Early Yponic (Pacifica)

The Early Yponic refers to the period of time between 3300 BCE and 2400 BCE, pertaining to the protohistory of Moellia, which started with the introduction of bronze metallurgy and the creation of the first simple aegean alphabets, which would later on transform into its modern variant. The Early Yponic ends with the formation of the first city-states and, more importantly, first complex military structures.

This period is also the last shared archeological period between the three regions of Moellia. After 2400 BCE, the evolution of independent political history became the norm, and interactions between Rhayna, Alla-gy and Nea-gy became distant and limited until the invention of the steam locomotive.

Technological developments

The Early Yponic period marked significant technological advancements in Moellia, most notably the introduction of bronze metallurgy and the development of writing systems. These developments laid the foundation for more complex societal organization and the eventual rise of city-states in the region.

Bronze metallurgy

The methods of bronze metallurgy in the Early Yponic period rapidly spread through Moellia, transforming the importing economy of the region to a more local production of the alloy. Initially reliant on imported bronze from Eastern Cordilia, Moellian craftsmen quickly developed advanced alloying techniques, combining local copper with tin from small, scarce and often disputed Moellian deposits to produce bronze artefacts. Bronze tools improved agricultural efficiency, while bronze weapons such as axes and spears provided an advantage in hunting and combat over settlements that did not use bronze. Artisans also began creating ornamental bronze items, demonstrating the material's growing cultural and economic importance.

Writing

The Early Yponic period was also marked by the development of writing in Moellia, with the creation of the first simple Aegean alphabets. These proto-writing systems, of unknown influence, began as a means of recording trade, agricultural and agrarian surpluses, and dates. The first alphabet, Picto I, was developed in the Tipo Valley complex, and spread along trade routes and agricultural settlements, later on diverging into Picto II in the west. It's worth emphasizing that Picto I was short-lived, disappearing after the collapse of the Bronze Age, while Picto II would evolve in [TBD].

Later on, the adoption of writing enabled a larger administrative power, more complex societal systems, the development of some of the first written laws of the Ancient South Pacific, and eventually the consolidation of the first city-states.