. Throughout, these hardy peoples reside in scattered farmsteads and villages, yet the nobles abide within hill-top forts, while their kings erect vast citadels of stone and timber. Here they build their mansions and gather around them the finest warriors, merchants, and craftsmen. To some extent they are also renowned for their iron mines, from which the ore removed fashions weapons; always in great demand throughout Barbarorum. By all accounts this promotes the ruler's authority and power to exact all manner of art, industry, and foreign enterprise, which in turn secures great fame and fortune, both near and far. Unlike the other nations of greater Germania, these eastern Celts prefer the plow as much as pastoral pursuits and gain equally from trade or war.\n\nGeography\n\nThe province of Kottinon is centred on much of the area covered by the modern nation of Slovakia and south central Poland. This region consists of two geomorphologic zones; the first of which is the central uplands dominated by the western extension of the Carpathian Mountains, with Kriváň the highest peak at 2,495 m (8,186 ft). The second physiographic zone is lowlands of the upper Hungarian Plain and the Pannonian Basin, which is bounded on the south by the Danube River. The regional vegetation is directly related to these geomorphology settings. For example, the undulating plains of the lowlands are dominated by grassland and scattered groves of deciduous trees. In contrast, below the timber line large and diverse deciduous and coniferous forests exist throughout the highland zone. The climate of Kottinon is temperate with precipitation primarily concentrated in the rugged highlands. Spring and fall are somewhat short, the summers typically range from moderate to warm, while the winters are cold to very cold, depending on altitude.\n\nSocial and Political Organization\n\nThe social and political organization of Kottinon can be described as a group of agriculturally based tribal communities organized as feudalistic societies that shared a common language and set of deeply rooted oral, artistic, legal, spiritual, and militaristic traditions. These tribes were ruled by a warrior-elite, who fostered the activities of artisans, merchants and craftsmen and gained their support as a result. In turn these classes were maintained by a vast system of indenture and other forms of servitude, which were informally administered by a discrete body of religious and secular magistrates. This system was anchored by a network of large fortified towns, called oppida which acted to serve as tribal capitals, provide requisite logistics for the aristocracy and symbolise the extent and authority of the politic.\n\nProto-History\n\nDue to extensive archaeological survey and excavation the culture or proto-history of the Kottinon region is relatively well understood. Our overview begins in the 7th century BC with the Lusatian Culture. Well entrenched throughout the Upper Vistula basin this archaeological construct was based on agriculture and was characterized by large fortified settlements and extensive cremation cemeteries. In contrast, the south-western uplands were dominated by settlements associated with the periphery of the Calenderberg Group. Later expressions of this culture are associated with the late Hallstatt Culture. In the 6th century BC this region was also repeatedly attacked by Scythian nomads operating from bases in the western Ukraine, which seem to have specifically targeted the large Lusatian settlements. Evidence of widespread destruction throughout southern Poland, eastern Slovakia, and Silesia indicates they enjoyed temporary success. Nonetheless, around 500 BC the Calenderberg Group and Lusatian Culture collapsed, the large fortified settlements were abandoned, and attacks by eastern nomads seem to have eased.\n\nMuch of this region was effectively abandoned for at least 50 to 75 years when a few small scattered settlements associated with the La Tené Culture were established. Around the end of the 4th century BC this manifestation had developed into a local mix of La Tené and latent Illyrian, called the Púchov Culture. They seem to have established an oppidum at Havránok, which possibly represents Ptolemy's Asanca. By 270 BC population levels had recovered sufficiently that related communities known as the San and Tyniec archaeological groups were founded in the upper Vistula basin. Here, coins were minted at a smaller oppidum called Karrodunum that was established near Krakow, Poland. Based on statements made by Tacitus this area seems to have been an important iron mining district. Shortly after the Cimbric migration in 120 BC, the oppidum at Havránok was vastly expanded and its defences improved. However, between 60 and 40 BC this and several surrounding regions became embroiled in a war that resulted in Dacia assuming a dominant role in the lower Danube basin. Dacia's success may have been due in part to Caesar's Gallo-Roman war which shattered Celtic military authority throughout continental Europe.\n\nThe closing decades of the 1st millennium BC witnessed the neighbouring Boii abandoning much of their territory north of the Danube and the steady encroachment of Swabian tribes in the northwest and incessant raids by eastern nomads. From Tacitus' Germania we learn that this region was occupied by the Cotini. The Cotini were affiliated with several other tribes including the Buri and Osi, possibly in the upper Vistula basin; and the Anarti found in eastern Slovakia. While there is consensus that the Cotini and Anarti can be directly linked to the Púchov Culture, the relationship of the tribal Buri and Osi to the Tyniec and San archaeological groups is far less certain. However the association of the Buri and Osi with the Lugii confederation may offer some support to this theory. Nonetheless, during the timeframe of Europa Barbarorum II, in terms of settlement plan, burials, ceramics, weapons, and other elements of material culture; this province was integrated into the La Tené regional system as peripheral expression.\n\nStrategy
Both of these descriptions lack a strategy section, not sure if my version of EB is behind the curve (2.01 I think) or if it was saved for later. Once again I have rewritten a few sentences to improve clarity.
Ok thanks guys for clearing that up.
Yeuchih = Arshi, White/Luminous
Wusun = Aswen, asana, noble/worthy
Tochari = Ta-kara, large-group of people/confederation
Kangju = Kangka, city-people. centered around chach
Hsungnu = Dzunha, people, community
Just for clarity regarding the Yuezhi: They were most likely Tocharians who were ousted from the Tarim and later the Issyk river basin by the Xiongnu and Wusun. They established 5 kingdoms in Sogdia. It is the most plausible theory that the Kushans were the rulers of one of these kingdoms, who later established hegemony over the other four and then expanded to become the Kushan Empire.
The Ta-kara headed by the Arshi tribe where attacked in Issyk-kul by the Aswen tribe with the help of the Dzunha. They where forced out as the Aswen settled in Issyk-kul. The Ta-Kara migrated into Sogdia where they established 5 kingdoms. The kushans emerged as the hegemon and started their rise to empire.
It sounds like the Ta-kara disintegrated when they reached sogdia and the Arshi no longer held authority in the group. Then the Kushans emerged as the new authority or royal tribe. I have not read too much on the kushans yet i guess they would have some history with Kangka in AD
Did the Saka Khotanese and Tocharians use the Kharoshti script?
Dear, The Gypsy
Both of these descriptions lack a strategy section, not sure if my version of EB is behind the curve (2.01 I think) or if it was saved for later. Once again I have rewritten a few sentences to improve clarity.
If you look at this map you can see the dark green are missing sections and light green have all sections. So its about less than half of the descriptions that are in have missing sections such as the strategy. In Italy and Egypt they use the old format and i think they need to be rewritten to include The Society, People and Government.
15345
Did the Saka Khotanese and Tocharians use the Kharoshti script?
Their script was modelled after Brahmi, due to buddhist missionaries. However the surviving texts appeared much later than EB's timeframe, so probably in our centuries they still lacked a writing system. Inscriptions from India and Sogdia/Baktria were likely the product of locals serving the nomadic overlords. In fact both the Kushans and the Indo-Saka quickly adopted the local language...
I have not read too much on the kushans yet i guess they would have some history with Kangka in AD
I think Kangka was useful to the Kushans as a buffer state, while from Kangka's prespective keeping good terms with them and the Han was vital for survival and trading...
Also the displaced nomads were an enemy, which easily helped to unite these peoples, and of course forming alliances against either of the stronger powers attempting to establish hegemony...
Think for example Kangka fighting alongside the Han against the Hsiung-nu/Dzunha, btw interesting of that campaign is the possibility that Roman legionaries, captured at Carrhae, had managed to become mercenaries in Central Asia and fought for Zizhi in 36 BCE...
The Gypsy
05-09-2015, 11:03
Dear, The Gypsy
If you look at this map you can see the dark green are missing sections and light green have all sections. So its about less than half of the descriptions that are in have missing sections such as the strategy. In Italy and Egypt they use the old format and i think they need to be rewritten to include The Society, People and Government.
15345
Thanks for the clarification, I'll keep that map for reference. Would it be useful for me to add those strategy sections if they are missing? Or is that a task best left for later when everything is finalised? I'll keep doing the remaining provinces that need grammar checks. I believe there are three on the front page of the thread still to do.
Strategy sections generally address the gameplay prespective, so I think they can be written with no problems :)
The Gypsy
05-10-2015, 05:09
I have taken a look at the remaining descriptions needing an edit (Areia, Oxeiana, Sogdiana and Baktria) and have reached a few conclusions.
The description for the province of Areia is a copy paste job unfortunately. As a result it is close to unreadable. I have made a start on rewriting it in a form that makes more sense, perhaps also adding few sections that were missing (namely Strategy, The People, Society and Government). The other descriptions are also in need of little work but I can probably resuscitate those ones. I'll try to get the ones in need of an edit done first and finish Areia at a later date.
The Gypsy
05-10-2015, 10:29
Oxeiana Edits
Overview\n\nOxeiana is the south-eastern part of the historical Sogdiana, surrounded by mountains to the north, east and west, and by the mighty Oxus to the south. Oxeiana is a more mountainous land than nearby Baktria and Sogdiana, with fierce mountainous tribes in the periphery and savage nomadic tribes to the north.\n\nGeography\n\nOxeiana geographically speaking isn't anything more than the land on the northern bank of the Oxus River, with its southern bank forming the northern Baktrian border. Oxeiana’s northern border is formed by the Hissar Mountains, bounded to the west by another range of mountains, the Sogdian’s. To the east lies the fabled Hindu Kush, while the southern border is closed by the mighty of Oxus, of Alexander’s fame. Like its neighbour Baktria, Oxeiana is a land of contradictions: high mountains dominate the north, while abundant river valleys flow down from these high peaks. There was once a semi-arid zone between the Hissar Mountains and the Oxus River. Some mountain streams reached the river Oxus after leaving the Hissar Mountains, and had formed lush corridors through the steppe. When the farmers started to dig canals to irrigate fields, the waters disappeared from the arid zone and it changed into a desert. The area is riven by one major river to the south of the capital, Oskobora, the Oxus, coming from the north-east and passing through the entire province. Like Baktria, Oxeiana is a land of towns; most of these were located on the Oxus, like Oxeiana at the confluence of Oxus and Occhus. Many mountain tribes inhabit the circumference of the province, like the Maroukaioi to the north-east.\n\nHistory\n\nHistory of Oxeiana is tied to that of Baktria’s, due to their proximity. Little is known about the first civilizations of this area, except that the indigenous inhabitants of Oxeiana were prosperous before those of Baktria, due to the fertility of the area. However, later irrigation projects in the Bronze Age in Baktria resulted in it eclipsing the fertility of the lower river valley in Oxeiana. At this point Oxeiana became no more than a part of Baktria, and its history becomes amalgamated with that of Baktria’s. Assyrian kings Ninus and Seramis are supposed to have conquered it along with Baktria against the Bactrian king Oxyartes but this is likely myth. However it seems, reading through the lines of holy text of the Avesta, that an independent state had risen around Baktria-Zariaspa, including Oxeiana, where Zoroaster would have taken safety. \n\nWhat is sure, is that during Cyrus the Great’s campaign against Massagetai, he incorporated Baktria, Sogdiana and Oxeiana into the Achaemenid Empire. However, Baktria-Oxeiana was a rebellious area which created some difficulties for the Achaemenid state: for example in 462 BC Artaxerxes I annihilated a Baktrian revolt instigated by his own brother. When Alexander the Great began to conquer the Achaemenid state, the Baktrian satrap Bessos murdered King Darios, in July 330 BC, who had fled to Hecatombopylos after his defeat at Gaugamela. Bessos then attempted to make a new kingdom with Baktria as its heart, also taking control of Oxeiana, taking the name of Artaxerxes. Alexander came to Baktria in shortly after, vanquishing Bessos in 329 BC and taking a year to pacify the region, putting in place Artabzos as a satrap. Oxeiana created a number of difficulties for the Makedonian king, who spent the spring of 328 BC subduing tribes and towns under the control of the rebellious satrap Spitamenes, and fighting the Eastern Sakas. Alexander the Great is said to have founded several towns both in Baktria, Sogdiana and Oxeiana, but it's difficult to tell where these were located or even if they were a foundation or a re-foundation.\n\nUpon the death of Alexander, Sogdiana bore the brunt of the conflicts between the Diadochoi. After the early years of the conflict of the Diadochoi, Oxeiana was subdued by the Seleucid dynasty.\n\nBy 272 BC Oxeiana was under the power of Seleucid dynasty. Far from the administrative heartland of the empire, imperial power was weak, creating a region riven with disorder and banditry. Weakening of imperial authority resulted in Diodotos' revolt of 250 BC, leading to a new Greco-Baktrian kingdom. Baktria became a dominant power in the region, extending its influence all the way to India, resulting in a unique local fusion of Indian, Greek and Persian culture. Oxeiana remained part of the Baktrian Empire until 140 BC, when the Yuezhei took several towns in the area and sacked Eucratidia, the former Oskobora. The influence of nomadic tribes increased over time, resulting in the region becoming known as Tocharistan and marking the end of the Baktrian Empire. \n\nStrategy\n\n A wise leader would aim to control both Oxieiana and Baktria, as both straddle valuable trade routes and possess rich and fertile soils. Control of one province will likely result in dominance of the other, providing a rich heartland for further conquest…
Just for reference, this lacks a People/Government section. Everything else is present, however.
I can bring some writers/amateurs writers to work their magic on some traveler logs but first I really think the OP should be updated and better organized. And a similar complete and updated thread should be stickied to TWC as well.
The Gypsy
05-15-2015, 09:53
Baktria Edits
Overview\n\nBaktria, also known as Bahlikâ by Indian sources and Daxia by Han writers, is the area surrounded by the Oxus River to the north, the Hindu-Kush to the east and arid deserts of Aria to the west.Baktria is a dry and arid province in west as you exit the deserts of Aria, before rapidly becoming a lush paradise as you approach the Oxus and the foothills of the Hindu-Kush. Baktria is a rich province coveted and desired by many, who may seek to add it to their own empires.\n\nGeography\n\nBaktria is hemmed in by the great mountains of Hindu-Kush to the east, forming an almost impenetrable wall. The Oxus River originates in the Hindu-Kush before flowing westwards, forming the northern boundary of the province before turning north towards the Aral Sea. Its western boundary is less clear fading away somewhere in the deserts of Aria beyond the Andkhoi River. The most productive part of Baktria is the river plain carved out by the Oxus, one of Central Asia’s great rivers, which provides both nutrients and water to an otherwise barren landscape. To the east lays lies another river, the Ochus, which joins the Oxus in the centre of Baktria, before hurrying towards the Aral Sea. Quintus Curtius’s histories of Alexander speak of trees and vineyards’ carpeting riverine areas of Baktria. The wealth and richness of Baktria is a welcome balm to weary travellers after passing through the deserts of Aria. The Oxus is a hasty river, speedily running from the foothills of the Hindu-Kush on its path towards the Aral Sea. As a result, it fails to irrigate Baktria to any great extent. However, large scale irrigation projects to divert and slow the river’s flow in the early years of Baktria’s history have resulted in a rich and fertile land beyond measure. \n\nBaktria is a land of towns, "The thousand Baktrian towns" quoting Justin (XLI 4, 5). The most important one is Baktra, also called Zariaspa in earliest times, which is located by a river of the same name, laying in the south of the province. Most of these towns are located near the Oxus and its tributaries: Antiocheia Tarmita/Alexandria Oxeiana, Pandokheion, Oskobora/Eucratidia lie at the joining of the Ochus and the Dargoďdos. \n\nHistory\n\nWe know little about the first Bronze Age civilization of Baktria, except that they created a complex system of irrigation which is at the heart of its wealth. Assyrian kings Ninus and Seramis are supposed to have conquered Baktria deafeating the Bactrian king Oxyartes but this likely a Persian myth. It seems however, reading through the lines of holy text of the Avesta, that an independent state existed around Baktria-Zariaspa, where Zoroaster would have taken safety. \n\nWhat is sure is that Cyrus the Great, during his campaign against Massagetai, incorporated Baktria under his rule, making it the 12th satrapy of the Persian Empire. Baktria was far from the centre of the Persian Empire, making to more likely to harbour rebels and enemies of the state: in 462 BC Artaxerxes I annihilated a revolt in Baktria instigated by his own brother. When Alexander the Great began to conquer the Achemenid state, the Baktrian satrap Bessos killed King Darios, in July 330 BC, who had fled to Hecatombopylos after his defeat at Gaugamela. Bessos then attempted to make a new kingdom with Baktria at its centre, taking the name of Artaxerxes. Alexander. Alexander proceeded to defeat Bessos and take cobtrol of Baktria, taking a year to subdue the querulous population. Alexander is said to have founded several towns in Baktria and Sogdiana, but it is difficult to tell where these were located as they have vanished long before times.\n\Upon the death of Alexander, Baktria was hotly contested by the Diadochoi. Baktria was finally subdued by the Seleucid dynasty, and Antiochos I renamed a number of towns, like Alexandreia Oxeiana in Antiochia Tarmita. \n\nBy 272 BC Baktria was under the power of Seleucid dynasty. However, far from the administrative heartland of the Seleucid Empire in Syria, lawlessness became the norm as northern tribes from the steppes encroached upon Baktrian territory. The weakness of the central administration and the resultant pressure of nomads from the north lead to Diodotos' revolt of 250 BC, leading to a new Greco-Baktrian kingdom centred in Baktra. Baktria rapidly expanded east to India, resulting in a unique mix of Persian, Greek and Indian influences. The province of Baktria remained independent until 128 BC, when the Yuezhei took it from the last Greco-Baktrian king, Heliocles, renaming it Tocharistan.\n\nStrategy\n\nBaktria is arguably the important province in the Greek far-east, having rich fields and straddling trade routes to India. It can also provide a wide variety of colonial Greek troops and native Persian and Indian auxiliaries to an ambitious warlord, looking to add more provinces to their empire.
People and Society is missing, otherwise it is complete.
joshmahurin
05-15-2015, 19:34
I can bring some writers/amateurs writers to work their magic on some traveler logs but first I really think the OP should be updated and better organized. And a similar complete and updated thread should be stickied to TWC as well.
How would you suggest it be rearranged?
Also I have edited to title post to include the formatting we use internally. If everyone could try to use that for future descriptions that would be lovely and save us some menial formatting work.
Also Gypsy I have put in your Baktria and Oxeiana edits as well as the previous ones done for Kottinon and Silengolandum(sp?). I corrected a few minor spelling errors but overall very good thank you. I also went ahead a wrote a very small and basic Strategy section for Silengolandum.
"To the talented warlord who can bring these lands under his command, and manage to hold onto them, there is much wealth to be had from the trade that follows the amber route. However, that may be a challenging venture given the nature of the local tribes..."
Feel free to write something better it just seemed an easy filler for now.
Please check Chaldeans, Sargon of Akkad as an Assyrian ruler and the actual location of "Babylon's" Hanging Gardens not in Babylon after all.
The Gypsy
05-16-2015, 01:39
Please check Chaldeans, Sargon of Akkad as an Assyrian ruler and the actual location of "Babylon's" Hanging Gardens not in Babylon after all.
I'll take a look at that, I confess I don't really know much about that area at all. I just assumed whatever had been written was correct. But thank you for telling me.
I'll take a look at that, I confess I don't really know much about that area at all. I just assumed whatever had been written was correct. But thank you for telling me.
I would suggest "A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 - 323 BC" by Marc Van De Mieroop, if you are interested in an a general approach.
I would suggest "A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 - 323 BC" by Marc Van De Mieroop, if you are interested in an a general approach.
Yes that's a great introduction to the Ancient Near East. He also presents historical documents and sources in every chapter which is something I really like.
The Gypsy
05-17-2015, 14:19
I finished fixing/rewriting Sogdiana, mostly rewriting unfortunately.
Sogdiana Edits
<h>Overview</h><p>Sodiana is bounded by rivers on two sides, by the Iaxartes River to the north and by the Oxus River to the south. The Iaxartes was the northern border of both Alexander’s Empire and that of the earlier Persian Empire, marking the shift from sedentary farming to pastoral herding. The eastern border of Sogdiana is the Pamir Mountains, part of the greater Hindu-Kush. The western border fades away somewhere in the Kyzyl Kum desert, where little can survive and nothing can thrive.</p><h>Geography</h><p>Sogdiana is bounded north and south respectively by the Iaxartes and Oxus, two great rivers that both flow across the empty desert to the north-west towards the Aral Sea. Its limits east and west are more difficult to determine, given that the toponym "Sogdiana" covered different areas according to the period. At times the province extended east to include Oxeiana within its borders; in other cases, the Pamir Mountains and the beginnings of the Ferghana Valley defined the eastern extent of Sogdiana. Within EB, however, the Pamir Mountains represent the border between Oxieana and Sogdiana. The western border of Sogdiana was once ill-defined but recent damming projects by Soviet engineers created Aydar Lake which marks the western border of modern-day Sogdiana.</p><p>The province is riven by another major river, today called the Zeravshan River but known to the Greeks as the Polytimetos River. The capital of Sogdiana, Marakanda lies beside the Zeravshan River which then flows west to join the Oxus on its path to the sea. Marakanda is known today as Samarkand, a major city in modern Uzbekistan.</p> <p>Sogdiana is landlocked, resulting in low precipitation year-round and extreme temperature variation throughout diurnal and seasonal cycles. This results in a sparsely vegetated province with what vegetation there is growing adjacent to its rivers. But extensive irrigation of its major rivers has produced significant areas of arable land that is rich in nutrients due to its loess soils. </p><h>History</h><p>Little is known of Sogdiana’s history before the Iron Age when an Iranian people called the “Sogdians” arrived to give the province its name, inhabiting an already somewhat urbanised society. The Persian Empire conquered Sogdiana during the reign of Cyrus the Great in 540 BCE, creating Marakanda as a centre of influence in the province. The region was not administered as a separate satrapy, instead being controlled from Baktria. The region was sometimes administered by second-born sons of the Great King, as a bribe to quieten their ambitions. The last man to rule Baktria and Sogdiana as a Persian satrap was Bessos, a relative of Darius III. </p> <p>Bessos ruled Baktria and Sogdiana until the fall of the Persian Empire in 329 BCE, when Darius III fled to Baktria after his defeat at Gaugamela by Alexander the Great, only to be executed by Bessos. The former Persian satrap wasted no time in declaring himself King of Baktria and set out to defeat Alexander. He failed and was killed in the process, leaving Alexander as the ruler of Baktria, Sogdiana and Oxieana. Alexander then proceeded to found a series of cities all bearing his name, before turning his attention to India. After Alexander’s return to the west and his untimely death, Sogdiana became a battleground for rival Diadochoi, eventually becoming part of the Seleucid Empire.</p><p>By 272 BCE Sogdiana was part of the Seleucid Empire, but remained distant from affairs in the west. Constant incursions by nomadic tribes from the north and little or no response from the Seleucids prompted the satrap in the east, Diodotos, to declare independence in 248 BCE, resulting in the creation of the Greco-Baktrian kingdom. Baktria remained independent for almost a century, creating a dynamic fusion of Indian, Greek and Persian culture before being subjugated by the nomadic Yuezhei. The Yuezhei became the rulers of Sogdiana, Oxienana, Baktria and parts of north-western India and created the Kushan Empire, which collapsed in the 3rd century CE. </p><h>Strategy</h><p>Sogdiana lies at the interface between settled and nomadic cultures, providing both settled Greek troops, Iranian levies and wild nomadic horsemen from the steppe. The rich soils and trade from the east will provide the taxes needed to sustain such troops and perhaps build an empire to stretch across all of central Asia. </p>
I used the new html format in this description. I also went back and fixed the Babylonia and Mesopotamia descriptions, fixing any errors, historical or otherwise and adding html tags. I'll try and finish Areia sometime this week, when I get around to it.
so besides Greece all the Balkan regions are description free?
Adalingum
05-17-2015, 20:40
so besides Greece all the Balkan regions are description free?
No, I'm still working on the one for the Odrysai, although it'll likely take at least a few weeks more before I'll be able to post anything here (exams and all that). Most of the balkans is still up for grabs AFAIK though. I'd recommend checking the most recent map Chap has provided to get a clearer picture.
What sections are missing for todays Romanian teritory regions: Getia , Getia Koile, Mikra Schitia? What about that lonely province in Asia Minor- Paphlagonia (Sinope). Is still decription-free?
joshmahurin
05-18-2015, 20:19
Just a reminder that "Overview" as a section has been replaced with "Traveller's Log".
Traveller's Log
Geography
People, Society, and Government
History
Strategy
That being said there are still several in older formats that need rewriting for anyone that wants to.
Also Gyspy I have added your edits to Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and Sogdiana. Thank you :)
DurinElminpietra
05-18-2015, 23:35
Description of Venetia is coming...brace yourselves
DurinElminpietra you should not consider that Ive wanted to hurry you. I just asked at TWC if you are still working at it since I might bring some peoples to write some of descriptions.
The Gypsy
05-22-2015, 14:32
I am looking for a bit of feedback on this Travellers Log for Areia. I am not too sure on some of the details, mainly those concerning the people and religion of the province. Otherwise its okay I think.
Travellers Log
The traveler rests his weary feet as he enters the valley of the Arieos River after a long journey into the rising Sun. The seemingly endless deserts of Persia have come to end as the Hindu-Kush becomes visible at last. The waters of the Areios River provide the only nourishment this valley needs, creating rich fields and vineyards. But its softening influence does not extend far from the valley floor, leaving those who live in the mountains to the east, the highland plateau to the north and few nomads in the desert to the west jealous of its riches. The deserts of the west are starved of water, while the high peaks of Hindu-Kush hoard water on their high peaks during their harsh winters. Areia’s only great town, established by Alexander, Alexandria-Areios lies on the Areios River. The “Shining Ones”, the Arya of the Iranian steppe are the most numerous people in this region, together with newly arrived Greek settlers and various mountain tribes. On the hills, birds can be seen circling over so-called “Sky Burials”, where the dead are laid out to be consumed by birds of prey. The God of Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda, presides over these hills and valleys, where a harsh land breeds a harsher people, ready for war.
joshmahurin
05-22-2015, 18:53
paullus Arjos abou DeathFinger One of these people should be able to help with those questions. But history aside I'd say it reads very well :) Thanks for your continued work!
It's all correct, Areia and Ariana were Hellenic transcription of Arya and Aryana, the former being a term denoting people, following a common religion...
Specifically for those in that general area, after the reforms by Zarathushtra, that very burial practice developed...
Can read more about it by searching "Dakhma" :)
The Gypsy
05-24-2015, 05:58
Here's the next bit of the province description, geography and society. Again feedback is appreciated. I'll try and get the whole thing finished by midweek (fingers crossed) and post it up with html tags. I'll put the entire description in one post so nobody has to run around to find it all.
Geography
The province of Areia split into two main regions, gradually shifting between them as one travels east to west. The east of Areia is composed of the mountains and foothills of the Hindu-Kush, with steep valleys and craggy hills. As one travels west away from the mountains, the land becomes increasingly arid as one enters the Kara-Kum desert. The temperatures across the province vary in relation to altitude, but can reach 45 degrees Celsius in summer before falling to below freezing during winter. The precipitation in the province is low, but becomes even more lacking as one travels into the Persian desert that forms a hazy border to the west. The vegetation in the province is limited by water and altitude leaving a landscape dominated by low sagebrush, dwarf birch and pine. The main source of water in this province is the Areios River, in modern times called the Hari River, that creates a wide river with ample water in the valley adjacent to Alexandria-Areios, now called Herat. This forms the base of nearly all agriculture in the region, except for pastoral activity in the marginal areas of the province. The Areios River is formed from snowmelt and rain in the Hindu-Kush coming down along its various valleys to the west. Areia’s borders are roughly analogous to the province of Herat in the modern state of Afghanistan and remain one of the most productive regions in the country.
The People, Society and Government
By the timeframe of Europa Barbarorum, Areia is governed as a satrapy of the Seleucid Empire. A satrapy is a nominated client king under the dominion of a greater king or emperor. A satrap is often given a great deal of autonomy to govern as they see fit, often only having to pay annual tribute and provide troops as required. This was much the case in Areia after the conquests of Alexander and the wars of Diadochoi.
The native people of this region were Iranian Zoroastrians. These people were the origin of the spread of Iranian peoples across the steppe in the 8th century and became known as the Scythians. As such their language and culture remains very similar to the nomads to the north and west across the steppe. They revere fire, earth and sky much as their neighbours to the north do but the details vary. One thing that does remain the same is the “Sky Burials” first mentioned by Herodotus in the 5th century. These involve ritually laying out the dead to be consumed by predatory birds, to remove “impure” flesh. This practice remained across the European and Asian steppe for thousands of years, and was practiced by the Mongols when they first entered recorded history in the 13th century.
The other main group in this province were the Greek colonists and settlers brought by Alexander and the Seleucids. They form the governing class and the majority of the soldiery in the empire, despite being in a huge minority. Greek settlers become administrators, famers and soldiers living and working on the plots of land given to them by their Seleucid overlords. Greek culture becomes fashionable for many nobles of this region trying to curry favour with the new ruling class, leading to the term by modern historians of “Hellenization”. The extent to which Greek culture influenced native beliefs and practices is debated but Greek becomes the lingua franca of the eastern world at least until the end of the Baktrian and Seleucid kingdoms and remains on coins until the 1st century AD, well after the fall of Greek rulers in this region.
Mithridates VI Eupator
05-25-2015, 12:51
I like it! A few minor points below:
- I'd suggest, instead of the formulation "By the Timeframe of Europa Barbarorum", to write something like "by the early third Century BC". "Timeframe of Europa Barbarorum" is a bit inspecific, and it most assuredly was not part of the Seleukid domains by the end of the period.
- Also, a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but do note the Spelling. We often use greek Spelling for names, e.g. "Seleukid", "Alexandros", etc. Especially since we use the greek province name Areia.
The Gypsy
05-27-2015, 02:40
Areia is done, many thanks to Mithridates and Arjos for their kind help.
<h>Travellers Log</h><p>The traveller rests his weary feet as he enters the valley of the Arieos River after a long journey into the rising Sun. The seemingly endless deserts of Persia have come to end as the Hindu-Kush becomes visible at last. The waters of the Areios River provide the only nourishment this valley needs, creating rich fields and vineyards. But its softening influence does not extend far from the valley floor, leaving those who live in the mountains to the east, the highland plateau to the north and few nomads in the desert to the west jealous of its riches. The deserts of the west are starved of water, while the high peaks of Hindu-Kush hoard water on their high peaks collected during the regions harsh winters. Areia’s only great town, established by Alexandros, Alexandria-Areios lies a few kilometres to the north of the Areios River. The “Shining Ones”, the Arya, of the Iranian steppe are the most numerous people in this region, together with newly arrived Greek settlers and various mountain tribes. On the hills, birds can be seen circling over so-called “Sky Burials”, where the dead are laid out to be consumed by birds of prey. The God of Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda, presides over these hills and valleys, where a harsh land breeds a harsher people, ready for war. </p><h>Geography</h><p>The province of Areia split into two main regions, gradually shifting between them as one travels east to west. The east of Areia is composed of the mountains and foothills of the Hindu-Kush, with steep valleys and craggy hills. As one travels west away from the mountains, the land becomes increasingly arid as one enters the Kara-Kum desert. The temperatures across the province vary in relation to altitude, but can reach 45 degrees Celsius in summer before falling to below freezing during winter. The precipitation in the province is low, but becomes even more lacking as one travels into the Persian desert that forms a hazy border to the west. The vegetation in the province is limited by water and altitude leaving a landscape dominated by low sagebrush, dwarf birch and pine. The main source of water in this province is the Areios River, in modern times called the Hari River, that creates a wide river valley with ample water adjacent to Alexandria-Areios, now called Herat. This forms the base of nearly all agriculture in the region, except for pastoral activity in the marginal areas of the province. The Areios River is formed from snowmelt and rain in the Hindu-Kush coming down along its various valleys to the west. Areia’s borders are roughly analogous to the province of Herat in the modern state of Afghanistan and remain one of the most productive regions in the country.</p><h>The People, Society and Government</h><p>By 272 BCE, Areia is governed as a satrapy of the Seleukid Empire. A satrapy is a nominated client king under the dominion of a greater king or emperor. A satrap is often given a great deal of autonomy to govern as they see fit, often only having to pay annual tribute and provide troops as required. This was much the case in Areia after the conquests of Alexandros and the wars of Diadochoi.</p><p>The native people of this region are Iranian Zoroastrians. These people were the origin of the spread of Iranian peoples across the steppe in the 8th century and became known as the Scythians by Greek sources. As such their language and culture remains very similar to the nomads to the north and west across the steppe. They revere fire, earth and sky much as their neighbours to the north do but the details of deities and worship vary. One thing that does remain the same is the “Sky Burials” first mentioned by Herodotus in the 5th century. These involve ritually laying out the dead to be consumed by predatory birds, to remove “impure” flesh. This practice remained across the European and Asian steppe for thousands of years, and was practiced by the Mongols when they first entered recorded history in the 13th century.</p><p>The other main group in this province were the Greek colonists and settlers brought by Alexandros and the Seleukids. They form the governing class and the majority of the soldiery in the empire, despite being in a huge minority. Greek settlers become administrators, famers and soldiers living and working on the plots of land given to them by their Seleukid overlords. Greek culture becomes fashionable for many nobles of this region trying to curry favour with the new ruling class, leading to the term by modern historians of “Hellenization”. The extent to which Greek culture influenced native beliefs and practices is debated but Greek becomes the lingua franca of the eastern world at least until the end of the Baktrian and Seleukids kingdoms and remains on coins until the 1st century CE, well after the fall of Greek rulers in this region. </p> <h>History</h><p>The people of Areia and its surrounding provinces are the purported source for the Indo-Iranian migrations in the early Bronze Age. This view is advanced in light of linguistic evidence from the period, sourced primarily from the Avesta, the Zoroastrian sacred text, and the Indian epics from the same period, written in Sanskrit. Zoroastrianism took first took root in this area in the Bronze Age, around 1800 BCE and became the dominant cultural feature of this area until the arrival of Islam in the 8th century CE. Limited archaeological evidence exists in this area but absence of burials becomes prominent after the acceptance of Zoroastrianism, when “Sky Burials” become the norm. </p><p>Areia becomes visible in European literature only after it is conquered by Cyrus the Great, during his vast conquests to form the Persian Empire in the 6th century BCE. It remains a satrapy of the Persian (or Achaemenid) Empire until its fall and conquest by Alexandros around 331 BCE. After his defeat at Gaugamela by Alexandros, Darius III fled to the east and took shelter with the satrap of Baktria-Bessus- who promptly murdered him and declared himself king. He immediately mobilised to attack Alexandros but was defeated and Baktria, Sogdiana, Oxieana and Areia become part of Alexandros’s empire. Alexandros continued to campaign in the east before returning to Babylon and dying of either disease or poison in 323 BCE. The account by Diodorus relates that when asked on his deathbed who should rule his empire, it is reputed he said “The strongest….” </p><p>This was much the case in the years that followed as the Diadochoi, the successors, fought over the scraps of Alexandros’s great empire, resulting in the formation of the Seleukid, Ptolemaic and Antigonid dynasties. By 272 BCE, Areia was part of the Seleukid Empire but remained a distant eastern province and was weakly administered by the central authority. By the late 3rd century BCE, the power of the Seleukids had waned and new powers had formed. The Parthian and Greco-Baktrian Kingdoms both declared independence and by 167 BCE Areia was part of the Parthian Empire and would remain so until the decline of Parthia and rise of Sassanids in the 3rd century CE.</p> <h>Strategy</h><p>Areia straddles one of the few routes east and west across the Kara-Kum desert and as such, is a hub of trade in the region. The mixture of Greek settlers and native Iranian troops will provide a flexible and effective fighting force for any ruler, while the rich river valley of the Areios will provide the tax revenue need to pay for those soldiers. This province holds the key to Central Asia and any ruler seeking to dominate the East would be wise to control this region.</p>
Feel free to critique any bit of what I've written, enjoy :)
Hi people!
I think I've located a little mistake in Vmbria's regional description:
In the last line of the fist paragraph, there is written: "...rises to drown out all bu the most vigorous clashes"
English is not my mother language, but I think you meant "BUT" instead of "BU". I hope this will help, cheers team!
joshmahurin
05-29-2015, 00:41
Added both of those :) Glad you pointed out Vmbria as it was also missing the Traveller's Log header.
The Gypsy
06-01-2015, 09:32
I should be able to write another province description before my exams start, is there any particular area you would like me to start on or just wherever one hasn't been written yet?
joshmahurin
06-01-2015, 20:27
Whatever sounds interesting to you :)
DurinElminpietra
06-04-2015, 20:28
to you my 'proto-english' version of description of Venetia...ready for artists' rework ^^
Traveler’s log:
A traveler who goes across the great estuary of the Padus River will find the rich sea city of Hatria, which later gave name to the Adriatic sea. The city is situated in the middle of marshes and lagoons, where peoples that populate or frequent Venetia merge themselves: Greeks, Etruscans, Celts and Veneti. On proceeding in the north, into a labyrinth of salty swamps, artificial channels, salt mines and cultivated fields, he will find several sea vici, little settlements populated by fishermen and merchants. Then he will come to a little sanctuary and a harbor on the estuary of the Medoacus River, by which it is possible to reach in few hours of navigation the most important city of the region: Patavium (venetic Patava), the most powerful of Veneti’s settlements. Far beyond the city, on the west of the settlement, the traveler will reach the so-called Euganei hills, covered by woods, at whose feet is situated the oracular shrine of Aponus, in a location famous for thermal waters and, in the south, the ancient venetic city of Ateste, once prosperous but now less important than before. Further, on the west, among rivers, forests and hills, Veneti and Cenomani celts live into a mutual relationship in the fertile territory between Vicetia and Verona, Despite this does not mean that their relate into each other pacifically. Proceeding on the opposite side, leaving Medoacus on the back and going east, the traveler will come across the town of Altinus, on the northern border of the most extensive of Venetia’s lagoons. It is an ‘island-town’ based on pile-dwellings, an important multi-ethnical trade and cult center which links not only western and eastern Venetia, but also the Adriatic sea, and its trade routes, with the valley of the Plavis river that reaches the alpine pass, Retia and Noricum. On the eastern side of Plavis are situated few towns of Veneti (Optergium is the most relevant), while the territories beside the mountains of Carnia are inhabited by other celtic tribes. At the very eastern border of the region, there is another important venetic sanctuary, next to the mysterious karst spring of Timavus river’s estuary, sacred to an ancient hero called by Greeks ‘Diomede’.
Geography:
Venetia’s landscape is mainly flat. It is ploughed by several rivers which gives birth to salty marshes and lagoons marvelously healthy thank to the sea, that regularly flows into them (in this case artificial channels are also helpful). In the hinterland, plains and hills are covered with woods and water. There, herds of sheeps are reared for their wool, which is really appreciated by merchants. Nevertheless, Veneti are considered good farmers among Greeks and Romans thank to an excellent horses’ breeding. Because of its strategic position, linking the Mediterranean Sea (and Hellenistic world) with Alps (and consequently Germania) and Cisalpine Gaul (and so the Italic peninsula) with Pannonia and Illyria, several trade routes pass across the region.
The people, society and government:
Veneti are the most important people living in Venetia. Myths tell that they descend from Eneti of Paphlagonia, which after the fall of Troy followed the Trojan hero Antenor until Caput Adriae and, after they went up to the Meodacus River and drove away the Euganei, founded Patavium. This happened in the same years during which Antenor’s compatriot Aenea was starting the foundation of Rome.
The truth is that Veneti constitute a population similar to other Italic ones like Romans and Picenes. Most ancient settlements are Patavium and Ateste, but, while the second one has been laying in a period of economic and cultural stagnation for a very long time, Patavium is constantly rising, day after day, proud of its traditional values, and wisely exploiting the ideological propaganda about its Trojan origins in order to reinforce relationships with Greeks and Romans. Veneti never formed a cohesive nation. They split in several independent settlements and towns but Patavium was able to impose its authority on other communities. The city of Antenor coordinates levies from all Venetia in the time of need, to the point that Strabon tells it was able to gather “120.000 men” (he testifies that the memory of its military power was still alive during Augustan era) [Strab. 5, 1, 7].
An oligarchic assembly called teuta rules Venetic cities in a similar way to other italic communities, but, unlike them, Venetic cities do not own the typical traits of Mediterranean city-state. Venetian cities have no walls, they are surrounded by channels and rivers with a defense purpose, and their sanctuaries have no monumental buildings (on the contrary, sacred places consist of light wooden structures, fenced holy groves and healthy pools). The lack of monumental buildings, and the adoption of Celtic arms and costumes during the great migration of Gauls in Cisalpina, leaded Polybius to misconsider Gauls and Veneti. Their culture did not overlap at all, as he previously thought, as long as their languages [Polyb. 2, 17, 4-9].
Ekupetaris are the most relevant, noble class of the Venetic society. The word means literally “lords of horses”. The etymology is representative for the essence of ekupetaris’ power, that is to say horse breeding and trade. Venetic horses were very good valued among Greeks, to the point that Dionisius the Old, tyrant of Syracuse, purchased many of them, in order to win panhellenic cart roads games [Strab 5, 1, 9]. From a military point of view, Ekupetaris are also the élite of Venetic cavalry.
Veneti’s gods are represented by no idol. They are strictly connected with forces of nature and warrants of human activities. Reitia Pora is the goddess of written wisdom and the protectress of rites of passage. Aponus is god of healthy waters and wealth. Trumusiati is an obscure mountain god, in which sanctuary warriors’ offers from various tribes and populations are collected. Furthermore, Greeks are used to spread a story in which an oracle in the water is seen as the mythical three-headed monster Gerion [Plut. Caes. 47; Suet. Tiber. 14, 3]. A hero whose greek name is Diomede is also venerated by Veneti. His sanctuary, where Veneti regularly sacrifice a white beautiful mare, is situated in the middle of the woods next to Timavus River. There, both wild beasts and cattle were said to live in harmony [Strab. 5, 1, 9].
History:
Veneti have been in good trade relationships with people from both Italic peninsula and Aegean Sea since very long time. Between 5th and 4th century B.C. they were forced for the first time to face a great danger: the arrival of the Gauls. Many hordes of warriors from cold forests of Gallia literally overwhelmed Cisalpine peoples. North-Etruscans and Umbrians have been easily subdued by the Celts, who yet never managed to overcome the Veneti. In fact, these people from woods and lagoons took benefit from the knowledge of the insidious territory and from a more effective warfare against the fast Gallic marauders. It is not unlikely that, thank to the well-trained cavalry of ekupetaris, Veneti were able to stop the formidable Celtic horsemen (a purpose that slow Etruscan phalanxes could not afford). War rages between Gauls and Veneti had been lasted for at least two centuries. Sources say that a Venetic attack to Cisalpine Celtic tribes convinced Brenno, after the notorious sack of Rome, to leave the city and retreat in the north, in order to defend his people [Polyb. 2, 18, 1-3].
In 302 B.C. a Spartan prince called Cleonymous sailed to Venetia and began to loot vici and harbors. His mercenaries, who previously went up to the Medoacos River, were taken by surprise by Venetic troops while they were disjointed to search for booty. In fact, once informed about the intruders, Patavians, whom the vicinity of the Gauls kept them always under arms, split their young warriors into two divisions of cavalry. One of these marched into the region where the scattered marauding was reported; the other one, taking a different road, to avoid falling in with any of the marauders, proceeded to the place where the ships were moored. Thus, the enemy were caught between two parties and were cut into pieces. While Veneti managed to captured some of Greek ships and burn them, Cleonymus sailed off with barely a fifth part of his ships intact. The beaks of the ships and the spoils of the Laconians were fastened up in the old temple of the city and in commemoration of the naval battle a contest of ships was held regularly [Liv. 10, 2-3].
In 225 B.C. an arm of Gesatai, Transalpine Gallic mercenaries, joined Insubres and Boii in the war against Rome. In order to repel the invaders, Rome and Veneti drew up an alliance that would have faithfully endured until roman annexation of Venetia [Polyb. 2, 23, 1-3; 2, 24, 7-8]. From this event, the two peoples made a deal (foedus) of mutual military assistance. Many times Veneti muster their troops to obstacle Gauls attacking Rome. Patavians auxiliares fight at the side of the Romans, both at Canne and Nola [Sil. It. 8, 602-604; 12, 212-225; 232-244; 251-260]. Funditores from the Venetian town of Opitergium fought with G. Pompeus Strabo during the siege of Asculum, stronghold of the rebels socii, in 90 B.C. Once again, Opitergians fought with caesarians during civil war [Liv. Perioch. 110, 4-5]. On the other hand, Rome helped Patavium with internal turmoil and sent troops to throw out Celtic tribes migrated from Pannonia into eastern Venetia [Liv., 41, 27, 3-4; Liv. 39, 45, 6-7; 39, 54; 39, 55, 1-6]. Friendship between Romans and Veneti finally flew into a pacific annexation and into an exemplary case of self-romanisation regarding costumes and life style. Livius, who also came from Patavium and lived about a century after the political annexation of the region, is rightly rated as one of the greatest roman historiographers.
Strategy:
The Angulus Venetorum is an unavoidable beachhead to enter Italic peninsula from both eastern and northern borders. A fact that the Romans were about to discover during the last decades of their empire. To keep Venetia under control means to own the gates of Italy.
Molto interessante ed ottimo lavoro Durin ^^
Cmq quando vuoi, se hai tempo ovviamente, il concept per l'unità di cavalleria secondo me ne vale veramente la pena!
DurinElminpietra
06-05-2015, 11:11
Grazie mille, spero si riesca ad inserire la versione definitiva entro la patch estiva =D
Provvederò a raccogliere un repertorio di immagini sostanzioso da mostrare agli sviluppatori, d'altro canto diversi modelli come elmi La Tène, scudi a spina centrale e bordo rilevato, spade e lance medio La Tène sono già state utilizzate (non so come funzioni ma immagino che riutilizzarle richieda meno tempo che crearne ex novo). Secondo me sarebbe interessante come unità mercenaria reclutabile tra Venetia, Raition e Pannonia Illirika (tutte aree con una certa influenza venetica)
(sorry for the Italian xD)
joshmahurin
06-05-2015, 18:59
Edited and added :)
Anatolia finished ^^
Here is Paphlagonia:
<name>Province: Paphlagonia</name>
<full>
<h>Traveller's Log</h>
<p>
Entering Paphlagonia from Amastris, the traveller encounters a long stretch of coast with a harbour called Krobialos. It is particularly noteworthy, because its promontory, Karambis, stands exactly opposite Chersonesos' promontory Kriou Metopon, diving the Euxeinos Sea in two halves. Sailors claim that on a good day it is possible to see both promontories when out at sea. Krobialos is part of the Sinopean sea-trade network, which is protected by the surrounding mountains in the hinterland. This mountainous region experiences frequently earthquakes, but these also allow opportunistic mining of copper and arsenic. Therefore the valleys are inhabited by seasonal workers and artisans under the protection of the local elite. It is by boarding a vessel that the traveller can then visit all the other harbours: Abonouteichos, Kinolis and Harmene. The last one belongs to Sinope itself, whose inhabitants erected fortifications around it. These safe anchorages were established each at a day's sailing from the other, allowing refuge in adverse weather. Then comes a marvelous peninsula, upon whose neck Sinope lies. A Milesian colony built by an isthmus, famous for its fisheries, said to be even better than those of Byzantion. The site of Sinope was cleverly selected, because the shores are surrounded by a chain of rocks and cavities, while the landscape is covered with sharp-pointed stones. Thus the settlement is well defended, moreover inside the walls the land is higher and has a particularly good soil, bearing fruits. A most precious possession of the Sinopeis is a statue of Autolykos, Who joined Herakles against the Amazones and later also the Argonautai. The citizens regard this adventurer as a founder and honour him as a deity. Sinope is a major trading center, owing to its control of ore deposits and arable land in the hinterland, allowing seasonal exports of timber, copper, olive and realgar pigment. Farther South, beyond Mount Olgassys, flows the Amnias River. This is fairly good territory, called Blaene and Domanitis. Noticable are its temples and sancturaries cut into the rock, which are held by the Paphlagones. Beyond, however, live Galatai and communities allied to the Pontic Basileis.
</p>
<h>Geography</h>
<p>
The landscape of Paphlagonia comprises narrow linear valleys, alternated with sedimentary basins. This is the result of tectonic processes causing fault lines, which form sheer cliffs. Nevertheless the Amnias River cuts this province in half, establishing a pathway between Mount Olgassys and the mountain ranges by the Euxeinos Sea. This division coincides with different climates: the northern area hosts deciduous forests with beech and fir trees, together with rhododendrons at higher elevations. Here the rains moderate the winters, granting a milder climate, albeit moister. While moving southwards it is possible to encounter oaks and pines in greater numbers, until Mount Olgassys, which marks an area of arid continental climate joining the warmer steppes of the Anatolian Plateau. Overall the province is rich in wildlife like red deers and roe deers, along with lammergeiers, griffon vultures and booted eagles. While the most common predator is the gray wolf.
</p>
<h>The People, Society and Government</h>
<p>
The Paphlagones came in contact with the Hellenic world very early around the 7th century BCE, possibly even prior to that during the late Mycenaean period. One of the first descriptions of them, corroborated by archaeology, seem to depict a society characterised by various elites in competition. The social phenomenon encompassing military conflicts, but also feasting, burial practices and trading agreements. Specifically with the Hellenes, due to a false etymology of Paphlagon from the Hellenic verb Paphlazein, meaning "to stutter, bluster, stammer", the Paphlagones came to embody the typical stereotype of the barbarian being unscrupolous, violent and prone to anger. However this people was preserving customs, or at least ideologies, which stretched back to the Bronze Age connected to the people of Pala. Indeed Nergal, a deity of the Underworld borrowed from Sumer in the Hittite Pantheon, was still depicted in the Hellenistic period, being honoured as a patron of miners and smiths. Also Sinope was recently identified, by excavations, as a continuously occupied site from the late Bronze Age, at that time known as Shinuwa. It would seem that the settlement of Hellenic traders was achieved thorugh negotiations with a local Paphlagonian leader. Actual urbanisation occurred only at the end of the 6th century BCE, when these trading settlers adopted local building techniques in what by that time were mixed communities. Similarly during Persian suzerainty, Sinope came to be incorporated into the imperial administration only in the 4th century BCE, when Datama of Katpatuka, himself half Paphlagonian, conducting satrapal military operations against Sinope, negotiated a military alliance. Remarkably these events coincide with agricultural and settlement densities expansion, meaning that both partners of the treaty benefited, possibly even more so Sinope, as it came to control a territory it had never held before. This cultural encounter brought the subtle syncretism of local motifs with Hakhamanishiya imagery, particularly apparent in rock-cut tombs featuring bulls and lions, the forms taken up by Nergal. Moreover this deity was interpreted by the Hellenes as Herakles, which allowed even further inclusion and the establishment of shared practices. The cultural exchange operated in both directions, for even the Paphlagones looked back at Hellenic epics to enhance their status and the Homeric Pylaimenes, which meant "gatekeeper", became the official title for the ruler of Paphlagonia. Interesting to note, however, is that Nergal himself was the keeper of the gates to the Underworld, so there might be a connection. Overall the Paphlagones were known as great horsebreeders and riders, who were readily hired by neighbouring larger polities.
</p>
<h>History</h>
<p>
It could be said that Paphlagonia entered the Hellenistic period around 314 BCE, when the nephew of Antigonos Monophthalmos, Polemaios, was sent with a large force to establish Makedonian rule there for the first time. However it did not last long, because the establishment of the Pontic Dynasteia allowed the Paphlagones to assert their independence. Nevertheless their rulers did not lose track of the events unfolding, especially the Tyrannos of Sinope, Skydrothemis, who realised how Pontic alliances were isolating him and opted to establish good relations with Ptolemaios I of Aigyptos. Trading and possible naval assistance from Sinope were important for Ptolemaic operations in the Aigaion Sea and the alliance was upheld even by Ptolemaios II Philadelphos. This delivered Sinope from Ariobarzanes and his troops in 275 BCE, because as they were besieging the polis, the Ptolemaic fleet disembarked troops and managed to repel the attackers. Sinope could then keep on expanding its trading network in the Euxeinos Sea, while at the same time intensifying agricultural production. However such a strong commercial position made Sinope the prime target for Pontos, whose Basileus Mithradates II opted to build the first Pontic fleet in order to win the polis. By 220 BCE everything was set for the concerted attack, which however was carried by Mithradates III, because his father had just died. Despite the naval assistance, the Pontic army still failed to capture Sinope, as the latter had sent an embassy to Rhodos and received troops with 10,000 jars of wine, 300 talents of prepared hair, 100 talents of bow-strings, 1,000 suits of armour, 3,000 gold pieces and four Katapeltai with their professional artillerymen. Success was achieved only in 183 BCE, when Pharnakes I exploited the confusion in the Hellespontos during a conflict between Pergamon and Bithynia. Since the Rhodian fleet was occupied there, it could not come to help Sinope, itself not expecting an attack as Pharnakes I feigned to participate in the campaign against Pergamon. Instead he suddenly stormed Sinope as other war came to a conclusion. Unfortunately for the Pontic Basileus his clever plan alarmed Eumenes II Soter of Pergamon, who simply continued the conflict, which Pharnakes I had joined only nominally. This forced the Pontic army to fight alone, but at the same time Pontic envoys were hard at work in Roma and managed to secure favourable peace terms, Indeed the SPQR wanted neither side to prevail over the other and was glad to accept even Pharnakes I as an Amicvs of the Roman people in 179 BCE.
</p>
<p>
Now Sinope became the royal Pontic capital and started to enjoy the time of its greatest splendour: men of science, artists and philosophers were invited there, while the poleis of Chersonesos and Odessos looked at the Pontic Basileia as a protector and trading partner. Around this time possibly appeared in Sinope the sphere of Billaros, today known as the Antikythera Mechaninsm. Now Pharnakes I focused on setting up an infrastructure worthy of an empire and establishing his Dynasteia as a major power. He married the Seleukid princess Nysa, allying himself with Demetrios I Soter. Then he made a voluntary donation to Delos, honouring the existing friendly relations with Athenai and his family. Around 155 BCE Pharnakes I was succeeded by his brother Mithradates IV Philopator Philadelphos, who opted for a philo-Roman policy, sending dedications and benefactions to the people of Roma. He also sided with Attalos II of Pergamon and Ariarathes V of Kappadokia against Prousias II of Bithynia. While regarding internal affairs, Mithradates IV decided to marry his own sister Laodike, making her co-ruler. This move aimed at curbing the goodwill of their new Hellenic subjects, associating themselves with Zeus and Hera, while at the same time appealing to Zoroastrian subjects due to their sacred union, known as Khwedodah. Mithradates IV also started to draw attention to his mythic forefather Perseus, a Hellenic hero, displaying how the rulers of Pontos had an excellent Hellenistic pedigree, worthy of the royal diadem. Still the couple ruled only to 151 BCE, when Pharnakes I's son Mithradates V Euergetes became Basileus. For the time being he continued to be loyal towards the SPQR, sending ships and troops in 149 BCE against Qarthadast. Later on the death of Attalos III of Pergamon in 133 BCE, Mithradates V also fought against the pretender Aristonikos and for that was rewarded Phrygia. Even the Basileus of Kappadokia fought in this campaign, but died and was succeeded by the still minor Ariarathes III. His mother Nysa, a daughter of Pharnakes I, had poisoned her elder five sons to ensure a longer regency, but the Kappadokes had her killed. Thus in 130 BCE, to avoid losing control over Kappadokia, Mithradates V attacked and quickly bested the Kappadokian army, making certain to remove any strong figure. After that he married off his own daughter, Laodike, to young Ariarathes III. This policy aimed at keeping the SPQR satisfied, afterall both rulers Pontos and Kappadokia were Roman Amici, but at the same time maintaining Pontic hegemony. Indeed Mithradates V Euergetes now started to act as an important Basileus, with great ambitions, being the first Pontic ruler to launch recruiting expeditions in Hellas, Thraike and Krete. Alongside these activities, Mithradates V carried on the Philhellenic policy of benefactions, which likely earned him his epithet, showing particular devotion to Apollon Delios. The Pontic Basileus had definitely set the stage to achieve greatness, but much like Philippos II of Makedonia was assassinated in 120 BCE and left all his preparations to an ambitious thirteen years old son, who became convinced to be the next Alexandros Megas.
</p>
<p>
Indeed portents accompanied the birth and youth of Mithradates VI. First for seventy days during the year of his birth a comet appeared and filled a quarter of the whole sky, almost outshining the sun. Thought to symbolise the length of his life, the extent of his conquests and his eclipse of Roman power. Also when still a baby, Mithradates VI was struck by a lightning, which earned him the epithet Dionysos, because the deity's mother Semele had been struck too when pregnant. This very experience also corroborated in Mithradates VI Dionysos' mind his connection to Alexandros Megas, because even the latter's mother Olympia dreamt that her womb had been struck by a lightning. Moreover the same comet of his birth showed up again when his father was killed in 120 BCE, as if to herald the beginning of the new reign. Nevertheless Mithradates VI Dionysos Eupator's beginnings were not easy, his mother Laodike became regent, and many suspected her involvement in her husband's assassination with Roman collaboration. Even more alarming was that, during her regency, Laodike set also her younger son Mithradates Chrestos as future co-ruler. Whether she planned to kill Mithradates VI is unclear, even though after a poisoning attempt he started to assume doses of arsenic to build immunity, but what certainly happened was that the Roman Senatvs now decided to revoke Phrygia from the Pontic Dynasteia. Already Euergetes' officials feared for the future of Pontos, envisioning a gradual bequeathal in favour of Roma, and opted to stay away from Sinope. However in 116 BCE the sixteen years old Mithradates VI Dionysos Eupator had returned from his training with firm resolution. He had shown great horsemanship and hunting skills, being able to cope with a particularly dangerous horse, something which fostered even further his comparison of himself with Alexandros Megas. Mithradates VI had been joined by other noble young men, who became his companions, led by Dorylaos, who used to serve Mithradates V Euergetes, and during his march to Sinope he gather armed bands with the intent to avenge his father. The coup was bloodless and did not meet resistance, but both Laodike and Mithradates Chrestos were imprisoned and soon found dead. Now sole ruler of Pontos, Mithradates VI gave his dead relatives a royal funeral, but also started to prepare a campaign beyond Thraike. Also news reached that Ariarathes III, now an adult, could not be controlled anymore and, as his first act in foreign affairs, Mithradates VI ordered his assassination by an associate of his Dynasteia called Gordios. Later in 115 BCE the citizens of Chersonesos called upon Mithradates VI, because the Skulata under Skiluros had just sacked their polis. Perhaps they expected some sort of military assistance, which would not resolve in any particular political change, but that was not to be the case. Diophantos, the Strategos sent by Mithradates VI, quickly defeated Skiluros' son and successor, Palakos, making Pontos the first Hellenistic and Persian polity to defeat and subdue Skythian nomads. Now Mithradates VI claimed to have avenged Kyros and bested Dareios, Philippos II of Makedonia and Alexandros Megas' Strategos, Zopyrion. Diophantos did not lose momentum and subdued the Tauroi as well, founding the town of Eupatorion, to then move towards Pantikapaion. There he engaged in diplomatic talks with Pairisades V of the Kimmerios Bosporos to persuade him to cede his power to Mithradates VI. It is possible that the Bosporan ruler had no heirs and was fearing an increase in Skythian influence, so for the time being he gave Diophantos positive signs. In the mean time the Pontic Strategos returned to Chersonesos and received the nominal submission of Palakos. However soon as he left Palakos rose in revolt and Diophantos was once again dispatched with an army. Despite assistance from the Raukhsalantæ, Palakos was again defeated and this time Diophantos assaulted and captured the strongholds of the Skulata. Only remaining task was to finalize the arrangements with Pairisades V, who had been rearing the Skythian Saumakos, possibly the leading man of the party that was vying for power with the Bosporan Archon and Basileus. When Diophantos reached Pantikapaion he found Pairisades V killed by Saumakos and he managed to escape only thanks to the help of vessels and their crew from Chersonesos. With the coming of spring, after having received reinforcements, Diophantos put an end to the rebellion, sending Saumakos to Sinope as a captive, and at the same time almost doubling the Pontic territory. To celebrate Mithradates VI Dionysos Eupator married his own sister Laodike, like his great-uncle did, but had no intention in sharing power. Quite the opposite, the pragmatic and paranoid Mithradates VI had all his younger sisters secluded under guard for life: no one, but himself could decide the fate of the Pontic Dynasteia. The following years would experience even further expansion around the Euxeinos Sea, notably Pontic armies fought against the Sauromatæ, the Bastarnoz and the coastal communities of Kolchis. Nevertheless the Pontic Basileus still had the time to tend to his gardens of poisonous plants and his flocks of ducks, obviously fed on baneful herbs. Thought to have the ability to live on poisons, Mithradates VI mixed the bood of his ducks into his antidotes. Collaborating with the Pontic Basileus were his royal physician Papias, a group of shamans from north of Lake Maiotis and Krateuas, an experimenter from Pergamon, who can be safely considered the first ethnobotanist and father of botanical illustration. Krateuas wrote detailed pharmacology manuals and Mithradates VI, thanks to his knowledge of over twenty languages, collected scientific treaties from other lands, which he studied, while corresponding with scholars about poisons and antidotes. Having secured the Euxeinos as a personal possession, Mithradates VI Dionysos Eupator had obtained a great amount of annual tribute, with which he financed the construction of several fortifications throughout his domain, all having hidden cisterns, caches of weapons and a treasury: everything was set for his next move.
</p>
<p>
In 109 BCE, as news reached about humiliating defeats suffered by Roman troops in Numidia and at the hands of the germanic Himbroz, Mithradates VI left Sinope, travelling incognito through Asia. His intent was to gather intelligence and visit the places, which witnessed the deeds of Alexandros Megas. During his journey the Pontic Basileus also had occasion to form an alliance with Nikomedes III of Bithynia, planning to jointly invade Paphlagonia west of Mount Olgassys and split it among the two rulers. When Mithradates VI returned to Sinope, where some thought him dead since he had left in secrecy and been gone for a year. Right away he was greeted with news of the birth of another son. However to Mithradates VI it was clear that he could not have been the father, but without losing his calm and rationality, he embraced his sister-wife. In time he was informed that Laodike had started to rule on her own and now planned to have him removed, ensuring her safety. However the Pontic Basileus moved first, or even if he had been poisoned his daily routine of antidotes proved effective, seizing Laodike and her child, who was spared, but the mother and all her conspirators were executed. Thus in 108 BCE Mithradates VI could leave his capital to annex the remainder of Paphlagonia. Everything went smoothly and all the Roman Senatvs could do was sending ambassadors demanding to return Paphlagonia to a pristine condition. These were ignored and Mithradates VI sent envoys to Roma with bribes, while once again another ruler of Kappadokia, Ariarathes IV, had become an adult. His mother Laodike, sister of Mithradates VI Dionysos Eupator, started to fear for her life, knowing that her usefulness had ceased. Thus she invited Nikomedes III of Bithynia to invade Kappadokia, which this Basileus did around 103 BCE. However Mithradates VI would have none of that, and he did not care about who specifically ruled Kappadokia, so long as it was someone he could trust. As a result the Pontic Basileus invaded Kappadokia and restored Ariarathes IV. Soon he found that Pontic interests would not be upheld and insisted on Gordios, his Kappadokian associate, to be taken at court. Understandably Ariarathes IV refused the murderer of his father, even though there is no reason to believe that Mithradates VI would have had him removed as well, had he complied with Pontic policies. Nevertheless in 100 BCE Ariarathes IV met on the battlefield his uncle Mithradates VI of Pontos. However the latter did not want to waste time and valuable soldiers, opting to parley instead. Having ostentatiously layed down his weapons, Mithradates VI waited for his nephew as Kappadokian guards patted down the Pontic Basileus. After as Ariarathes IV approached his uncle for a private conversation, Mithradates VI reached into his Iranian trousers, pulling out a blade concealed alongside his penis and cut Ariarathes IV's throat. Everyone was left dumbfounded, while Gordios started to hail the new Basileus of Kappadokia: the eight years old stepson of Mithradates VI by his dead sister-wife Laodike. As a result in 99 BCE the Roman Senatvs sent Gaivs Marivs to investigate the possibility or likelihood of an attack on the Provincia of Asia. However the SPQR still did not know about the matter of Kappadokian succession, but were alarmed by the series of conflicts taking place at their borders. During Marivs' meeting with Mithradates VI, he is said to have told the Pontic Basileus to be stronger than the Romani or obey their commands in silence. A suggestion that Mithradates VI definitely followed on both counts. Everything was spoiled, from a Pontic perspective, when Nikomedes III of Bithynia put forward in 96 BCE a false pretender as Basileus of Kappadokia. Sending his newer wife Laodike to Roma, in order to testify that the child was a legitimate son of Ariarathes III. Now that the whole matter had come to the Senatvs' attention, as even a Pontic embassy showed up claiming the legitimacy of their own little Ariarathes, a single order was issued: leave Kappadokia and Paphlagonia, which had been declared free. The instructions were followed, but needless to say animosity between Bithynia and Pontos grew to a new extreme. Now Roman officials changed attitude and invited the rulers of Kappadokia, Paphlagonia and Bithynia to attack Pontos. Most ignored this, without a direct Roman involvement, except for the heavily indebted Nikomedes IV of Bithynia, who initiated in 89 BCE a conflict. The Bithynian army was easily taken care of by the Amnias River, where the Pontic scythed chariots and Sauromatian horsemen proved particularly effective. However this set in motion a series of events that escalated in major wars between Pontos and the SPQR. During the course of which in 70 BCE Sinope was besieged and nearly destroyed by Lvcivs Licinivs Lvcvllvs, who stripped it of its riches and sent them to Roma. From then on Paphlagonia ceased to be a center of power, even though it kept on being an important trading port. Its coastal settlements were incorporated by Cnaevs Pompeivs Magnvs in 64 BCE to the Provincia of Bithynia et Pontvs. Notably in 47 BCE Caivs Ivlivs Caesar refounded Sinope as the Colonia Ivlia Caesarea Felix.
</p>
<h>Strategy</h>
<p>
Paphlagonia stands right in the middle of the southern coast of the Euxeinos Sea. Protected by rivers and mountains, it is the natural center of power for a polity aiming at controlling the maritime trading routes.
</p>
</full>
I hope that the engine's codes are correct :P
As usual, wonderful work Arjos! The last paragraph needs some editing, I think. There are a few points that need clarification. As does the first mention of Mithidates VI's anti-poison treatment in the previous paragraph.
As usual, wonderful work Arjos! The last paragraph needs some editing, I think. There are a few points that need clarification. As does the first mention of Mithidates VI's anti-poison treatment in the previous paragraph.
Could you be a little more specific please?
Could you be a little more specific please?
Of course!
"even though after a poisoning attempt he started to assume doses of arsenic"
Arsenic is a poison. I think it should be stated that he did so hoping to build some sort of resistance or immunity.
"suffered by Roman troops in Numidia and at the hands of the Himbroz"
Who are the Himbroz? (Cimbrii?)
"When Mithradates VI returned to Sinope, where some thought him dead"
Why?
"After as Ariarathes IV approached his uncle for a private conversation, Mithradates VI reached into his Iranian trousers, pulling out a blade concealed alongside his penis and cut Ariarathes IV's throat"
Is this something I read in "The Last King"? or is this from a legitimate source?
"would not be uphold"
"a serie of events"
"even though after a poisoning attempt he started to assume doses of arsenic"
Arsenic is a poison. I think it should be stated that he did so hoping to build some sort of resistance or immunity.
Ok, thanks ^^
"suffered by Roman troops in Numidia and at the hands of the Himbroz"
Who are the Himbroz? (Cimbrii?)
Cimbri indeed, that transcription will be used in-game too, so I think it is clear enough. Maybe I can add germanic to specify...
"When Mithradates VI returned to Sinope, where some thought him dead"
Why?
Because he left in secret and wandered for a year, will try to make it clearer...
"After as Ariarathes IV approached his uncle for a private conversation, Mithradates VI reached into his Iranian trousers, pulling out a blade concealed alongside his penis and cut Ariarathes IV's throat"
Is this something I read in "The Last King"? or is this from a legitimate source?
It is actually taken from Justin's empitome of Pompeius Trogus ;)
Mithridates, after bringing into the field eighty thousand foot, ten thousand horse, and six hundred chariots armed with scythes, (while Ariarathes, by the aid of the neighbouring princes, had no less a force), fearing the uncertain event of a battle, turned his thoughts to treachery, and, inviting the young prince to a conference, and having, at the same time, a weapon concealed in his lower garments, he said to the searcher, who was sent by Ariarathes, after the manner of princes on such occasions, to examine his person, and who was feeling very carefully about his groin, that “he had better take care, lest he should find another sort of weapon than he was seeking.” Having thus covered his treachery with a joke, he killed his nephew, (after drawing him aside from his friends as if to confer with him secretly), in the sight of both armies, and bestowed the kingdom of Cappadocia on his own son, a child eight years old, giving him the name of Ariarathes, and appointing Gordius his guardian.
"would not be uphold"
"a serie of events"
Thanks for spotting them :)
Thanx for writing the whole thing. What are you working on next?
For the moment German Literature for an exam :P
Still I managed to write biographies for starting generals of the Eleutheroi, as for the next province I'd like "Saka Yabgu", but have to come up with a new name for it (or find evidence that as a name it is acceptable, because from what I know it means "Saka Prince/Chieftain" and doesn't seem appropriate at all)...
Mithridates VI Eupator
06-15-2015, 22:10
Yes, Yabgu is a title and does not seem appropriate. We should discuss some other possible names.
Yes, Yabgu is a title and does not seem appropriate. We should discuss some other possible names.
In Khotanese there is Kshaharae meaning land/country. Tricky is also going to be choosing, who was living there in 272 BCE. Archaeologically the Bolsherechenskaya culture might be too far North...
Generally west of the Balkash it is assigned to "Saka tribes", why not giving it as a starting province then?
The Gypsy
06-21-2015, 12:14
Hey, I'll take a look at doing the province description for Armorikos over the next week or two. Seems like it might be interesting.
Hey, I'll take a look at doing the province description for Armorikos over the next week or two. Seems like it might be interesting.
I think it's already done, unless you mean reviewing its grammar...
The Gypsy
06-21-2015, 12:50
I think it's already done, unless you mean reviewing its grammar...
Oh really? I've been going off what is on the front page of the thread. There it says that no progress has been made on it. So is the front page correct or is it best to ask someone?
The front page was an old copy from the internal forum and it isn't up-to-date. Chap made a map, which is keeping track of changes and formats :)
15345
The Gypsy
06-22-2015, 13:44
In that case I'll make a start on Ikoranda Piktonis instead :)
Should you ever need info on good sources or assistance of any kind, feel free to contact Brennus :)
DurinElminpietra
06-22-2015, 15:27
The front page was an old copy from the internal forum and it isn't up-to-date. Chap made a map, which is keeping track of changes and formats :)
Is there any updated map? Could anybody create one?
Should you ever need info on good sources or assistance of any kind, feel free to contact Brennus :)
I suggest looking for the Bilan Scientifique Regional for that region of France, several of the recent editions are free from the French government, and contain lots of recent archaeological data.
ZeEmperor
06-26-2015, 06:55
I can do Dalmatia :)
Adalingum
07-01-2015, 10:16
I thought I'd post a small 'preview' of sorts of my work on the description for the Odrysai province, both to show I've made some progress over the past few months (though not as much as I'd hoped, I'm afraid) and to get some feedback on whether I can continue writing in the way I have thus far. One thing I'm wondering about in particular is whether is should try to shorten things up a bit, as I'm getting the impression that a lot of what I've added consists of unnecessary detail.
Rest assured that I've made more progress than what follows below, but I figured this would do well as an example. Warning: I haven't really proofread this yet.
History
Although the Thraikes appear in the Homeric epics as allies of the Trojans, Thrace and its inhabitants do not fully emerge in the historical record until the end of the 6th century BCE, when the Persians began their conquest of the northern Aegean coast. This process was set in motion by the Skythian expedition Dareios led sometime between 514 and 512 BCE, prior to which a nominal submission was likely received from the Thracian Chersonese and Byzantion to facilitate a safe passage of the Persian forces. On their march to the river Istros (Danube) the Persians also subjugated several Thracian tribes they encountered on their way, which included the Skyrmiadai and Nipsaioi occupying the hinterlands of Apollonia and Mesambria. Most of the local tribes seem to have submitted peacefully, with the notable exception of the Getai. Yet their resistance was swiftly broken and after their defeat they were made to follow the Persian army by force.
After returning from the unsuccessful Skythian campaign, Dareios crossed the Hellespont back into Anatolia. Before doing so he appointed Megabazos general of the Persian armies in Europe, with instructions to establish Persian control over ‘every single polis and tribe in Thrace’. It seems the more realistic objective was to establish Persian control over the coastal lands between the Hebros and Strymon rivers as well as the Hellene cities located in said region. After a revolt in the Hellespontine region was crushed, this was indeed the task Megabazos set out upon. The Paiones living by the lower Strymon formed his next target and after their conquest a large number of Paiones was forcefully moved to Asia Minor. The campaign was concluded with a peaceful submission by Amyntas of Makedonia.
The extent of the resulting Persian control in Thrace is controversial: estimates vary from a loose dominion primarily centred on the coastline to the establishment of a full-fledged satrapy stretching from the Istros to the Peneus River in Thessaly, centred on the Thracian plain. The author of this description favours the former hypothesis, which supposes that most, if not all of the areas within the Odrysai province likely remained outside of direct Persian control, save for perhaps the southern edges and part of the western coastline of the Pontos Euxeinos. Whatever may have been the case, the newly conquered lands were controlled by Persian garrisons established in strategically important locations. The Persian conquest also led to the imposition of tribute upon the Hellenic cities and Thracian and Paeonian tribes within these territories, likely paid either in silver bars or coins. Several archaeological finds of Persian make or influence near Duvanli indicate the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Persians and local Thracian dynasts in the hinterland, although the character of said relations remains unknown thus far.
I think it is good, but as you mentioned it will be quite lengthy by the end...
Major focus has to be given to the Hellenistic period of course, maybe you could shorten this part, while keeping the same style for EBII's timeframe...
Still there are definitely long descriptions in the game already :P
BTW as an update: I finished and submitted "Saka Yabgu", just reviewing it now...
Friendly Sword
07-05-2015, 19:56
This is a description I made a while after talking to Brennus.
Feedback/criticism would be super appreciated! :)
Talallobrogis Province Description
Turning away from the warm shores of the Great Sea the traveller heads north, to follow the banks of the mighty Rodonos River as it climbs into the valleys and peaks of the soaring Alpes peaks. This river is the lifeblood to the many Keltoi tribes that live in its watershed, no more so than the strong and fierce Allobroges people that call these valleys home. They are a warlike and divided people, but of outstanding courage and loyalty. They are excellent farmers as well, and grow rich from the supplies of wheat and wine their fruitful valley supplies. Woe betides the traveller who would seek to cheat them or question their honour. Like the mighty oak forests and cloudy peaks of their homeland, the Allobroges are tall, imposing, and not to be trifled with.
Geography
The territory of the Allobroges corresponded roughly to the modern French department of Rhône-Alpes, centering on the various river valleys extending east and south from the Rhône River. The region is marked by its topographical diversity; in the west part of the territory the crumbling eastern terminus of the Massif Central range gives way to the Rhône valley; the upstream path of the Rhône then carves to the northeast towards Lake Geneva joined by number of tributaries that cascade from the Alps tallest peaks. Scattered amidst these peaks can be found some of continental Europe’s only glaciers, which feed streams that trickle through valleys that evolve from narrow mountain passes into smooth and broad troughs at the point of their confluence with the main Rhône valley.
Talallobrogis is home to an extremely variable climate, due to the blending of four distinct weather influences; the Continental system to the north, the Mediterranean climate to the south, Alpine to the east and Atlantic to the west, from across the massif. As such, for the Rhône and adjacent valleys the summers are hot and generally humid; spring and autumn are mild; winter is long, cold and snowy, especially in the mountains. Rainfall is typically higher than surrounding regions, but varies constantly.
The flora and fauna of the region are typical of the temperate and mountainous areas of the province. The most significant type of vegetation is the old growth forests that dominate the landscape. Oak, Chestnut poplar and Beech trees are common in the central and west parts of the territory, with mulberry and olive trees flanking vineyards that lie along the Rhone as it heads south towards the Mediterranean. Juniper and dwarf pines persist on the higher slopes of the valleys and mountainsides.
The rivers of the territory hold large populations of eels, pike, perch, carp, roach, salmon, and trout. The Roman baths of Vienne held a basin that contained a large selection of indigenous fish from the river for decoration. In Neolithic times, this region was home to large predatory animals such as wolves and brown bears, as well as herbivores such as elk. The larger fauna gradually disappeared from the lower valleys during the occupation by Iron Age tribes of the La Tène expansion but could still be found in the foothills of the Alps well into the Roman occupation. Smaller animals found in great abundance in the forests of Talallobrgis include martens, beavers, wild pigs, foxes, weasels, bats, rodents, rabbits, and assorted birds, with ibex and lynx at higher altitudes.
The People, Society and Government
The eponymous inhabitants of Talallobrogis during the third century BC were primarily members of the Allobroges tribe, a Keltoi clan confederation that came into being as part of the middle La Tène cultural expansion into the western Alps.
The people that composed the tribes of the Allobroges were a mixture of the regions Bronze Age predecessors, with an additional influx of people from the northeast Hallstatt core area who brought with them new cultural behaviours. This cultural expansion reached its zenith in the 4th century BCE, completely replacing the earlier Urnfield culture and bringing with it an explosion of complexity in the art and metal work of the people, with the introduction of intricate spiral designs and metallic jewelry.
The social organization of the Allobroges was akin to those of other Keltoi groups, but their proximity to the Mediterranean basin likely caused extensive influence from the Hellenic, Phoenician, and Rasenna civilizations that interacted with southern Gaul. Early settlements were open villages centred on fortified Chieftain’s homes, but towards the third century BCE the Allobroges increasingly lived in larger fortified Oppida fed by surrounding farming areas. The primary urban centre of the region was known as Vienne or Uiennos which was located on two hills overlooking the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Gère and in the vicinity of a small number of unfortified hamlets.
The Allobroges practiced extensive agriculture, with a surplus of wheat being grown along the banks of the Rhône. The slopes of the valley were also excellent locations for viniculture, a potential that would be realized into wine production after the incorporation of the Allobroges into the Roman Empire. The region also saw animal husbandry, forestry, and limited amounts of ore mining. There are records of slaves being traded through Massalia by Gaulish tribes that would have undoubtedly included the Allobroges. These Greek traders also introduced to the tribes of the Rhône wine, salted pork, medicinal plants, coral and cork.
The religion of the Allobroges was drawn from many Gallic sources, and like their neighbours the people dug ritual burial shafts and practiced votive offerings and occasionally human sacrifice. The deities were likely identical to those of other Gallic tribes, although it is noteworthy that no representations of Cernunnos or Epona have been found in the area. The introduction of Roman rule saw some changes to the religious fabric of the province but great numbers of adherents continued old traditions. Old Gallic gods like the mallet-bearing Sucellus and the mother goddesses called the Matres (depicted with cornucopiae) continued to be worshiped syncretistically along with the Roman gods in the region long after the induction of the territory as a Roman colony. Additional religious cults came later with the oriental immigrants, who brought the eastern mystery religions to the Rhône valley. A major shrine of the Phrygian goddess Cybele was built in Vienne, and grew significantly in popularity by the 1st century and 2nd century. North-east of Vienne and north of Cularo (modern Grenoble), is a major healing sanctuary at the modern town of Aix-les-Bains. This was dedicated to a southern Gaulish healing god Borvo, and not to Apollo as might have been expected of such a Romanised people.
Politically the Allobroges were, like other Gallic tribes, actually a super-tribal group composed of functionally independent smaller tribes. Each of these groups were often large related families with their own councils of elders, religious leaders, and warleaders. There were nominal ties between these groups but in practice the Allobroges rarely acted as a unified political force, only doing so in times of external strife or crisis, such as the election of Chief Catugnatus during a revolt against Rome in 61 BCE.
History
The legacy of humanity in the province of Talallabrogis is ancient, murky, and violent. Archaeological evidence indicates that the valleys of what would later be called the eastern Rhone watershed have been home to early modern human populations as early as 43,000 years ago, where they gradually displaced or merged with the endemic Neanderthal population. This tiny hunter-gatherer population would gradually adopt metal-working and agriculture, a process that escalated significantly with the influence of the proto-Celtic cultures to the northeast that began to affect the area around 500 BC.
By 400 BC Celtic tribes of the La Tène culture were firmly entrenched in the upper Rhône valley, forming the eastern flank of would become to be known as the Gaulish civilization. At this point they began to interact with the Greeks of nearby Massalia whose traders established envoys and trading routes to expand their access to the goods of the interior. Through this link contact was made with the vestiges of other Mediterranean civilizations, in particular the Etruscans and Phoenicians. Mediterranean events would gradually begin to involve and eclipse the local tribal politics of the Allobroges.
The first written record of the Allobroges comes from Polybius, who details their role in the journey of Hanba’al who during his journey to Italy was make his way through mountain passes that were fortified by the Allobroges. Though Hannibal had great success in making alliances with tribes west of the Rhône and those of Cisalpine Gaul, he does not appear to have been successful at negotiating friendship or free passage in this case. Allobroges warriors first unsuccessfully attacked Hannibals baggage train and harassed the passage of the army following an assault on their forts. For his part, Hannibal appears to have destroyed several settlements in his path as a lesson to the ‘barbarians’.
The Allobroges appear thereafter to have been left alone during the remainder of the Punic Wars, continuing to engage only in trade or low level conflict with immediate neighbours. During this century the tribe appears to have allied with the stronger Averni confederation to their west. The area once again came in conflict with a distant empire when two newly elected and ambitious Romani consuls named Gnaeus Domitius and Quintus Fabius Maximus began a campaign to subdue the Gaulish tribes in southern Gallia Transalpina. The pretext for the invasion was that the king of the rebellious Saluvii tribe had fled north to escape justice by Romani hands and received succor from the Allobroges. A potentially more important strategic consideration for the invasion was that conquering this area would give the burgeoning empire land access to their Iberian holdings and humble the rivals to their allies, the Aedui.
In any case, a Romani army assembled in 121 BC and marched from Masallia to confront the Allobroges. After a swift but inconclusive defeat at the hands of the Romani force as they occupied the area where the Isère (Isara) meets the Rhône (Rodonos), the Allobroges appealed for help from their powerful Averni allies, who had established the most powerful tribal coalition in the region. Bringing a large army to bear, King Vituitus marched to the Rhone to meet with the remaining warriors of the Allobroges and assaulted the Romani forces at Vindalium on the banks of the river. This battle proved disastrous for the alliance, as Romani discipline and decisive use of war elephants broke the Keltoi assault, resulting in the destruction of the Allobroges and Averni forces as well as the capture of the Averni king. In their victory, the Romani caused much resettling and occupied the main Oppida of the Allobroges at Vienne.
Romani rule would prove to be beneficial to many in the region, as growing connections with the Empire’s trade routes saw a significant increase in urbanization and wealth of the province. This prosperity was challenged when the invasion of the Cimbri and Teutones threatened the security of the area and set off a destabilization Helvetii migration into the area. Imperial rule was seriously challenged in 105 BCE the Romani army was defeated at nearby Arausio and the Germanic tribes began to penetrate the Alpine passes. The general Gauis Marius eventually succeeded at dealing with this invasion, once again cementing the security of the area.
As the prosperity and population of Gallia Narbonensis grew, the Allobroges tribe grew more and more entwined with the politics and intrigue of Roma. The most infamous example of this would be the Catalunian conspiracy of 63 BCE, whereupon a group of ostracized Romani political elites sought to foment rebellion and attempted to recruit the Allobroges into the conspiracy. The Allobroges instead informed on the conspirators, an act which resulted in a failure of the plot. Two years later the tribe rebelled on its own, electing chief Catugnatus to lead the revolt and expelling Romani citizens from Vienne. Those fleeing citizens would resettle the former village of Lugdunon, turning it into a rival city. This rebellion was ultimately crushed by Gaius Pomptinus at Solonium.
Their loyalty restored, the Allobroges would play an important role in ensuring the early success of Julius Caesar as he began his campaign to subdue the remaining entirety of Gaul. Caesar praised the warriors of the Allobroges, including two brothers named Roucillus and Egus who had been Chieftans of the tribe as excellent and upstanding allies during the campaign. Though the Allobroges would briefly assert a final attempt at independence in the chaos following Caesar’s assassination, they would once again aquiese to Romani rule, this time permanently.
By 100 AD, the city of Vienne had been granted status of full colonae by Emperor Augustus and had become capital to the flourishing province of Gallia Viennensis. Though highly Romanised, the remainder of the province retained elements of Keltoi culture, such as language and religious worship. Described as ‘historic and imposing’ by Tacitus, the city would continue to prosper until the general Imperial decline in the early 5th century. When the Burgundian tribe established control over the area in 443, the small remnants of Allobroges culture and language that remained quickly disappeared.
Strategy
Allobrogis is a highly strategic province, located as it is in the nexus of the southern Gallic lands; no transalpine nation can afford to overlook it. Rich in ores, slaves and other tradeable goods, it has the capacity to grow into a wealthy urban centre and become the jewel of any burgeoning empire.
MIKE GOLF
07-08-2015, 02:30
This is a description I made a while after talking to Brennus.
Feedback/criticism would be super appreciated! :)
Talallobrogis Province Description
Turning away from the warm shores of the Great Sea the traveller heads north, to follow the banks of the mighty Rodonos River as it climbs into the valleys and peaks of the soaring Alpes peaks. This river is the lifeblood to the many Keltoi tribes that live in its watershed, no more so than the strong and fierce Allobroges people that call these valleys home. They are a warlike and divided people, but of outstanding courage and loyalty. They are excellent farmers as well, and grow rich from the supplies of wheat and wine their fruitful valley supplies. Woe betides the traveller who would seek to cheat them or question their honour. Like the mighty oak forests and cloudy peaks of their homeland, the Allobroges are tall, imposing, and not to be trifled with.
Geography
The territory of the Allobroges corresponded roughly to the modern French department of Rhône-Alpes, centering on the various river valleys extending east and south from the Rhône River. The region is marked by its topographical diversity; in the west part of the territory the crumbling eastern terminus of the Massif Central range gives way to the Rhône valley; the upstream path of the Rhône then carves to the northeast towards Lake Geneva joined by number of tributaries that cascade from the Alps tallest peaks. Scattered amidst these peaks can be found some of continental Europe’s only glaciers, which feed streams that trickle through valleys that evolve from narrow mountain passes into smooth and broad troughs at the point of their confluence with the main Rhône valley.
Talallobrogis is home to an extremely variable climate, due to the blending of four distinct weather influences; the Continental system to the north, the Mediterranean climate to the south, Alpine to the east and Atlantic to the west, from across the massif. As such, for the Rhône and adjacent valleys the summers are hot and generally humid; spring and autumn are mild; winter is long, cold and snowy, especially in the mountains. Rainfall is typically higher than surrounding regions, but varies constantly.
The flora and fauna of the region are typical of the temperate and mountainous areas of the province. The most significant type of vegetation is the old growth forests that dominate the landscape. Oak, Chestnut poplar and Beech trees are common in the central and west parts of the territory, with mulberry and olive trees flanking vineyards that lie along the Rhone as it heads south towards the Mediterranean. Juniper and dwarf pines persist on the higher slopes of the valleys and mountainsides.
The rivers of the territory hold large populations of eels, pike, perch, carp, roach, salmon, and trout. The Roman baths of Vienne held a basin that contained a large selection of indigenous fish from the river for decoration. In Neolithic times, this region was home to large predatory animals such as wolves and brown bears, as well as herbivores such as elk. The larger fauna gradually disappeared from the lower valleys during the occupation by Iron Age tribes of the La Tène expansion but could still be found in the foothills of the Alps well into the Roman occupation. Smaller animals found in great abundance in the forests of Talallobrgis include martens, beavers, wild pigs, foxes, weasels, bats, rodents, rabbits, and assorted birds, with ibex and lynx at higher altitudes.
The People, Society and Government
The eponymous inhabitants of Talallobrogis during the third century BC were primarily members of the Allobroges tribe, a Keltoi clan confederation that came into being as part of the middle La Tène cultural expansion into the western Alps.
The people that composed the tribes of the Allobroges were a mixture of the regions Bronze Age predecessors, with an additional influx of people from the northeast Hallstatt core area who brought with them new cultural behaviours. This cultural expansion reached its zenith in the 4th century BCE, completely replacing the earlier Urnfield culture and bringing with it an explosion of complexity in the art and metal work of the people, with the introduction of intricate spiral designs and metallic jewelry.
The social organization of the Allobroges was akin to those of other Keltoi groups, but their proximity to the Mediterranean basin likely caused extensive influence from the Hellenic, Phoenician, and Rasenna civilizations that interacted with southern Gaul. Early settlements were open villages centred on fortified Chieftain’s homes, but towards the third century BCE the Allobroges increasingly lived in larger fortified Oppida fed by surrounding farming areas. The primary urban centre of the region was known as Vienne or Uiennos which was located on two hills overlooking the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Gère and in the vicinity of a small number of unfortified hamlets.
The Allobroges practiced extensive agriculture, with a surplus of wheat being grown along the banks of the Rhône. The slopes of the valley were also excellent locations for viniculture, a potential that would be realized into wine production after the incorporation of the Allobroges into the Roman Empire. The region also saw animal husbandry, forestry, and limited amounts of ore mining. There are records of slaves being traded through Massalia by Gaulish tribes that would have undoubtedly included the Allobroges. These Greek traders also introduced to the tribes of the Rhône wine, salted pork, medicinal plants, coral and cork.
The religion of the Allobroges was drawn from many Gallic sources, and like their neighbours the people dug ritual burial shafts and practiced votive offerings and occasionally human sacrifice. The deities were likely identical to those of other Gallic tribes, although it is noteworthy that no representations of Cernunnos or Epona have been found in the area. The introduction of Roman rule saw some changes to the religious fabric of the province but great numbers of adherents continued old traditions. Old Gallic gods like the mallet-bearing Sucellus and the mother goddesses called the Matres (depicted with cornucopiae) continued to be worshiped syncretistically along with the Roman gods in the region long after the induction of the territory as a Roman colony. Additional religious cults came later with the oriental immigrants, who brought the eastern mystery religions to the Rhône valley. A major shrine of the Phrygian goddess Cybele was built in Vienne, and grew significantly in popularity by the 1st century and 2nd century. North-east of Vienne and north of Cularo (modern Grenoble), is a major healing sanctuary at the modern town of Aix-les-Bains. This was dedicated to a southern Gaulish healing god Borvo, and not to Apollo as might have been expected of such a Romanised people.
Politically the Allobroges were, like other Gallic tribes, actually a super-tribal group composed of functionally independent smaller tribes. Each of these groups were often large related families with their own councils of elders, religious leaders, and warleaders. There were nominal ties between these groups but in practice the Allobroges rarely acted as a unified political force, only doing so in times of external strife or crisis, such as the election of Chief Catugnatus during a revolt against Rome in 61 BCE.
History
The legacy of humanity in the province of Talallabrogis is ancient, murky, and violent. Archaeological evidence indicates that the valleys of what would later be called the eastern Rhone watershed have been home to early modern human populations as early as 43,000 years ago, where they gradually displaced or merged with the endemic Neanderthal population. This tiny hunter-gatherer population would gradually adopt metal-working and agriculture, a process that escalated significantly with the influence of the proto-Celtic cultures to the northeast that began to affect the area around 500 BC.
By 400 BC Celtic tribes of the La Tène culture were firmly entrenched in the upper Rhône valley, forming the eastern flank of would become to be known as the Gaulish civilization. At this point they began to interact with the Greeks of nearby Massalia whose traders established envoys and trading routes to expand their access to the goods of the interior. Through this link contact was made with the vestiges of other Mediterranean civilizations, in particular the Etruscans and Phoenicians. Mediterranean events would gradually begin to involve and eclipse the local tribal politics of the Allobroges.
The first written record of the Allobroges comes from Polybius, who details their role in the journey of Hanba’al who during his journey to Italy was make his way through mountain passes that were fortified by the Allobroges. Though Hannibal had great success in making alliances with tribes west of the Rhône and those of Cisalpine Gaul, he does not appear to have been successful at negotiating friendship or free passage in this case. Allobroges warriors first unsuccessfully attacked Hannibals baggage train and harassed the passage of the army following an assault on their forts. For his part, Hannibal appears to have destroyed several settlements in his path as a lesson to the ‘barbarians’.
The Allobroges appear thereafter to have been left alone during the remainder of the Punic Wars, continuing to engage only in trade or low level conflict with immediate neighbours. During this century the tribe appears to have allied with the stronger Averni confederation to their west. The area once again came in conflict with a distant empire when two newly elected and ambitious Romani consuls named Gnaeus Domitius and Quintus Fabius Maximus began a campaign to subdue the Gaulish tribes in southern Gallia Transalpina. The pretext for the invasion was that the king of the rebellious Saluvii tribe had fled north to escape justice by Romani hands and received succor from the Allobroges. A potentially more important strategic consideration for the invasion was that conquering this area would give the burgeoning empire land access to their Iberian holdings and humble the rivals to their allies, the Aedui.
In any case, a Romani army assembled in 121 BC and marched from Masallia to confront the Allobroges. After a swift but inconclusive defeat at the hands of the Romani force as they occupied the area where the Isère (Isara) meets the Rhône (Rodonos), the Allobroges appealed for help from their powerful Averni allies, who had established the most powerful tribal coalition in the region. Bringing a large army to bear, King Vituitus marched to the Rhone to meet with the remaining warriors of the Allobroges and assaulted the Romani forces at Vindalium on the banks of the river. This battle proved disastrous for the alliance, as Romani discipline and decisive use of war elephants broke the Keltoi assault, resulting in the destruction of the Allobroges and Averni forces as well as the capture of the Averni king. In their victory, the Romani caused much resettling and occupied the main Oppida of the Allobroges at Vienne.
Romani rule would prove to be beneficial to many in the region, as growing connections with the Empire’s trade routes saw a significant increase in urbanization and wealth of the province. This prosperity was challenged when the invasion of the Cimbri and Teutones threatened the security of the area and set off a destabilization Helvetii migration into the area. Imperial rule was seriously challenged in 105 BCE the Romani army was defeated at nearby Arausio and the Germanic tribes began to penetrate the Alpine passes. The general Gauis Marius eventually succeeded at dealing with this invasion, once again cementing the security of the area.
As the prosperity and population of Gallia Narbonensis grew, the Allobroges tribe grew more and more entwined with the politics and intrigue of Roma. The most infamous example of this would be the Catalunian conspiracy of 63 BCE, whereupon a group of ostracized Romani political elites sought to foment rebellion and attempted to recruit the Allobroges into the conspiracy. The Allobroges instead informed on the conspirators, an act which resulted in a failure of the plot. Two years later the tribe rebelled on its own, electing chief Catugnatus to lead the revolt and expelling Romani citizens from Vienne. Those fleeing citizens would resettle the former village of Lugdunon, turning it into a rival city. This rebellion was ultimately crushed by Gaius Pomptinus at Solonium.
Their loyalty restored, the Allobroges would play an important role in ensuring the early success of Julius Caesar as he began his campaign to subdue the remaining entirety of Gaul. Caesar praised the warriors of the Allobroges, including two brothers named Roucillus and Egus who had been Chieftans of the tribe as excellent and upstanding allies during the campaign. Though the Allobroges would briefly assert a final attempt at independence in the chaos following Caesar’s assassination, they would once again aquiese to Romani rule, this time permanently.
By 100 AD, the city of Vienne had been granted status of full colonae by Emperor Augustus and had become capital to the flourishing province of Gallia Viennensis. Though highly Romanised, the remainder of the province retained elements of Keltoi culture, such as language and religious worship. Described as ‘historic and imposing’ by Tacitus, the city would continue to prosper until the general Imperial decline in the early 5th century. When the Burgundian tribe established control over the area in 443, the small remnants of Allobroges culture and language that remained quickly disappeared.
Strategy
Allobrogis is a highly strategic province, located as it is in the nexus of the southern Gallic lands; no transalpine nation can afford to overlook it. Rich in ores, slaves and other tradeable goods, it has the capacity to grow into a wealthy urban centre and become the jewel of any burgeoning empire.Nicely done.:2thumbsup:
EDIT: What should the actual name of the province be? Talaallobrogis (Old) or Talallobrogis (New). If it is the new spelling version then the imperial_campaign_regions_and_settlement_names file will also need to be updated as well.
The Gypsy
12-08-2015, 09:44
Greetings Gentlemen,
I never said it would be fast but its here, only 6 months late (oops). Here is the regional description for Ikoranda Piktonis, not including "People and Society and Strategy" which will be done tomorrow along with formatting and such. Thoughts and feelings?
Traveller’s Log
The cold Atlantic splashes onto the deck as the Traveller shivers under his cloak, the harsh Gallic voices of the crew swallowed by the hiss and rush of the ocean. The captain, despite being a seasoned seaman, refuses to travel close to the coast siting risks of shifting sandbars, strong and unpredictable currents and tides. All that can be made out is the mouth of the Liger, surrounded by marshes and, on drier land, deciduous forests and farmland. This land is inhabited by the Piktonis and the Santonis, and his final destination, Lemonum, by the Lemovices. All are Celts, warlike and proud, who live and die by the sword.
Geography
Ikoranda Piktonis roughly corresponds to two of the administrative regions of modern France, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes, and is split equally between them. It covered the area between the Loire River (in the period of EB, the Liger), which forms its northern border, and the Gironde Estuary (the Garumna), which forms its southern border. Technically, the Gironde is only the mouth of two rivers, the most northern of being the Dordogne which formed the southern border. Its limit to the west is the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic, while its eastern border is somewhat unclear with the province petering out east of the capital, Lemonum. The Gironde and the Loire were (and are) marshy and unpredictable rivers with strong tidal flows and changeable sandbanks, requiring an experienced pilot to navigate safely. But with risk comes riches, the marshes are a haven for birds and fish. The Atlantic was a major means of travel and exchange by the 3rd century BCE, influencing the archaeological signature of all coastal settlements in Celtic land, creating the ‘Atlantic façade’.
The climate of this period was much as it is today, a temperate oceanic climate, with significant rainfall in both summer and winter. The land is mostly flat and low lying, with no major mountain ranges or hills. As a result, the two dominant biomes are marsh and deciduous forest. The deciduous forest was made up of oak, beech, pine and birch with numerous mammals such as deer, boar, wolves, foxes, rabbits and–occasionally-bears. However, the large carnivores that once inhabited this forest such as bears and wolves were eradicated in the Middle Ages.
History
The history of this region is long, stretching as back to its first settlement by the genus Homo by Homo neanderthalisensis, almost 200 000 years ago to their eventual replacement by humans by 30 000 years ago and onwards. These humans were responsible for the stunning cave paintings at Lascaux and other Upper Paleolithic sites.
The arrival of farming and the somewhat mysterious Indo-Europeans around 3000 BCE, marks the beginning of the story of Ikoranda Piktonis.
Indo-Europeans are the source of the majority of modern European and Asian languages, with the exception of Basque and Finnish in Western Europe. They are reputed to have migrated from an area around Iran and Northern India to travel as far west as Ireland, leaving behind both language and belief systems that would evolve into ‘Celtic’ by 1000 BCE. These languages were driven into extinction by the Roman conquest of Western Europe, delivering the killing blow to Gaulish, Galatian, Celto-Iberian among others. Only in the far western strongholds did these languages survive, leaving Welsh, Gaelic and Irish to survive into the present.
The first truly ‘Celtic’ culture in Europe is the Hallstatt, which marks the beginning of widespread iron usage in this area albeit tempered with a strong usage of bronze. It was named for a huge cemetery is Austria where over 1000 burials were discovered. It was characterized by the appearance of fortified hilltop settlements (Oppida) and elaborate elite burials which would continue into the next archaeologically defined culture, the La Tène. This begins around 5th century BCE and would continue until the Roman conquest in the 1st century. Contact with the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans resulted in a vibrant trade, exchanging the exotics of the north for those of the south, by riverine routes on the Danube and Rhine. In Ikoranda Piktonis Greek and Phoencian traders arrived from the Mediterranean to trade for tin from Britain and other goods from the interior of Gaul. This helped fuel the wealth based culture of the La Tène, where gifts and largess played a key part in determining status, reflecting in the impressive burials and artifacts of the period.
Such is the state of play by the beginning of Europa Barbarorum in early 3rd century BCE, with elite culture and status being fueled by Mediterranean trade, which was funneled into the ports of the Atlantic coast and up the rivers of Central Europe.
The arrival of Julius Caesar in Gaul in 58 BCE gives us our first comprehensive written accounts of this region, which gives us the names of many of the tribes he encountered, including in Ikoranda Piktonis, the Pictones or Piktonis. These people were renowned for their shipbuilding and aided Caesar in his initial conquest of Gaul, supplying ships and men. They attempted to aid the rebellion of Vercingetorix but were repressed after his defeat at Alesia and became part of the Roman Empire.
QuintusSertorius
12-08-2015, 12:03
Brennus - new description above for you to review.
The Gypsy
12-09-2015, 08:36
All polished off, its decent but may be a bit general. It lacks specificity about the province itself, I ended up rambling about things that are not strictly on topic. Plus needs more druids, I'll come back to it probably but for now here it is.
Ikoranda Piktonis
<h>Traveller’s Log</h><p>The cold Atlantic splashes onto the deck as the Traveller shivers under his cloak, the harsh Gallic voices of the crew swallowed by the hiss and rush of the ocean. The captain, despite being a seasoned seaman, refuses to travel close to the coast, siting risks of shifting sandbars, strong and unpredictable currents and tides. All that can be made out is the mouth of the Liger, surrounded by marshes and, on drier land, deciduous forests and farmland. This land is inhabited by the Piktonis and the Santonis, and his final destination, Lemonum, by the Lemovices. All are Celts, warlike and proud, who live and die by the sword.</p><h>Geography</h><p>Ikoranda Piktonis roughly corresponds to two of the administrative regions of modern France, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes, and is split equally between them. It covered the area between the Loire River (in the period of EB, the Liger), which formed its northern border, and the Gironde Estuary (the Garumna), which forms its southern border. Technically, the Gironde is only the mouth of two rivers, the most northern of being the Dordogne which forms the southern border. Its limit to the west is the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic, while its eastern border is somewhat unclear with the province petering out east of the capital, Lemonum. The Gironde and the Loire were (and are) marshy and unpredictable rivers with strong tidal flows and changeable sandbanks, requiring an experienced pilot to navigate safely. But with risk comes riches, the marshes are a haven for birds, fish and traders. The Atlantic was a major means of travel and exchange by the 3rd century BCE, influencing the archaeological signature of all coastal settlements in Celtic land, creating the so-called ‘Atlantic façade’.</p> <p>The climate of this period was much as it is today, a temperate oceanic climate, with significant rainfall in both summer and winter. The land is mostly flat and low lying, with no major mountain ranges or hills. As a result, the two dominant biomes are marsh and deciduous forest. The deciduous forest was made up of oak, beech, pine and birch with numerous mammals such as deer, boar, wolves, foxes, rabbits and–occasionally-bears. However, the large carnivores that once inhabited this forest such as bears and wolves were eradicated in the Middle Ages.</p> <h>History</h><p>The history of this region is long, stretching as back to its first settlement by the genus Homo by Homo neanderthalisensis, almost 200 000 years ago. But bthe arrival of Indo-European languages and farming marks the beginning of the history of Ikoranda Piktonis.</p><p>Indo-Europeans are the source of the majority of modern European and Asian languages, with the exception of Basque and Finnish in Western Europe. They are reputed to have migrated from an area around Iran and Northern India to travel as far west as Ireland, leaving behind both language and belief systems that would evolve into ‘Celtic’ by 1000 BCE. These languages were driven into extinction by the Roman conquest of Western Europe, delivering the killing blow to Gaulish, Galatian, Celto-Iberian among others. Only in the far western strongholds did these languages survive, leaving Welsh, Gaelic and Irish to survive into the present.</p><p>The first truly ‘Celtic’ culture in Europe is the Hallstatt, which marks the beginning of widespread iron usage in this area albeit tempered with a strong usage of bronze. It is worth noting however, the arrival of a specific archaeological culture cannot be equated with the arrival of the Celts or even a broad sense of ‘Celticness’. It was named for a huge cemetery is Austria where over 1000 burials were discovered. It was characterized by the appearance of fortified hilltop settlements (Oppida) and elaborate elite burials which would continue into the next archaeologically defined culture.</p><p>The La Tène begins around 5th century BCE and would continue until the Roman conquest in the 1st century. Contact with the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans resulted in a vibrant trade, exchanging the exotics of the north for those of the south, by riverine routes on the Danube and Rhine and through the Atlantic. In Ikoranda Piktonis Greek and Phoencian traders arrived from the Mediterranean to trade for tin from Britain and other goods from the interior of Gaul. This helped fuel the wealth based culture of the La Tène, where gifts and largess played a key part in determining status, reflected in the impressive burials and artifacts of the period.</p> <p>Such is the state of play by the beginning of Europa Barbarorum in early 3rd century BCE, with elite culture and status being fueled by Mediterranean trade, which was funneled into the ports of the Atlantic coast and up the rivers of Central Europe.</p><p>The arrival of Julius Caesar in Gaul in 58 BCE gives us our first comprehensive written accounts of this region, which gives us the names of many of the tribes he encountered, including in Ikoranda Piktonis, the Pictones or Piktonis. These people were renowned for their shipbuilding and aided Caesar in his initial conquest of Gaul, supplying ships and men. They attempted to aid the rebellion of Vercingetorix but were repressed after his defeat at Alesia and after being absorbed by the Romans, ceased to exist as a separate entity.</p><h> People, Society and Government</h><p>The people of this region are Celts, drawn from ancient stock and with culture and language that can be traced back to the first Indo-European migrations into Europe.</p><p>There are two main varieties of Celtic that have been identified in Iron Age Europe, Insular and Continental Celtic, the former being spoken in Britain, Ireland and Brittany while the latter was spoken in the rest of Celtic Europe (including the similar but distinct Celto-Iberian). The language of the people of Ikoranda Piktonis was probably Gaulish, a language whose main source of evidence comes from inscriptions, due to the extinction of Continental Celtic during the Roman occupation to follow.</p><p>Celtic society and government is based around bondage, status and privilege. They were dominated by warrior elites, whose drive for status resulted in the beautiful and ornate art of the period. Bondage and fealty bound men and women to the King, in variety of statuses, from valued ‘shieldman’ to lowly serf. The sense of ‘nationhood’ was primarily formed from belonging to the tribe, resulting in frequent inter-tribal violence, which was often used to build a warrior’s prestige.</p><h>Strategy<h/><p>Rich trade and soils make this province a potential breadbasket for any empire, with wealth to expand and form a yet greater nation.</p>
belliger
12-09-2015, 16:09
hi all.
sorry to disturb, about the regions.
i know you all are really advanced in the s.c. 'making of', but - historically speaking, i would like to give two little suggestions, more in line with the historical accuracy, concerning italy.
Could the game regions be more adherent with the Augustan Division of Italy? Augustus reorganized Italy in 11 regions, coherent with their history and traditions (so it can be somehow historical even 3 centuries before him).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Italy
For example, it is a pity that there is no Samnium, a region with its own particular people, history and military tradition and which was very important in roman history and for the roman armies.
17110
One more thing. i noticed that in none of the RTW/EB simulations, there is the Lake Fucinus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucine_Lake
it was the biggest lake in peninsular italy, even bigger than the Trasimeno lake. it was even fought a naumachia during the emperor Claudius, and was place for a big batle during the Social War (89 b.c.).
SO, i know the fixing is nearly completed, but, what do you think about?
Belliger
QuintusSertorius
12-09-2015, 19:00
Uh, why would we use a division that's irrelevant in 272BC? Not only that, out of a limit of 199 provinces, why should Italy alone merit 11 of them?
belliger
12-09-2015, 21:28
thx for the quick and pertinent answer, Quintus. i know that 11 provinces is A LOT.
my consideration was not about that, i know such regions are hardcoded, and so on.
I just considered that the Augustan division was -somehow- depicting also a cultural/ethnic (and military) evidence exixsting since the beginning of roman history (and before).
And I just wonder it is a shame that Samnium disapperars as a whole, considered its historical relevance , especially compared with -let's say- corsica, that can effectively be united with Sardinia.
About lake fucinus, it is a simple matter of fact that it was a very big lake, that does not exist in the game.
All polished off, its decent but may be a bit general. It lacks specificity about the province itself, I ended up rambling about things that are not strictly on topic. Plus needs more druids, I'll come back to it probably but for now here it is.
Ikoranda Piktonis
<h>Traveller’s Log</h><p>The cold Atlantic splashes onto the deck as the Traveller shivers under his cloak, the harsh Gallic voices of the crew swallowed by the hiss and rush of the ocean. The captain, despite being a seasoned seaman, refuses to travel close to the coast, siting risks of shifting sandbars, strong and unpredictable currents and tides. All that can be made out is the mouth of the Liger, surrounded by marshes and, on drier land, deciduous forests and farmland. This land is inhabited by the Piktonis and the Santonis, and his final destination, Lemonum, by the Lemovices. All are Celts, warlike and proud, who live and die by the sword.</p><h>Geography</h><p>Ikoranda Piktonis roughly corresponds to two of the administrative regions of modern France, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes, and is split equally between them. It covered the area between the Loire River (in the period of EB, the Liger), which formed its northern border, and the Gironde Estuary (the Garumna), which forms its southern border. Technically, the Gironde is only the mouth of two rivers, the most northern of being the Dordogne which forms the southern border. Its limit to the west is the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic, while its eastern border is somewhat unclear with the province petering out east of the capital, Lemonum. The Gironde and the Loire were (and are) marshy and unpredictable rivers with strong tidal flows and changeable sandbanks, requiring an experienced pilot to navigate safely. But with risk comes riches, the marshes are a haven for birds, fish and traders. The Atlantic was a major means of travel and exchange by the 3rd century BCE, influencing the archaeological signature of all coastal settlements in Celtic land, creating the so-called ‘Atlantic façade’.</p> <p>The climate of this period was much as it is today, a temperate oceanic climate, with significant rainfall in both summer and winter. The land is mostly flat and low lying, with no major mountain ranges or hills. As a result, the two dominant biomes are marsh and deciduous forest. The deciduous forest was made up of oak, beech, pine and birch with numerous mammals such as deer, boar, wolves, foxes, rabbits and–occasionally-bears. However, the large carnivores that once inhabited this forest such as bears and wolves were eradicated in the Middle Ages.</p> <h>History</h><p>The history of this region is long, stretching as back to its first settlement by the genus Homo by Homo neanderthalisensis, almost 200 000 years ago. But bthe arrival of Indo-European languages and farming marks the beginning of the history of Ikoranda Piktonis.</p><p>Indo-Europeans are the source of the majority of modern European and Asian languages, with the exception of Basque and Finnish in Western Europe. They are reputed to have migrated from an area around Iran and Northern India to travel as far west as Ireland, leaving behind both language and belief systems that would evolve into ‘Celtic’ by 1000 BCE. These languages were driven into extinction by the Roman conquest of Western Europe, delivering the killing blow to Gaulish, Galatian, Celto-Iberian among others. Only in the far western strongholds did these languages survive, leaving Welsh, Gaelic and Irish to survive into the present.</p><p>The first truly ‘Celtic’ culture in Europe is the Hallstatt, which marks the beginning of widespread iron usage in this area albeit tempered with a strong usage of bronze. It is worth noting however, the arrival of a specific archaeological culture cannot be equated with the arrival of the Celts or even a broad sense of ‘Celticness’. It was named for a huge cemetery is Austria where over 1000 burials were discovered. It was characterized by the appearance of fortified hilltop settlements (Oppida) and elaborate elite burials which would continue into the next archaeologically defined culture.</p><p>The La Tène begins around 5th century BCE and would continue until the Roman conquest in the 1st century. Contact with the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans resulted in a vibrant trade, exchanging the exotics of the north for those of the south, by riverine routes on the Danube and Rhine and through the Atlantic. In Ikoranda Piktonis Greek and Phoencian traders arrived from the Mediterranean to trade for tin from Britain and other goods from the interior of Gaul. This helped fuel the wealth based culture of the La Tène, where gifts and largess played a key part in determining status, reflected in the impressive burials and artifacts of the period.</p> <p>Such is the state of play by the beginning of Europa Barbarorum in early 3rd century BCE, with elite culture and status being fueled by Mediterranean trade, which was funneled into the ports of the Atlantic coast and up the rivers of Central Europe.</p><p>The arrival of Julius Caesar in Gaul in 58 BCE gives us our first comprehensive written accounts of this region, which gives us the names of many of the tribes he encountered, including in Ikoranda Piktonis, the Pictones or Piktonis. These people were renowned for their shipbuilding and aided Caesar in his initial conquest of Gaul, supplying ships and men. They attempted to aid the rebellion of Vercingetorix but were repressed after his defeat at Alesia and after being absorbed by the Romans, ceased to exist as a separate entity.</p><h> People, Society and Government</h><p>The people of this region are Celts, drawn from ancient stock and with culture and language that can be traced back to the first Indo-European migrations into Europe.</p><p>There are two main varieties of Celtic that have been identified in Iron Age Europe, Insular and Continental Celtic, the former being spoken in Britain, Ireland and Brittany while the latter was spoken in the rest of Celtic Europe (including the similar but distinct Celto-Iberian). The language of the people of Ikoranda Piktonis was probably Gaulish, a language whose main source of evidence comes from inscriptions, due to the extinction of Continental Celtic during the Roman occupation to follow.</p><p>Celtic society and government is based around bondage, status and privilege. They were dominated by warrior elites, whose drive for status resulted in the beautiful and ornate art of the period. Bondage and fealty bound men and women to the King, in variety of statuses, from valued ‘shieldman’ to lowly serf. The sense of ‘nationhood’ was primarily formed from belonging to the tribe, resulting in frequent inter-tribal violence, which was often used to build a warrior’s prestige.</p><h>Strategy<h/><p>Rich trade and soils make this province a potential breadbasket for any empire, with wealth to expand and form a yet greater nation.</p>
Can't speak for Brennus, other than commenting that it's really well written and I hope you do more. ~:)
Can't speak for Brennus, other than commenting that it's really well written and I hope you do more. ~:)
I second that... Hope you do more.
The Gypsy
12-11-2015, 08:40
I second that... Hope you do more.
You should all be very afraid, I just might :P
I've made a decision as to what province to do, the trouble is I don't have EBII installed right now so I can't check the province name and they have all changed since EB1, so all the old maps are no good.
So can anyone tell me what this province is called? The south-western most province in Gaul.
17120
belliger
12-12-2015, 12:58
You should all be very afraid, I just might :P
I've made a decision as to what province to do, the trouble is I don't have EBII installed right now so I can't check the province name and they have all changed since EB1, so all the old maps are no good.
So can anyone tell me what this province is called? The south-western most province in Gaul.
17120
it might be Aquitania (quoting Caesar)
Aye, Akuitanon The Gypsy it should be the native name...
z3n is right, that is very well written The Gypsy. A few inclusions regarding the Archaeological data for the region, and it would be comparable with the extant Gallic province descriptions (I can provide sources or take care of it myself if you prefer?). However, in its current state I am happy to see it included in the game.
The Gypsy
12-21-2015, 10:45
I would be happy for you to provide sources (that would be very nice of you, I'd normally expect to have to do it myself) and I can do it, I'll use some of what is there for the description I am writing for Akuitanon as well to bring it up to standard. I had another question as well, what is name of the capital in Akuitanon?
belliger
12-21-2015, 12:40
I would be happy for you to provide sources (that would be very nice of you, I'd normally expect to have to do it myself) and I can do it, I'll use some of what is there for the description I am writing for Akuitanon as well to bring it up to standard. I had another question as well, what is name of the capital in Akuitanon?
AFAIR , is Burdigala (the now Bordeaux)
The Gypsy the capital should be Iliberri, meaning something like "new-city", while Burdigala is the minor settlement...
arinbjorn
12-21-2015, 19:41
Having been enjoying EB for quite a few years, particularly all the historical, cultural, and economic descriptions, I would like to volunteer my services in proofreading any and all descriptions as time permits.
The Gypsy
12-22-2015, 02:28
If you would like to help out, you can consult the map in the spoiler below for provinces that need to be proofread (I believe it is correct). To get the descriptions themselves you can find them in the files of EBII (located in the export buildings.txt under the province name). The layout can be found on the front page of the thread.
17149
[QUOTE=The Gypsy;2053676473]If you would like to help out, you can consult the map in the spoiler below for provinces that need to be proofread (I believe it is correct). To get the descriptions themselves you can find them in the files of EBII (located in the export buildings.txt under the province name). The layout can be found on the front page of the thread.
17149[/QUO
I think Thessalia is not missing any sections. IIRC I took over the description with History and Strategy missing and completed those two sections.
If you want archaeological data for the area I would suggest searching the French national archaeological authority (INRAP) as they often have free publication. In particular the Bilans Regional provide grey literature pertaining to ongoing excavations. There is also the AFEAF, the French association dedicated to the study of the Iron Age. Finally Academia.edu is used by a lot of specialists of that period, and they often upload papers which may be of use.
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?456524-The-EBII-Recruitment-thread/page11
Dusan Silni can help you with balkan province descriptions. Pls contact him.
The Gypsy
12-23-2015, 00:39
Here is the revised version for Ikoranda Piktonis, I've added an additional paragraph (The first spoiler) pertaining to some of the archaeology of the region, albeit somewhat vaguely.
Ikoranda Piktonis reflects wider trends towards fortification, industry, status and trade. Many sites in this area show signs of fortification, with ditches and timber walls built on hills in commanding locations, often to protect either villages or the important waterways which these villages grew up around. These villages show evidence of ironworking, glass manufacture and ceramic production, often on large scales. These industries, along with raw materials, provided the bulk of the trade goods that the people of the Mediterranean desired. Trash pits are often one of the richest sources of evidence for archaeologists, proving again the adage, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. Such is case here with garbage piles containing local Gallic pottery mixed with foreign amphora jars, which are often used to store wine. Whether these jars held wine for consumption or the pottery itself was desired is unknown, but it reflects a wider Mediterranean influence on the Celtic world.
And here is the fully edited version, ready to be copy/pasted.
<h>Traveller’s Log</h<p>The cold Atlantic splashes onto the deck as the Traveller shivers under his cloak, the harsh Gallic voices of the crew swallowed by the hiss and rush of the ocean. The captain, despite being a seasoned seaman, refuses to travel close to the coast, siting risks of shifting sandbanks, strong and unpredictable currents and tides. All that can be made out is the mouth of the Liger, surrounded by marshes and, on drier land, deciduous forests and farmland. This land is inhabited by the Piktonis and the Santonis, and his final destination, Lemonum, by the Lemovices. All are Celts, warlike and proud, who live and die by the sword.</p><h>Geography</h><p>Ikoranda Piktonis roughly corresponds to two of the administrative regions of modern France, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes, and is split equally between them. It covered the area between the Loire River (in the period of EB, the Liger), which formed its northern border, and the Gironde Estuary (the Garumna), which forms its southern border. Technically, the Gironde is only the mouth of two rivers, the most northern of being the Dordogne which forms the southern border. Its limit to the west is the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic, while its eastern border is somewhat unclear with the province petering out east of the capital, Lemonum. The Gironde and the Loire were (and are) marshy and unpredictable rivers with strong tidal flows and changeable sandbanks, requiring an experienced pilot to navigate safely. But with risk comes riches, the marshes are a haven for birds, fish and traders. The Atlantic was a major means of travel and exchange by the 3rd century BCE, influencing the archaeological signature of all coastal settlements in Celtic land, creating the so-called ‘Atlantic façade’.</p> <p>The climate of this period was much as it is today, a temperate oceanic climate, with significant rainfall in both summer and winter. The land is mostly flat and low lying, with no major mountain ranges or hills. As a result, the two dominant biomes are marsh and deciduous forest. The deciduous forest was made up of oak, beech, pine and birch with numerous mammals such as deer, boar, wolves, foxes, rabbits and–occasionally-bears. However, the large carnivores that once inhabited this forest such as bears and wolves were eradicated in the Middle Ages.</p><h>History</h><p>The history of this region is long, stretching as back to its first settlement by the genus Homo by Homo neanderthalisensis, almost 200 000 years ago. But the arrival of Indo-European languages and farming marks the beginning of the history of Ikoranda Piktonis.</p><p>Indo-Europeans are the source of the majority of modern European and Asian languages, with the exception of Basque and Finnish in Western Europe. They are reputed to have migrated from an area around Iran and Northern India to travel as far west as Ireland, leaving behind both language and belief systems that would evolve into ‘Celtic’ by 1000 BCE. These languages were driven into extinction by the Roman conquest of Western Europe, delivering the killing blow to Gaulish, Galatian, Celto-Iberian among others. Only in the far western strongholds did these languages survive, leaving Welsh, Gaelic and Irish to survive into the present.</p><p>The first truly ‘Celtic’ culture in Europe is the Hallstatt, which marks the beginning of widespread iron usage in this area, albeit tempered with a strong usage of bronze. It is worth noting however, the arrival of a specific archaeological culture cannot be equated with the arrival of the Celts or even a broad sense of ‘Celticness’. It was named for a huge cemetery is Austria where over 1000 burials were discovered. It was characterized by the appearance of fortified hilltop settlements (Oppida) and elaborate elite burials which would continue into the next archaeologically defined culture, the La Tène.</p><p>The La Tène begins around 5th century BCE and would continue until the Roman conquest in the 1st century BCE. Contact with the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans resulted in a vibrant trade, exchanging the exotics of the north for those of the south, by riverine routes on the Danube and Rhine and through the Atlantic. In Ikoranda Piktonis Greek and Phoenician traders arrived from the Mediterranean to trade for tin from Britain and other goods from the interior of Gaul. This helped fuel the wealth based culture of the La Tène, where gifts and largess played a key part in determining status, reflected in the impressive burials and artifacts of the period. The development of hillforts in the Hallstatt is continued into the La Tène, growing in both number and size, presumably to protect the wealth this trade generated.</p> <p>Ikoranda Piktonis reflects wider trends towards fortification, industry, status and trade. Many sites in this area show signs of fortification, with ditches and timber walls built on hills in commanding locations, often to protect either villages or the important waterways which these villages grew up around. These villages show evidence of ironworking, glass manufacture and ceramic production, often on large scales. These industries, along with raw materials, provided the bulk of the trade goods that the people of the Mediterranean desired. Trash pits are often one of the richest sources of evidence for archaeologists, proving again the adage, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. Such is case here with garbage piles containing local Gallic pottery mixed with foreign amphora jars, which are often used to store wine. Whether these jars held wine for consumption or the pottery itself was desired is unknown, but it reflects a wider Mediterranean influence on the Celtic world.</p><p>Such is the state of play by the beginning of the timeframe of Europa Barbarorum in early 3rd century BCE, with elite culture and status being fueled by Mediterranean trade, which was funneled into the ports of the Atlantic coast and up the rivers of Central Europe with many and more fortifications to protect that wealth.</p><p>The arrival of Julius Caesar in Gaul in 58 BCE gives us our first comprehensive written accounts of this region, which gives us the names of many of the tribes he encountered, including in Ikoranda Piktonis, the Pictones or Piktonis. These people were renowned for their shipbuilding and aided Caesar in his initial conquest of Gaul, supplying ships and men. They attempted to aid the rebellion of Vercingetorix but were repressed after his defeat at Alesia and after being absorbed by the Romans, ceased to exist as a separate entity.</p><h> People, Society and Government</h><p>The people of this region are Celts, drawn from ancient stock and with culture and language that can be traced back to the first Indo-European migrations into Europe.</p><p>There are two main varieties of Celtic that have been identified in Iron Age Europe, Insular and Continental Celtic, the former being spoken in Britain, Ireland and Brittany while the latter was spoken in the rest of Celtic Europe (including the similar but distinct Celto-Iberian). The language of the people of Ikoranda Piktonis was probably Gaulish, a language whose main source of evidence comes from inscriptions, due to the extinction of Continental Celtic during the Roman occupation to follow.</p><p>Celtic society and government is based around bondage, status and privilege. They were dominated by warrior elites, whose drive for status resulted in the beautiful and ornate art of the period. Bondage and fealty bound men and women to the King, in variety of statuses, from valued ‘shieldman’ to lowly serf. The sense of ‘nationhood’ was primarily formed from belonging to the tribe, resulting in frequent inter-tribal violence, which was often used to build a warrior’s prestige.</p><h>Strategy<h/><p>Rich trade and soils make this province a potential breadbasket for any empire, with wealth to expand and form a yet greater nation.</p>
Also, kdrakak, I am not fully aware of who is doing what in regard to the descriptions, I just made a guess as to what is done. Cheers for picking up on that though. Here's the fixed version.
17152
The Gypsy
12-28-2015, 04:27
Here is the description for Akuitanon, ready for insertion.
<h>Traveller’s Log</h><p>As the weary Traveller makes his way towards the setting sun, snowy peaks glow as the last of the light strikes their blanket of snow. Down in the valleys, the air is still warm but chill winds slide off the tall peaks to find their way into the valley bottom, chilling an otherwise mild day. The Traveller sees no one but he feels invisible eyes watch him and grass shifts where none should, he cannot see them but the inhabitants of the province, the Aquitani, can see him. The Aquitani are related to the Celts that surround them, both inside Gaul and to the south, in Iberia, but speak a different language entirely. They live much as their neighbours do, despite their differences in language and culture. They are farmers and herders for the most part, which supports the warrior elite and priesthood. Traders from faraway Greece and Carthage trade in their Atlantic and estuarine ports, supplying wealth and luxury goods for a culture obsessed with status, bringing back furs, wood, metals and amber to trade to the equally elitist societies of the Mediterranean.</p><h>Geography</h><p>Akuitanon forms the bulk of the most south-western administrative region of modern France, <i>Aquitaine</i>. Its borders are formed by the Pyrenees in the south, a formidable range of mountains reaching to more than 3500 m. It’s boundary to the west is formed by the Atlantic, which contributes to its wet climate. The border to the north and the east is the Garonne river system, which as it nears the coast, becomes the estuary of the Gironde. The Garonne begins its journey in the foothills of the Pyrenees, travelling north before splitting, and turning to the west to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Akuitanon is Iliberri, located in the east of the province.</p><p>The climate is wet and temperate, with colder temperatures in the foothills and higher up onto the snowy peaks. Typical deciduous forest dominates, with oak, ash and beech forests in the lowlands shifting to hardier birch and pine as the elevation increases. The estuary of the Gironde provides a haven for aquatic and avian life, the reeds and willows providing protection from potential predators. The Pyrenees create a rain shadow, creating very wet conditions in the west of the province but steadily drier conditions as you travel to the east. The forests support deer, rabbits and birds, and their hunters, foxes, wolves and bears. The mountains are favoured by the genus Capra, the goat family, with ibex and mountain goats prevalent on these peaks, while eagles and hawks patrol the skies.</p><h>History</h><p>Humans have continuously inhabited Akuitanon for almost 30 000 years, ever since humans arrived to replace or drive away the native Neanderthals.</p><p>Between 1300 and 700 BCE, the people of this region were primarily farmers and herders, who were descended from the pre-Indo-European inhabitants of the area, unlike their Celtic neighbours, and spoke an early version of the modern Basque language. These people had limited knowledge of iron but worked primarily in bronze and were part of the Atlantic Bronze Age system. This system of exchange operated between the Atlantic coast of Iberia all the way to Ireland and Britain, trading in tin, gold, copper and finished bronzeware. This trade had existed for thousands of years prior but this period marked a huge increase in activity as both Mediterranean and mainland Celtic communities became interested in the metal available in this region, in Akuitanon case, gold. This exchange may not have involved single long distance journeys, but rather a series of short voyages passing through numerous hands before reaching its final destination.</p><p>As time passed, both Mediterranean and Celtic influences came to make their presence felt on the province of Akuitanon influencing material preferences strongly into the next four centuries.</p><p>The Mediterranean influences of Greek and Phoenician traders can be most clearly seen archaeologically through the presence of wine amphorae, who traded wine, pottery and other exotics for the metals of the Atlantic region. Akuitanon was an important hub for trade being located on the Atlantic and being on the Gironde river system, allowing easy access to the Celtic heartland and greater Mediterranean world through the Greek and later Roman settlements around Massalia.</p><p>The culture of this period (6th to 3rd centuries) that can be most closely equated to ‘Celtic’ is the La Tenè culture, which is a continuation of the earlier Hallstatt culture. It’s most distinctive features are the presence of hillforts (Oppida, elaborate jewelry, burials and weapon offerings in bogs and rivers. Brooches have been discovered in Akuitanon that have some of the characteristics of the La Tenè style but are still stylistically different. Akuitanon was always on the periphery of Celtic culture, closely adhering to neither their language nor stylistic preferences but quite happy to use and adapt when it suited them.</p><p>While the language of the people of Akuitanon was probably not Celtic, they appear to hold many of their habits including an insatiable desire for foreign goods, fueled by a native industrial economy which produced finished glass, bronze, iron and works in other precious metals. These foreign goods were used as burial offerings and as status items, in the never ending competition for prestige. This desire for status items drew them into the greater trade networks of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean world, creating a complex and vibrant system of trade and contact, which only intensified after Roman conquest in Caesar’s campaigns in 53 BCE.</p><p>After Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, Akuitanon was renamed Aquitania and became a province of the Empire, but retained its distinctive Basque language until modern times.</p> <h>The People, Society and Government</h><p>Akuitanon is somewhat unusual in the Celtic dominated Northern European landscape of the 3rd century BCE, in that its inhabitants are not of a Celtic and thus Indo-European origin. Indo-Europeans arrived in Europe from Iran and Northern India around 3000 BCE displacing almost all other languages groups in Europe except for Finnish and Basque. These people are proto-Basques, who live a very similar life to their Celtic neighbours but spoke a radically different language. Caesar’s commentaries call the people of Akuitanon ‘the Aquitani’ who he says are related to the Vascones who live on the other side of the Pyrenees. Caesar says in his commentaries that Gaul could be divided into three parts, the Aquitani, the Celtae and the Belgae, the first being the primary (but not exclusive) inhabitants of Akuitanon.</p><p>The core of Celtic society at this time was the concept of fealty, understood by Caesar in his commentaries as ‘clients’, who owe service to their leader in exchange for favour and protection. The more powerful a war leader was the more subjects he would have, and to gain those subjects he would use conspicuous uses of wealth and power to attract others to himself, creating the demand for foreign goods, resulting in the far flung trade networks of the period. Acts of prowess and bravery would also enhance a warrior’s prestige and build their influence. Of course for many people, the famers, the herders, the craftsmen, they merely served their leader with no real influence on their decisions. Below these people were the slaves, who did the worst tasks and were offered no protection from the law, who were often captured in intertribal raids and skirmishes.</p><p>‘Nations’ such as they were, were formed form a sense of tribal rather than national identity, resulting in numerous subtribes and tribes, all bound by blood and language but constantly divided. This resulted in endemic violence that was used to blood young warriors, build prestige and contributed to the fractured nature of the Celtic world.</p> <h>Strategy</h><p>Centered on an important trade hub of the Gironde and the Atlantic Ocean, Akuitanon is a potential breadbasket province for an aspiring warlord and worthy addition to any empire.</p>
And here is version that you can read if you are interested and don't want your eyes to bleed.
Traveller’s Log
As the weary Traveller makes his way towards the setting sun, snowy peaks glow as the last of the light strikes their blanket of snow. Down in the valleys, the air is still warm but chill winds slide off the tall peaks to find their way into the valley bottom, chilling an otherwise mild day. The Traveller sees no one but he feels invisible eyes watch him and grass shifts where none should, he cannot see them but the inhabitants of the province, the Aquitani, can see him. The Aquitani are related to the Celts that surround them, both inside Gaul and to the south, in Iberia, but speak a different language entirely. They live much as their neighbours do, despite their differences in language and culture. They are farmers and herders for the most part, which supports the warrior elite and priesthood. Traders from faraway Greece and Carthage trade in their Atlantic and estuarine ports, supplying wealth and luxury goods for a culture obsessed with status, bringing back furs, wood, metals and amber to trade to the equally elitist societies of the Mediterranean.
Geography
Akuitanon forms the bulk of the most south-western administrative region of modern France, Aquitaine. Its borders are formed by the Pyrenees in the south, a formidable range of mountains reaching to more than 3500 m. It’s boundary to the west is formed by the Atlantic, which contributes to its wet climate. The border to the north and the east is the Garonne river system, which as it nears the coast, becomes the estuary of the Gironde. The Garonne begins its journey in the foothills of the Pyrenees, travelling north before splitting, and turning to the west to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Akuitanon is Iliberri, located in the east of the province.
The climate is wet and temperate, with colder temperatures in the foothills and higher up onto the snowy peaks. Typical deciduous forest dominates, with oak, ash and beech forests in the lowlands shifting to hardier birch and pine as the elevation increases. The estuary of the Gironde provides a haven for aquatic and avian life, the reeds and willows providing protection from potential predators. The Pyrenees create a rain shadow, creating very wet conditions in the west of the province but steadily drier conditions as you travel to the east. The forests support deer, rabbits and birds, and their hunters, foxes, wolves and bears. The mountains are favoured by the genus Capra, the goat family, with ibex and mountain goats prevalent on these peaks, while eagles and hawks patrol the skies.
History
Humans have continuously inhabited Akuitanon for almost 30 000 years, ever since humans arrived to replace or drive away the native Neanderthals.
Between 1300 and 700 BCE, the people of this region were primarily farmers and herders, who were descended from the pre-Indo-European inhabitants of the area, unlike their Celtic neighbours, and spoke an early version of the modern Basque language. These people had limited knowledge of iron but worked primarily in bronze and were part of the Atlantic Bronze Age system. This system of exchange operated between the Atlantic coast of Iberia all the way to Ireland and Britain, trading in tin, gold, copper and finished bronzeware. This trade had existed for thousands of years prior but this period marked a huge increase in activity as both Mediterranean and mainland Celtic communities became interested in the metal available in this region, in Akuitanon case, gold. This exchange may not have involved single long distance journeys, but rather a series of short voyages passing through numerous hands before reaching its final destination.
As time passed, both Mediterranean and Celtic influences came to make their presence felt on the province of Akuitanon influencing material preferences strongly into the next four centuries.
The Mediterranean influences of Greek and Phoenician traders can be most clearly seen archaeologically through the presence of wine amphorae, who traded wine, pottery and other exotics for the metals of the Atlantic region. Akuitanon was an important hub for trade being located on the Atlantic and being on the Gironde river system, allowing easy access to the Celtic heartland and greater Mediterranean world through the Greek and later Roman settlements around Massalia.
The culture of this period (6th to 3rd centuries) that can be most closely equated to ‘Celtic’ is the La Tenè culture, which is a continuation of the earlier Hallstatt culture. It’s most distinctive features are the presence of hillforts (Oppida, elaborate jewelry, burials and weapon offerings in bogs and rivers. Brooches have been discovered in Akuitanon that have some of the characteristics of the La Tenè style but are still stylistically different. Akuitanon was always on the periphery of Celtic culture, closely adhering to neither their language nor stylistic preferences but quite happy to use and adapt when it suited them.
While the language of the people of Akuitanon was probably not Celtic, they appear to hold many of their habits including an insatiable desire for foreign goods, fueled by a native industrial economy which produced finished glass, bronze, iron and works in other precious metals. These foreign goods were used as burial offerings and as status items, in the never ending competition for prestige. This desire for status items drew them into the greater trade networks of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean world, creating a complex and vibrant system of trade and contact, which only intensified after Roman conquest in Caesar’s campaigns in 53 BCE.
After Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, Akuitanon was renamed Aquitania and became a province of the Empire, but retained its distinctive Basque language until modern times.
The People, Society and Government
Akuitanon is somewhat unusual in the Celtic dominated Northern European landscape of the 3rd century BCE, in that its inhabitants are not of a Celtic and thus Indo-European origin. Indo-Europeans arrived in Europe from Iran and Northern India around 3000 BCE displacing almost all other languages groups in Europe except for Finnish and Basque. These people are proto-Basques, who live a very similar life to their Celtic neighbours but spoke a radically different language. Caesar’s commentaries call the people of Akuitanon ‘the Aquitani’ who he says are related to the Vascones who live on the other side of the Pyrenees. Caesar says in his commentaries that Gaul could be divided into three parts, the Aquitani, the Celtae and the Belgae, the first being the primary (but not exclusive) inhabitants of Akuitanon.
The core of Celtic society at this time was the concept of fealty, understood by Caesar in his commentaries as ‘clients’, who owe service to their leader in exchange for favour and protection. The more powerful a war leader was the more subjects he would have, and to gain those subjects he would use conspicuous uses of wealth and power to attract others to himself, creating the demand for foreign goods, resulting in the far flung trade networks of the period. Acts of prowess and bravery would also enhance a warrior’s prestige and build their influence. Of course for many people, the famers, the herders, the craftsmen, they merely served their leader with no real influence on their decisions. Below these people were the slaves, who did the worst tasks and were offered no protection from the law, who were often captured in intertribal raids and skirmishes.
‘Nations’ such as they were, were formed form a sense of tribal rather than national identity, resulting in numerous subtribes and tribes, all bound by blood and language but constantly divided. This resulted in endemic violence that was used to blood young warriors, build prestige and contributed to the fractured nature of the Celtic world.
Strategy
Centered on an important trade hub of the Gironde and the Atlantic Ocean, Akuitanon is a potential breadbasket province for an aspiring warlord and worthy addition to any empire.
QuintusSertorius
01-02-2016, 18:27
The Gypsy - really appreciate you doing these, glad they haven't been forgotten.
One request, though; could you use a plain text editor to write them? I ask because the xml files won't read smart-quotes (Word auto-corrects ' ' and " " with slanted ones), long hyphens, slanted apostrophes and a host of other special characters, which means we have to sift through the text to find and replace them all.
The Gypsy
01-03-2016, 03:17
Hi Quintus,
Would you like me to clean up the ones I've already written? I didn't realise that Word messes with the formatting (I'm not very computer savvy), what editors would you suggest? Something like Notepad++? Also could I just copy/paste into Notepad++ and fix any errors that crop up with the formatting like that? I might be able to do some more descriptions but I'm likely to be a bit busy for the next month or two, I'll have to see whether I get the time. Also Happy New Year!
Spendios
01-04-2016, 19:37
Great work :bow:
guys did anyone contacted Dusan Silni? yuo dont need help for Balkan provinces anymore?
Here are the current province descriptions in EB 2.2 5/6/16
https://i.imgur.com/DaPeWQ2.png
I can see the Akuitanon description still has to be sorted out? There might be a few others like that. The east is almost complete!
Genghis Skhan
10-05-2016, 15:34
Here are the current province descriptions in EB 2.2 5/6/16
https://i.imgur.com/DaPeWQ2.png
I can see the Akuitanon description still has to be sorted out? There might be a few others like that. The east is almost complete!
Do note for the above that for the "Saka Steppe" area beyond the Syr Darya that strategy sections are all done.
Strat sections are also done for Naissos, Beripara, Tylis and all of Illyria.
I can see the Akuitanon description still has to be sorted out? There might be a few others like that. The east is almost complete!
Akuitanon was just added to the internal build, and will be part of the next release. Apologies to The Gypsy for the delay - we do appreciate your efforts, and those of everyone else working in this area. I will note that while Quintus is correct, and it's best to write these in Notepad++, I have no problem editing and fixing incorrect characters.
Here it is.
I'm not a historian or a writer, so i would appreciate it if you could edit this if anything does not feel right.
I had trouble finding specific tribes of Saurashtra and I have separated the Sudarshana Lake description so you may choose to add it as a unique building/wonder just like the Sabean dam.
Chap - Thanks! I've added an edited version of your Saurashtra description; everything except the history section, as there was controversy there. Have asked one of our historians to look at that.
Curious_Caesar
12-06-2016, 16:32
Hello all!
New here so forgive me for questions if they're silly! I'd like to help out you wonderful group of people, and not being a modder or designer I thought I could string some words together (or edit those of others), if that'd be helpful?
Are there any provinces that still need doing? Any particularly urgent ones, or completed ones that need editing?
I hope I can help with something.
Keep up the good work!
Hello all!
New here so forgive me for questions if they're silly! I'd like to help out you wonderful group of people, and not being a modder or designer I thought I could string some words together (or edit those of others), if that'd be helpful?
Are there any provinces that still need doing? Any particularly urgent ones, or completed ones that need editing?
I hope I can help with something.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks and YES! Three in particular are sorely lacking:
- Trinakrie (Syrakousai)
- Sicilia (Messana)
- Elimya (Lilubim)
All provinces are important, but these locations have great history and occupy a central position in the game, so it's rather sad that we have nothing for any of them. Of the three, Syracuse is probably the most important. Interested?
Curious_Caesar
12-21-2016, 21:33
Hi Kull,
Thank you for replying so quickly - I'm afraid I've been away recently. I am happy to attempt Syracuse, particularly as there is quite a bit of documentation and original sources. I shall scan the exemplar piece, but what particular constraints are there regarding the length of the piece, the time period covered, and the romanticism of the traveller's log?
Hi Kull,
Thank you for replying so quickly - I'm afraid I've been away recently. I am happy to attempt Syracuse, particularly as there is quite a bit of documentation and original sources. I shall scan the exemplar piece, but what particular constraints are there regarding the length of the piece, the time period covered, and the romanticism of the traveller's log?
Was away myself for the past week (and will soon be gone again until early January), so apologies for the late reply. My personal rule is that even a short piece is better than nothing, but with Syracuse, there's a ton of history as it was a major player during the EB time frame, most of which is readily available (as you noted). Usually the historical accounts begin with the first appearance of the city in the historical record, and can continue well into and even beyond the EB2 period (although anything later than Imperial Rome is too much). The traveller log is just a way to add some period "feel" to what it might be like for some traveller visiting the province at this time. There's no single "right way" to do it, so see what you can come up with. The strategy section should not be very long - just make note of any particular in-game economic benefits (such as the highly developed nature of the city itself, loaded with improvements). Should add a comment that many of the AI factions consider it a ripe target for naval invasion. As for the overall length of the piece, there's really no limit.
Here is a map of what is done so far.
https://i.imgur.com/pG5CLi0.png
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?684290-Regional-Descriptions-Help-the-EBII-Team&p=15219029&viewfull=1#post15219029
chomakov87
01-19-2017, 19:34
Hi
I can do all three regions of sicily,but this won't be so fast
Hi
I can do all three regions of sicily,but this won't be so fast
That would be great! Take your time and feel free to post in-process work or ask questions. When/if you do, please "mention" me as otherwise my visits to this thread are not frequent.
Hippo123
07-14-2017, 16:54
Hi guys, I'm new here. I have just finished doing the description for Elimya and in my research I discovered that salt was a major resource that was mined in Elimya as early as 800 BC by the Phoenicians. However, in the game files there is no salt in the trade section for Elimya in the descr_strat (or wool, as that is the EbII salt). I was just wondering Kull, is there anyone I can get in touch with that does the modding for the trading resources, to get salt added in as a resource?
Hi guys, I'm new here. I have just finished doing the description for Elimya and in my research I discovered that salt was a major resource that was mined in Elimya as early as 800 BC by the Phoenicians. However, in the game files there is no salt in the trade section for Elimya in the descr_strat (or wool, as that is the EbII salt). I was just wondering Kull, is there anyone I can get in touch with that does the modding for the trading resources, to get salt added in as a resource?
For now, feel free to mention it in your province description. I'll take a look at the distribution of resources. Sometimes we deliberately leave them out in order to encourage trade between neighboring provinces (i.e if, for example, three neighboring provinces all have the same resource, there's no trade between them, at least of that resource). If that's not the case here, it's a simple matter to add it in. Good catch.
Hippo123
07-15-2017, 11:35
Ah that makes sense, because Trinakrie has salt (wool). Sorry, my inexperience showing up here a bit but that's really interesting.
Hippo123
07-23-2017, 16:14
Quick update: I have finished the description for Elimya and will move on with the other two. However, I am going to refrain from publishing it until the other two are done, as Sicilian history, geography and so forth overlap a bit, so I don't want one description to have too much while the others have less information.
Quick question Kull, which I should probably have asked a long while ago but thought I would figure it out: Where are these province descriptions going? Will they be in game and if so where?
Apart from that, I hope everyone is having a good summer!
Quick update: I have finished the description for Elimya and will move on with the other two. However, I am going to refrain from publishing it until the other two are done, as Sicilian history, geography and so forth overlap a bit, so I don't want one description to have too much while the others have less information.
Quick question Kull, which I should probably have asked a long while ago but thought I would figure it out: Where are these province descriptions going? Will they be in game and if so where?
Apart from that, I hope everyone is having a good summer!
Yes, they will absolutely be going in game. In fact, every city (of course there's only one per province) has a "province building" which has a photo that's representative of the geography, and the text below that contains these province descriptions. Start up any game of EB2 (any faction) and you'll see that all provinces have this building, but not all of them have the completed descriptions.
The map in Post #421 shows roughly where we stand in terms of which provinces still need descriptions.
Hippo123
07-23-2017, 17:09
Cool. The map is looking fairly green but I see there is still some way to go yet.
athanaric
07-23-2017, 20:08
As a general note, I've noticed that many of region and unit descriptions have inappropriate apostrophes in them (notably "it's" everywhere). I suspect this is actually not due to poor English skills on behalf of the writers, but the fault of primitive spell-check applications. So I think it's a good idea for every writer to manually go over his texts in order to sift out the wrong "auto corrections".
As far as I could see by skim-reading them, the province descriptions of Britain and Iberia are not affected.
Hippo123
07-25-2017, 09:14
For now, feel free to mention it in your province description. I'll take a look at the distribution of resources. Sometimes we deliberately leave them out in order to encourage trade between neighboring provinces (i.e if, for example, three neighboring provinces all have the same resource, there's no trade between them, at least of that resource). If that's not the case here, it's a simple matter to add it in. Good catch.
Kull, Any luck with changing the resources? It doesn't really matter but the Salt pans and mines in western Sicily seem quite iconic and a big tourist site, whereas salt in eastern Sicily seems much less so. Could we just switch the salt from Trinkarie to Elimya? Trinkarie already has 10 resource entries, so I don't think it would miss it much.
Kull, Any luck with changing the resources? It doesn't really matter but the Salt pans and mines in western Sicily seem quite iconic and a big tourist site, whereas salt in eastern Sicily seems much less so. Could we just switch the salt from Trinkarie to Elimya? Trinkarie already has 10 resource entries, so I don't think it would miss it much.
That sounds like a workable solution. In a related vein, I looked for the sourcing on the Sicilian resource distribution (digging through ancient threads) and couldn't find any discussion on the salt. I suspect your research is probably better, so I'll make the change.
As a general note, I've noticed that many of region and unit descriptions have inappropriate apostrophes in them (notably "it's" everywhere). I suspect this is actually not due to poor English skills on behalf of the writers, but the fault of primitive spell-check applications. So I think it's a good idea for every writer to manually go over his texts in order to sift out the wrong "auto corrections".
As far as I could see by skim-reading them, the province descriptions of Britain and Iberia are not affected.
Thanks. I'll run a text search of the province file and perhaps can fix all those today.
Thanks. I'll run a text search of the province file and perhaps can fix all those today.
Hippo123 - Speaking of text, the primary text tool used by the EB Team is Notepad++. We use it for all our text editing since it has quite a number of great features, PLUS it uses "EB-friendly" character sets. I'll get into this in more detail later, but most of our large text files are created in the xml format and then a tool converts and combines them into the required M2TW text file formats. Both the tool and M2TW "blow up" if they find incorrect characters. The biggest offenders come from Microsoft word....a "long apostrophe" and a "long dash" in particular, although there others. If you create your province descriptions in Notepad++, it eliminates that issue altogether.
athanaric
07-25-2017, 16:41
Hippo123 - Speaking of text, the primary text tool used by the EB Team is Notepad++. We use it for all our text editing since it has quite a number of great features, PLUS it uses "EB-friendly" character sets. I'll get into this in more detail later, but most of our large text files are created in the xml format and then a tool converts and combines them into the required M2TW text file formats. Both the tool and M2TW "blow up" if they find incorrect characters. The biggest offenders come from Microsoft word....a "long apostrophe" and a "long dash" in particular, although there others. If you create your province descriptions in Notepad++, it eliminates that issue altogether.Which version of it would you recommend, 32- or 64bit?
Which version of it would you recommend, 32- or 64bit?
I have a 64-bit O/S but continue to use the 32-bit version. I've seen comments that there may still be issues with the 64-bit O/S version and for what the EB team uses it for, there's not a noticeable difference between the two. I suppose the day may come when certain desirable plug-ins are only available in the 64-bit version, but that's not an issue at the moment. For now, flip a coin.
BTW, I just completed the search/replace for the incorrect "it's" in the province descriptions. Good God, there were a ton of them! Will take a look at buildings and units next.
Edit: Fixed the "it's" problem in 8 different files (and updated the dev build). Should be a non-issue going forward.
Hippo123
07-26-2017, 10:49
Hippo123 - Speaking of text, the primary text tool used by the EB Team is Notepad++. We use it for all our text editing since it has quite a number of great features, PLUS it uses "EB-friendly" character sets. I'll get into this in more detail later, but most of our large text files are created in the xml format and then a tool converts and combines them into the required M2TW text file formats. Both the tool and M2TW "blow up" if they find incorrect characters. The biggest offenders come from Microsoft word....a "long apostrophe" and a "long dash" in particular, although there others. If you create your province descriptions in Notepad++, it eliminates that issue altogether.
Then I better get notepad++ toute de suite!
Hippo123
08-02-2017, 09:54
Kull - I know that you guys are keen on native names of settlements but what about the people that live there? Are the names Roman, Carthaginian, Syracusan etc fine? Otherwise which language should they be in: Latin or Greek?
The vast majority of the people living there were Hellenic speakers, even the local Sikeloi, Elymoi and Sikanoi, although not Hellenes themselves, adopted the Hellenic alphabet and were largely Hellenised by our timeframe...
Political power resided mostly on Syrakousai and the Mamertinoi, who mostly hailed from Campania and were themselves Hellenised Oscan people. Overall be it as the official or second "business" language, Koine Hellenic was the main language used in the island...
Afaik Punic power consisted mostly on exercising leadership over a network of alliances and there really wasn't a program of Punicisation of the people there. Still Punic trading and military colonies/outposts definitely existed...
Overall I'd say that Hellenic names should be preferable, while the few Punic foundations should preserve their original nomenclature...
Hippo123
08-02-2017, 22:34
Arjos - Thanks for the very coherent answer. I'll get on it. Trinakrie is done(ish) but I will have to change all the names. Are you a historian by profession specialising in this time period or are you just insanely good at researching (or are you an immortal being that lived through the Hellenistic period right up until this day?)
I just read a lot ahahahah
By education I'm a linguist, that helps with ancient languages and reconstructions a bit, otherwise as you said researching is the key ;)
BTW for good narratives on Sicily you can check Jeff Champion's "Tyrants of Syracuse" and some paragraphs from his "Pyrrhus of Epirus"...
Regarding the history of Syrakousai he really went through all the sources currently available and wrote a comprehensive narrative, augmented by archaeology. Which is essentially what we do for these descriptions...
Hippo123
08-03-2017, 12:58
Gee thanks! I was pondering over whether I should buy a book on the subject and this one looks great.
For a complete picture you'd need to look for sources covering the Punic history on the island (Champion unfortunately touches it more on the matter of Hellenes vs Qarthadastim), but at least down to circa 212 BC that book helps a lot...
Afterwards there are 2 more centuries to cover, but that's other material to research :P
Hippo123 - Just beware of "paralysis through analysis". It's better to have a "pretty good" province description than to spend so much time researching that you get sick of the whole subject and never finish it. One problem with researching the Sicilian descriptions is that there is so MUCH historical information out there. It's easy to bog down.
Hippo123
08-03-2017, 21:12
Kull - Thanks for the heads up. My worry though is that I might not be displaying all the information that there is just because there is so much of it. I just hope that it does not turn into some paraphrased piece of crap or some massive long and boring analysis...I guess you guys will just have to be the judges of that. Arjos - My take on Sicily is that Carthage and Syracuse were powerful and fought each other a lot during the classic period but after Rome took over it all became one province and not that much interesting happened. I have covered the history up until the second Punic war so far but no further. There were one semi-significant revolts in Sicily under the Romans and then the civil war between Octavian and Anthony; do you guys want me to include that? My dilemma is that after the second Punic war Sicily was all united into one Roman province. So if I describe and history after the second Punic war, which description should I put it in? Or should I put it in all of them copy and paste style. I would rather each one be unique but describing the historical events of these revolts can't really be rewritten in 3 different ways in my opinion. I would love to hear your input on this, it would help me out a lot! The descriptions are already fairly long (in my opinion), being 6000 words for Trinakrie and Elimya so far. Although I want them complete and not half-arsed I am very aware that there is so much to talk about and talking about one historical event can lead on to another and spiral out of control. If you guys could indicate where to draw the line then that would be great and I just want to thank you guys again for your help.
As a general rule, the most important history is that which covers the game period. It's good to know information from outside that period, but it's of more limited value. So post Punic Wars is worth doing up to about Augustus, but after that a much more superficial survey is about all that's needed.
In general I'd prioritize "description volume/detail" as follows:
1) Prehistoric peoples up to 272 BC = Priority 2 (always good to know how the province got to be what it was in our era)
2) The EB2 Era 272BC to roughly 40AD = Priority 1 (especially helpful for role-players)
3) Post EB2 era = Priority 3 (I won't say "who cares?", but it doesn't matter much in game terms)
The approach I follow is this:
- Traveller's Guide, an eye witness in 272 BC of what people might've seen in the province (cities, landscape, current wars, what people lived where).
- Geography, a more technical description of the environment, the flora and the fauna.
- People, Society and Government, who lived there, how were they organised, what was their culture (for example what is specific of Syrakousan society compared to other Hellenes?). Here one can also include infos prior to 272 BC, to avoid making the history section too long.
- History, the events from 272 BC to 14 AD pretty much. Regarding the Roman Period, yes funny enough things start to get almost less documented in certain cases, or they get too generalised. As far as Sicily is concerned I'd maybe go in describing how important and what role played the island in Roman administration (since it was the somewhat first outside province, its importance as the first bread basket for the growing republic etc). To avoid copy and pasting it over the three descriptions, maybe if a revolt was focused over this or that portion, it could be covered in the corresponding province and leaving the others with just a brief mention or just a summary that Roman power came.
- Strategy, the gameplay approach to the province, its pros and cons and what the player should expect or do with the province in question.
Basically when it comes to the Roman Period, try to make it as specific to Roman history as possible, meaning that if something peculiar or just there took place we write it. Otherwise a summary will do...
If you feel that you are repeating yourself, a good idea could be to focus on Syrakousai and its history for that province, for the Punic part that point of view and all the history of Hamilcar etc, while for Sikelia, since it belongs to the Eleutheroi, you could make a shorter history section (focusing mainly on the Mamertinoi and Messana) and write more about the Sikeloi, their deities, their origins and so forth. Ultimately as you said trying to make each province as unique as possible, without copy and pasting...
I think 6000 words for two descriptions is already well covered. 2500-2600 words for a single province is already a lot (since we are dealing with some of the better documented ones it is ok. You are perfectly free to cut some parts, or shorten them if you deem it possible), but for example it is perfectly fine to have descriptions of say 1500 words, for those that basically only archaeology can chip in...
Hippo123
08-04-2017, 09:30
Thanks for the tips guys, that cleared a lot up. The Sicilian revolt seemed to play out mostly around Messina, so I am going to write in detail about that in the description for Sikelia. That works out almost perfectly because I anticipated that the description for Sikelia would be shorter than the others anyway. Again, thank you guys very much and I'm going stop jibber-jabbering and get on with it now!
Hippo123
08-10-2017, 19:15
Umm guys Kull, Arjos - just wondering. Do you guys have some sort of website or map with the Ancient Greek names on them? I have been trying to find out what the straits of Messina is supposed to be called but have had no luck...kind of pathetic, I know but your help would save me a lot of time.
Umm guys Kull, Arjos - just wondering. Do you guys have some sort of website or map with the Ancient Greek names on them? I have been trying to find out what the straits of Messina is supposed to be called but have had no luck...kind of pathetic, I know but your help would save me a lot of time.
If Arjos has a resource, that would be nice, but it's not strictly necessary of course. The description for Brettia (province_043 on the other side of the strait) makes no mention of the ancient name.
Calling it Strait of Messana is perfectly fine. Generally ancient texts just speak of "The Strait", but in connection to Skylla and Kharybdis...
Hippo123
08-10-2017, 21:06
Ok thanks. I'll just leave it as straits of Messene then
Hippo123
08-11-2017, 16:10
Yay, new page!
Hippo123
09-03-2017, 16:39
Guys could you help me out here Arjos Kull: I have no idea what Carthaginians is in ancient Greek. I have looked in the description for Carthage and it just has them as 'Carthaginians.' Do you guys know what it is? If not can I just call them Carthaginians...(yep I'm that lazy) I could always call them poeni if you would like but I'll leave that up to you...
QuintusSertorius
09-03-2017, 16:46
Karchedonikoi, I believe.
More precisely it is Karkhedonioi ;)
Hippo123
09-03-2017, 17:49
Great, thanks guys
Hippo123
09-22-2017, 21:50
Hi guys, I know I have not been particularly active lately but I have just been absolutely swamped with work! Here is the (hopefully) much anticipated province description for Elimya. Any feedback and constructive comments are welcome, although try not to be too brutal! I have finished Trinakrie as well, so expect that soonish. I have not had a chance to finish Sikelia yet and I am afraid the earliest I will be able to do that by is the end of october, but hopefully this should be enough for now. Again, thank you guys so much and I hope you enjoy!
Traveller's Log:
Upon stepping ashore the traveller finds himself in a state of complete bewilderment as he is struck by the awe-inspiring vista in front of him. The lush green flats of the sickle shaped peninsula, rumoured to have been created by the harvest goddess herself while searching fruitlessly for her beloved Persephone, rise up to the undulating hills that makes up so much of this alluring land. The traveller may venture along the coast and witness the bustle of great cities, teeming with merchants selling the luxuries of Africa. As he ventures inland he is suddenly overcome by the natural beauty of the flora. Fields of valeria, borage and wisteria stretch for miles, blanketing the landscape in a thin quilt of lilac, pink and blue. Great oaks and chestnuts stand alone in fields of saffron stained grass, baked by the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Further north great confierous forests flourish at the foot of mountains, their numbers so vast that they would surpass the copious hoard commanded by the great king Xerxes four to one. They all rely on the cool waters of the rivers and lakes that litter the landscape like gems in the rock; they provide relief for plant and animal alike. To the west looms the great Mount Eryx, where Aeneas himself sought the wisdom of the gods. This mountain has always watched over the people of Elimya, the only constant in the surging and ever changing tides of war. Now the hills shake with the sounds of hooves and cries of men. Pyrhhos, soldier-king of Epeiros has finally left these shores but in his wake comes a new threat. The Karkhedonioi, safe in their stronghold of Lilibeo now seek to reclaim the land that was taken from them. To the north, the lumbering war machine of Rome continues to push southward, crushing all those who stand in their way. The time has come for the men of Elimya to take up arms and choose whose side they will fight for in the upcoming struggle, or face annihilation.
Geography:
The region of Elimya roughly incorporates the modern day Sicilian regions of Trapani, Agrigento, Palermo and parts of Caltanissetta. Elimya is the largest province in Sicily, stretching from the western tip of Sicily all the way to the Salso River. The terrain has few flat areas, mainly consisting of rising hills, however most of the land lies below 1000m, with the sole exceptions being the mountains: Sparagio at 1,110m and Inici at 1,065m, which rise above the rest and overlook the sloping grassland as it fades into the sea. The westernmost tip of Elmiya is a sickle shaped peninsula that in pre-historic times was a cluster of rocks and islands until the were eventually forged into the strip of land that humans have come to know. The area around what was Lilibeo (now modern day Marsala) is famed for its rich red soil, which produces some of the finest wine in the world both now and in Roman times. The inland reaches of the region were much more rugged, therefore the majority of the population lived in cities on the coast. The Elymoi took to fishing due to the abundance of fish living in the coastal waters and tuna became a source of trade for the Elymoi. Archaeologists have found evidence of ancient fishing villages spanning the coastline as well as a salt refinery near Lilibeo, a luxurious trading resource in the ancient world. The landscape features many small rivers and lakes with the largest being the Birgi River. Howver, there is also a coastal lagoon called the Stagnone lagoon, which the ancient Phoenicians used as a naval base to supplement their vast trading empire.
The climate is typical of all regions of the Mediterranean. Mild winters are short and end around February with hot summers starting around May. However, Elimya is never too hot due to the soothing sea breeze that blows in from the west. Temperatures range from around 30 degrees Celsius in the summer to around 15 degrees in winter. Elimya also receives a generous amount of rainfall due to low air pressure fronts from the sea, which promotes its lush vegetation. Its high hills and mountains also house various species of birds, which include: the Purple Heron, the Golden Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon, the Hooded Crow and the Sicilian Rock Partridge.
People/Society and Government:
It is hard to give a conclusive description of the inhabitants of Elimya as there were various peoples and for some so little is known. The
earliest records of people in Elimya were the Sikanoi, who were thought to have originated from the Iberina peninsula. However, Timaeus of Tauromenium considered them as an aboriginal people, it is simply not known. Archaelogical excavation has shown that the Sikanoi had been influenced by the ancient Mycenaens.
The Elymoi are thought to be the next people to arrive in this region. They arrived either from the Aegean, Anatolia or Liguria and settled in the north-westernmost tip of Sicilia, pushing the Sikanoi further inland. Nothing is known of them apart from that they seemed to adopt Hellenic culture. This can be seen mostly in their architecture that has survived, nameily the Greek temple at Segesta. The Elymoi used the Hellenic alphabet to write their own language, which has of yet still not been deciphered (for any Cryptologists that want a go!). The Elymoi lived in cities, the most important of which were Segesta (their political centre), Eyx (their religious centre) and Entella. They are represented by almost all ancient writers to be descended from the Trojans and therefore cousins to the people of Rome.
After the emergence of the Elymoi came the Phoenicians around 800 BC. These people formed a great trading empire, consisting of cities such as Tyre, Sidon and Qart Hadasht herself, although they acted like independent city-states. The Phoenicians were famous traders (their name comes from the Greek 'phoinios' meaning purple, which referred to the famous purple cloth they traded) and sought to utilise the natural salt that could be found in the saltpans around Lilibeo (founded in 396 BC). Their alphabet was the first with a consistent form and was widely adopted around the ancient world. It seems to have been influenced by the Egyptuans, since early renditions found in the souther Levant resemble Egyptian hieroglyphics. Their art was also unfluenced by other cultures, mainly the Egyptians but also the Greeks and the Assyrians. Mainly sarcophagi and statues made of stone have survived. The Phoenicians were very religous and shared similar characteristics to all religions of the ancient Semitic world. They had a pantheon of gods, the most promient of which was Melquart, who was mainly worshiped in Tyre but also across the entire Mediterranean. The Phoenicinas (and especially the Karkhedonioi) have been accused of child sacrifice, which has come under much debate from modern historians. The foundation for this claim is through tombstones called Tophets, which were used to "burn their sons and daughters in fire" (Jeremiah 9:15). However, some historians claim that these were only used for children who had died in infancy and had been cremated. The child sacrifice was most likely Roman propaganda after the end of the Punic wars to forever slur the name of their most hated enemy.
History:
The region of Elimya was heavily contested and saw many different cultures and civilisations. The earliest documented people to have lived in Elimya were the Sikanoi, who have a record dating back as early as the late Iron Age (c. 1100 BC). Apart from mythology, there is nothing that can be told of the Sikanoi. They are said to be indistinguishable from the Elymoi people that superseded them. The Elymoi inhabited more of the inland part of Sicily as the coast came under Phoenician rule. What historians know is taht they maintained friendly relations with Qart Hadasht and even alliances until they sided with the Romani in the first Punic War. After Rome's victory the Elymoi were given a priveleged status and were exempt from taxation, as they claimed to be descendants of Troy and thereby related to the Romani, who themselves were descendants of Aeneas, prince of Troy. From then the Elymoi seemed to disappear under the shadow of Roman rule, never to be heard from again.
After the emergence of the Elymoi came the Phoenicians around 800 BC. They were master seamen and Herodotus even claimed that they had circumnavigated Africa, although based on archaelogical evidence of their ships the voyage would seem difficult, but not impossible. The Phoenicians settled in the coastal regions of Sicily and traded with the Elymoi. In Elimya they found a great harbour for their powerful warships and due to the salty waters fo the lagoon, they mined and exported salt, which at the time was equal in worth to gold. The Phoenician civilisation began to decline around 539 BC, when Cyrus the Great of Persia captured Phoenicia and the Phoenicians in Sicily
likely withdrew or were assimilated into Karkhedonioi (Carthaginian) territories.
Qart Hadahst was founded shortly before 800 BC by Phoenician merchants from Tyre. It grew in power quickly and came to intervene in Sicilia in 480 BC in the first Sicilian War. A power struggle emerged between Ionian and Dorian Greeks. In 483 BC the Ionian Greeks, who were losing the struggle, called on the Karkhedonioi to help and they most graciously obliged, seeking an opportuniy to expand their lands. The Karkhedonioi general Hamilcar is said to hae led an expedition force of 300,000 men to Sicilia, although this is almost impossible considering Qart Hadasht at the height of its power could only muster between 50,000-100,000 men at the most. Upon landing, Hamilcar was decisively defeated at the Battle of Himear by a force from Syrakosai and Hamilicar later committed suicide. Qart Hadasht was then forced to pay the Greeks a sum of 2,000 talents and did not intervene in Sicilian politics for the next 70 years. Thus was the end of the first Sicilian War.
In 416 BC however, the Greeks had recommenced their rivalry, this time between the Dorian city of Selinus and the Ionian city of Segesta. Selinus encroached on Segestan land and the Segestians were defeated in 416 BC. An Athenian expedition was sent to give aid to the Segestians but was crushed in 413 BC bu a join effort of various Sicilian
cities including Syrakosai and with Spartan support. Selinus attacked and defeated Segesta again in 411 BC. This time the Segestians submitted to the Karkhedonioi for aid and a relief force was sent to Sicilia. The Karkhedonioi commander Hannibal Mago (not Barca!) captured the city of Selinus and Himera, despite Syrakosai intervening and returned to Qart Hadasht in triumph in 409 BC. However, the was to return to Sicilia in 406 BC in retaliation to Greek raids of Karkhedonioi territory and was met by fierce resistance and ill fortune. During the siege of Akagras (modern dayt Agrigento) the Karkhedonioi army was struck by plague, which killed Hannibal himself. His successor Himilco captured and sacked Akagras, Kamarina and captured the city of Gela. Qart Hadasht sued for peace and was left with all territories west of the Halycas and Himera rivers with Selinus, Thermae, Akagras, Gela and Kamarina as vassals. THis signalled the height of Karkhedonioi power in Sicilia. Years of fighting against Syrakosai would ultimately culminate into the defeat of the Karkhedonioi at the battle of the Crimissus in 341 BC and Qart Hadasht was left with all land west of the Halycas River.
In 277 BC Pyrrhos of Eperios arrived in Italy, having been asked by the Greek Sicilians to help them repel the Karkhedonioi. Pyrrhos raised the siege of Syrakosai the same year and captured the Karkhedonioi stronghold of Eryx. The rest of the Karkhedonioi strongholds promptly defected to Pyrrhos apart from Lilibeo, which Pyrrhos was unable to take. Eventually Pyrrhos withdrew from Sicilia upon receiving news that the Romani had recommenced their advance on the Greek cities in Italy and famously foresaw the Punic Wars when he said "What a wrestling ground we are leaving, my friends, for the Carthaginians and the Romans."
The First Punic War kicked off in 264 BC, when the Roman senate accepted a plea for help by the Mamertinoi of Messene. The majority of the conflict was fought in Sicilia; large pitched battles were rare and most of the fighting was conducted through skirmishes and sieges. In the summer of the same year the consul Appius Claudius Caudex led a military incursion across the straits and into Sicilia. After defeating a force from Syrakosai sent to besiege Messene, the Romani sought to secure their flank pby attacking Syrakosai, at that time an ally of Qart Hadasht. They laid siege to Syrakosai and with no help from the Karkhedonioi in sight, the city was forced to sue for peace. It became an ally of Rome and was forced to supply its army in the field.
Meanwhile the Karkhedonioi were building up a sizeable army in North Africa, consisting of roughly 56,000 men and 60 elephants. The first principal conflict of the war was the Battle of Agrigentum in 261 BC. Rome had been besieging the city with four legions, the entire consular army, and the citizens of the city had managed to send for Karkhedonioi aid. The Karkhedonioi relief force, commanded by Hanno, cut off the Roman army's supply line with Syrakosai. After a few skirmishes and as supplies started to run low the Romans pushed for a set piece battle where they defeated the Karkhedonioi. In tandem with their successes on land, the Romans had also built up a powerful navy and defeated the Karkhedonioi in the battle of Mylae. A large part of their success was the implementation and use of the Corvus: a wooden bridge that would latch on to the enemy ship's deck and would be used in boarding actions, where the professional Roman soldiers would have the upper hand over their inferior Karkhedonioi counterparts.
A brief counterattack by the Karkhedonioi, following their victory at the battle of Macella, set the Romans back temporarily. However, the next year in 258 BC the Romans continued their advance, taking the cities of Myistraton, Selinus and Segesta, as well as advancing to Panorama on the north coast. Seeking a quick end to the war, the Romans invaded the African continent and employed a crop burning
campaign. Unfortunately for the Romans a Spartan mercenary called Xanthippus reorganised the Punic army and defeated the Romans at the battle of Tunis in 255 BC. In that fatal year a naval disaster also occurred off the coast of the city of Kamarina. Two hundred and seventy ships were lost in a single night, along with their crews totalling 100,000 men; the greatest single loss in history.
Despite the Romans' losses they regained the initiative, constructing a new fleet and land army. Over the comign years they gradually pushed the Karkhedonioi back. taking Panormus in 251 BC and besieging Lilibeo in the same year. In spite of a renewed offensive by Hamilcar Barca in 249 BC, the Romans repelled his attacks and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Aegates Islands in 241 BC. Qart Hadasht was forced to sue for peace and in the following negotiations agreed to evacuate from Sicilia.
Sicilia would become the first Roman province, governed by a Praetor instead of an ally and would remain under Roman rule until it was taken by the Vandals during the Western Roman Empire's collapse
in 467 AD.
Strategy:
Elimya is naturally prosperous land, producing resources such as iron and sulphur, which should be utilised and traded with other factions. It occupies a key strategic position, guarding the straits of Sicilia and will make a perfect naval base that will prove vital in either a defence of or incursion into the Karkhedonioi homeland.
athanaric
09-23-2017, 02:22
[...] Its high hills and mountains also house various species of birds, which include: the heron, the stalk, the golden eagle, the Peregrine falcon and the hooded crow (which is exclusive to Sicily).
I'm too tired right now to read the entire essay, just wanted to point out that Hooded Crows are definitely not exclusive to Sicily. They can be found in most of Europe and the Middle East.
Not sure what you mean by "stalk", that's not an official English name of any species AFAIK. Also "heron" is not a species but a family, therefore it's best used as a plural (herons) without the definite article in this context (unless you want to point out a particular species; there are several in the region).
Not sure what you mean by "stalk", that's not an official English name of any species AFAIK.
I'm sure he meant "stork". That's a case where spellcheck is NOT your friend! :laugh4:
Edit: I see he already made the bird fixes, so I'll go ahead and plug this into the build. It will be part of v2.3
Hippo123 - Speaking of which, I highly recommend that you add the "spellcheck" plugin for Notepad++, as it will greatly improve the quality of your text.
athanaric
09-26-2017, 20:07
I'm sure he meant "stork". That's a case where spellcheck is NOT your friend! :laugh4:
Edit: I see he already made the bird fixes, so I'll go ahead and plug this into the build. It will be part of v2.3
Yes, it's much better now :2thumbsup:
Hippo123
09-26-2017, 21:26
Hippo123 - Speaking of which, I highly recommend that you add the "spellcheck" plugin for Notepad++, as it will greatly improve the quality of your text.
Sure will do, thanks. And thanks athanaric for pointing that out btw
Here is the (hopefully) much anticipated province description for Elimya. Any feedback and constructive comments are welcome, although try not to be too brutal!
Hippo123 - I have to hand it to you, this description did something that no other text file in the history of M2TW has ever done - it was so long that after adding it to the dev build, it caused CTDs in custom battles. Since there is absolutely no obvious connection between province descriptions and custom battles (neither one seemingly has anything to do with the other), it took a while to track down the link. Not your fault...who knew?
Anyway, please try and keep them down to about 9K characters (this one was 16.5k). You can get a character count from Notepad++ by highlighting the text and then selecting View>Summary... (the character count of the highlighted section will be at the bottom of the second paragraph in the pop-up box)
mephiston
10-08-2017, 11:55
Hello all! ~:)
I'm a long time lurker on this forum; I used to play EB1 and now, after a long hiatus, I got interested in EB2. I think the best way to show my appreciation for the fantastic work that you all team members are doing is trying to help you as much as I can.
Hoping that the map is still not outdated, I'd like to volunteer for Liguria. Depending on what's missing, at the same time I can also take a look at the other dark green regions in Italia. Probably this is going to take some time, but in the future I may also work on the regions roughly corresponding to the modern Netherlands and the Franche-Comté.
Hippo123
10-08-2017, 14:44
That's a shame, because the one for Trinakrie is 17990 atm!
That's a shame, because the one for Trinakrie is 17990 atm!
Actually your descriptions weren't the biggest. The one for Lakonike had over 55K characters!! The problem is that we have tools which combine a number of different xml format building files into a single export_buildings.txt.strings.bin file, to include special formatting and other features. But apparently there's some limit to export_buildings.txt (just above 11,150KB) which keeps the tool from working properly and - for some unknown reason - results in custom battle CTDs.
Anyway, we've made some major cuts in a few of the descriptions to get the whole file down to 11,000KB, and are imposing a limit of 10KB characters on new descriptions to keep the problem from cropping up again. Ultimately we'll have to find a long term solution, but you can help by editing your new descriptions down to the target level (I've already done that to Elimya).
Hello all! ~:)
I'm a long time lurker on this forum; I used to play EB1 and now, after a long hiatus, I got interested in EB2. I think the best way to show my appreciation for the fantastic work that you all team members are doing is trying to help you as much as I can.
Hoping that the map is still not outdated, I'd like to volunteer for Liguria. Depending on what's missing, at the same time I can also take a look at the other dark green regions in Italia. Probably this is going to take some time, but in the future I may also work on the regions roughly corresponding to the modern Netherlands and the Franche-Comté.
Liguria would be a great place to start, as it's the only one in Italy currently bereft of a good description. The map isn't completely up-to-date (a bunch of new ones have been added for the Adriatic and Gallic provinces, among others), so please let me know before you start any new ones, so I can confirm that they are "undone". Thanks!
mephiston
10-08-2017, 21:15
Liguria would be a great place to start, as it's the only one in Italy currently bereft of a good description. The map isn't completely up-to-date (a bunch of new ones have been added for the Adriatic and Gallic provinces, among others), so please let me know before you start any new ones, so I can confirm that they are "undone". Thanks!
Sure thing. Thanks for the informations. I'm halfway through the source collection (trying to use original Greek and Latin texts whenever possible) so it's not improbable that in mid-week Liguria may be ready.
Do I have to format the text according to .xml standards (all the <h><\h> and <p><\p> stuff)? And for italic, assuming I can use it, I have to use just <i><\i>?
Cheers!
Sure thing. Thanks for the informations. I'm halfway through the source collection (trying to use original Greek and Latin texts whenever possible) so it's not improbable that in mid-week Liguria may be ready.
Do I have to format the text according to .xml standards (all the <h><\h> and <p><\p> stuff)? And for italic, assuming I can use it, I have to use just <i><\i>?
Cheers!
That sounds great! And don't worry, I'll shift the text into our xml formats (that's actually part of the process I follow when proofing these things, paragraph by paragraph). Just make sure you develop the text using Notepad++. Thanks!
mephiston
10-09-2017, 09:15
There's one small mistake that I spotted in the Geography paragraph of Elimya.
The region of Elimya roughly incorporates the modern day Sicilian regions of Trapano, Agrigento, Palermo and parts of Caltanissetta.
The modern city is called Trapani and not Trapano. Furthermore, these that are cited are provinces and not regions (there's only one region which is the whole island).
mephiston
10-10-2017, 00:52
Here is what I concieved for Liguria. Just slightly above 10k characters.
I tried to stay consistent with names (mostly Latin: Ligures, Arnus, Macra, Roma... But with distinction between U and V: fairly easy to change anyway). In some cases I didn't know what to do (Greeks, Etruscans) because I don't know the other descriptions, and so I left the English version for the moment.
I hope I got the atmosphere of the Traveller's Log right. If you have any comments or thoughts please share!
Regional description: Liguria
Traveller's Log
Rarely can the traveller see such a diversity in landscape as one can find in Liguria. It is easy to be captured by the vast sea, twinkling quiet under the sunrays or roaring of anger in the outburst of rage of a storm, capricious as a woman; it is pleasant to follow the line of the jagged coast to unveil all the small, secret and quiet inlets and be refreshed by the sound of small waves wetting the water edge. Nonetheless, this is only a face of the medal. The other, specular spirit of Liguria needs to be chased through the arduous mountain trails, crossing the myriad of passes that lock each valley from the rest of the world; it needs to be felt in the dark, ferine forests that cloak all kinds of birds, reptiles and mammals; it needs to be breathed when on top of the mountains, while spanning all the green sea below and following the contorted shape of its surface, be it for the subtle erosion of rivers or the howling power of the wind. Then can the traveller understand the deep love that each Ligurian, as hard as the stone of the mountains, as rough as the rocky soil, as dignified as a straight trunk, feels for his rugged, harsh but splendid land.
Geography
Liguria has an almost exact correspondence to the ninth district of Italy as created by Augustus, which is slightly larger than both the territory of the former Repubblica di Genova and the modern Italian region. Its boundaries, as described by Pliny the Elder, were three rivers: the Varus to the west, the Po to the north and the Macra to the east. The borders with Etruria are pushed a bit southwards, almost reaching the Arnus, due to the strong military presence of Ligurian tribes in the close proximities.
Most of the land is covered by mountains, be they part of the Alpes or the Apenninus, many of which can reach a considerable height. Near the sea is frequent to see cliffs just above the water, and even if somewhere the abruptous changes in height are tempered by hills, coasts are usually narrow lines between high ground and water; marshes are found only near major rivers such as Macra or Arnus. Due to the height of mountains, clouds tend to stack on them, giving birth to frequent rainfalls and therefore providing sustenance to the vast and dense forests of beeches and firs that cover most of the space. Lots of rivers and streams contribute in shaping the territory, deepening the already narrow valleys. It is indeed arduous to farm enough supplies for more than a handful of humans; and this is the reason why olive trees and grapevines, despite being present, do not certainly flourish. Instead locals rely mainly on fishing the abundant patches of medium and large sized fishes and mollusks; hunting the substantial amount of game, particularly boars, is another profitable activity because of meat and skins. Herdables are fairly common as well. Mountains can be also an invaluable resource to clever miners, because small veins of metals and, most importantly, large quantities of marble can be extracted. Particularly renowned are the marbles coming from Carrara, whose name is said to be derived from ancient Ligurian "Kar", stone. Towards the Po river morphology is much more even, and for this reason an intensive agriculture can be performed.
Climate is temperate; the proximity with the sea mitigates winters, although snow is a common occurrence above a certain height, and this contributes to the proverbial image of Liguria as inhospitable and hostile as much as its inhabitants.
People, Society, and Government
Archaeological findings in Liguria witness human presence up to about 300 000 years ago; since the Neolithic Age the predominant ethnic group was that of the Ligures. The first author citing the existence of Ligures is said to be Hesiod, but even Livius refers to the Ligures tribe of the Laevi as one of the oldest group of settlers in the Po basin.
The origins of Ligures is still debated. As of now, the Pre-Indo-European hypothesis has gained more consensus than the Indo-European counterpart; if this is the truth, we should believe that three subsequent migrations have reached the already settled Ligures, shaping them in first instance into a Proto-Indo-European population (3rd millennium BC) and then causing them to absorb Proto-Celtic and Celtic elements, such as the use of the torque (2nd - 1st millennium BC).
Ligures were never a unified population, and in fact they were spread in a plethora of different tribes. Their presence was attested since the 2nd millennium BC in most of the coastal provinces of Western Europe; as time passed, however, they shrinked under the pressure of the Celtic and Italic migrations, until they were confined into the borders of Liguria. Among the most important tribes settled in this region we can remember the Laevi, the Taurini, the Segobrigi (who were credited by the Greeks of having favoured the founding of Massalia), the Salluvi, Deciates and Oxubii.
As a consequence of their decentralization, it was rare to see oppida or proper cities built by Ligures, while small fortified villages were more common. Each tribe used to forge its alliances on its own, often in contrast with other neighbouring tribes; they seldom formed mutual alliances in the form of "conciliabula" (tribal confederations), and usually they were short-lived.
The warlike nature of Ligures finds its roots in the intrinsic poverty of the people. The harsh conditions in which Ligures had to farm was even worth a mention by Cicero in his "De Lege Agraria" ("Ligures duri atque agrestes"); Diodoros Siculos maintained that women were accustomed to work alongside men for all but the heaviest duties. The organization inside each tribe was highly egalitarian, and despite the presence of a certain degree of hierarchy the kings were usually elected: only in the late period a dynastic succession appeared.
Few evidences of Ligurian religion can be found. Traces of megalithic heritage are evident in the spread of statue menhirs, sculpted in resemblance of armed warriors or women; their presence and placement (usually collected in sacred sites or, in the later period, placed upon tombs) in Lunigiana since the Bronze Age suggests that probably there was some sort of cult of heroic ancestors or protective deities. The same style of iconography is found in several cave paintings. Another important symbol was the swan, recurrent in many shamanic cults, of which we can find a trace even in the Aeneid.
History
Since late Bronze Age, the placement of Liguria allowed Ligures to control both maritime and land commercial routes from and to Gaul. The vast spread of the Ligures in the Western Mediterranean favoured contacts with two major commercial powers, the Greeks and the Etruscans. Both of them, while being commercial partners, were potential enemies as well: the Greeks were happy with founding Massalia, but the Etruscans kept on pushing on land, and forced the Ligures to fall back on the mountains. By the 5th century BC the Ligures were confined to a small montainous territory, but also the power of Etruscans in Northern Italy was fading, replaced by a stronger Celtic presence; this made Genua, the main oppidum of Ligures, the reference point for commerce of timber in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
However, as the 3rd century BC approached, Liguria had to face the rising power of Roma, who had assimilated Etruscan lands. Initially Romans tried to ally with Ligures, but due to the lack of central administration tribes did not pursue a common agenda, and as a result the majority of them remained hostile. This became evident when Hannibal came to Italy in 218 BC. While tribes from the Po basin (such as the Taurini) and Genua were loyal to the Romans, many of the Apuani and other mountain clans followed the Punic army as mercenaries. With the defeat of Hannibal in 202 BC Roma was able to gain control of most Ligurian territories at sea level, such as the port of Savo (nowadays Savona), but the mountains remained untouched.
From 197 to 155 BC Ligurian resistance kept Romans at bay. The employment of guerrilla tactics, favoured by the rough conformation of the territory, allowed Ligures to avoid direct confrontation with organized armies. During the whole conflict Romans suffered at least two serious defeats: in 189 BC the praetor L. Baebius Dives was ambushed while on his way to Hispania Ulterior and slain with all of his men, and in 186 BC a Roman army was lured and decimated in the Macra valley. Ligurians managed also to raze important colonies such as Placentia and Mutina. On their part however Romans were able to celebrate at least fifteen triumphs. One remarkable feat by consul M. Baebius Tamphilus in 180 BC was marching against the Apuani and managing to capture over 40 000 of them by surprise. The prisoners were then deported to Samnium and (according to Livius) Baebius celebrated the first triumph "nullo bello gesto" (without waging war) in the history of Roma. New colonies such as Lucca (180 BC) and Luni (177 BC) allowed Roma to gain stable footholds in Ligurian lands; one by one the rebellious tribes were tamed. During the second half of the 2nd century BC and the 1st century BC the province became increasingly Romanized and Ligures were regularly employed as auxiliaries in Roman armies.
While most historians and intellectuals of the time at best ignored Liguria (such as Strabo) and at worst openly despised its inhabitants (such as Cato the Elder), things changed as soon as Ligures became integrated in Roman society: for example, Virgil celebrated the courage of the Ligures who came to the aid of Aeneas against Turnus. It is frankly amazing that in the 13th century the Ligurian author Jacopo da Varagine, archbishop in Genova, claimed that the city was founded by Janus, a Trojan captain and friend of Aeneas.
Strategy
Liguria is in a key position: as it was in history, whoever controls these lands controls the commercial (and military) route from and to Gaul. The northern mountain passes provide also an alternative way into the Po basin that bypasses Felsina. The easy access to the sea across the whole province and the profitable amount of available trading resources, along with its unique position, make Liguria one of the most suited provinces in Italia for favouring outwards expansion. Be aware of the fierceness of the Ligures, though!
mephiston
10-10-2017, 00:57
Sorry for the double post; now it's fixed.
By the way, now that I'm done with Liguria I can move on to the rest of Italy.
The map isn't completely up-to-date (a bunch of new ones have been added for the Adriatic and Gallic provinces, among others), so please let me know before you start any new ones, so I can confirm that they are "undone".
I can work on what's missing; just let me know what needs revision/implementation/enhancement, and I'll gather up my slaves and prepare my whip. :yes:
Cheers!
Sorry for the double post; now it's fixed.
Actually, that was due a technical issue on our end. Apologies for that.
Hippo123
10-11-2017, 19:54
Sorry my bad, I know it's supposed to be Trapani. Just a typo...:disappointed:
mephiston
10-11-2017, 20:20
Yes, no problem: I guessed it was just a typo. ~:)
How is your work on Trinakrie going?
And do you have comments or suggestions on Liguria?
Hippo123
10-13-2017, 19:39
Trinakrie is nearly finished, although due to the new word limit I guess I'll have to cut it down substantially :( - Kull
Unfortunately I am no budding historian or writer, but I think the description looks really good!
Trinakrie is nearly finished, although due to the new world limit I guess I'll have to cut it down substantially :( - Kull
Unfortunately I am no budding historian or writer, but I think the description looks really good!
Seriously, we do appreciate your efforts on this. :2thumbsup:
mephiston
10-22-2017, 16:02
Province of Elymais (Susa) done. I phagocytized what was previously existing in the description (now I have access to the game, yay!) and integrated with more infos.
Regional description: Elymais
Traveller's Log
As the traveller leaves the plains of Mesopotamia and Babylonia behind, he is met by a far-flung mountain range, its peaks spanning from distant Mikra Asia all the way to the lands of Pârsa. These mountains are known as the Zagros, gateway to ancient Persia: a 200-kilometer-wide barrier that hides rugged mountains and oasis-dotted salt deserts. In the foothills of these mountains lies the ancient land of Elymais, bridging Mesopotamian and Iranian worlds.
Geography
The satrapy of Elymais, or Susiane, as was named in Achaemenid period after the capital Susa, is located in the near east of the Fertile Crescent and roughly corresponds to the modern regions of Khûzêstan, Ȇlam, Chahâr-Mahâl-o Bakhtiyârî, Kohgîrûye-o Bûyer-Ahmad and Lorêstan in Iran. The satrapy stretches from the Persian Gulf up to halfways towards the Caspian Sea, and from the Fertile Crescent to the Zagros Mountains, comprising a good part of the mountain chain itself. It is shaped approximately as a reversed triangle, as its southernmost part narrows in a stripe until reaching the the Persian Gulf, with Susa being near the northwest corner.
The Ahvaz Ridge cuts Elymais in two from northwest to southeast, separating the montainous plateau from the fertile plains surrounding the outlets of the mighty Mesopotamian rivers. Both sections are characterized by a vast abundance of water in the form of numerous rivers, most of which flow from the Zagros towards the west. The ability of developing a strong agriculture though is hampered by the percentage of salt diluted in water, due to the chemical composition of the mountains themselves, and this feature becomes more pronounced in the lower reaches; some rivers are exempt from this though.
Climate is generally hot and dry, except uncommon occurrences, even if in the south weather can be occasionally humid. Winters can be cold even in the plains due to the influence of the mountains, and summers in the plains are exceptionally hot, with temperatures soaring up to 50 °C and even more. The presence of the mountains cools the land near the border with Charakene, increasing the amount of annual rainfall and feeding the province's streams. Throughout the province steppe woodlands can be found, with a higher concentration of forests near the rivers.
People, Society and Government
During Seleucid period Elymais is known as one of the "Upper Satrapies": the location of the geographical, dynastic and ideological centre of the empire is in fact in Syria. However, the city of Susa is the second biggest city (after Seleukeia-on-the-Tigris, better known as Seleukeia) under Seleucid control. The fact that the Persian Royal Road passed through the province, coupled with findings of Seleucid milestones that prove the constant maintenance of the ancient Achaemenid road, supports the idea of a dynamic commercial and political centre. In fact, the government of the city of Susa and the neighbouring regions is left largely independent by Seleucid kings, resembling more that of a city-state.
Of course the attempt of Hellenization of the province is manifested in the presence of the katoikiai, the colonies of Greek settlers; nonetheless the vast majority of the population is Persian or Mesopotamian, and the slightly peripheral position of the satrapy called for a recurring remainder of the King's existence through periodic royal voyages. Seleucid kingdom manifested centrality around the figure of the monarch: this is the reason why most Seleucid kings were always on the move, travelling from satrapy to satrapy. Without the king's revivifying presence every province could not operate within the political frame of the Empire, and this was one of the main concerns of Macedonian and Greek settlers in Elymais: pleas for the King to visit the province were not uncommon, because the danger of the loss of cohesion was ever-present.
In the whole satrapy is worshipped the Zoroastrian triad Ahuramazdâ-Mitra-Anâhitâ; the most important position is held by Anâhitâ, identified variously with Aphrodites, Athena or Artemis by the Greeks. We have proofs of the presence of at least two sanctuaries of "Athena and Artemis" in Elymais, both of which housed ample riches (looted by Mithridates I of the Arsacids to replenish his coffers; that of looting temples was an established routine even for Seleucid rulers). In Susa we know of one temple consecrated to Anâhitâ under the Semitic name of Nanaia. Even if no representations found in archaeological expeditions can be reliably identified with Anâhitâ, we know that rites involved offers of white heifers and green branches, and recitations of excerpts from Avastâ, the Zoroastrian sacred text.
History
Most of what we know of the early history of Elymais is based on Babylonian sources. This province is characterized by one of the most rich and diverse historic development in the whole ancient Near East. Often the name "Susiane" is mistaken as sinonymous with Elam, as was named in Semitic language the kingdom whose political centre was in Susa; in reality Susiane was a subsection of the kingdom, even though for the sake of semplicity we will refer to Elam from now until the Persian conquest. We know that together with Mesopotamia Elam was one of the main centres where the first urbanization took place, starting from the 4th millennium BC; this is the reason why this region had to constantly deal with the cultural influence of both the Fertile Crescent and the Iranian plateau, acting as a bridge between those civilizations and blending with its people, but assuming at the same time distinct features.
While initially involved in the colonization process usually referred to as the "period of Uruk" (the Sumerian city of Uruk was the most active in this direction), from the 3rd millennium BC Elam developed its own culture, religion and political texture. The newly formed Kingdom of Elam managed to outlast Akkadians and fight Sumerian dynasties, with alternating success: while the western part of the reign, including Susa, was conquered by king Shulgi of the third dynasty of Ur (2094-2047 BC), after just a couple of generations the Elamites were able to siege and conquer Ur itself. An evocative reference to these facts is included in the Sumerian poem "The lament for Ur" (approx. 2000 BC), written just after the beginning of the reconstruction of the city.
In the following centuries the Kingdom of Elam experienced serious reversal of fortune: despite sacking Babylonia and stealing Hammurabi Code (which in fact was found by archaeologists in Susa in 1901), Elamic kings could not avoid being subjugated around 1100 BC by Babylonians themselves led by Nabucodonosor I, and later by king Assurbanipal of the Assyrians, in 640 BC, who sacked and burned the capital Susa. However, since all the people composing the Assyrian empire were a melting pot which never fully blended, the Elamic kingdom arised again following the crumble of the central administration at the end of 7th century BC. Their newly regained independence was short, though, because the Medians and ultimately the Persians absorbed Elymais in their empire; Persians in particular took advantage of the ruling tradition inherited by Elamic kings to lay the foundation of their administration complex. Despite the opulence of the Persian cities of Persepolis and Pasargadae, the winter residence of Achaemenid royal court was the famous palace in Susa, built in parallel with that of Persepolis by Darius I.
After Megas Alexandros conquered the Persian empire, Elymais again showed its preminence due to its symbolic value for both Persian and Iranian spheres. In 324 BC a mass marriage of Macedonian generals with Iranian noblewomen took place in Susa at Alexandros' will, to bind local nobility to Macedonian ruling class. Another noteworthy event took place there at the same time: a cavalry formation of Persian nobles was assigned to the diadochos Seleukos, the future Seleukos I Nikator.
Despite Susa being sacked and its imperial palace being plundered after Macedonian conquest in 330 BC, Seleucid rulers took care of the city in the years of their rule on the region. The city of Susa itself was refounded as Seleucia-on-the-Eulaeus by Seleukos I: the renaming was a clear sign of the Seleucid panimperial policy through linguistics, in order to transit from the nomenclature of the "old world" belonging to the Achaemenids to the new Seleucid colonization. Graeco-Macedonians toponyms were in fact unusual east of the Euphrates: only the great importance of Susa justified it. The whole region in fact greatly benefitted of the favour of the Seleucid ruling: one of the biggest results of the new administration was improving the access to the sea in Susa by canalizing the Eulaeus, in order to enhance the commerce with Seleucia-on-the-Tigris. In the Persian Gulf the Seleucid sovereignty was strong through a firm presence of navy and colonies: this put in evidence Elymais as a node of an important commercial network.
After the end of the reign of Demetrios II (139 BC) the Iranian plateau was lost to Arsacids conquerors. Under the rising power of the Parthava, the capital of the satrapy returned to the ancient name of Susa: the reemergence of the ancient name suggests that it survived in the everyday use. Even the Astronomical Diaries from Babylon used the name Susa throughout the whole Seleucid domination, and we have evidence that the name was widely used in everyday situations (while for coinage and official documents the official Seleucid name was employed): this evidences the difficulties, widely spread throughout the empire, by Seleucid part to favour Hellenization of their satrapies. From this point on, the history of Susa is largely of secondary importance: razed twice, by Arabs in 638 and by Mongols in 1218, it degraded to a small settlement as it remains today.
Strategy
Elymais controls one of the passages between Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau; as a major milestone of the Persian Royal Road the capital Susa receives a large economical boost. On top of that, the best factional units for the Arche Seleukeia can be recruited from these lands, as well as several versatile regionals. All in all, due to its richness in both commerce and strategic importance for recruitment and control on Iran, Elymais is without question a satrapy of key importance.
athanaric
10-23-2017, 00:38
Some corrections for descriptions that are already in 2.3 (mostly typos), noticed them while playing. Don't know if it makes sense to mention the line because of the formatting, so I'm putting them out in a somewhat general fashion.
As a side note - I wish I had thought of that earlier, but if any of the writers has questions about the native fauna (also flora, to a lesser degree) of any of the regions, they can ask me. Copying this onto TWC so that more people are aware.
Aruernusela
Replace "Eurasian bear" (not a species, unless someone were to split off the American sspp. of that taxon) with Brown Bear (capitalized for clarity because it's a specific species. I know Wikipedia doesn't do that, but **** them).
Boiotergion
The text (intro, IIRC) mentions "fertile, barely filled" plains. Pretty sure the writer meant barley.
Later on, it says "There's is a fertile land [...]" (or something). Definitely a typo (probably f---ing autocorrect), replace "There's" with Theirs.
Then there's a mention of "pine martins" in the geography section, also a typo. A martin with "i" is a type of swallow, whereas the writer wanted to refer to a mustelid (Martes martes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_pine_marten)). Replace with Pine Martens (see above).
Lastly, the text mentions "viereckschanzen". This word should be capitalized, as it's archaeological jargon directly lifted from German. All German nouns are capitalized.
Wenetwa
There's a line in the introduction saying "[...] from dust till dawn [...]". Obviously, the writer meant dusk.
Later on, "flocks of duck, geese, swan, crane, and storks" are mentioned. Ducks, swans, cranes should be pluralized. Probably a typo, too.
Wenetwa
There's a line in the introduction saying "[...] from dust till dawn [...]". Obviously, the writer meant dusk.
Later on, "flocks of duck, geese, swan, crane, and storks" are mentioned. Ducks, swans, cranes should be pluralized. Probably a typo, too.
In English idiom, when flocks is plural, for some words the object that they are flocks of remains singular. "Flocks of duck", for example, is attested in this Smithsonian magazine article:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/wooden-duck-decoys-are-link-past-180962887/
However, I am not certain of the precise usage rule here to tell which of those words are eligible for this idiom beyond duck itself.
athanaric
10-23-2017, 17:07
In English idiom, when flocks is plural, for some words the object that they are flocks of remains singular. "Flocks of duck", for example, is attested in this Smithsonian magazine article:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/wooden-duck-decoys-are-link-past-180962887/
However, I am not certain of the precise usage rule here to tell which of those words are eligible for this idiom beyond duck itself.
I'm leery of that. Might very well be that this is an American thing, if it's a thing at all. I've also noticed that some descriptions, particularly Eastern Europe, are written in AE as opposed to the predominant BE.
edit:
As a matter of fact, I've begun to edit some descriptions myself (particularly in provinces with short descriptions, not those that are already overly long), adding/editing short notes on the flora and fauna -some are in serious need of more diversity. There's only so many times I can bear reading about bears.
edit2:
The description of Akuitanon still contains the erroneous line
"Indo-Europeans arrived in Europe from Iran and Northern India around 3000 BCE displacing almost all other languages groups in Europe except for Finnish and Basque"
I've replaced the part marked in italics with "the Eurasian steppes". Not perfect, but more factually accurate I believe.
edit3:
I've written a geography section for Ingwingoz, since it was missing. Still need to vet it for historical accuracy though before posting it here.
athanaric
10-27-2017, 00:34
Update: I'm trawling through the descriptions from top to bottom, directly editing (a backup of) the description via Notepad++ (64 bit). Hope that's the correct method. Many of the European geography sections need work (some are 100% identical on the fauna part), and I'm re-writing a few passages.
I've tried to mention typical categories of animals in general, and/or feature a few emblematic species (with as little overlap as possible between provinces; there are more than enough species to go around), with a particular focus on endemic species - i.e ones that only occur in this particular province or region and nowhere else on the planet (there actually are a few such provinces, e.g. Korsim).
Haven't gotten to Asia and Africa yet. This could take a while. Do you want periodic uploads of the edited file or should I post it when I've finished it?
athanaric
11-05-2017, 01:01
I feel kinda silly triple posting, but anyway, here's an update.
Notes:
I have not systematically checked the historical, sociological, and strategic sections, nor the Traveller's Logs. Any errors I've encountered in those were randomly found.
I haven't inserted complete sections or descriptions into the file because I don't really have a clue about the formatting, and from looking at the file it seems I'm not the only one with difficulties. Some questions:
- What's up with the @ signs in place of the apostrophes? Should I use them too? Do regular apostrophes not work properly?
- How do you format a text so it stays a nice compact bloc and doesn't become an endless line which makes the file hard to read?
- Is it a good idea to use italics? Would make the loanwords less awkward. Or does that screw with the formatting? What about brackets, BTW?
Change log so far
- Many provinces, including Dardania kai Paionia, Thraike, Pamphylia, Mysia, Galatia, Kappadokia Pontika, Paphlagonia... :
corrected some species names, changed accidental mentions of American species (maize, Mountain Lion) to local ones.
- Regarding seasons, changed "fall" to "autumn" (because it's more appropriate to the context) and fixed a description (see below).
- Fixed some minor grammatical and spelling errors.
- Corrected some Germanisms, see above.
Longer additions I made to the text, inserted into already existing sections. In some cases, these replace the original comments on the fauna:
Korsim
Some of the animals endemic to this island were exterminated in prehistoric times, but others, such as the Corsican Nuthatch, have survived to this day, thanks to the rough terrain.
Baleares
Although the few endemic mammals native to the Balearic Isles - giant dormice and shrews as well as dwarf goats - went extinct shortly after human colonization, the fauna still includes some endemic species, like the Balearic Midwife-toad, the Balearic Warbler, and the Balearic Shearwater, the latter nesting in the coastal cliffs alongside Eleonora's Falcon, Audouin's Gull, and other typical Mediterranean species.
Nikron
The upper Rhine valley is an entry point for Mediterranean fauna such as Praying Mantis, Bee-eater, and Emerald Lizard into Central Europe, with fluctuations corresponding with climate changes.
Herkunion
This region has a typical Central European fauna. During Europa Barbarorum's time frame, European Mink would still have dwelled along the waterways, alongside Kingfishers, various herons, European Pond Turtles, and a diverse cast of amphibians and fish. The larger forests are home to more reclusive denizens such as Wildcat, Lynx, and Black Stork, and of course larger game such as boar as well.
Krete
In prehistoric times, Krete was home to a rich flora and an unusual fauna that included some endemic species displaying the ecological phenomenon of island dwarfism, such as the Cretan Dwarf Mammoth (which was only slightly bigger than a wild boar) and dwarf hippopotamuses. These disappeared at the latest after human colonization of the island, but besides a considerable number of endemic plant species, even some larger animals, like the Bearded Vulture, have managed to survive in the mountains to this day.
Corrected the climate part of Herkunion, now it looks like this:
Herkunion
The climate of Herkunion is typical of the continent and can be characterized as somewhat mild. The annual rainfall is rather evenly distributed over the entire province. The seasons are approximately even in length, except in the mountains, where spring and autumn are somewhat short and the winters are long and cold. The summers range from mild to warm.
Proposed new geography section:
Ingwingoz
Geography
This region is dominated, and frequently rearranged, by the forces of the sea. In the southern part, there are large estuaries of several Central European rivers, most notably the Elbe. While generally situated very low and its highest elevation being at only around 170m above sea level, a significant part of the province, particularly on the Jutish peninsula, is characterized by low, rolling hills formed by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age, which adds a pleasant touch to the landscape.
The natural landscape and vegetation mostly consists of lowland deciduous forests, raised bogs, heathland, fens, and, near the coast, sparsely covered sand dunes in some places and saltmarshes in others. The tidal mudflats in this region, known as the Wadden Sea, are some of the largest in the entire world.
While the terrestrial megafauna, apart from deer perhaps, would have been a bit depleted by our time frame, the coastal and estuarine mudflats as well as the saltmarshes are vital to huge numbers of migrating birds, particularly geese and a diverse array of waders and other shorebirds. The sea itself is home to seals, porpoises, gulls, terns and other creatures living off the rich fishing grounds.
--
Still working on:
- Haven't viewed a third or so of the descriptions.
- Writing geography sections for the incomplete German and French provinces.
- Several Central and Eastern European provinces (minus Herkunion now) have identical or near-identical climate, flora and fauna sections which, I take it, are probably provisional. Trying to make each of them unique now.
- The province of Cilicia mentions buffaloes. Presumably the author meant aurochs? Or is there archaeological proof of European Bison (bison are often referred to as "buffalo") or actual buffaloes occurring there in historical times?
The @ is used to have proper ' signs in-game. Otherwise they get crooked or cause to remove the space between words...
From what I've seen italics cause the same issues. I went for capital first letter for loans or foreign words...
Brackets dunno, I would avoid them, unless quoting/citing sources. Even though imo I feel it cuts the flow of the text. These should be almost narratives...
Also thank you very much for reviewing this material ;)
athanaric
11-09-2017, 14:21
I've reworked my own entries according to this information. Now checked the whole document. I gotta say, the guy who did most of the Asian and steppe descriptions was very thorough in his cataloguing of the fauna. I think it's great, though. Not a bad selection of taxa, either. Didn't have to fix much in that regard other than correcting some spelling (mostly zoological) and eliminating a lone muskrat (muskrats are pests introduced from North America in recent times). Some of these descriptions occasionally have a creative syntax though, maybe someone else should proofread them as well.
If you want the first version of the updated file in the next patch, just PM me when it's needed, as I'm working on it in frequent, but small steps. Might have to be playtested, too, just to be sure I didn't mess up anything.
I've reworked my own entries according to this information. Now checked the whole document. I gotta say, the guy who did most of the Asian and steppe descriptions was very thorough in his cataloguing of the fauna. I think it's great, though. Not a bad selection of taxa, either. Didn't have to fix much in that regard other than correcting some spelling (mostly zoological) and eliminating a lone muskrat (muskrats are pests introduced from North America in recent times). Some of these descriptions occasionally have a creative syntax though, maybe someone else should proofread them as well.
If you want the first version of the updated file in the next patch, just PM me when it's needed, as I'm working on it in frequent, but small steps. Might have to be playtested, too, just to be sure I didn't mess up anything.
I'm working on this file now, so if you can post a link to your file, I can incorporate the changes. Thanks!
athanaric
11-23-2017, 20:13
I'm working on this file now, so if you can post a link to your file, I can incorporate the changes. Thanks!I wanted to attach it to the post, but somehow it doesn't work. Maybe the forum software is too old? It's definitely not because of the size. Can I use 7zip?
edit: well, seems like it worked.
I wanted to attach it to the post, but somehow it doesn't work. Maybe the forum software is too old? It's definitely not because of the size. Can I use 7zip?
edit: well, seems like it worked.
Thanks - your changes were added to the build.
- How do you format a text so it stays a nice compact bloc and doesn't become an endless line which makes the file hard to read?
In Notepad++ go to "View", then select "Word wrap" (will put a checkmark next to it)
- Is it a good idea to use italics? Would make the loanwords less awkward. Or does that screw with the formatting? What about brackets, BTW?
M2TW doesn't like italics (or our xml conversion tool can't handle them properly). The "italics code" has the unfortunate side effect of eliminating the spaces which immediately precede (or follow) it. We used to use it, but the overall effect was ugly and it was all removed in an update sometime last year. Don't know about brackets, but parens work fine.
athanaric
11-26-2017, 00:54
Thanks, I'll keep those in mind for future edits. Haven't used italics so far, anyway.
The geography section for Ingwingoz posted above is not in the file; if you decide to use it, you'll have to add it yourself (being barely acquainted with the format, I was wary of creating entirely new [sub-] entries).
Here is what I concieved for Liguria. Just slightly above 10k characters.
Province of Elymais (Susa) done.
Thanks, I gave them some edits and added both to the internal build. Much appreciated!
The geography section for Ingwingoz posted above is not in the file; if you decide to use it, you'll have to add it yourself (being barely acquainted with the format, I was wary of creating entirely new [sub-] entries).
I spotted that and added it along with your other changes. Thanks!
That's a shame, because the one for Trinakrie is 17990 atm!
Hippo123 - I'm sure it's painful for you -as author- to yank big chunks out of your Trinakrie province description, as I'm sure it was difficult and time consuming to create. However, as "editor", I have no such compunctions, so please post the description as-is and I promise to be judicious in the use of my editorial carving knife! Thanks!
mephiston
11-29-2017, 17:42
Hello everyone!
I'm just dropping a message to inform you that I'm not dead. Real life kicked in pretty badly, though, so at the moment I'm slowly working my way through the description of Syrthim. It will take a long time, however: probably around Christmas I'm going to have some real spare time and not random chunks during breaks.
athanaric: I can't stress enough how valuable your work is for people (like me) who don't have a clue on flora and fauna. Seriously, I really appreciate what you did and I feel really grateful for your effort!
Thanks, I gave them some edits and added both to the internal build. Much appreciated!
Happy to be of any help! Just one question: as you probably noted I refrained from explicitly quoting the source (e.g. "Hdt. IV.168.1"). Is it recommended for my future work?
Hello everyone!
I'm just dropping a message to inform you that I'm not dead. Real life kicked in pretty badly, though, so at the moment I'm slowly working my way through the description of Syrthim. It will take a long time, however: probably around Christmas I'm going to have some real spare time and not random chunks during breaks.
athanaric: I can't stress enough how valuable your work is for people (like me) who don't have a clue on flora and fauna. Seriously, I really appreciate what you did and I feel really grateful for your effort!
Take your time, there's no hurry.
Happy to be of any help! Just one question: as you probably noted I refrained from explicitly quoting the source (e.g. "Hdt. IV.168.1"). Is it recommended for my future work?
No, not required. In fact, given that we're trying to keep these things to a smaller size, it would just add bulk. The only place where you really need citations are direct quotes, and even there a general reference to "Livy" or "Strabo" or whoever is fine.
athanaric
11-30-2017, 17:39
Hello everyone!
I'm just dropping a message to inform you that I'm not dead. Real life kicked in pretty badly, though, so at the moment I'm slowly working my way through the description of Syrthim. It will take a long time, however: probably around Christmas I'm going to have some real spare time and not random chunks during breaks.
athanaric: I can't stress enough how valuable your work is for people (like me) who don't have a clue on flora and fauna. Seriously, I really appreciate what you did and I feel really grateful for your effort!Thanks; like you, I'm happy to help. Hope I didn't come across as too much of a jerk - this whole description business, given the academic standards of the mod, requires a lot of research in different directions. It's easy to get lost if you dont already have a lot of knowledge in all of the fields you are describing.
Incidentally, that's why I'm confounded by the plans of some people to translate EB II into other languages. Honestly, it's easier to just learn English. Especially seeing as creating any translation (much less a mod with a body of texts so large it would put Tolstoy or GRRM to shame) of an acceptable standard is a difficult and time-consuming business.
Hippo123
12-03-2017, 15:07
I don't know why this go posted twice
Hippo123
12-03-2017, 15:07
Apologies for my lack of activity recently. Here is the full description of Trinakrie. Kull, thank you for the offer and I hope you have fun editing it down! I will be the first to admit that the flora and fauna in this description...kind of suck. athanaric, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Hope you enjoy it (those of you who actually have the patience to read the whole bloody thing!)
Trinakrie
Traveller's log:
As soon as the traveller enters the waters of Trinakrie he knows that he has arrived in the domain of the Greeks. The sea is a warming blue, laced with beams of sunlight that glister on the water's surface and the air is filled with the sweet scent of wine. Aeolus' west wind pushes the ship onwards towards its final destination. The traveller can now make out the great harbour at Ortygia and the great wall of stone that completely encompasses the peninsular, stretching a staggering distance of one hundred and twenty stadions. The wall has kept the city's inhabitants safe through centuries of strife and has seen off many an adversary. This land will never be taken as it is protected by the goddess of the hunt herself. She watches over all: from the animals that abide in the forested slopes that border Mount Aetna to the grassland and coast. On the harbour island stands the great citadel build bu the king Dionysus the Elder, after he had defeated his foes and returned in glory. This is the final bastion of the civilised world; for as one sails west one enters the land of the barbarians of North Africa and Iberia, where men live in hits of mud and burn their infants as sacrifice to the gods! The traveller must halt here or else he is lost to the world. He must pass through this great fortress if he wishes to enter the greatest city of Magna Graecia; if he wishes to enter Syrakosai.
Geography:
The region of Trinakrie is made up of the Sicilian provinces of Siracusa, Ragusa, Caltania, Caltanissetta and Enna. The region was abound with small cities but dominated by the Sicilian Greek power of Syrakosai. Trinakrie is the second largest region in Sicily, being only marginally smaller than Elimya. It stretches from the south-easternmost tip of Sicily west to the River Salso and north to the borders of the great Mount Aetna. The land is generally flatter than the north of the island, with Monte Lauro at 986m above sea level being its highest peak. Trinakrie occupies a large part of the island's interior, which is characterised by sun-scorched undulating hills arrayed around rocky peaks of mountains. In ancient times this was a major grain-producing site, that was used extensively by the Romani to feed the enormous population housed in their home city; however, due to depopulation and overseas competition this industry has long since ceased. Despite this, the region is still fertile and well known for its quality wines, olives and fruits. The southern and eastern coasts present an unbroken stretch of coastal plain, from the mouth of the Imera Meridionale to the borders of the Ionian Sea. This stretch of land is now practically devoid of forest, due to man-made deforestation programs started since Roman times but it harbours some of ancient Sicily's most wealthy cities such as Gela, Kamarina, Heleros and of course the great city of Syrakosai. Although the shore is deficient in natural harbours, there is extensive evidence, in the form of ruins, that a great fishing enterprise was undertaken here to be used not only for nutrition but as a valuable trade resource that contributed to Syrakosai's enormous wealth. The fishing continues to this day, however the shores have become increasingly occupied with tourists enjoying the soft, sandy beaches and the heat of the Mediterranean sun.
Trinakrie experiences a hot, dry summer and mild, wet winters. Summer temperatures range between 20-30 degrees
Celsius, with a record hight of 37 in July. Winters are much milder, ranging between 7-9 degrees Celsius. Snow is infrequent but not unheard of and seeing the peaks of the Hyblaen mountains capped in snow is a sight to behold. Trinakrie sees less wildlife than the other regions of the island due to its lack of forest, however its marshes and grassland provide a home for the Weasel, the venomous European asp and the Crested porcupine, who although was thought to have been introduced to Sicily by the Romans, fossil remains suggest that it dates back to the Upper Pleistocene age, more than 126,000 years ago.
People/Society and Government:
Syrakosai was described by Cicero as 'the greatest Greek city and most beautiful of them all' and indeed it was. Syrakosai was originally a Greek colony on Sicily, founded by Dorian Greek settlers from Korinthos and Sparte. However, as it grew it gradually became an independent Polis that fluctuated from being ruled by a tyrant to brief periods of democracy. The city found itself at the height of its power in the early Classic period under the tyrant Gelon, who ushered in a golden age for Syrakosai, who at that time rivalled Athenai in size and power. As the city prospered so too did art, culture and science. Syrakosai is abound with ancient architectural wonders such as the temple of Apollo and Zeus, the fountain of Arethusa, and one of the largest theatres ever built by the Greeks; with a staggering 67 rows divided into 9 sections the theatre could almost seat the entire city's population. This attracted certain personalities, like the legendary poets Eumelos of Korinthos and Sappho, as well as Aeschylus the Father of Tragedy, who met his demise by Tortoise in the city of Gela, a mere 120km west of Syrakosai. Even the great philosopher Plato came to Syrakosai, to assume the position of chief advisor to the king. The great scientist Archimedes was born in Syrakosai c. 287 BC, during a revival of the city's greatness under king Hiero II. His theories of displacement and inventions, such as the Archimedes screw for carrying water up a gradient, were revolutionary. However, Archimedes' services went beyond being solely domestic. When, in 214 BC, the Romani laid siege to the city, Archimedes employed his two war machines: the claw of Archimedes, which lifted entire ships out of the water and consequently sink them; and the heat ray of Archimedes (not an official name!), which was comprised of many mirrors that reflected and concentrated the sun's rays onto enemy ships, setting them alight.
At first the governance of Syrakosai was bestowed upon the Gamoroi, the descendants of the original
settlers. However, they were then overthrown by the Killichiroi, the working class of the city. A brief period of democracy ensued until 485 BC, when the Gamoroi reclaimed power with the assistance of the city of Gela. Tyrants ruled until the death of Hieron in 366 BC, when democracy was re-established. The democratic system of Syrakosai was similar to that of Athenai: a popular assembly of around 6,000 citizens could vote on issues and elect a council of around 500 men, whose duty was to propose and prepare new decrees, administer the popular assembly and supervise the work done by magistrates. There was a further executive comprised of elected generals (strategoi), who would preside over and guard the state's affairs as well as receive foreign emissaries. This democratic system withstood the trials of war with Athenai until 405 BC, when it was overthrown by Dionysus the Elder. Tyrants then ruled up until 214 BC, with the exception of a third democracy between 337-317 BC. The city was then laid siege to by the Romani in 214 BC, and eventually taken in 212 BC.
History:
Syrakosai was founded around 734 BC by settlers from Korinthos. There is a myth as to the city's foundation detailed in Plutarch's writings Moralia Five Tragical Histories of Love. A Corinthian called Archias fell in love with the son of Melissus, called Actaeon. He was the most handsome and fair youth of his age in the city. Archias tried to woo him but the youth, as Plutarch writes, could not be convinced by @no fair means or persuasion@. Therefore, Archias decided to kidnap the boy. Upon inviting himself to Melissus@ house under the facade of partaking in a feast, Archias and his companions seized the boy and tried to escape with him. However, Melissus resisted and grabbed hold of his son, preventing them from taking him. In an ensuing tug-of-war, the boy was torn apart and killed. Justice for the father was denied by the Corinthians, so Melissus climbed up to the temple of Poseidon and threw himself off the cliff onto the rocks below. This invoked the god's wrath and a terrible drought followed. The oracle was consulted and warned that the death of Actaeon must be avenged. Therefore, Archias went into voluntary exile with his companions, and landed in Sicily, where he then founded the city of Syrakosai.
Syrakosai, according to the ancient sources of Marcian of Hereclea and Epicharmus, derived its name from
a nearby swamp called 'Syrako' and thereby became Syrakosai. The colony was at first founded on the small island of Ortygia, due to its fertile land and natural springs. Eventually the city grew onto the mainland and a causeway was established, linking the former island to the mainland. The city grew and prospered and became, at one time, the biggest Greek Polis in the whole Mediterranean. It consequently went on to found its own cities of Akrai in 664 BC, Kasmenai in 643 BC and Kamarina in 598 BC.
However, Syrakosai's rapid expansion did not go unnoticed and Qart Hadasht, who also had possessions in
Sicily at that time, sought to strike back against the expansionist Greeks. A Karkhedonioi fleet was quickly assembled, which allegedly transported 300,000 men to Sicily. Even though Qart Hadasht fielded her greatest military force to date, even at its peak the Karkhedonioi could only muster between 50,000-100,000 men. While crossing the straits however, the fleet suffered heavy losses due to poor weather. Hamilcar landed in Panormus in 480 BC, only to be decisively defeated by Gelo, tyrant of Syrakosai at the battle of Himera. Hamilcar either died in battle or committed suicide in shame. Qart Hadasht sued for peace, agreeing to pay 2,000 talents to Syrakosai, which funded a lavish public building program and caused culture to flourish in the city. Qart Hadasht did not intervene in Sicily for the next 70 years. This marked the end of the First Sicilian War.
Syrakosai's next great challenge would come in 415 BC, when Athenai sent an invasion force to take
Syrakosai in what would be known as the Sicilian Expedition. During this time, Athenai was still fighting the Peloponnesian war against Sparte; however, there had been a lull in the conflict. The Athenians feared Syrakosai's power in Sicily and feared that if left unchecked, they would send supplies and troops to the Spartans and Corinthians, their fellow Dorian cities. They therefore, upon receiving a distress call from the allied city of Segesta, decided to send a force of 100 ships and 5,000 hoplites under 3 generals: Lamachus, Nicias and Alcibiades, to conquer Syrakosai. On the eve of the expedition however, the hermai (stone markers representing Hermes that were placed around Athenai as a symbol of good luck) were destroyed and the entire excursion was overshadowed by ill fortune and inevitable destruction.
Upon arriving in Sicily, the fleet sought refuge in towns on the coast that would ally with Athenai, only to
find that there were none. Discouraged by the lack of support and money, which Segesta had promised them to fund the expedition, the fleet sailed into the harbour of Syrakosai and began the arduous task of surrounding the city. At first they opted to build a wall to block Syrakosai in from the rest of the island. The Athenian circumvallation, known as The Circle, almost completely surrounded Syrakosai. However, before it had reached the Ionian Sea, the Syracusans built up a counter wall, that in turn blocked the Athenian one. This process continued until finally, the Athenians attacked the Syracusan wall, seized it and finished The Circle. Meanwhile, the Athenian fleet had beaten back the force sent by Syrakosai and came to blockade the port by sea. The situation started to look bleak for the inhabitants of Syrakosai, until the city's chief general Hemocrates prevailed upon Sparte for aid. A Spartan general called Gylippus answered the call and landed at Himera with 700 marines, 1,000 hoplites and 100 cavalry. A Corinthian fleet also arrived, under the command of Erasinides. Glyippus defeated the Athenians and build another wall, thereby cutting off the Athenians' supplies by land. Exhausted and suffering from Illness, the sole surviving commander of the expedition, Nicias, wrote a letter to Athenai pleading for them to recall the expedition or send massive reinforcements, his plea leading towards the former. Unfortunately for Nicias, Athenai responded by sending yet another massive fleet under two commanders: Demosthenes and Eurymedon. The two commanders arrived in July 413 BC but brought little relief to the Athenians. They were surrounded by land and sea and pestilence had started to spread among the army. On September the 9th, the Athenians attempted a naval battle to break through the naval blockade. The battle raged for two days with no clear victor until the Athenians were forced to retreat and no further naval escape was viable. On September 13th the Athenians broke camp for a last ditch attempt to escape the blockade. As they marched south they were harassed by Syracusan light infantry and cavalry. Eventually Demosthenes and Nicias became separated and the former surrendered to the Syracusans. Nicias' contingent, while rushing to find drinking water, were attacked by Gylippus and practically slaughtered. The Sicilian Expedition was a military disaster for Athenai. Some 10,000 hoplites had perished in combat bu the real loss was Athenai's fleet. Over 200 ships had been lost as well as 30,000 experienced oarsmen, who could no be replaced. The expedition marked the beginning of the end for Athenai and only further enhanced Syrakosai's status as a great and powerful city.
Rivalry flared up again amongst the Greeks in 416 BC, this time between the Dorian city of Selinus and
Ionian city of Segesta. After defeating Segesta in 411 BC, the Segestians called on Qart Hadasht for help and a relief force under Hannibal Mago was sent and defeated Selinus in the battle of Selinus in 410 BC. Hannibal returned to Qart Hadasht in triumph in 409 BC but ventured again to Sicily in 406 BC at the head of another expedition, bent on subduing the Greeks once and for all. The invasion was met by much success at first: the cities of Gela, Kamarina and Akagras all fell to Hannibal. However, during the siege of Akagras the Carthaginian army was ravaged by plague and Hannibal himself was killed. His successor, Himilico, pushed on and defeated the army of Dionysus I and besieged Syrakosai in 397 BC. However, the Karkhedonioi forces succumbed to plague again and were forced to withdraw, keeping all their recent conquests as tributary vassals. Karkhedonioi power was now at its zenith in Sicily. In 396 BC, the war started to turn in Syrakosai's favour, as the Karkhedonioi became preoccupied with rebellions in North Africa. Dionysus struck back and defeated the Karkhedonioi at the battle of Abacaenum in 393 BC. A secondary Karkhedonioi expedition was sent but was met with resistance near the River Chrysas and both parties signed a peace treaty. Dionysus renewed hostilities in 383 BC and decisively defeated Mago at Cabala in 378 BC, although he was later defeated at the battle of Cronium in 376 BC and a peace treaty was settled. Dionysus attacked Punic possessions again in 368 BC and besieged Lilibeo but was forced to retreat due to the destruction of his fleet. He died in 367 BC and his death brought about a peace for the next 22 years until Qart Hadasht became involved in Syracusan politics. A Karkhedonioi expedition was sent to Sicily but was destroyed in the battle of the Crimissus in 341 BC. Qart Hadasht was permitted to keep land west of the Halycas River and Syrakosai was victorious.
After the death of Timoleon, who had defeated the Karkhedonioi at Crimissus, another power struggle
commenced and a new tyrant called Agathocles seized power in a coup in 317 BC. He resumed war with Qart Hadasht but was besieged in Syrakosai in 311 BC. He escaped the city with a contingent of soldiers and a small fleet and sailed to North Africa, where he attacked Karkhedonioi possessions. Despite early successes, Agothocles was defeated and returned to Syrakosai. He died in 289 BC. Qart Hadasht decided to besiege Syrakosai for a fourth a final time before the arrival of Pyrrhos of Epeiros, who had answered the Syracusan call for help. After three years of hardship under Pyrrhos' rule, Hiero II seized power in 275 BC. Hiero brought about a revival of Syrakosai and made the city prosperous once more by enlarging the theatre and building a new altar (Hiero's Altar). This was also a time of great learning as the greatest scientist of ancient times, Archimedes, lived under Hiero's rule.
However, the end of Syrakosai was close at hand. During the First Punic War that started in 264 BC,
Syrakosai chose to ally with Qart Hadasht and was besieged and defeated by the Romani in 263 BC. Although it retained its right as an autonomous state, it was now a close ally of Roma. Syrakosai remained powerful until 216 BC when, after the battle of Cannae, the Syracusans defected and chose to ally with Qart Hadasht once again. This action sealed their fate and during the Second Punic War, the Romani besieged Syrakosai in 214 BC and took it in 212 BC. At the end of the war the Polis was stripped of its autonomy and swallowed up into the province of Sicilia. However, it did retain its importance as the cultural and political hub of the island, as well as the seat of the Praetor.
Strategy:
Trinakrie is the richest province in Sicily, trading in iron, sulphur, wine and grain. Syrakosai starts off as a city with stone walls and a wealth of buildings which, along with the plethora of resources, means that the city is fairly wealthy. It occupies a key position on the map, controlling shipping routes through the Mediterranean and Ionian seas, as well as the movement of soldiers as they circumvent Mount Aetna. As Archimedes once said "Give me a place to stand and I shall move the world!" For you that place is Syrakosai!
athanaric
12-03-2017, 18:40
I will be the first to admit that the flora and fauna in this description...kind of suck.
Your revised version of Elimya was pretty good in that regard, though.
Trinakrie sees less wildlife than the other regions of the island due to its lack of forest, however its marshes and grassland provide a home for the Least weasel, the Crested porcupine and the venomous Viper Aspis or European asp.Some corrections here:
- "Least Weasel" (for Mustela nivalis) is OK-ish; technically it's more of an American term, as it's just called "Weasel" in the UK (the bigger Mustela erminea is known as Stoat; in North America, the "least" is probably used to differentiate it from a third species)
- AFAIK Crested Porcupines were (re-) introduced by the Romans (wikipedia says they might've occurred in Europe before the ice ages), might be worth a mention
- Vipera aspis is the scientific name, personally I'd just call it Asp (though European Asp is of course acceptable) in the text. The problem with scientific names is that they should always be in italics, and seeing as the format isn't really conducive to writing in italics (see above), I'd just leave them out TBH. The only exception being when you want to make a point about the retention of an original Latin (or other antique) name in modern scientific usage of course. But in that case, it'd be better to explicitly mention the fact.
General rule with all scientific names:
- all italics (except additional info that doesn't belong to the name itself, and is irrelevant in the context of a strategy game like this),
- first name (indicating genus) always upper case,
- second name (species) always lower case.
Also, which is probably obvious to EB enthusiasts, scientific names should not be called "Latin names" - even though they use Latin grammar - because of the danger of confusion with original names from Antiquity.
Here is a map of 2.3 release
https://i.imgur.com/FIDX74V.png
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