Affalhaq civilization

The Affalhaq civilization originated in southern D'ekaš, around the Three Rivers region. Particularly around the rivers, but by no means limited to the waterways, aqa cultivation gave birth to cities and ultimately states. Though these polities were rarely stable enough to be long lasting, their culture (particularly that of Taxili) became imposed on many of the surrounding regions through its momentary explosions into empire.

Culture

Crops and Livestock

The staple of the Affalhaqic diet, and indeed much of the tropical D'ekašan urban sites, is composed of the aqa bean. Various leafy vegetables and fruits also grow in the region which are typically gathered straight from the surrounding forests, however cultivation of these, especially the vegetables, is practiced as well. As is common across the entire continent, as well as Atlingi and even Noso, the standard livestock animal is the swine, likely brought over from the latter continent as D'ekaš was peopled. The giant echidna is also widely used for their eggs.

History

Genesis

The first Affalhaq cities were not the only large settlements in tropical D'ekaš. In fact, aqa cultivation and was known throughout the region, and indeed other cultures were known to have developed large urban centres. What makes the early Affalhaqic cities so different were their propensity to fight with each other. These conflicts ultimately demanded higher and higher levels of political organization, which inevitably caused the formation of the first states in the region. As their early economies boomed, raids were conducted into surrounding regions to provide slaves. Despite this, the first three centuries of the shifting political landscape resulted in few large scale conquests; cities were instead content to leave their peers in the metaphorical dust after having made away with their aqa, manpower, and other resources.

The First Empire

The first city to rise to preeminence on the Affalhaq was Taxili. Initially only a minor city in the region, it nonetheless had large ambitions. Records dating to approximately -2050 NR relate the conquest of her peer Ilaxã, the first victim of Taxili's territorial ambition, ultimately resulting in the Early Taxili Empire. By about -1850 NR, this empire was at her prime, and Taxili's culture was widespread in the region. Though the following centuries would see the decline of the Early Taxili Empire, her legacy as the first civilization in the area would result in a common cultural framework that would last until the region (and the whole continent) faced collapse during the D'ekaš Dark Age.

Contact and Trade

The period between the collapse of Early Taxili and the D'ekaš Dark Age saw the rise and fall of the Later Taxili empire as well as the ascension of Tõsax as the dominant polity, interspersed with several periods of regional powers jostling among each other. During waning years of Later Taxili, trade between the Affalhaq and regions to the north would become established, blossoming into an extensive network of trade routes by the time of Tõsax. The rise of Tõsax also coincided with increasing amounts of seafaring. Though the increase in trade and seafaring brought immense prosperity to both spheres and regions in between, it would ultimately be the demise of these longstanding civilizations.