Albaeans

The Albæans are a proposed ancient ethnolinguistic group described in regional chronicles and archaeological surveys of the Albaean Highlands in the Midmere Basin. They are said to have inhabited upland valleys and hillside settlements from the late Bronze Age into the early Iron Age. The name is thought to derive from alba, Latin for white, possibly referencing snow, marble quarries, or distinctive white stone monuments associated with their sites.

Evidence for the Albæans includes hill forts, burial mounds, and a small corpus of inscriptions found at several sites. Radiocarbon dating places earliest settlements in the 12th century BCE; by the 6th century BCE, material culture shows increasing influence from neighboring groups, and by the following century evidence of assimilation or displacement.

Society likely centered on kin-based clans with a hierarchical leadership and regional assemblies. Economies combined farming with herding and metalworking, especially bronze. Distinctive architectural styles include straight-line stone enclosures and high-altitude sanctuaries.

Language remains undetermined; the inscriptions, while sparse, show a non-Indo-European structure, and some scholars propose links to a pre-Indo-European substrate, though such connections are debated. The material culture shows trade connections with adjacent regions.

In modern scholarship, the Albæans are treated as a semi-legendary population that helps explain regional toponyms and archaeological differences. They are often referenced in regional myths where they are portrayed as guardians of elevated sanctuaries and marble workshops.