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Ashkar Kingdom

85 – 184 E.C. (1 – 100 A.E.)
Ashkar Hymn to Eliyahu


In the west the Promethean Plague had come, and with it came the destruction of the status quo and the rise of their slaves and rivals. The Edimmu, however, were scarcely aware of such an event, and no Edimmu events of it exist. Instead, the Edimmu focused on the events of their own civilization. At the time, the Edimmu had already been organized into the city of Ashkar for a century, under the Mar-Tu Dynasty, whose founder claimed half-god status, making his descendants of divine blood. Their title was King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu People.

In 85 E.C. (1 A.E.) the Sumu-abum was King. The same year colonists under Gabala-du settled south, but difficulties hampered their efforts. Later in the year Sumu-abum died. With his death came the beginning of a new era, when Sumu-abum’s son Anvor was crowned as King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu, as was the title of the King. Anvor saw the increasing sophistication of society through a number of different methods. He began the first of public funding into the arts and sciences, which helped reverse the creeping stagnation of the sciences and arts. Royal prerogative was modified to adapt to the increasingly complex society consisting of many professions. 

In 86 E.C. Anvor began to fund the colonists under Gabala-du with considerable resources. Under him, the colonists were able to flourish where they once had floundered, and the city of Gabala-du was founded, named after the leader of the colonists.

In 87 E.C. Anvor, due to his promotion of the arts, commissioned the poet Tudiya to something for him. This resulted in the famous Dialogue of Pessimism, and its influence on early Edimmu thought is hard to exaggerate. 

In addition to these achievements, Anvor was popular with the populace due to walking among them and handing out generous donations. Nonetheless, he made powerful enemies. The priesthood was troubled that he favored the common teachers over themselves as the spreaders of knowledge, and the nobility were jealous and fearful of him due to his support by the commoners and the unwavering support the warriors had to him. He was assassinated by his own court in 88 E.C. (4 A.E.)

Anvor’s son Samu-Sumu, still a child, became King. Anvor’s younger Sumarael took control of the army and then weeded out the conspiracy to assassinate Anvor, and executed those responsible. Only six months laters, however, Samu-Sumu died in 89 E.C. (5 A.E.) due to poisoning. Sumarael became King and executed a number of powerful and influential nobles of questionable guilt for this crime. The influence of the nobility was curbed and their power was permanently weakened. Sumarael, as the brother and avenger of Anvor, inherited his popularity, and stressed his status as the descendent of the king of the gods.

In 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), the Sumarael Military Reforms occurred, which divorce the warrior profession from the military and replaced them with a professional soldiery.

In 99 E.C. (15 A.E.), in order to deal with the rising disorder resulting with legal confusion, wrote and declared the Code of Sumarael. It was the first codified set of laws for the Edimmu, and set up a system of regular and physical laws.

In 104 E.C. (20 A.E.) Sumarael sent resources to support to colonists who settled east, although he was skeptical of the need for expansion. With these resources, the colonists were able to found the City of Irgilu.

In 110 E.C. (26 A.E.) the founder of the City of Gabala-du, Gabala-du, lead the city into uprising. The reason for the uprising is not truly clear, although it is likely that he believed that Sumarael was the true culprit behind Samu-Sumu’s death, with which he may have had reason to suspect such. The revolt was massive, and the war lasted for four years. When the struggle ended in 114 E.C. (30 A.E.), the population of the city Gabala-du was reduced to a fourth of what it once was due to being thoroughly looted and razed,  and its prosperity was reversed. As for the Gabala-du the man, he was put to death in that same year, and was seventy-three years old. The war would have lasting effects upon the state of the Kingdom, and the population would not surpass its prewar numbers for decades. A number of surviving revolters retreated north, forming the city of Ammtu-Buhur. Gabala-du was renamed Anvor. Its administration fell to Dyanu, priest of Enki, who was one of the leader’s of the revolt, but was pardoned so he could keep the city under control. Although Gabala-du, now Anvor, had its importance deeply reduced, its population did not drop further.

In the two decades after the war, Sumarael dedicated himself to the recovery of his kingdom. Nonetheless, this was a bleak time for most people. This era of suffering led to a number of poets, teachers, and priests to ponder why suffering existed in the face of the gods. There were two especially notable philosophers who dealt with this. Dyanu dealt with the imperfections of the gods, while Amaratu was a great ethical philosopher who dealt with the nature of the universe and human will and control. 

Sumarael died in 131 E.C. (47 A.E.). Despite personal faults, he remained beloved by the people, and his reputation remained even the centuries following his death. He was known as the man who forged the Ashkar Kingdom, and history knew him as Sumarael the Great.

Sumarael’s son, Sumu-abil, ascended to the throne. He was dedicated to growth, promotion of the arts, and colonialization. In 141 E.C. (57 A.E.) and 146 E.C. (62 A.E.) and colonists were sent out to found the cities of Aba-ada and Iliug, respectively. 

In the 150s E.C. (66 to 76 A.E.), the religious practices of the Edimmu began a reformative period, which is explained in length below.

In 163 E.C. (79 A.E.), Sumu-abil died, and was replaced by his son Illedrazki. Illedrazki was a peaceful man like his father and had a love of knowledge. The most skillful administrator of the nation so far, he oversaw growth greater than that of his father and grandfather.

In 164 E.C. (80 A.E.), the city of Anvor, by order of the King, was reverted back to its old name of Gabala-du. Seeing that the rebellion had mostly been forgiven, some men from Ammtu-Buhur moved back, although only about a thousand.

In the 170s and 180s E.C. a great exodus in the city of Ashkar occurred. Ashkar was greatly overpopulated, and a poor harvest triggered a large exodus from the city. Within twenty years, some eighty-thousand people settled into the countryside, forming countless new villages. New strides in cultivation allowed these villages to thrive. In Ashkar, labor shortages caused incessant problems, but under the wisdom of King Illedrazki, they were able to make due and return to productivity. 

In 182 E.C. (98 A.E.), Aharru’s Of Numbers and Shapes gave the Edimmu geometry. In 184 E.C. (100 A.E.), Aharru was invited to the King’s abode, and was questioned on how his work could apply to architecture. 

Kings during this era


Sumu-Abum		24 – 85 E.C. (-60 – 1 A.E.)		63 – 85 E.C. ( -25 – 1 A.E.)
Anvor			45 – 88 E.C. (-39 – 4 A,E.)		85 – 88 E.C. ( 1 – 4 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu		80 E – 89 E.C. (-4 – 5 A.E.)		88 – 89 E.C. (4 – 5 A.E.)
Sumarael		52 – 131 E.C. (- 32 – 47 A.E.)		89 – 131 E.C. (5 – 47 A.E.)
Sumu-abil		82 – 163 E.C. (-2 – 79 A.E.)		131 – 163 E.C. (47 – 79 A.E.)
Illedrazki		112 – 212 E.C. (28 – 128 A.E.)		163 – 212 E.C (79 A.E. – 128 A.E)



Population


90 E.C.
Population: 265,000
Ashkar: 200,000
Gabala-du: 40,000
Villagers: 25,000

100 E.C.
Population: 283,000
Ashkar: 186,000
Gabala-du: 45,000
Irgilu: 25,000
Villagers: 27,000

110 E.C.
Population: 307,000
Ashkar: 201,000
Gabala-du: 51,000
Irgilu: 26,000
Villagers: 29,000

120 E.C.
Population: 270,000
Ashkar: 207,000
Irgilu: 26,000
Anvor: 4,000
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,000 
Villagers: 30,000

130 E.C.
Population: 286,200
Ashkar: 218,000
Irgilu: 28,000
Anvor: 4,100
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,100
Villagers: 33,000

140 E.C. 
Population: 301,100
Ashkar: 229,000
Irgilu: 29,500
Anvor: 4,200
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,400
Villagers: 35,000

150 E.C. 
Population: 317,600
Ashkar: 213,500
Irgilu: 31,000
Aba-ada: 15,000
Iliung: 12,000
Anvor: 4,400
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,700
Villagers: 38,000

160 E.C. 
Ashkar: 224,200
Irgilu: 32,500
Aba-ada: 15,700
Iliung: 12,600
Anvor: 4,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 4,000
Villagers: 41,000

170 E.C. 
Total Population: 352,400
Ashkar: 195,400
Irgilu: 34,100
Aba-ada: 16,500
Iliung: 13,200
Gabala-du: 5,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,300
Villagers: 84,300

180 E.C. 
Total Population: 372,600
Ashkar: 167,200
Irgilu: 35,800
Aba-ada: 17,300
Iliung: 13,900
Gabala-du: 5,900
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,500
Villagers: 129,000



Major Events of the Kingdom of Ashkar


Cultural

The teacher/priest Feud

As changed knowledge increased in society, there was a challenge for who would be the distributor of it. The two professions who were possible candidates were the priesthood and the commoners, and so they competed for the prestigious position of distributor and inventor of knowledge. The priests were members of the ruling class and the teachers were commoners, making this an example of class struggle. This feud between the two actually help led to the assassination of Anvor, as Anvor, having favored Tudiya, was considered to favor the teachers, which led to the priesthood to conspire against them. In the coming century after Anvor’s death, however, neither, or rather both, side was favored, and there was a precarious balance created by both sides on competency.

The Code of Sumarael the Great

The Code of Sumarael the Great brought the first codified set of laws to the kingdom. Prior to this, what was illegal was what was bad, and crimes and punishments were up to individual judges, which created an injustice system. It consisted of nearly three-hundred laws, with punishments which were graded by social status, meaning the ruling class receive less harsh punishments. The Code uses the Law of Retribution as its basis, stating “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Religious Reform
In the 150s and the 160s E.C. the religious practices of the Edimmu reformed so that the became increasingly sophisticated. Temples were built, which became the home and the property of the priests. Under the priests were people called acolytes, who served as both the priests and apprentices of the priest. The priests oversaw a weekly service in the temple for believers on the seventh day of the week, which was done in accordance with organized rites.

The temples of each god was done with different rites, and some had notable customs. The warriors, who were rapidly vanishing, joined at the temples of Eliyahu, King of the gods, as acolytes, making those temples notable for their good security. The temples of Enki collected scrolls and books and had philosophers for priests. The temples of Iyanna practiced sacred prostitution. 

The most noted person of the religious reforms was Apil-seun, Priest of Eliyahu. Aside from his efforts in setting up the temples and his friendship with Sumu-abil and Illedrazki, he set up an organized week, the festival Calendar, and the Rites of Life.

The Apil-Seun Week

Apil-Seun organized and then distributed the Apil-Seun Week in 161 E.C. (87 A.E.).

Elu-Karulla, the first day – day of the sun goddess, when the week begins
Khatalul, the second day – day of the moon god
Imkhas, the third day – day of the god of war and destruction
Eliyahu, the fourth day – day of the King of the gods
Ramman, the fifth day – day of the god of rain, weather, storms, hurricanes, and thunder
Iyanna, the sixth day – day of the goddess of love, fertility, and war
Enki, the final day – day of the goddess of crafts, skill, art, law and justice, civilization, mathematics, wisdom, and water; this is a day of worship and rest

The Festival Calendar

The calendar consisted of two seasons, Elu-Karulla (summer) and Ramman (winter), each which were six lunar phases long. Apil-seun made his calendar through popular custom and personal innovations. The festivals themselves had been long celebrated, and their dates were mostly taken from tradition. Due to superstition, a holiday must never be held on the ides, the fifteen. There are many festivals, and while most people will not celebrate even most of them, each of them are celebrated. It was written and distributed by Apil-Seun in 160 E.C.

The Rites of Life

The Rites of Life refer to the rites that are to be obeyed in births, marriages, and funerals. They had already been established, but Apil-seun put forward his own version in 161 E.C. (76 A.E.).They are ideally overseen by a priest, but may also be overseen by a teacher, poet, or priest’s apprentice. Of particular interest are the poems that are recited at each, which invocate proper gods and also give insight into the situation. The former two are noticeable hopeful, while the latter deals with death, the inevitability dying, the transience of human life, and the cyclical nature of the world.

Early Edimmu philosophy was not systematic, and consisted of poems, following the tradition set up by Tudiya. They generally used Double Dialectics. The dialectic occurs when a discourse between two or more people engage in discourse on a subject in order to arrive at the truth through reasoning. Double Dialectics is when there is both a dialect between those in the poem and the author and the reader, and ideally the author is the one who knows the truth.

 Tudiya and The Dialogue of Pessimism

The Dialogue of Pessimism was written in 87 E.C., during the reign of King Anvor, by the poet and Tudiya (40 – 112 E.C.) (-44 – 28 A.E.), and led to the creation of philosophy in the Ashkar Kingdom, which it would influence for centuries afterwards. It does not make use of the Double Dialectic, which was a later development. The work is a one-hundred line long poem that consists of a number of conversations between a master and his slave. The master suggests one course of action, and the slave gives good reasons for why to do so. Then the master changes his mind, and the slave provides equally good reasons for not pursuing that course of action. There is also mentions of the gods, who reside above mortals. The poem would be seen as a supreme work of metaphysics and ethics. It exemplified the impossibility of discover absolute ethical truths and would be interpreted in a number of different ways.

Dyanu

Dyannu was one of the most notable philosophers of early Edimmu philosophy. He was born in 69 E.C. (-15 A.E.). He became priest of Enki in 96 E.C. (12 A.E.) at Gabala-du, a position he would serve until his death. He was one of the leaders of Gabala-du’s rebellion, but as he was the most popular, least powerful, and most levelheaded of them he was spared by Sumuarael the Great and allowed to administer the city, knowing Dyannu would not lead a second rebellion. Late in life he aided the religious reforms and had a temple of Enki built in Anvor. He died in 170 E.C. (86 A.E.). 

He was very concerned with the suffering of the world, and considered the rebellion to have enlightened him on the true nature of the world. He detailed his philosophical system in his magnum opus The Righteous Man and the goddess, which was finished in 124 E.C. A righteous and pious man undergoes years of suffering, and on his deathbed converses with the goddess Enki, and they engage in discourse on why the world is full of suffering. The answer the goddess gives is that just as humanity is flaw, the gods are flawed, which leads to suffering. The righteous man replies that some gods have their entire being dedicated to things which lead to suffering, like Imkhas, god of war and destruction. The goddess replies that this is also true in humans, but it is not noticeable due to the pervasive influence of order. The poem ends with the righteous man’s death and a vision of a blissful paradise, which shows that we are rewarded for our deeds in the afterlife, although the ending is irrelevant to the theme of the rest of the poem.

The writing is a poem and a dialogue between two individuals. Dyanu also invented the double Dialectic in it. Although the obvious message and main theme of the poem is that it is a theodicy, it also contains the doctrine of the univocity of being, which in this case states that the difference in qualities between worldly things and the divine is simply the degree. Dyanu is wise, Enki is wise, and they are wise in the same way, buth Enki is wiser.

Amaratu
Among the ancient philosophers there are three men known as the Three Great Sages, and of these three Amaratu was the earliest one. He was born in 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), and fought in the Gabala-du revolt, on the side of the rebels. Following the revolts defeat, he fled with many others north to found Ammtu-Buhur. He eventually became a teacher of myth and was able to study the texts of Dyanu and Tudiya. In 152 E.C. (68 A.E.). He became legendary for his knowledgeable insights into ethics, but unfortunately he did not neatly fit into the kingdom’s intellectual climate, and he became a beloved but isolated figure for some time. His works consist of provactive questions and lively exchanges which were in many senses the first of their kind. His core works are considered to consist of his poetic works, which are Dialogue of Suffering, Eliyahu and Ghena’s Dialogue , Dialogue of Reason, and Dialogue Among the People, all which are poems that consist of dialogues between two people. He adopts Dyannu’s Double Dialectic in these as well.

The Dialogue of Suffering was personally the most important to Amaratu, and it was in here that he began Edimmu philosophical ponderings on ethics, and was surprisingly sophisticated in it. It is generally considered his most advanced work. It consists of two men discussing what is valuable, good, and necessary. Chief of all is the importance of accepting the natural order of things, and doing our natural duty in observance of the forces of order. The only things which have intrinsic value are virtue and knowledge, and other things, such as pleasure and even health, are used in the right way through these. All except virtue and knowledge can be taken away, and thus do not have the same value, and they will be taken away. You should not be sad when things pass, such as your livelihood, your health, or your very family, as all good things come to an end. The world has a great many events that happen to it, which may be harmful to us, as in the world almost nothing is really under our control. All that we are in control of is our own soul, meaning only our own will. Even if you are sold into slavery and tortured horrifically, your captors still cannot control your very soul. It is recommended to tell your children each day that tomorrow they will die so that they will adopt an attitude analogous to this philosophy.

Eliyahu and Ghena’s Dialogue deals with the gods, the beings who are above mortals. It consists of a conversation between Eliyahu, King of the Gods, and Ghena, primordial goddess of the earth. Eliyahu makes arguments for order, while Ghena rebukes him with arguments for chaos. Eliyahu begins to make the world out of Ghena’s body and Ghena tells Eliyahu that one day she will return and chaos will again reign, which he acknowledges, but says he shall again return after he has been vanquished. There are a number of claims which appear in the text. Order and chaos are natural opposites which are in an eternal struggle. The universe has a cyclical nature, with an endless cycle of end and rebirth through order and chaos. The divine is above and has supremacy over all things in the world.

The Dialogue of Reason is Amaratu’s formalization, or at least as formal one can be in an elegant poem, of the double dialectic. It ostensibly takes the form of a defense of the use of the poem to display philosophical truths, but this is not the point, as Amaratu did not believe anyone would doubt the method itself. Instead he used that as a cover, as in his arguments advocating philosophical truths through dialogue-poems make what the double dialectic really is clear. It consists of two people, and is a clear example of metafiction. One person advocates the use of poems to display truths, while the other claims the poem he is in, just like all the others, are too muddled to be effective at conveying truth.

Dialogue Among the People is the only one of Amaratu’s works that consists of a dialogue of more than two people. It consists of conversations Amaratu allegedly had when he questioned the people of Ammtu-Buhur on philosophical questions of virtue and truth. This is almost impossible, as it involves commoners speaking in elegant rhyming poetry who allude to The Dialogue of Pessimism. It covers the subjects that the aforemention works cover and is usally used as an introduction to Amaratu.

He also wrote six additional dialogues, which were dialogues between two people, but were not poems. They expound on the doctrines already laid out in his poems and serve to connect them. Through these prose dialogues, Amaratu became the first systematic philosopher. They connect Amaratu’s ethics, logic, and theology into one system. Also of note is his theory of education, which states the purpose of education is to adopt the proper behavior, which to Amaratu would be following his ethical system.

Technological

The Invention of Animal Husbandry
Not to be confused with the scientific and far more effective practice that was discovered thousands of years later, animal husbandry was “invented” by successful farmer and part-time teacher Uidab, born 108 E.C. (24 A.E.) He saw farmers in his village purposely buying and breeding the best animals in order to create offspring like them. Uidab began practicing this and, being literate, wrote on it in his The Proper Cow, which is not really about cows, but rather an essay-like writing on animal husbandry, although one that still indulged in the occasional evocative language and poetic prose, as well as arguments on the superiority of pork to beef. It was finished on 163 E.C.

Uidab moved to the city of Anvor, soon once again the city of Gabala-du, and gained fame. He eventually moved to Ashkar, where he lived for years, but retired to his home village. Its techniques would be used to great effect, giving the incentive for the First Great Migration, when over eighty-thousand people left Ashkur for the villages due to overpopulation. Had animal husbandry not been spread, it is likely Ashkar would have been subjected to widespread starvation.

The Invention of Geometry

Aharru was born in 98 E.C. (14 A.E.), and was a teacher who gained prestige teaching both mathematics and mythology. His Of Numbers of Shapes was informed by forty years of close study of numbers. Aharru’s  Of Numbers of Shapes began Edimmu knowledge of geometry. It uses the sexagesimal numeral system, which has the number sixty as its base, and would lead to that numeral system, already prevailing, become the norm among the Edimmu. It would be use as the basis of geometry for early Edimmu geometers.

The work itself largely deals with shapes. Formulas for discovering the area of triangles, rectangles, circles, and hemispheres through the use of arithmetic that involve multiplication, division, base, and height are shown and then proved. Also discussed at length is how to discover if different shapes are geometrically similar, and slope. 

Military

The Sumarael Military Reforms, which occurred on 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), divorced the Warrior Class from the soldiery. King Sumarael considered them expensive and unreliable, and thought that an army made up of hereditary warriors would deteriorate through the generations. They were not purged. They were replaced by soldiers who recruited from among the commoners, and were given training as either infantrymen or archers. 

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