Symmerian Empire
Symmerian Empire | |
|---|---|
| 246 BCE–1305 CE1 | |
 Flag | |
 Traditional territory of Symmeria | |
| Capital | Parilla |
| Common languages | Ancient Symmerian |
| Religion | Hellenic polytheism |
| Demonym(s) | Symmerian |
| Government | Absolute Monarchy |
| Historical era | Antiquity to Medieval |
• Conquests of Orestes II | 246 BCE |
• Dissolved | 1305 CE1 |
| Currency | Drachma |
| Today part of | Syara Ruvelka Allamunnika Delkora Quenmin |
| |
The Symmerian Empire (also called Symmerian Realm or simply Symmeria) was an ancient kingdom in Syara before rising to become an empire and one of the biggest powers in ancient Siduri. Makedon was originally founded by Epikharmas in 556 BCE, who established the Zelusian Dynasty that would serve as the Symmerian monarchy until 1987 CE at the end of the Refusal War. Home to the Ancient Symmerians, Makedon in it's earliest state was centered in northern Syara, bordered by Ruvelka to the east, Galania to the south, and Scitaria to the west.
Before the 3rd Century BCE Symmeria was one of several competing nations within Syara, distinct for it's professional and well trained army. In 246 BCE Orestes II ascended to the throne and began a campaign of conquest across the rest of Syara. Between 238 to 227 BCE Orestes conquered much of Ruvelka, Mansuriyyah, and Arkoenn, while defeating the Sardaranian Empire and what remained of the Erani kingdoms. Symmeria continued to slowly expand over the course of several centuries, leading to conflicts with the northern Bosrei, the Chalna Empire, and the various steppe nomads of central Siduri. Friction with the Hannashka Empire and the Hayren Migration between the 3rd and 5th Century CE preceeded the eastward expansion of the Empire into Quenmin under Deinokrates III, which led to conflict with the Sabrian Empire in what became known as the Sabrian Wars, during which the Empire reached it's territorial apex.
The outbreak of the Burning Plague in 825 CE is generally considered to mark the decline of Symmeria. Syara lost approximately 25% of the population, crippling the Empire's taxation system and military manpower and leading to a demographic crisis. Weakened by its depleted population, the Empire suffered a series of military defeats against the Rideva Empire of southern Siduri, resulting in the loss of Knichus in the early 10th Century. The Âu Lạc Rebellion, brought an end to Symmerian rule over Quenmin, while the rise of the Arkoennite Empire reduced Makedonian influence in central Siduri further. The rise of the Rawwadid Sultunate followed by Symmerian defeat in the Battle of Tell Saqara ended Symmerian dominion over Mansuriyyah in the early 13th Century, reducing Symmeria's borders to the Kurilla and Matra Mountains in Ruvelka. The Adamdar invasion of Ruvelka followed by their victory at the Battle of Nemaro effectively ended Symmeria's independence and is often cited as the end of the empire, after which Symmeria became a tributary state to the Adamdar Empire.
Symmeria's influence was felt throughout Siduri. At it's peak, the Empire ruled over approximately 10 million square kilometers of territory, and presided over 90-120 million inhabitants. The prominence of the Empire spread Hellenic culture throughout Tyran, including the Indo-Hellenic Arosiananda Kingdom and Hellenic migrants in the Liúşai League. Considerable debate reigns in regard to the Fall of the Symmerian Empire and the nature of the Empire itself. Among these debates is the moniker of "Empire", the role of Symmerian culture, and its impact on its vassals.
Etymology
The name "Symmeria" is derived from the term makednós, meaning tall or large. It is believed that this in turn became the ethnonym Makedónes, which would be consistent with ancient descriptions of the Symmerian people which frequently make mention of their height and build over other contemporary inhabitants of Syara.
The term "Symmerian Empire" itself is a product of modern historians who seek to differentiate the imperial period of Makedon from Ancient Symmeria, before it became a continental power. The term was never recognized or utilized by the Symmerian themselves. "Symmeria" within the context of the Symmerian language entailed all land that was under the control of the Symmerian King (basileús), and therefore did not designate a specific geographic or territorial extent. Some Symmerian, both officially and unofficially, referred to the territory under Symmerian control as "Realm" (agrós), which means "land" or "countryside". This term remained in use in modern Syara starting in the Republic.
History
Historians use the ascension of Orestes II in 246 BCE as a dividing mark between Ancient Symmeria and the Symmerian Empire, which saw Symmeria rise from a local power in Syara to the premier power of Siduri. The change from kingdom to empire was recognized by the Symmerians as a change in government or society, and continued to refer to their domain simply as the "Realm" of Symmeria.
By the third century BCE Symmeria had been placed in a position of power relative to the other Syaran nations, namely the Kydonian League and Galania. Orestes made clear his intention to conquer Syara and beyond shortly after taking the throne, a move which was opposed by his older brother Lycklos, who was killed by Orestes in response. Orestes set out to conquer the remnants of the Kydonian League, weakened by years of Bastarnae invasions and civil wars, in 244 BCE. By 240 BCE Orestes had led Symmeria to victory over the tribes of Scitaria and had defeated the Galaians at the Battle of Nemaro, establishing control over all of Syara. In 238 BCE Orestes crossed into Ruvelka and conquered the Kartozan and mountain kingdoms of the Kurillas and Matra Ranges. By 233 BCE Orestes had conquered the Sardaranian Empire before crossing the Kurilla Mountains in 232 BCE and invading Shirvaniya. Campaigns against the Shirvani and Erani kingdoms of central Siduri continued until 227 BCE, at which point Orestes abruptly ended his campaigns and returned to Syara for reasons that are still uncertain.
Orestes's rapid conquests transformed Symmeria from a relatively isolated power in north-west Siduri into a major regional power across the continent. The destruction caused by the Symmerian conquests effectively ended the dominion of the Erani Empires that had dominated much of central Siduri for centuries, which was followed by the rise of nomadic empires in central Siduri and the Chalna Empire in the south. Symmerian expanse had also brought the empire into direct contact with the Han of Serikos, and to a lesser extent the Quảng Dynasty of Quenmin. Relations were also established with the Acrean Empire of Eracura.
Following the death of Orestes II, Symmerian expansion took on a much more gradual process driven largely by commercial endeavors and colonization. The two most common areas of colonization were in Boreas, the region of Eracura closest to Siduri, and Mansuriyyah. Both regions provoked conflict with the native inhabitants, the Bosrei in Boreas and the various Mansuri tribes of Mansuriyyah. Conflict between these groups and the Symmerian generally consisted or asymmetric fighting and border skirmishes across several years and decades rather than large-scale warfare.
Symmerian domination of north-west Siduri had brought profound change to the society and culture of Syara. For many citizens of the former Kydonian League, the birthplace of democracy and countless theorists of philosophy, science, and art, life under a highly militarized autocracy that was the Zelusian Dynasty produced a profound culture shock. For many Kydonians who had grown up in a society that valued open air symposiums and mass assemblies for decision making, being ruled over by highly aggressive and confrontational Symmerian nobles and aristocrats was considered insulting and demeaning. While the Symmerians gradually adopted many of the artistic and philosophical tenets of the rest of Hellenic Syara, the initial decades of Symmerian rule were dominated by animosity and general unhappiness. Further compounding this issue were economic concerns; the vast influx of foreign slaves captured during the Symmerian conquests resulted in a diluted labor pool that made it difficult for other Syarans to find work and pay.
Eventually the mixture of economic and political stress resulted in several waves of migration from the former Kydonian regions across Siduri, most notably settling in the Chalna Empire and the Liúşai League, where they formed a sizeable population in Gylias that persists to the modern era as Hellene Gylians. Separated from the rest of Hellenic Syara, the Hellene Gylians would go on to preserve many of the Hellenic cultural and social traditions that gradually evolved and changed within the Empire. In Syara, the consolidation of all power under the reign of an absolute monarch brought with its own set of challenges including dynastic conflicts. The first of these was Zarina's Civil War, sparked by the Queen Zarina's conflict with Menedemus over Zarina's insistence on maintaining her son Nikomakhos's claim to the throne, which was resolved in a Zarinan victory.
The rapid expansion of Symmerian conquest had also served to wildly inflate the wealth of the Symmerian nobility and aristocracy, necessitating the creation of large estates to leading to competition over land claims and titles. Driven in part by this competition, large number of Symmerian nobles, along with other Syarans looking for land and wealth outside of Syara, began settling on the edge of the Empire's borders. Apart from Boreas, the most common destination was Adnaniyyah in Mansuriyyah. The growth of Symmerian colonization of northern Mansuriyyah eventually led to competition and eventual conflict with the native tribes of Qatna, Erani, Kanesh, Kenaani, and Irviyim. The Kenaani in particular alarmed at the expansion of Makedon, responded by forming the Seyhad League to oppose further Symmerian incursion into Mansuriyyah. This eventually escalated into open war, in what became known as the Seyhad Wars, the first lasting from 163-145 BCE. The second conflict waged by Arcidamus, lasted just four years before the Symmerian King withdrew back to Syara.
Following the collapse of the Chalna Empire in 93 BCE Symmerian pre-eminence in western Siduri became largely unmatched, leading to the Third Seyhd War from 20-6 BCE. Led by Phalaris, the Symmerians successfully conquered the Kenaani city-states of Mansuriyyah, eventually driving the League from Siduri entirely and assuring Symmerian dominion over western Siduri was, at least for the time, unchallenged. While the Symmerians had been able to secure victory on land, defeating the Seyhad at sea had proven far more difficult. Lacking an extensive maritime history and tradition, the Symmerians had been forced to rely heavily on their satrapies, namely Scitaria, for assistance in constructing and manning a large navy. Despite fielding over 300 Quinqueremes built under order by Phalaris, the Symmerians had still struggled to achieve naval superiority against the Seyhad. For the fourth Seyhad War (52-56 CE), two years of successive naval warfare were required before the Symmerians were able to invade the island of Yalunji, where they destroyed the last bastion of the Seyhad League.
Institutions and Government
Symmeria was ruled by a King (basileus) who served as the head of state for the Empire, as had been the case in Ancient Symmeria. The King wielded largely uncontested power and served as the chief executive, supreme commander of the military, and chief justice of the Empire. The King was also expected to serve as a high priest on occasion, and mark important celebrations and religious festivals with animal sacrifices. This practice declined somewhat with the rise of Zobethos, which saw many roles of the high priest transferred over to the Oracle of the All-Mother. The king was also responsible for setting of foreign policy and hosting foreign dignitaries.
Although the King wielded absolute power, he was often expected to focus primarily on grand strategy and military leadership, while the more mundane and tedious affairs of the Empire were left to the Royal Court. The Royal Court was composed of the companions (hetairoi), members of the Symmerian nobility, aristocracy, judiciary, religious council, military, and representatives from the various provinces of the Empire. The Royal Court was typically tasked with the drafting of laws and treaties, as well as handling other matters of internal management and administration. The Court could also try subjects of the Empire for treason as well as issue directives regarding criminal punishment and demands for extradition or transfers of money.
The Royal Court gradually grew more powerful and influential over the course of the Empire's duration, both out of a deliberate effort by the Court to acquire more gravitas but also out of the necessity of governing an increasingly large and complex domain. At the beginning of the Empire under Orestes II the Court had largely existed as a rubber stamp institution and membership conferred few special privilege's. By the time of Alexarchus however the Court held enough power to challenge and undermine the King's authority if it so desired. The Court's power would ultimately wax and wane numerous times over the course of the Empire, and largely depended on the King at the time.
Society and Culture
The Ancient Symmerians became a distinct people from the Aleitians sometime in the early 1st Millennia BCE, although the origins of their status as a separate people probably began several centuries earlier. Examples of pottery, ornaments, and burial places stretching across northern Syara, and to a lesser extent Ruvelka, point to a shared cultural lineage, if not necessarily a common political environment or single identity. The first coherent, concrete example of a unified Symmerian state was formed in 556 BCE under Epikharmas, the first Basileus (King) of Ancient Symmeria.
The Symmerians descended from the same stock as the Kydonian League and the two cultures continued to share many similar traits. Nevertheless the diverge of the two into separate groups eventually led most Kydonians to consider the Symmerians a separate, though related people. There are conflicting sources of information as to where the Symmerians landed in relation to the Kydonians. In relation to the Kydonians, the Symmerians fell closer than the Kartozan, but still retained what were often seen as barbaric qualities; the Symmerians didn't mix their wine, nor did they embrace many of the Kydonian philosophies. Instead the Symmerians retained much of the cultural standards of Archaic Syara; boys were not allowed to sit among men until they had speared their first boar, soldiers who had not slain a man in battle had to wear a red sash around their waist, and their political system remained dominated by small clusters of aristocrats ruling over large numbers of people in highly personalized inner circles.
By the time of the conquests of Orestes II this perception had changed and the Symmerians had become more synonymous with the general Hellenic identity of the Kydonians, although they were still treated as something of an outlier than the various city states that formed the Kydonian League. The expansion of Symmeria into a continent spanning empire in many ways both changed and did not change the basic tenets of Symmerian society. At some point during the reign of the Symmerians the Kydonian dialect became essentially extinct.
Language
The Symmerian language was the de facto official language of the Empire. It was used to record official works and decrees, and was used as the basis for written treatises and literature. The Symmerian tongue was a close relative to the Kydonian language that had been dominant in Classical Syara, but gradually gave way and was eventually overcome by the Symmerian speech owing to the dominance of the Symmerians in positions of power and in government. For most senior aristocrats and public figures in the Empire, knowledge of Symmerian was necessary to gain access to the upper levels of government, and it was common for senior members of government from across the various provinces to learn Symmerian. Despite this, local ordinances and rulings were usually passed down in the language most appropriate to the respective provinces.
Religious Beliefs
Up until the mid-2nd Century CE the Symmerians largely followed the Hellenic Pantheon of the Kydonians, however as early as the 4th Century BCE differences had emerged among deities and practices. According to Androcles (412-341 BCE) the Symmerians favored the worship of Zeus, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. By the time of Orestes II veneration of the other Olympian Gods had largely faded; testimonies and sites of worship found afterwards almost exclusively feature the "quartet" of god and goddesses that the Symmerians became primarily associated with. It is unclear why the Symmerians gravitated towards these four Gods rather than other Gods that were commonly worshiped and favored by other ancient Syarans. Ante Dujić, writing in 1971, comments on the unusual selection the Symmerians associated their faith with:
Why the Symmerians venerated the four Gods they did remains a matter of dispute within academic circles. The Symmerians were, unquestionably, a very warlike people with an appetite for song, wine, and boasting. But Ares, Apollo, and Dionysus are conspicuously absent from crafted shrines and temples. Despite the Symmerians clearly viewing the role of women as home makers and mothers, Hera is mysteriously absent. The Symmerians instead placed their hopes and faith in the King of the Gods (perhaps the most understandable given their autocratic nature), the huntress Artemis, the strategist Athena, and the home maker Hestia. While these seem sensible on some level, it remains a matter of inquiry among scholars.
Nadezhda Tatarcheva, writing in 2016, argues that the Symmerians were principle worshipers of concepts and ideals rather than objects or people. Veneration of the "quartet" reflected Symmerian drive towards the more intangible:
The Symmerians of antiquity were a prideful, boastful, and emotional people. They carried themselves with an energy and zeal for life that demanded accomplishment and success. They were a competitive lot who constantly maneuvered and endeavored for favor and fame, competing against each other, their ancestors, and themselves. This drove them towards more than just the physical, but the emotional and ethereal. The prayed to Zeus not for thunder or lightning but for the power and strength he wielded from his throne. They loved war and reveled in military affairs, but preferred the mental abilities of Athena's strategy to the raw bloodlust of Ares. In Artemis they sought the exhilaration and glory of the hunt, and in Hestia they saw not a literal hearth but a presence of mind at peace, warm and protected with the familiar. The Symmerians saw glory as achieving something beyond mortal coils, elevating oneself to a level above their normal existence; it's not hard to see where the influence of the Chalna lay.