Amaan

Amaan is a geographic, cultural, and historic region in northeast Atria.

Definition and etymology
The area of Amaan was limited in ancient times to the narrow coastal strip between the Shallurum Mountains and the Serephanian Sea. This region was given the name amh'a'sin, meaning "Land of the Sea" in the Mattaki language. After the migration of Hematic speakers to the region, the migrants called the area am'n, or Ama'an, a translation of the Mattaki name. Other North Hematic speakers began to refer to those who lived there as Ama'an'tes. Lastly, the Ancient Delliks translated the name as Amaan, and its speakers as Amaanites, giving the region and its people their modern name.

The Ancient Tonans began to trade with the Pharaean colonies established in Serdica and on the northern coast of the region. They referred to all of Ancient Amaan as Pharaea, and named everything between the Dagon River and the Serephanian Sea as Amaan. When it was assimilated into the Tonan Empire, the Tonans also included the mountainous Sangasu region, which lay west of the Dagon, into the Province of Amaan.

Pre-Hematic
The first recorded group to live in the area were the Mattaki, who were related to the Iseret peoples. The Mattaki inhabited the area east of the Shallurum Mountains (southeast Amaan) and sustained themselves through agriculture, fishing, and hunting. Coastal tribes tended to be seafarers, travelling as far north as Serdica to fish. The Mattaki were allies and trading partners of the Ishtars, known for exporting the region's famed cedar lumber to build Ishtar ships.

The Mattaki formed a very close relationship with the Sargonians and Serephanians over several centuries. The Serephanians were even allowed to create trading ports in the region, and were known to the Mattaki as the Sephyrians. The Mattaki also began expanding during this time, creating permanent settlements along the south coast of Serdica and on the islands of the Serdanese Channel. For unknown reasons the Mattaki Civilization began to decline with the arrival of Hematic-speakers. It appeared to be a combination of famine, drought, and war. This essentially ended their dominance in Amaan, but pockets of the Mattaki continued to live on in Serdica and the Channel Islands.

Hematic migration
The end of the Mattaki Civilization coincided with the migration of Hematic speakers into Northeast Atria. These people constituted a separate branch of the Hematic family, referred to as North Hemites. Those who settled in the former Mattaki-speaking area absorbed and assimilated the natives, contributing to a further linguistic and cultural split from the North Hemites, becoming the Amaanites. Over time two distinct peoples made up the Amaanite family; the Pharo-Alamites and the Ishmo-Jaadites.

The Pharo-Alamites began diverging into the Pharaeans, a coastal seafaring group, and the Alamites, inland pastoralists. The Ishmo-Jaadites remained fairly close although their tribes separated into Ishmanites and Jaadites. The Sephyrians were a Serephanian-speaking hybrid group of Mattaki natives and Serephanian/Sargonian colonists. The Sephyrians survived the Hematic expansion, but culturally they absorbed many of their cultural practices, and were considered Amaanites. The Amaanites were bordered by the Yani to the northwest, the Bukus tribes to the west, and the Kingdom of Madghan to the southwest.

The Sabiums, a Central Hematic group located to the south of Amaan, began terrorizing the region. They also orchestrated an invasion of Aegeos, which lasted several decades. In response, the Kingdom of Aegeos expanded into the region, gaining control over the Sephyrians, Jaadites, Ishmanites, and southern Pharaea, while also defeating the Sabiums. Aegean control over Amaan lasted for nearly a century before a series of events weakened the kingdom, and the region in general, to a point where the Amaanites could successfully revolt and regain independence.

This period of time saw the "Golden Age" of the Amaanites. The Pharaeans journeyed to the unchartered West Serephanian, creating dozens of colonies everywhere they went. They notably developed ties to Tauressos in southern Hiberia. This became known as "Western Pharaea" due to the sheer number of Pharaean colonists and settlements on the peninsula. They also began to trade in the Great Western Ocean, sailing north up the Hiberian coast to the island of Almas. The Kingdoms of Jaad and Ishra flourished as religious and education centres. The Sephyrian city-states charted previously unknown areas of the Aspean Sea and solidified contact with the Ancient Delliks.

The period of Amaanite independence was ended when the Ashurian Empire conquered the region. At the time, the Ashurians had created the largest empire on the planet, which stretched from the Kuna Sea to Amaan. The Amaanites tried numerous times to revolt, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and they were starved of independence. Ashurian rule over Amaan lasted for nearly a century, but the empire collapsed to the Ashur-Midean invasions. The Kingdom of Nuratum, which expanded from a single city-state, transformed into an empire and filled the power vacuum left by the Ashurians. They were the last Hematic people to rule over the region, and ultimately fell to the Oranic-speaking Midean Empire.

Tonan Kingdom
The Tonans first visited Amaan during the time of the Tonan Kingdom, where they traded in the various Phonic-speaking cities. As the Tonan Kingdom expanded, the northern coast of Amaan became one of the most important regions of trade for the Tonans, specifically grain and goods that came from the East Serephanian.

Tonan Republic
During the Tonan Republic, most of Amaan was part of the Phonic-speaking Philosirian Empire. It was an area highly sought after by both the Phonics and the Tonans, and their rivalry erupted into the Phonic Wars. The Philosirian Empire was destroyed as a result, and the Tonans conquered the Phonics' holdings.

The republic sent citizens from Itonia to Amaan to increase the Tonan population, focusing on the northwest coast. The Phonic language continued to be used by most of the population, including the settlers, while Tonic was used by government institutions and the upper class.

Climate
Amaan is a mostly fertile area with adequate rainfall and mild temperatures year-round.

Ethnic groups
Amaan is host to a highly diverse collection of various ethnic groups and cultures. Historically the region has hosted two distinct groups: Amaanites and Terzigs. The Amaanites include the Pharaeans, Alamites, Jaadites, and others.

The Tanans are an ethnic group who are partially descendants of the Tonans who settled in Amaan.