Era of City States

The Era of City States, also known as the City State Dark Age, was a dark age following the Bronze Age Collapse and the rise of Mercania. it was characterised by total isolation, the Bandit Nomads, and of course, city states.

History
after the fall of the all the bronze age kingdoms and the destruction of many bronze production centres, all of the ancient kingdoms had fallen apart. the refugee crisis as a result of the collapse had left tens of thousands without a place to settle, and none of the surviving settlements had room to take them. the city states became increasingly isolated and hostile. many records of the old era were either destroyed, or buried in large underground tombs called the Hidden Libraries. the refugees eventually were forced to live off the land in small groups, taking advantage of the agricultural farmland outside city walls to burn and steal from the cities for extra supplies. in time, they forgot that they were originally part of settled civilisation and transitioned into what we now know as the bandit nomads.

this would remain unchanged for nearly three hundred until the rise of the Mercenary Corp under the five generals, who would spend over two decades fighting the bandit nomads, who as it turns out, were actually very weak. gradually bandit activity slowed until they faded from the historical records completely. this allowed the economies of the city states to flourish and trade and diplomatic relations to be reestablished. many city states began recruiting their own armies, resulting in the first wars in centuries. many people consider the age of city states to end with the Imperial Declaration, which signalled a flurry of conquests across the region, but the last citystate would not fall until approximately the year 100AF.

Technological decline
the isolation of many city states and the destruction of trade meant that many technologies were lost, but scant diplomatic contact sometimes existed via lucky travellers, meaning technologies could still be transmitted, however at a very slow rate.

Construction and Metallurgy
with the bronze trade now having completely collapsed, the region temporarily reverted to using copper, though over time many of the cities began to discover small tin deposits, which allowed the localised production of bronze, though the scarcity made it a luxury that was used exclusively for the kings of each city. constant economic damage inflicted by the bandit nomads meant that economic growth had to be used in its totality to expand the city to keep up with population growth. cities that tried anything else found themselves shrinking rapidly and a few had to be abandoned. walls were usually made out of cobblestone and wood, and houses were usually small, one roomed boxes made of wood with flat, thatch roofs.

Military technology
what military equipment there was existed only as bodyguards to the kings. the primary weapon was the spear, usually about 1.5 metres tall and featuring long and thin copper heads that if used with sufficient force, could punch through thin copper armour. armour itself was restricted to simple copper helmets and a chest covering. the richer cities could sometimes afford shin guards and armplates, but they rarely saw combat except for the rare occasions when bandit nomads somehow entered the city.

Writing
during the early period, almost all writing ceased. all written records were either destroyed or hidden away in libraries deep underground, to be discovered centuries later by curious historians. writing however never truly died, but did greatly decrease. writing was still done using styleses and clay tablets, however isolation led to a number of new scripts being developed, and the increasing fragmentation of language. around 150BF, some cities began using papyrus, which was cheaper but also more frail.

Cultural fragmentation
before the collapse, there had been many cultural spheres around the old kingdoms and the areas in between that kept the area uncarictariscally uniform, but after the collapse, isolation led to unheard of fragmentation of language, of ideas, of culture, and even religion. this fragmentation further accelerated isolationism, but usually groups of neighbouring cities would still share a more or less common language.

Literature
most writing was reserved for tombstones and royal decrees. the literacy rate was very low and writing very expensive. with the arrival of papyrus some cities began writing historical records, which is how we get most information on this period, and the richest kings would occasionally write a poem or two, mostly centered around the frustrations of isolation, and fear of the unknown.

Art
artwork during this period became massively simplified. usually depicting one of three things, raids by the bandit nomads, the deistic worship of city kings, and day to day life with an emphasis on isolation.