Selns

Selns refers to an ancient population identified by archaeologists in the central highlands of the continent of Aranor. The culture is dated to roughly 1100 BCE to 200 BCE, spanning the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

The material record consists of hillfort settlements, fortified enclosures, bronze pins, and pottery with zigzag, meander, and geometric motifs. Notable sites include Selna Hillfort, Lake Vire settlement, and the Iron Gate fortress.

Subsistence was mixed agriculture and pastoralism. Staple crops included barley and millet, while herds of sheep and goats provided wool and meat. Trade networks extended along inland rivers toward coastal polities, enabling exchange of metalwork and textiles.

Societal organization appears to have relied on kin-based lineages with a leading chieftain. Elite burials yielded bronze weapons, beads, and imported goods, indicating social stratification and long-distance connections.

The Seln language is unattested in surviving texts. Linguists reconstruct tentative forms from onomastic evidence and place-names, grouping Seln within a proposed "Selnoid" sub-branch of a wider regional linguistic area.

Religious practices are inferred from ritual objects and iconography, including ancestor rites and solar symbols represented in bronze figurines. The archaeological record has informed regional art and ceremonial conventions.

Scholarly study began in the early 20th century with systematic excavations; later campaigns refined chronology and connections with neighboring cultures. The Selns are regarded as an early or formative component of regional ethnogenesis.