Athalias

Athalias is a fictional ancient city-state in the southern coastal region of the world of Eldoria. Located on a natural harbor along the Lirian Sea, it grew into a major center for bronze-smithing, shipbuilding, and long-distance trade. The name is generally interpreted as a combination of a local harbor term and a suffix meaning "bright" or "sunlit." Geographically, the city sits on a terraced hillside above a multi-berth harbor and is protected by a seawall and a line of watchtowers.

Athalias appears in historical texts as an early maritime republic that formed around the middle of the second millennium BCE. It built a network of commercial alliances with inland polities and rival coastal cities, developing standards for weights, measures, and contract law. In the first millennium BCE it faced repeated conflicts during regional wars and endured a major sack, after which it rebuilt with stone fortifications and a renewed emphasis on guild governance. The ruling framework is described in sources as a council of mercantile guilds, with citizenship privileges tied to participation in trade or craft.

Economically, Athalias specialized in bronze wares, ship components, pottery, and wine, importing timber, grain, and luxury goods. Its harbor was connected by land routes to inland markets, facilitating exchange across the region.

Archaeologically, Athalias is known from inscriptions in the Athalian script and from recovered amphorae and tools. The site continues to inform studies of ancient seafaring, trade networks, and urban planning in Eldoria.