das
Regeneration In Process
Murdatta.
The Murdattati civilisation developed somewhat haphazardly in the area between Mesopotamia and the Zagros Mountains, having to contend with both disruptive military incursions and more ambiguous cultural influences from western civilisations and eastern tribes alike. Despite occasional hardships caused both by external threats and by the relatively less reliable agriculture of this area, the Murdattati managed to develop a fairly robust and martially competent civilisation, centered around several city-states, most notably Ankamel and Dahunamel.
Historically, the Murdattati city-states were all independent from each other. Every city-state dominated a number of lesser rural communities around it, and played a key role in the organisation of hydraulic agriculture and defense from foreign threats - including that posed by the other cities. The three main categories of people were the People (Danushti), the Bowed and the slaves. Danushti formed the overwhelming majority of the population; they were the commoners with their own plots of land, expected take part in levies and to attend tribal assemblies, even as those were rendered increasingly irrelevant. Over time, social and economic stratification did develop among the Danushti, but it remained fairly limited for now; in lean times, the poorer of the Danushti could sell themselves and their children into slavery, while the richer could acquire more lands and hire labourers, as well as acquire superior bronze weapons and equipment, but the majority of the Danushti were still roughly in the middle and lived as their ancestors did, with their old rights and obligations. The Bowed, or Mushti, were simply the descendants of conquered tribes who weren't enslaved but didn't count as proper citizen-warriors either; they were forced to pay a special tribute, in exchange for protection and the sufferance of their native "demon" cults. The slaves formed a disparate category; while some were in private hands, a greater amount was attached to the temple households. In any case, this wasn't such an numerous group of people at this time.
Central to Murdattati society was the priesthood; a mostly hereditary and very distinct group that controlled the city temples. As the temples ended up possessing a large part of what used to be simply tribal commons, the temple households had significant economical weight; a combination of religious authority and economic power gradually gave the priests supreme political clout. Murdattati city-states were traditionally ruled by a sort of monarchic theocracy, with the priest-king serving as the symbolic ruler, supreme judge and military leader, advised by the priests of the leading cults. Traditionally, the priest-king was chosen by the city gods from among their priests in an elaborate ceremony. For the convenience and comfort of the deities, they were provided with specially-trained actors to possess, through which means they made their choice clear. However, the older version of the ceremony also included extensive divination and in some cases, drawing lots. The situation was altered somewhat by the emergence of the Dahunamelti hegemony; having defeated his opponents on the battlefield, the priest-king of Dahunamel sent token garrisons and overseers to the "conquered" cities. While they, in truth, retained a great deal of internal autonomy aside from the need to pay a tribute, Dahunamelti overseers still made sure to keep their hand in the priestly elections. The main part of the ceremony, of course, remained unchanged.
As a brief side-note regarding the religious beliefs of early Murdattati, the main point to make is that the Murdattati originally believed in a variety of ancestral and hostile spirits. Over time their identities became blended; yet at the same time, two distinct categories emerged. The small and large spirits that favoured the Murdattati became known as gods; the small and large spirits that favoured their enemies, and by extension almost all foreign deities, became known as demons. Demons, of course, sent bad luck upon the Murdattati, while the Murdattati city gods, if properly served, sent good fortune in all things. Each major city-state gradually developed its own pantheon that it actively worshiped; however, it also recognised the gods of other Murdattati cities as such. Demons, meanwhile, were generally shunned, but also propitiated in lean times, and tolerated though not really accepted in the case of the Mushti. While most demons were invisible, the gods were quite the opposite, in their places of power; they sat impassively in their temples to inhale the smoke and incenses from the sacrificial altars and sometimes descended to possess their worshipers.
The great achievements of early Murdattati civilisation were in the fields of engineering (the construction of irrigation canals and city walls) and metallurgy (copper and bronze weapons). Murdattati priests possessed a developed system of logographic writing and some knowledge of astrology, though in this they were surpassed by their neighbours. The bulk of the Murdattati army consisted of archers, however the richer segments of the fully free population also provided medium infantry in the shape of spearmen.
The Murdattati civilisation developed somewhat haphazardly in the area between Mesopotamia and the Zagros Mountains, having to contend with both disruptive military incursions and more ambiguous cultural influences from western civilisations and eastern tribes alike. Despite occasional hardships caused both by external threats and by the relatively less reliable agriculture of this area, the Murdattati managed to develop a fairly robust and martially competent civilisation, centered around several city-states, most notably Ankamel and Dahunamel.
Historically, the Murdattati city-states were all independent from each other. Every city-state dominated a number of lesser rural communities around it, and played a key role in the organisation of hydraulic agriculture and defense from foreign threats - including that posed by the other cities. The three main categories of people were the People (Danushti), the Bowed and the slaves. Danushti formed the overwhelming majority of the population; they were the commoners with their own plots of land, expected take part in levies and to attend tribal assemblies, even as those were rendered increasingly irrelevant. Over time, social and economic stratification did develop among the Danushti, but it remained fairly limited for now; in lean times, the poorer of the Danushti could sell themselves and their children into slavery, while the richer could acquire more lands and hire labourers, as well as acquire superior bronze weapons and equipment, but the majority of the Danushti were still roughly in the middle and lived as their ancestors did, with their old rights and obligations. The Bowed, or Mushti, were simply the descendants of conquered tribes who weren't enslaved but didn't count as proper citizen-warriors either; they were forced to pay a special tribute, in exchange for protection and the sufferance of their native "demon" cults. The slaves formed a disparate category; while some were in private hands, a greater amount was attached to the temple households. In any case, this wasn't such an numerous group of people at this time.
Central to Murdattati society was the priesthood; a mostly hereditary and very distinct group that controlled the city temples. As the temples ended up possessing a large part of what used to be simply tribal commons, the temple households had significant economical weight; a combination of religious authority and economic power gradually gave the priests supreme political clout. Murdattati city-states were traditionally ruled by a sort of monarchic theocracy, with the priest-king serving as the symbolic ruler, supreme judge and military leader, advised by the priests of the leading cults. Traditionally, the priest-king was chosen by the city gods from among their priests in an elaborate ceremony. For the convenience and comfort of the deities, they were provided with specially-trained actors to possess, through which means they made their choice clear. However, the older version of the ceremony also included extensive divination and in some cases, drawing lots. The situation was altered somewhat by the emergence of the Dahunamelti hegemony; having defeated his opponents on the battlefield, the priest-king of Dahunamel sent token garrisons and overseers to the "conquered" cities. While they, in truth, retained a great deal of internal autonomy aside from the need to pay a tribute, Dahunamelti overseers still made sure to keep their hand in the priestly elections. The main part of the ceremony, of course, remained unchanged.
As a brief side-note regarding the religious beliefs of early Murdattati, the main point to make is that the Murdattati originally believed in a variety of ancestral and hostile spirits. Over time their identities became blended; yet at the same time, two distinct categories emerged. The small and large spirits that favoured the Murdattati became known as gods; the small and large spirits that favoured their enemies, and by extension almost all foreign deities, became known as demons. Demons, of course, sent bad luck upon the Murdattati, while the Murdattati city gods, if properly served, sent good fortune in all things. Each major city-state gradually developed its own pantheon that it actively worshiped; however, it also recognised the gods of other Murdattati cities as such. Demons, meanwhile, were generally shunned, but also propitiated in lean times, and tolerated though not really accepted in the case of the Mushti. While most demons were invisible, the gods were quite the opposite, in their places of power; they sat impassively in their temples to inhale the smoke and incenses from the sacrificial altars and sometimes descended to possess their worshipers.
The great achievements of early Murdattati civilisation were in the fields of engineering (the construction of irrigation canals and city walls) and metallurgy (copper and bronze weapons). Murdattati priests possessed a developed system of logographic writing and some knowledge of astrology, though in this they were surpassed by their neighbours. The bulk of the Murdattati army consisted of archers, however the richer segments of the fully free population also provided medium infantry in the shape of spearmen.
Now, everyone who hasn't, look at your peers' and get writing! 
Thank you, sir.
