Region B

Region B is an area on the northern coast of the Central Continent, which contains one of the four "Cradles of Civilization." It is to the northeast of the World Valley, and is divided roughly into a western and an eastern branch along two rivers.

Geography
The two major zones in Region B are the arid interior and the forested areas closer to the coast. Both are dominated by a single river system, which is particularly vital in the arid interior as an area of potential human habitation. The desert is bounded by the foothills of the World Valley Mountains to the west and south, and a smaller range of mountains bisects the desert somewhat in half. The desert contains a number of oases, and desert areas that experience monsoon rainfall regularly experience temporary blooms in plant life which attract many animals. The dry subtropical forest region is part of a larger forest stretching across much of the continent's northern coast. This great forest extends from the Apricot Belt all the way to the north of Region C.

The mountainous regions of the desert are enormously mineral rich, with known sources of gypsum, amethyst, granite, gabbro, copper, gems, obsidian, gold, lead, and silver all exploited by humans during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. To the east, mountains are being exploited in the bronze age for carnelian and white quartz. The foothills of the World Valley Range in particular are full of metamorphic rocks.

Neolithic
At the beginning of the Neolithic, centred around the major river system, a series of plants and animals were domesticated in Region B. This first agriculture centred around barley, rosy potato, chickpeas, flax, yellow cassava, white yam, bitter yam, and amaranth. The early Neolithic here also saw the domestication of dogs, pigs, auroch, onager, dromedaries, llamas and cats. Early settlers adapted to the different environments; hunter-gatherer communities plied the desert, many eventually adopting a pastoral lifestyle involving the dromedary or in mountainous areas the llama. Along the river system many Neolithic agriculturalists settled, though this was not without its challenges; the western branch of the river is fed yearly by monsoon rains, occasionally leading to disastrous flooding. On the coast, fishermen created settled communities. Elsewhere, semi-sedentary peoples used a combination of agriculture and migratory hunting to feed themselves, moving between multiple locations through the year to follow wild herds of cattle. As the Neolithic wound on, more and more communities began to live permanently in villages, some of those villages growing into towns. Population density increased over the period, and to respond to this larger scale agriculture and pastoralism began to appear. Along the upper course of the river, people began to understand the processes of the desert with the flooding of the river and began to adapt to them. Around 3,500 years after the Neolithic had begun, complexity had driven new forms of society and technology, resulting in the adoption of metallurgy and the beginning of the Bronze Age.

Bronze Age
The early Bronze Age saw the emergence of three identifiable material cultures in Region B: the coastally oriented Tavaranic culture, and the Mnarid culture which predominantly inhabited the arid interior both lived along the major rivers. To the east, alongside a more minor river system, the Yewad culture also developed. Despite the presence of desert on all sides the Mnarid culture thrived due to their sophisticated irrigation techniques and ability to cross the desert with dromedary caravans. The Tavaranic sphere saw the emergence a writing system and a developed seafaring tradition, along with highly complex civic institutions. The Yewad culture developed an astonishingly vivid artistic style, along with becoming incredibly successful traders The two western cultures were linked by the extensive use of river barges, alongside dromedary caravans following the river. The Tavaranic culture was linked to the Yewad by overland and coastal trade routes.

In the Middle Bronze Age... (To be written/agreed)

Plants
Plants that are native to Region B prior to the Neolithic include:


 * Barley (West branch)
 * Lentil
 * Chickpea (East branch)
 * Vetch
 * Flax
 * Eggplant
 * Sesame
 * Date
 * Cotton
 * Potato
 * Sweet Potato
 * Yam
 * Apricot
 * Apple
 * Pear
 * Medlar
 * Quince
 * Pomelo
 * Mandarin
 * Papeda
 * Pistachio
 * Walnut
 * Okra
 * Garlic

Plants that are first domesticated as crops at the start of the Neolithic:
 * Barley
 * Rosy Potato
 * Chickpeas
 * Flax
 * Yellow Cassava
 * White Yam
 * Bitter Yam
 * Amaranth

Animals
Animals that live in Region B prior to the Neolithic include:


 * Dog
 * Pig
 * Cow
 * Onager
 * Mallard
 * Dromedary Camel
 * Pigeon
 * Goose
 * Yak (mountainous regions)
 * Llama (mountainous regions)
 * Honeybee
 * Guineafowl