Volume II: History — Chapter 1: The Pre-Civilization Era
"Before the first words were written, before the first walls were raised, before the first fire was tamed — we were already here. We looked at the stars and knew: we are not alone in the universe, but there are no others like us." — From the "Book of Origins," canonical text, Era of Unity
Related sections: → see [Volume I, Ch.07, "History of Civilization"], → see [Volume I, Ch.05, "The Xha'Ruun Species"], → see [Volume I, Ch.20, "Origin of Life"], → see [Volume I, Ch.13, "Continents"] Length: 30 pages Era: Pre-Civilization, −12,000 – −9,800 (2,200 years)
Introduction
The pre-civilization era of Théxar is the deepest layer of Xha'Ruun history, of which not a single written record survives. Everything we know about these two millennia has been reconstructed from indirect evidence: stone and bone tools, the remains of settlements, rock paintings, burials, and genetic reconstructions.
The era spans from the emergence of the first permanent settlements (~−11,500) to the invention of proto-writing (−9,780) — the moment when documented history begins. It marks the boundary between the biological history of the species and the history of civilization: the Xha'ri themselves formed as a species earlier (~15,000 years ago), but civilization in the strict sense — with settled life, surplus accumulation, and knowledge transfer between generations — is born here, in the valleys of the great rivers.
Chronological uncertainties for this era are considerable: by archaeologists' estimates, dates earlier than −5,000 carry an accuracy of ±20–50 years, and for the earliest sites up to ±200 years. All absolute dates in this chapter should therefore be understood as approximate.
1.1 Origin of the Xha'ri
1.1.1 Emergence of the Species
The first anatomically modern Xha'ri appeared ~15,000 years ago on the Central Plain of Kharak. Genetic research — comparison of mitochondrial lineages and six-letter-code polymorphisms — shows that the founder population was extremely small: no more than 5,000–8,000 individuals. This is the typical picture of a species that passed through a population bottleneck.
Three distinctive features of Xha'ri physiology — trinocular vision, three sexes, and six-limb symmetry — formed during this pre-civilizational stage (→ see [Volume I, Ch.05, "The Xha'Ruun Species"]). It is important to emphasize: species emergence and the beginning of civilization are separated by several millennia. Throughout this time the Xha'ri remained nomadic hunter-gatherers, leaving no permanent settlements.
1.1.2 Migrations
The dispersal of the Xha'ri across the continents of Théxar took several millennia. Data on migration waves have been reconstructed from the spread of lithic industries and genetic markers:
| Period | Route | Duration | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| −15,000 – −14,000 | Central Plain → Thar coast | ~1,000 years | 8,000 → 20,000 |
| −14,000 – −12,000 | Kharak → northern taiga | ~2,000 years | 20,000 → 60,000 |
| −12,000 – −11,000 | Kharak → Rhuval (via isthmus) | ~1,000 years | 60,000 → 120,000 |
| −11,000 – −10,000 | Rhuval → Vexar (by sea, island arc) | ~1,000 years | 120,000 → 200,000 |
The crossing from Kharak to Rhuval went over a land isthmus that was wider at the time due to a lower ocean level. Settling Vexar required the first watercraft: primitive rafts and dugout canoes appear in the archaeology of the Khal-Tor islands.
By the end of the era (~−9,800) the Xha'ri inhabited all three major continents. Total population reached ~200,000 individuals — negligible by modern standards, but enough to lift the species out of extinction risk.
1.1.3 Early Sites
The earliest archaeological sites of the era:
| Site | Age (y.b.p.) | Location | Finds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thar-1 | ≈14,500 | Thar Valley | Bone tools, hearth |
| Mor-Ven | ≈13,800 | Central Plain | Stone axes, Ghal-Shar bones |
| Khal-Tor | ≈12,500 | Khal-Tor Island | Fishing hooks, boats |
| Ven-Shar | ≈11,200 | Southern Vexar | Rock paintings |
The key milestone — ~−11,500: the first permanent settlements appear on the terraces of the Thar River (today the Khar-Tor valley). The oldest of them, Thar-Vex ("Gift of the Valley"), can be traced without interruption to the present day and is now an archaeological monument within the capital's boundaries. It is −11,500 that is considered the formal beginning of the civilization era.
1.2 Way of Life
1.2.1 Economy
Pre-civilizational Xha'ri were hunter-gatherers with a gradual transition to proto-agriculture. The era's economy passed through three stages:
| Period | Economy | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| −15,000 – −13,000 | Hunting + gathering | Stone knives, spears |
| −13,000 – −11,000 | Fishing + hunting | Harpoons, traps, boats |
| −11,000 – −9,800 | Proto-agriculture + domestication | Hoes, baskets, grain grinders |
The diet was based on large game meat (primarily the six-legged Ghal-Shar), fish in coastal regions, and edible roots and seeds of six native cereal species. The climate of the early period was colder than today; the transition to proto-agriculture coincided with gradual warming that expanded the range of cultivated plants.
Proto-agriculture was slash-and-burn in nature and did not require permanent settlement: settlements were seasonal, with inhabitants returning to the same plots throughout the year. The exception was the Thar Valley, where a year-round watercourse allowed the settlement to be held continuously.
1.2.2 Social Structure
The basic social unit of the era was the kin group (20–50 individuals), bound by a common ancestor and a shared economy.
Characteristic features of social organization:
- Division of labor by age, not by sex. All three sexes of the Xha'ri took equal part in hunting, gathering, and fishing. Physical differences between the sexes are small, and none held a monopoly on "procurement" or "nurturing" roles.
- Absence of property inequality. All group resources were shared; no individual ownership of tools or prey is traceable.
- Egalitarian kinship system. Offspring belonged to the whole group; concepts of "fatherhood" and "motherhood" in the modern sense were absent.
- Ritual status of elders. Age conferred authority: the oldest members led rituals and preserved oral tradition.
Inter-group contacts were rare but not hostile: finds of obsidian and shells far from their sources testify to exchange networks stretching hundreds of kilometers even in this era.
1.2.3 Spiritual Culture
The earliest evidence of Xha'ri spiritual life is the rock paintings of the southern Vexar caves (Ven-Shar site). The images fall into stable thematic groups:
- Three-eyed figures — anthropomorphic depictions of the Xha'ri themselves. Importantly, the three eyes are always drawn, indicating awareness of species identity.
- Animals — Ghal-Shar, Shar-Ghar, and other quarry, often wounded or in pursuit scenes.
- Astronomical symbols — configurations of the moons Serrin and Thel. The latest compositions demonstrate an understanding of phase cyclicity — a prototype of future calendar concepts.
The significance of these paintings goes beyond "hunting magic." The recurrence of motifs over millennia and their attachment to specific caves point to the formation of a stable mythological worldview — the earliest ancestor of the religious beliefs described in [Volume I, Ch.10, "Mythology and Religion"].
1.3 Domestication of the Kharru
The most important economic event of the era was the domestication of the kharru (a six-legged herbivore of the class Thermochromadae, family Xa-ruunidae). This occurred ~−10,200 independently in two regions: the Thar Valley (Kharak) and the Raal Plateau (Rhuval).
| Stage | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wild hunting | −15,000 – −10,000 | Main hunting quarry |
| Taming | −10,200 – −9,000 | Cubs kept in settlements |
| Semi-domestication | −9,000 – −8,000 | Controlled herding |
| Full domestication | −8,000 | Captive breeding |
The importance of the kharru to civilization is hard to overstate. It provided:
- Meat — a reliable protein source not dependent on hunting success;
- Milk — a protein analogue that allowed denser populations to be fed;
- Hides — material for clothing, dwellings, and containers;
- Workpower — already at the end of the era the kharru were used to haul loads and, probably, early soil loosening.
Independent domestication in two distant regions is a rare example of parallel domestication of a single species. It indicates that biological preconditions (the sociality, docility, and herding behavior of the kharru) made the species "ready" for domestication, while the need arose among the Xha'ri simultaneously with the transition to proto-agriculture.
1.4 Archaeological Sites
Key excavated settlements of the pre-civilization era that form the archaeological foundation of Volume II:
| Site | Age | Area | Population | Finds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thar-1 | 14,500 years | 2 ha | ~80 people | Tools, hearths |
| Khal-Tor | 12,500 years | 8 ha | ~300 people | Fishing nets, boats |
| Ven-Shar | 11,200 years | 12 ha | ~500 people | Rock paintings, shrine |
| Thar-Vex | ~11,500 years | — | — | Oldest continuous cultural layer |
Thar-Vex's stratigraphy is unique: the settlement's cultural layer is traceable without breaks for more than 15,000 years, making it the only monument of continuous urbanization of its kind. The modern capital Khar-Vexar is built directly atop this ancient settlement (→ see [Volume II, Ch.03, "The First Empire"]).
1.5 End of the Era: The Boundary with Early Civilization
The era ends at −9,780 — the date of the invention of proto-writing. This event occurred independently in three regions (the Thar Valley on Kharak, the Rhuval coast, and southern Vexar) — a fact that became a cornerstone of ideas about Xha'Ruun civilization.
Why writing is considered the boundary between eras:
- From this moment documented history exists — the ability to transmit information outside the frame of oral tradition;
- Writing made possible accounting and accumulation — an economy extending beyond immediate consumption;
- Invention in three independent centers indicates sufficient density and complexity of societies for the need for recording to arise.
By the end of the era the Xha'ri approached with three key achievements: permanent settlement (Thar-Vex, −11,500), a domesticated animal (the kharru, −10,200), and the beginnings of proto-agriculture. One thing was missing — a tool of memory that would turn accumulated knowledge into a heritable culture. That tool was writing.
Chapter Summary
- The first anatomically modern Xha'ri appeared ~15,000 years ago on the Central Plain of Kharak; civilization begins with permanent settlements ~−11,500 (Thar-Vex).
- By −9,800 the population reached ~200,000, spread across three continents (Kharak, Rhuval, Vexar).
- The basic social unit was the kin group (20–50 individuals); division of labor by age, not by sex.
- The rock paintings of Vexar are the earliest evidence of spiritual culture and the beginnings of mythology.
- Domestication of the kharru (~−10,200, independently in two regions) was the era's key economic event.
- The era ends with the invention of proto-writing (−9,780) in three independent centers.