Acronis: Difference between revisions

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===Classical Tavari period===

[[File:Kabah Palace - Maya architecture in Yucatan.jpg|left|350px|thumb|The ruins of the original Shrine of the Ocean Mother near Anara, built in the early 7th century CE. It was damaged by a powerful quake in 1046 and a newer building was constructed nearby, but the original building is still considered to be the most sacred portion of the site. It remains an active Tavat Avati shrine after Acronian independence.]]

The period of time between the development of written Tavari and the unification of the Kingdom of Tavaris in 1304 is known as the Classical Tavari period. During this time, there was never any one overarching Tavari polity, with each clan essentially sovereign over its own territory—though, in practice, one or even several tribes may have been tribute-paying subjects of another. The practice of tributaries was more common in the west than in the east, while eastern chiefs often favored direct invasion and annexation of rivals' territory, believed to be due in part to the relative sparse population and more rugged areas hindering ease of administration encouraging would-be conquerors to delegate such tasks to chiefs who reported to them rather than spend their own time, money, and people doing so. In the crystal coast region in particular, a tradition arose of "matriarchs"—a politically powerful woman commanding the loyalty of several local chiefs, sometimes (though not always) without a chiefdom holding of her own. These matriarchs were called a "moderating influence" and credited themselves with encouraging peace, contrasting themselves with eastern chiefs who, they said, were constantly waging war with one another. The historical record, however, shows no significant difference in the amount of armed conflict between Tavari clans in the east and west. In reality, these women were invariably the ~~priestesses~~ of major ~~temples~~, of which there were several in the rapidly urbanizing area that controlled vast swaths of land that were suddenly highly prized as possible settlement locations. Why it came to be that the ~~temples~~ around the crystal coast were headed by matriarchal dynasties remains unclear and is an area of active study and scholarship in Tavari academia.

The period of time between the development of written Tavari and the unification of the Kingdom of Tavaris in 1304 is known as the Classical Tavari period. During this time, there was never any one overarching Tavari polity, with each clan essentially sovereign over its own territory—though, in practice, one or even several tribes may have been tribute-paying subjects of another. The practice of tributaries was more common in the west than in the east, while eastern chiefs often favored direct invasion and annexation of rivals' territory, believed to be due in part to the relative sparse population and more rugged areas hindering ease of administration encouraging would-be conquerors to delegate such tasks to chiefs who reported to them rather than spend their own time, money, and people doing so. In the crystal coast region in particular, a tradition arose of "matriarchs"—a politically powerful woman commanding the loyalty of several local chiefs, sometimes (though not always) without a chiefdom holding of her own. These matriarchs were called a "moderating influence" and credited themselves with encouraging peace, contrasting themselves with eastern chiefs who, they said, were constantly waging war with one another. The historical record, however, shows no significant difference in the amount of armed conflict between Tavari clans in the east and west. In reality, these women were invariably the shrinemasters of major shrines, of which there were several in the rapidly urbanizing area that controlled vast swaths of land that were suddenly highly prized as possible settlement locations. Why it came to be that the shrines around the crystal coast were headed by matriarchal dynasties remains unclear and is an area of active study and scholarship in Tavari academia.

While not all western regions had overtly matriarchal systems, something that a much broader majority of western communities shared in common was a difference in religious worship that retained significant examples of nature worship, while the eastern and southern Tavari tribes shed these traditions and focused their worship exclusively on the spirits of departed ancestors. The largest pre-Akronist shrine in Acronis, also one of the oldest, is the Shrine of the Ocean Mother near Anara, which contains no graves at all and is not dedicated to any one family but instead to "the spirit of the ocean, who is the mother to us all," according to traditional chants carried orally among the priests of the temple since the 7th century. The moon, too, featured as a significant focus of worship in the west, also often characterized as a mother or as a guardian spirit considered "ancestral" to the people. These traits are believed to be holdovers from the religious beliefs of the First Va people who had still lived in the west when the proto-Tavari arrived. While most modern scholars believe that these traditions form part of the core foundation of modern Akronism, this theory remains unpopular among many Akronist religious groups and, as recently as 2019, was characterized by then-leader of the Tavari Communist Party, Atra Metravar, as "Tavari nationalist propaganda designed to suppress the idea that people in the west might have ever, even once, had an original idea." What is certain to be true is that differences in religious practice formed a significant cultural cleavage long before the emergence of the Akronist faith.

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 ===Classical Tavari period===
 [[File:Kabah Palace - Maya architecture in Yucatan.jpg|left|350px|thumb|The ruins of the original Shrine of the Ocean Mother near Anara, built in the early 7th century CE. It was damaged by a powerful quake in 1046 and a newer building was constructed nearby, but the original building is still considered to be the most sacred portion of the site. It remains an active Tavat Avati shrine after Acronian independence.]]
-The period of time between the development of written Tavari and the unification of the Kingdom of Tavaris in 1304 is known as the Classical Tavari period. During this time, there was never any one overarching Tavari polity, with each clan essentially sovereign over its own territory—though, in practice, one or even several tribes may have been tribute-paying subjects of another. The practice of tributaries was more common in the west than in the east, while eastern chiefs often favored direct invasion and annexation of rivals' territory, believed to be due in part to the relative sparse population and more rugged areas hindering ease of administration encouraging would-be conquerors to delegate such tasks to chiefs who reported to them rather than spend their own time, money, and people doing so. In the crystal coast region in particular, a tradition arose of "matriarchs"—a politically powerful woman commanding the loyalty of several local chiefs, sometimes (though not always) without a chiefdom holding of her own. These matriarchs were called a "moderating influence" and credited themselves with encouraging peace, contrasting themselves with eastern chiefs who, they said, were constantly waging war with one another. The historical record, however, shows no significant difference in the amount of armed conflict between Tavari clans in the east and west. In reality, these women were invariably the priestesses of major temples, of which there were several in the rapidly urbanizing area that controlled vast swaths of land that were suddenly highly prized as possible settlement locations. Why it came to be that the temples around the crystal coast were headed by matriarchal dynasties remains unclear and is an area of active study and scholarship in Tavari academia.
+The period of time between the development of written Tavari and the unification of the Kingdom of Tavaris in 1304 is known as the Classical Tavari period. During this time, there was never any one overarching Tavari polity, with each clan essentially sovereign over its own territory—though, in practice, one or even several tribes may have been tribute-paying subjects of another. The practice of tributaries was more common in the west than in the east, while eastern chiefs often favored direct invasion and annexation of rivals' territory, believed to be due in part to the relative sparse population and more rugged areas hindering ease of administration encouraging would-be conquerors to delegate such tasks to chiefs who reported to them rather than spend their own time, money, and people doing so. In the crystal coast region in particular, a tradition arose of "matriarchs"—a politically powerful woman commanding the loyalty of several local chiefs, sometimes (though not always) without a chiefdom holding of her own. These matriarchs were called a "moderating influence" and credited themselves with encouraging peace, contrasting themselves with eastern chiefs who, they said, were constantly waging war with one another. The historical record, however, shows no significant difference in the amount of armed conflict between Tavari clans in the east and west. In reality, these women were invariably the shrinemasters of major shrines, of which there were several in the rapidly urbanizing area that controlled vast swaths of land that were suddenly highly prized as possible settlement locations. Why it came to be that the shrines around the crystal coast were headed by matriarchal dynasties remains unclear and is an area of active study and scholarship in Tavari academia.
 While not all western regions had overtly matriarchal systems, something that a much broader majority of western communities shared in common was a difference in religious worship that retained significant examples of nature worship, while the eastern and southern Tavari tribes shed these traditions and focused their worship exclusively on the spirits of departed ancestors. The largest pre-Akronist shrine in Acronis, also one of the oldest, is the Shrine of the Ocean Mother near Anara, which contains no graves at all and is not dedicated to any one family but instead to "the spirit of the ocean, who is the mother to us all," according to traditional chants carried orally among the priests of the temple since the 7th century. The moon, too, featured as a significant focus of worship in the west, also often characterized as a mother or as a guardian spirit considered "ancestral" to the people. These traits are believed to be holdovers from the religious beliefs of the First Va people who had still lived in the west when the proto-Tavari arrived. While most modern scholars believe that these traditions form part of the core foundation of modern Akronism, this theory remains unpopular among many Akronist religious groups and, as recently as 2019, was characterized by then-leader of the Tavari Communist Party, Atra Metravar, as "Tavari nationalist propaganda designed to suppress the idea that people in the west might have ever, even once, had an original idea." What is certain to be true is that differences in religious practice formed a significant cultural cleavage long before the emergence of the Akronist faith.

Acronis: Difference between revisions

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