Alterran Tribes

Very common symbol of pre Roman Alterra

First Inhabitants & discoverers of the islands arrive in 5000 BCE. Proto-Indo-European tribes would arrive to the islands from the coasts of due to their comparable naval technology. Dialects & 20 Tribes form on the Islands, being split into the four main haplogroups: South West, North West, South East, South West. Regionally split, Eastern & Northern Islands would have 1 dialect each respectively & the Western one would contain 2 dialects. A dialectal continuum would form due to language proximity of each tribe.

### Alterran Pre-Roman Society

Alterrans organized themselves into several tribes. Alterran tribes developed a currency based on bronze , an alphabet (with clear letters, even though they would be written mostly on trees, or well, just wood) and written traditions translated in all dialects spoken in Alterra transmitted from generation to generation. Alterrans would trade with each other and with peoples of Gaul and Iberia. In Barmuir, there was a building in which leaders of tribes, as well as traders met. Communication was difficult due to the continuum of dialects, but nevertheless tribes managed to trade with each other and mantain rare relationships (even though tribes mostly stayed on their own Island when talking about relationships). Ancient Alterrans had a code saying how their society had to be organized.

### Religion in Ancient Alterra

Ancient Alterrans' religious beliefs were polytheistic, they believed in existence of three Gods (God of Land; God of Sky; God of Water) which, created the World , and all the species. They were also animistic, they believed land belonged to all creatures and everything has a deistic entity within them.

### ***Alterran Code: 14 Points***

1. Any act of damage (physical) to others is considered punishable by waterboarding (with a rock & water device)

2. Respect of the Soul (Daily Religious Summit) must be always attended for the 3 gods, the God of Land, the God of Sky and the God of Water.

3. Acts of Human Nature (sex) are always holy ones, meaning you shall not speak of them except to the tribe leader & religious counsellor.

4. Marriage is to be seen by at least the age of Harvest (Puberty), arranged by the parents.

5. Men are to work whilst Women take care of the home. In loss of one partner, a new one may be acquired after a few years of religious service.

6. Eating the Holy Bird (tufted duck) is an act of atrocity towards the free spirit, therefore condemned.

7. Tribe Leaders must seek enlightenment by Religious Counsellors before taking leadership (because with the religious approval power had become much easier to attain)

8. Every Season passing (year), a celebration must be held by slaughtering the holy bird by attaching a slow burning palm leaf to it as it flies away from our hands

9. Every single child is put into one of these jobs alongside adults to teach them for the future, fishing, knitting, & housebuilding/genera

10. If parents allow it, spouse can be chosen at the age of Harvest, roughly 1/2 season passing time to decide

11. Property is overseen by tribe leader, if theft occurs, tribunal of tribe leader & elder forms

12. The Alterran Code recognized many ways of disposing property: sale, lease, barter, gift, dedication, deposit, loan, or pledge, all upon contract.

13. Trade between Tribes shall be free and fair. Tribesmen shall meet to discuss about trade relations among each other.

14. Sex shall be only with your Spouse. However, this rule can only be broken if the Spouse isn't offended.

### Arrival of Romans

Since ancient times, myths about a large faraway island out west existed in Roman society, fueled by Platos' writings about Atlantis. In 106 AD, a Roman trading ship was blown off course near modern-day Galicia while travelling to Britain. They would land in the eastern edge of Alterra and had considerable contact with the locals. Eventually, they repaired their ship and returned to the Roman Empire to report their discovery. After this, immigration from the Western Roman Empire would soon come. In the following decades and centuries, Roman immigrants would make Alterra adopt Latin Alphabet and later Christianize, replacing Alterran Code with Christian Laws & the Constitution of the First Alterran Republic in the style of the Roman Republic. Romans would assimilate into Alterran Society and keep Alterran dialects alive.