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Thread: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

  1. #481
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by myarta View Post
    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/trave...ast-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.
    Last edited by athanaric; 10-23-2017 at 21:24.




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  2. #482
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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?
    Last edited by athanaric; 10-27-2017 at 01:04.




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  3. #483
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    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:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    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
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    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?
    Last edited by athanaric; 11-05-2017 at 01:19.




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  4. #484
    COYATOYPIKC Senior Member Flatout Minigame Champion Arjos's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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 ;)

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  5. #485
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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.




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  6. #486
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    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!
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

  7. #487
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by Kull View Post
    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.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by athanaric; 11-24-2017 at 12:50.




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  8. #488
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    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.
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  9. #489
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    - 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.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

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  10. #490
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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).




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  11. #491
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    Here is what I concieved for Liguria. Just slightly above 10k characters.
    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    Province of Elymais (Susa) done.
    Thanks, I gave them some edits and added both to the internal build. Much appreciated!
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  12. #492
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    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!
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

  13. #493
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by Hippo123 View Post
    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!
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

  14. #494

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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!



    Quote Originally Posted by Kull View Post
    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?

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  15. #495
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    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.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

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  16. #496
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    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.
    Last edited by athanaric; 11-30-2017 at 17:42.




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  17. #497

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    I don't know why this go posted twice
    Last edited by Hippo123; 12-04-2017 at 13:45.

  18. #498

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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!
    Last edited by Hippo123; 12-04-2017 at 13:42.

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  19. #499
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by Hippo123 View Post
    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.
    Last edited by athanaric; 12-03-2017 at 18:49.




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  20. #500

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Here is a map of 2.3 release


  21. #501
    Member Member Macilrille's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    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.
    It lokks OK- depending of course in how much detail you want to go. For example, while Eastern and Northern Jutland and the Danish Isles (plus Skåne), has some of the most fertile land in Northern Europe (the foundation of Denmark's dominance of Scandinavia until about 1550), South Western Jutland is infamously infertile as it was west of the ice Terminus for millenia with meltoff washing away most nutrients in the ground except on a few hills. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:J%...C3%A4kausi.jpg
    'For months Augustus let hair and beard grow and occasionally banged his head against the walls whilst shouting; "Quinctillius Varus, give me my legions back"' -Sueton, Augustus.

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  22. #502
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by Chap View Post
    Here is a map of 2.3 release
    Definitely making progress! Only 7 provinces with no description of any kind. Can't believe there's nothing for Epeiros and Assyria. That's just embarrassing....I should be able to dig up something from Strabo.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

  23. #503
    iudex thervingiorum Member athanaric's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Thanks, Macilrille. I'll consider expanding the description accordingly. Can't promise to deliver anything over the next two weeks, though.


    Quote Originally Posted by Kull View Post
    Definitely making progress! Only 7 provinces with no description of any kind. Can't believe there's nothing for Epeiros and Assyria. That's just embarrassing....I should be able to dig up something from Strabo.
    Yeah that's weird.
    By the way, the pictures for Nikron and Uidu Teuto Ikoranda (sp.?) feature Alpine-looking mountains (you know, the archetypal jagged outlines decorated with everlasting snow). While it is true that you can see the Alps on a good day from the southern reaches of Nikron (the French province is too far away altogether), they're still quite distant and not as close as on the pictures. None of the local mountains in those two provinces - not even the Vosges and Black Forest - look like that; they are older than the Alps and have smoother, rounded tops, and even at their highest points, there is no permanent snow.
    I think those pictures were taken in the Alps or a similar mountain range. Maybe it's another case of accidental picture swap?




    Swêboz guide for EB 1.2
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  24. #504
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    By the way, the pictures for Nikron and Uidu Teuto Ikoranda (sp.?) feature Alpine-looking mountains (you know, the archetypal jagged outlines decorated with everlasting snow). While it is true that you can see the Alps on a good day from the southern reaches of Nikron (the French province is too far away altogether), they're still quite distant and not as close as on the pictures. None of the local mountains in those two provinces - not even the Vosges and Black Forest - look like that; they are older than the Alps and have smoother, rounded tops, and even at their highest points, there is no permanent snow.
    I think those pictures were taken in the Alps or a similar mountain range. Maybe it's another case of accidental picture swap?
    If you can find something more appropriate, please post them (with actual location identified). Keep in mind that all "constructed icons" have to fit inside a frame, and picture dimension (excluding frame) is 378x121 pixels (i.e. roughly a 3-1 ratio). You don't have to provide pix of exactly that size, but that's the cropping/stretching I'll have to put them through.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

  25. #505
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by Hippo123 View Post
    Here is the full description of Trinakrie. @Kull, thank you for the offer and I hope you have fun editing it down!
    File edited and added to the internal build. I also bit the bullet and developed Strabo-based descriptions for 10 other "description-less" provinces. At this point, every province on the map has *something*! There are still eight which only have the "strategy" section, but I'll try to get something for those, too.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

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  26. #506

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    I'm almost done with Syrthim: in a couple of days it should be ready. The fact that finally I managed to have some free days greatly contributed to the matter.

    Some remarks on the description of Trinakrie.

    Caltania
    Catania is the correct spelling.

    Syrakosai
    As above, Syrakousai is the correct translitteration.

    Mount Aetna [...] Monte Lauro
    I feel kind of disturbed by the mixture of English, Latin and Italian: imho it's better to stick to one standard.

    20-30 degrees Celsius
    Two rules for numbers with unit of measure are used:

    1) numbers and unit of measure written extensively ("between twenty and thirty degrees Celsius")
    2) compact form ("20-30 °C")

    One should stick to one or the other.

    Dionysus I
    The Latin name of the famous tyrant is Dionysius, while the Greek one is Dionysios. Dionysus = Bacchus.

    But the delay is strong in me... Probably my remarks are no more relevant due to @Kull 's editing.

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    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.
    I encourage you to type every remark you have: you clearly know your stuff, and even if you were a jerk (which you weren't) still, as you said, the mod requires deep and diverse knowledge which you possess and I do not. Therefore I welcome every piece of criticism

    Quote Originally Posted by Kull View Post
    If you can find something more appropriate, please post them (with actual location identified). Keep in mind that all "constructed icons" have to fit inside a frame, and picture dimension (excluding frame) is 378x121 pixels (i.e. roughly a 3-1 ratio). You don't have to provide pix of exactly that size, but that's the cropping/stretching I'll have to put them through.
    I may have something for Nikron, since I'm quite familiar with the region: in the next days I'll give a deep look to my collection of pictures.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kull View Post
    I also bit the bullet and developed Strabo-based descriptions for 10 other "description-less" provinces. At this point, every province on the map has *something*! There are still eight which only have the "strategy" section, but I'll try to get something for those, too.
    Nice!
    Last edited by mephiston; 01-31-2018 at 23:56. Reason: Additional remarks

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  27. #507

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Update: I may have found something for Nikron. The exact location is somewhere in the Semois valley, near Rochehaut. The picture was taken by myself, so it has no copyright that can be pressed. Let me know if this can be a suitable candidate.

    Syrthim coming soon.

    Cheers!


    EDIT: Gah, the houses! There are a few near the river. If the picture can be nicely cropped, or if the shadow is in your opinion sufficient to cover them, all good; otherwise I know why it's unsuited.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by mephiston; 02-03-2018 at 01:33.

  28. #508

    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    As promised, with a some delay, here you can find the description of Syrthim. It's a bit longer than expected: I preferred to leave everything I wrote so that Kull can decide what's best to remove.

    BTW @Kull did you take a look at the picture in my previous post? What do you think about it?

    A suggestion for whoever is interested in finding ancient sources mentioning specific places. There is a website and also a mobile app ("Topos Text") that overlaps a typical Google map with markers for ancient sites of interest, each one of those linked to references in ancient literature mentioning that place. It is very useful in particular for regional descriptions, for evident reasons. I found it interesting also as a tourist, to get a quick reminder of the main sources and events related to the place I was visiting. Highly recommended overall.


    Traveller's Log

    East of the land of the Hesperides lies the land of Syrthim. The traveller can sail across the majestic gulf in three days and three nights, and find plenty of commercial enclaves where to rest and indulge in purchasing luxury clothes and items, only safe harbours for ships in a notoriously dangerous region. To take cover from the deadly current and wind of the perilous sea, he can drive into the land in the Northern coast, between the Trieron promontory and the Cinyps river. He will be met by prosperous and flourishing vegetation, where heat is mitigated by rainfalls in sufficient quantity to cause floods: agriculture is blessed, and multitudes of ears of wheat interchange with olive trees in covering the rich soil. As he moves inland, though, the landscape shows evidently the scars of the daily fight with the implacable sun. Shiny, cracked salt deserts are mute witnesses of the presence of once vast lakes; here sand is the unchallenged king. Scattered people are the Berbers of the desert, who live on the move penning in their flocks in winter. Some of their people have a name for the traveller, some of them do not. Tribes and petty kingdoms arise, fight, split and die out in the ever-present silence among the dunes.

    Geography

    Syrthim, also called Syrtis Megale by the Greeks or Syrtis Maior by the Romans, includes roughly two thirds of the current Libyan shoreline, the remaining part being Cyrenaica in the east. The epithet "Maior" is used to distinguish this province from the Syrtis Minor (Tunisia), and the two regions were collectively referred to as "The Syrtes". The coastal nature of Syrtim is remarked by its southern borders, which are about 200 km distant from the sea, at maximum: the interior lands have a totally different culture.

    The most recognizable feature of Syrthim is the massive gulf nowadays called Gulf of Sirte. In ancient times, there was no clear distinction between the province and the gulf itself: the names were interchangeable, and one could refer either to the region or to the gulf with the name of Syrtis Maior. The strong current at the rising and ebbing tide is probably the origin of the particular shape of the coast: even in the Tabvla Pevtingeriana (a 13th-century road map possibly copied from a Roman original) a stripe of land shaped as a corkscrew is a curious feature of the area, probably due to the presence of this current. The constant stirring of the sand is also the reason why the Syrtes were notorious for the dangerous sandbanks, as the shallow waters were often a deadly trap for sailors (Strabo XVII 3, 20). The presence of a more than strong north wind contributed as well for the uncommonly low number of ports.

    Even if the desertification has grown more intense in the modern period, Syrthim has never been blessed by prosperity: most part of the land is infertile and covered by the desert, to the point that Virgil named it "inhospita Syrthis" (Aen. IV, 41). In fact, the main source of water in the inlands are seasonal lakes which dry in summer, leaving only salty barren lands in their place. The only exceptions are the northern regions, where agriculture based on the knowledge of flood zones is the main source of sustenance and income. Olive trees are a big part of the economy, together with other plantations such as grapevines or figs.

    People, Society and Government

    Due to the intrinsic difficulties in the control of a mostly desertic territory, Syrthim as a whole shows no strong centralised government. The ethnic differences are remarked by a rather evident division of the population: while in the north the Libi-Phoenician settlers are predominant and are clustered in urban centres, the southern outskirts are depopulated and infested by Berber tribes such as the Nasamones or the Makai. Nonetheless, Punic merchants trade regularly with their semi-nomadic neighbours, since they represent the one and only access to the commercial enclaves beyond the Sahara: salt, clothes and metal goods are exchanged for gold, copper, ivory and slaves coming from tropical Africa. Camels are not used as pack animals, as oxen, donkeys and mules are preferred, but rather as a nourishment. Particularly prized for commerce are clothes whose dyes are extracted from specific shellfishes of the Muricidae family: archaeological findings of heaps of discarded murex shells confirm the presence of large facilities to produce high-quality dyes in most Punic cities.

    The main urbanised centres of the region are three former Phoenician colonies. Lapqi, also known as Leptis by the Hellenes and later named Leptis Magna by the Romani, is is the easternmost among the three cities, and is built in a site which favours the establishment of an anchorage, due to the presence of four islets protecting the coast. To the west there are Makar-Oea, or simply Oea, and Sabratha, both sharing with Lapqi the absence of a proper harbour but the relative safety of anchorages. The presence of these cities is the reason why this territory is known to the Hellenes as Tripolis, on parallel with the Pentapolis in Cyrenaica, and later to the Romani as Tripolitania.

    On the other hand, the Berber tribes living in the south are mainly herders and occasional raiders. As mentioned, they also trade goods in exchange for their livestock and wool, and act as a bridge between the northern Punic merchants and central Africa. The prolonged contacts between the two different spheres is the source of the certain degree of cultural and religious syncretism: the Berber pantheon, comprising figures like the "king" Bonchor or the "healer" Macurgum, is worshipped along with Punic deities such as Tanit or Baal.

    History

    There are scarce documentations relative to the history of Syrthim before the Hellenistic era: the most part of our knowledge is based on archaeology, and even written references are taken from the closest neighbours, such as Egyptians and Greeks. We certainly know that in Neolithic times the climate allowed for large megalithic societies to develop: this is evident in the presence of large numbers of trilithons and dolmens, similar to the ones in Stonehenge. The collapse of these civilizations is probably due to the desertification, as later happened to the Garamantes.

    Phoenician presence is documented since the 7th century BC, when the cities of the Tripolis were founded. Their names are of clear Phoenician origin: Lpqy, M'qr, Sbrt'n all seem to be Semitic names, even if already existing Libyan settlements are likely to have already been in the same place. Due to the strong Greek presence, in the form of the nearby Pentapolis in Cyrenaica and settlers from the motherland itself, these cities and the outlying lands have been highly contested. There are cases of local conflicts between Greek colonists and Phoenician inhabitants: for instance, in the 6th century BC the citizens of Lapqi repelled an expedition led by Dorieus, a prince of the Agiad dynasty from Sparte. The legend concerning the Altar of the Philaenoi, found near the Lake Tritonis in the easternmost part of Syrthim, probably dates back to this period (Pomponius Mela II 1, 38).

    Eventually Qart Hadasht replaced the Greeks in the control of the region. However, with the Second Punic War coming to an end and Qart Hadasht defeated, Syrthim was given to Masinissa, the king of Numidia after the defeat of Siphax, together with all eastern coastal regions. After the final destruction of Qart Hadasht in 146 BC by Pvblivs Cornelivs Scipio Aemilianvs the shift in the balance of power was definitive: the Romani, through the newly formed provincia of Africa and the alliance with the Numidii, were de facto controlling western Africa. The agreement between Numidia and the Romani was commercial, other than political, and was strengthened even more during the reign of Micipsa, the son of Masinissa. Nonetheless, the relations between the two eventually worsened when Jugurtha, one of the heirs of Micipsa, in his struggle to gain the throne, endangered the safety of Roman citizens to the point of causing a war, lasting from 112 BC to 105 BC. However Syrthim, by now called Tripolitania, was spared from the conflict, which was fought mainly near Kirtan and the Tell Atlas mountains, and the boundaries of Africa were not modified, although Roman control of the region was considerably strengthened after the dethronization of Jugurtha.

    During the Civil Wars the region was divided by the conflict: only the defeat of the supporters of Pompeivs at Thapsus in 46 BC, among which there was Juba king of Numidia, gave Caesar the possibility to pacify the zone. Lapqi, which at this point was called Lepcis by the locals and Leptis by the Romani, was forced to pay an annual tribute of three million pounds of olive oil for having supported the Pompeians. The cities in Tripolitania were granted the status of "civitates liberae", though, due to the Caesar's usual habit of treating mildly defeated enemies, and therefore were bound to Roma by a special foedus and not directly included in the provincia. From 45 BC two provinciae were established in Africa, the Africa Vetvs and the Africa Nova: the second was the easternmost one, corresponding to the former eastern Numidia, and was bordering the kindom of Bocchus of Mauretania to the west and the Berber tribes to the south. The historian Sallvstivs was the first proconsvl.

    With the administrative reform carried out by Avgvstvs, both provinciae were unified into Africa Proconsvlaris. In this phase it is likely that the civitates liberae in Tripolitania were included in the provincia as well. Augustan policy of favouring the establishment of coloniae in key areas mostly concerned already existing cities, giving property rights on African ground to family nuclei from Italia; his promotion of agricultural production influenced also Tripolitania and its already noteworthy olive oil output, even if as already said the prosperity of the region depended mostly on the commerce with tropical Africa rather than on agriculture.

    During the 2nd century AD the importance of Tripolitania was due to the establishment of the "limes". Boundaries of the Empire and springboards for possible expansion at the same time, all "limites" had in common a relevant and ever-present concentration of military forces, and the Limes Tripolitanvs was no exception. The highest peak of prosperity reached by Tripolitania was reached under emperor Septimivs Severvs, in the years 197-211 AD. Due to being born in Leptis Magna itself, the emperor payed special attention to his native land both in art and architecture and also in pacification and conquest; this was the period of maximum expansion in Northern Africa for the Roman Empire, stretching until Garama, the capital of the Garamantes.

    Under Diocletianvs the provincia was again reformed, with all western Africa being condensed into the Diocese of Africa, with two subsections: Africa Proconsularis Zeugitana and Africa Valeria Byzacena. After the death of Theodosivs I in 395 BC and the subsequent division between Western and Eastern Empire, Tripolitania became a provincia on its own. The grasp of the administration on the region was not as firm as before, though, and in fact in 429 AD and in the following years the Vandals occupied all Northern Africa. The ruling of this germanic tribe lasted until 533, when Byzantine general Belisarivs took back the region; the conquest was short-lived, because a combination of bad administration and pressure from outlying Berber raiders left little to oppose the Muslim tide. In 647 Tripolis fell under control of the governor of Egypt Abdallah ibn Sa'd. From this point on, the history of the region has been largely Islamic: all attempts to "take back" Tripolitania, from the Middle Ages with the Crusades until modern Italian and British colonialism, were brief and largely unsuccessful.

    Strategy

    As historically documented, with a properly developed infrastructure Syrthim is a relevant source of income due to the commerce, both on land and on sea. Its central position in Africa justifies paying a special attention to its boundaries, because it represents the shortest land route to and from Egypt. Land armies need to be cautious not to be caught in the middle of the desert during the hottest months of the year, though: the campaigning can be easily bogged down by the shortage of supplies and difficulties in marching itself.

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  29. #509
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    As promised, with a some delay, here you can find the description of Syrthim. It's a bit longer than expected: I preferred to leave everything I wrote so that Kull can decide what's best to remove.

    BTW @Kull did you take a look at the picture in my previous post? What do you think about it?

    A suggestion for whoever is interested in finding ancient sources mentioning specific places. There is a website and also a mobile app ("Topos Text") that overlaps a typical Google map with markers for ancient sites of interest, each one of those linked to references in ancient literature mentioning that place. It is very useful in particular for regional descriptions, for evident reasons. I found it interesting also as a tourist, to get a quick reminder of the main sources and events related to the place I was visiting. Highly recommended overall.
    Thanks, I'll review this and add the necessary edits. Will also look at that picture at some point and let you know.
    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

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  30. #510
    EBII Council Senior Member Kull's Avatar
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    Default Re: Regional Descriptions: Help the EBII Team

    Quote Originally Posted by mephiston View Post
    As promised, with a some delay, here you can find the description of Syrthim. It's a bit longer than expected: I preferred to leave everything I wrote so that Kull can decide what's best to remove.

    BTW @Kull did you take a look at the picture in my previous post? What do you think about it?
    Edited the Syrthim description and added it to the internal build (will be part of v2.3a). Also added your new pix as a replacement for Nikron. Here's the before and after icons (new ones on top):

    Click image for larger version. 

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    "Numidia Delenda Est!"

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