Generally, fantasy societies are based upon a society from the real world, medieval western Europe being a very popular one. But increasingly, people are realising that there's a whole lot more world and history out there to inspire us than just castles and kings. So I thought it'd be a good idea for people to have the opportunity to share what inspires them when creating their fantasy worlds, what interesting gems they've discovered about the real world during their researches, and to generally wonder at the variety the real world has to offer us.
For my latest, barely-begun project, I've been inspired by my recent researches on the city of Corinth, about which I'm writing an article. In several periods of its history, it was a powerful and influential city, and founded colonies across the Mediterranean, including Syracuse in Sicily. The way Corinth interacted with other cities, and the way it was affected by internal and external politics, is utterly fascinating. It went through periods of success - such as the archaic period, when it held the monopoly on the export of fine ceramics - and periods of decline, such as after the Peloponnesian War, when Athenian naval blockades damaged Corinth's economy, and despite being on the "winning" side, allied with Sparta, Corinth actually suffered far more than even losing Athens.
So the story I'm working on now is about a group of bronze-age colonists who originated from a city such as Corinth, in a period of economic growth but political uncertainty. They are sent to colonise an island in order to strengthen their home city's trade networks in that direction, and establish new diplomatic connection with powerful yet distant societies. But they come up against trouble in trying to establish this new city, with both human and magical enemies outside their own community, leading to desperation, fear, and interior conflicts.
So what other societies and historical events have inspired you, and what have you built up from that inspiration?
For my latest, barely-begun project, I've been inspired by my recent researches on the city of Corinth, about which I'm writing an article. In several periods of its history, it was a powerful and influential city, and founded colonies across the Mediterranean, including Syracuse in Sicily. The way Corinth interacted with other cities, and the way it was affected by internal and external politics, is utterly fascinating. It went through periods of success - such as the archaic period, when it held the monopoly on the export of fine ceramics - and periods of decline, such as after the Peloponnesian War, when Athenian naval blockades damaged Corinth's economy, and despite being on the "winning" side, allied with Sparta, Corinth actually suffered far more than even losing Athens.
So the story I'm working on now is about a group of bronze-age colonists who originated from a city such as Corinth, in a period of economic growth but political uncertainty. They are sent to colonise an island in order to strengthen their home city's trade networks in that direction, and establish new diplomatic connection with powerful yet distant societies. But they come up against trouble in trying to establish this new city, with both human and magical enemies outside their own community, leading to desperation, fear, and interior conflicts.
So what other societies and historical events have inspired you, and what have you built up from that inspiration?