Reflection Joy's writing

Reflection

This assignment, while difficult and time consuming, has actually been really enjoyable. I love history. Reading about it; watching it on tv; or re-living it through plays. It was so incredible to get the opportunity to create my own history. I was amazed to watch the development from complex society to global trade partner. I actually feel as if my society existed. I know it may seem silly, but I actually imagined the life of the people. What did a day look like to them? How did they make a living? Were they happy? Answering these questions and many more helped me develop my empire, Amia.

One thing I never took in to account when reading about societies in history is all that goes into building one. It is an incredibly intricate process. Several different things have to develop and many at the same time. It was also hard to know when to introduce a change into the society. I wanted everything to seem as if it developed naturally, as if Amia was really growing and becoming complex, but it was hard to know when to change something. So many things had to happen in order for one small thing to change. I definitely have a new found respect for people who started or maintained large empires or even small kingdoms. It is not as easy as it may seem.

All in all, I had a lot of fun creating Amia. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to think outside of the box. Creating a people group, start to finish, was an amazing process that allowed me to really go in depth into a society and learn what all went in to creating one. I am really proud of what I created and I cannot wait to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

 

Joy's story Part 3

·         These networks grew and thrived as the Amian Empire continued to flourish. Although

the trade network within Amia was continuing to grow, the Council soon recognized the need for

a more extensive trade network that encompassed other empires and continents. While Amia was

known for its blacksmith’s and their beautifully made swords as well as an abundance of natural

resources, the need for fine items such as silk, porcelain, and spices soon began to grow. As a

result, the Council sent 12 ambassadors, seven women and five men, to the neighboring and far-

reaching empires to develop trade agreements. Upon returning, not every ambassador was

successful, but they were able to secure trade agreements throughout much of Asia and parts of

Northern Africa. These trade routes soon became known as the Amian Trade Routes. They

included Europe as well as routes from China and India through the Middle East, Turkey, and

much of Northern Africa including Egypt. Each region played a part in the trade route. From

Amia came skillfully crafted swords and weapons. They also traded an abundance of seafood and

wood from their thick forests. From China came silk and porcelain, India supplied fine spices

and ivory, and Egypt supplied grain and textiles.

Shortly after the development of the Amian Trade Routes, the Amian government

underwent some major changes. Men began to play a more significant role in the government.

Amian ambassadors ran into problems while trying to secure trade agreements. In most of the

other areas of the world, women had little to no role in government. As a result, some rulers

refused to do business with the woman ambassadors sent from Amia. To combat this, Amia

began to have more men as ambassadors to the foreign countries. Men were also able to achieve

·         a higher status in government including a seat on the Council. The Council has nine members

and men were able to fill four of those seats. While woman still hold the majority in the Council,

men began to be seen as equal partners in government and political matters. The Council also

developed a more complicated and intricate government by delegation each member a region of

the Amian Empire to oversee. Eight of the nine members of the Council were delegated a region

of Amia. The Head of the Council oversaw all regions and “ruled” in the Amian capital of

Alessa. The eight Council members were responsible for all that happened in their region. They

oversaw the collection of taxes, the judicial system, and crop intake. They were responsible for

delegating and appointing new officials when needed. Each of the eight regions was in charge of

security for their portion of the trade route. They policed the roads, ports and posts that ran

through their region, keeping merchants and business owners safe.   

Due to the expansion of the trade networks, Amia’s population continued to increase.

Their cities grew larger and the government became more developed. The Amian people were

able to sell their livelihood along the trade routes and make a good living. People from all over

settled in Amia and the cultures and traditions soon began to merge. The Amian Empire became

a melting pot for hundreds of different peoples, cultures, and religions. People flocked to Amia

seeking a new place to live and missionaries came bringing new religions. While extremely

skeptical of the new religions at first, Amians slowly began to adopt these new practices. Islam

and Christianity were both introduced to Amia through the trade routes. Both religions were

similar to Amia’s religion in their worship of one god. While both religions were extremely

popular, the Council adopted Islam as their official religion. Some Amians still worshiped the

Guardian Spirit, but most were either Muslims or Christian. The Council did not seek to demand

their people to adopt one religion over the other. Amians were free to choose their religion and to

worship their chosen god in peace without fear of repercussion.

Life in Amia was great. They had come a long way from those fourteen people, escaping

slavery, fleeing for their lives and searching for a better one. Their tiny group of people had

developed into a global powerhouse. The Amian Empire continued to thrive and grow for several

more centuries. Many of their culture and traditions can been seen in the people groups of

modern day. Their ways will forever be entrenched in the culture of the continental Europe and

many of the surrounding lands. The original fourteen members could never have known the

impact their rebellion would cause and they have truly left their mark on the world forever.

 

Joy's story Part 2

·         As trade in Amia grew due to the surplus of natural supplies and the development of

specialized labor, more and more people were drawn to the society. Instead of heading home

once the trade was made, many people began to settle in Amia. Through inter-marriages the

population began to grow and the Council decided to form a military force. Once the military

was properly established the Head of the Council, Mother Lea at that time, had a vision from the

Guardian Spirit. In her vision, the Guardian Spirit told Mother Lea that Amia could no longer

stay at peace with the neighboring societies. It was time for Amia to become the leader. After

Mother Lea told her vision to the Council, the decision was made to begin to expand Amia. The

Amian military, led by Mother Lea’s daughter Kona, a brilliant warrior and leader, began to

invade to the North first. The campaign lasted for 7 long years, until they reached the North Sea.

Once they had successfully brought the people under their rule, the Amian army began to look

towards the East. General Kona conquered the land to the East as far as the Dnieper River and

South to the Black Sea bringing most of Continental Europe under the control of Amia.

The Council then decided to establish an official capital for the Amia Empire. Located

just north of modern-day Warsaw, Poland they founded Alessa which means Protector of

Humanity. The entire Council moved to Alessa and began to run the Amian Empire from there.

The Council appointed delegates who were faithful to Amia and its interests to serve as

representatives in the newly conquered lands. The Amians sought to bring in the people of other

lands by incorporating their culture into their own. Instead of presiding over the people like a

harsh dictator, the Council and its Head decide to allow the conquered people to continue with

their traditions, but they instituted a universal tax in order to fund their military. The tax

collection was overseen by the appointed delegates. The Council also sought to institute

universal laws that were used to draw the several different people groups into the Amian Empire

without forcing them to give up their cultures. Doing this served to unify the various lands of

Amia in to one powerful Empire.

As the Amian Empire grew and adjusted to its expanding boarders, daily life in Amia also

changed. Natural hierarchies developed into three groups. The aristocrats, working class, and the

indentured servants. The aristocrats, who consisted of wealthy business owners, leaders of

government, and the religious leaders, were at the top of the Amian hierarchy. Next, were shop

owners, skilled labors, and the everyday working man. The lowest group were the indentured

·         servants. The Council of Amia had outlawed slavery, but if a person could not pay what was

owed, they could become a servant in lieu of payment. The length of servitude was agreed upon

between the two parties and was witnessed by a member of government. Once the agreed upon

years have been served, the person was then free to leave and pursue their own life once again.

However, because they were servant, they fell into the lowest group along with beggars and the

homeless.

With the incorporation of new peoples and cultures came the expansion of trade

throughout the Amian Empire. Iron metallurgy was one of the first new developments to Amian

society. Taught to locals by traveling merchants, Amians became skilled laborers and

blacksmiths. Blacksmiths were able to supply the army with weapons and armor as well as create

sound structures that lasted longer than the previously used wood. Laborers became skilled

craftsmen and began to craft supplies solely for trade. The need for artisans also developed and

with the incorporation of foreign peoples the craft grew into a thriving career. Long before Amia

began conquering other people they had a surplus of supplies. As the people became skilled they

began building and crafting not out of necessity, but as trade. Their crafts became businesses, and

their businesses, enterprises. The Council quickly developed extensive trade routes through all of

the empire. From the North Sea to the Dnieper River and south to the Black Sea. Developing

these trade routes was crucial for the continual growth and expansion of the Amian Empire. The

Council also established cities along the trade routes to encourage economic growth and

strengthen trade

 

Humble Beginnings: by Joy Olson

 

Humble Beginnings:

The Development of Amia

By: Joy Olson

 

 

Long before Amia was a global powerhouse of trade and commerce; before it was an empire; before a thriving society, Amia was just fourteen people who wanted a better life. People who could no longer accept being in service to a terrible master. They wanted freedom. They wanted to live their own life, and they would soon discover how difficult the road is from a small colony to global powerhouse.

 When the original fourteen members of Amia decided to flee from their master, they traveled to continental Europe near what is modern day Great Britain and established a colony named Amia. They decided on the name Amia because it means beloved. The fourteen members consisted of nine women and five men, all in their late teens to early twenties. Due to the imbalance of males’ vs females, the women became the natural leaders of the colony as well as the home. Unlike many other communities during that time, the men of Amia were completely content to support the women in their new role. As time went on and Amia grew into a society consisting of several families, the need for a more structured government became apparent. The nine women who founded Amia decided to elect one women who would act as the Head of the Council. The Council would then consist of the other eight women plus the Head. When one member died, she was replaced by a blood relative to one of the nine women. No outsiders were allowed to hold any seat on the Council. The Council made all laws and decisions regarding Amia. They were also in charge of putting other women into positions of power to help run everyday life.

Life in Amia was challenging and creating a society that would withstand the test of time was almost impossible, but the Amians had the Guardian Spirit on their side. The Guardian Spirit was the official religion in Amia for a very long time. They believed she protected and provided for them by bringing the rain for their crops. She also brought forth new life and took away spent life. The Guardian Spirit helped the people of Amia to understand the world around them and gave them a sense of purpose and belonging in the world.

There were many natural advantages to the region in which they had started to build Amia. Fresh water streams were abundant throughout the land and they flowed with several different kinds of fish. Amians learned to navigate the waters and bring in massive amounts of fish. In addition to fresh fish, the people of Amia gathered berries and fresh fruit that were also native to the region. After some time, Amians learned to cultivate the land and grow crops. They grew wheat, beans, and potatoes as their main sources of food. Many dense forests surrounded Amia and allowed the hunting of fresh meat to be bountiful. Amians were very careful to store everything they could not eat immediately. They dried and smoked meat, sundried fruit, and preserved anything they could to use during the winter. Whatever was not saved or eaten was traded in the thriving market place in the heart of Amia. As Amia grew into a society, trade also developed. Soon a marketplace was opened to facilitate that trade. Farmers, business owners, and families all traded their goods and services at the market. Word spread and soon people from neighboring regions and societies would travel long distances just to do trade with Amia. The need for a trade network was soon discovered but did not come into existence for several hundred years.

Amia went from fourteen people in search of a better life, to a complex society with a bustling marketplace of trade in a relatively short amount of time. The Council and the Amians were content to stay within their region and not extend their authority, however this complacent outlook could not last forever. While life in Amia was simple and good, change was on the horizon.