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These palaces were, at any given time, six of a few dozen or so, and were simply the ones who exerted the most influence. Later writings confirm this, indicating that they received tribute from subordinate palaces. The income from the vassal palaces varied depending on region, but typically consisted of crops or slaves, as well as cowrie shells. Certain palaces, especially Aiaka from 750 CE to 830 CE, amassed such prestige and influence that goods from across the entirety of Takatta Loa, including feathers from the Loa Islands, have been found in the palatial tombs, which were built very far from the site of modern day Disa’adakuo. However, their control was marginal beyond receiving taxes and despite the large armies they often claimed to have, there is very little evidence of warfare during this time. Instead, palaces seemed to have risen and fallen into and from prominence organically as the families that constituted the palaces naturally grew into influence and disintegrated. | These palaces were, at any given time, six of a few dozen or so, and were simply the ones who exerted the most influence. Later writings confirm this, indicating that they received tribute from subordinate palaces. The income from the vassal palaces varied depending on region, but typically consisted of crops or slaves, as well as cowrie shells. Certain palaces, especially Aiaka from 750 CE to 830 CE, amassed such prestige and influence that goods from across the entirety of Takatta Loa, including feathers from the Loa Islands, have been found in the palatial tombs, which were built very far from the site of modern day Disa’adakuo. However, their control was marginal beyond receiving taxes and despite the large armies they often claimed to have, there is very little evidence of warfare during this time. Instead, palaces seemed to have risen and fallen into and from prominence organically as the families that constituted the palaces naturally grew into influence and disintegrated. | ||
The control of the palaces rarely extended to the internal politics of any subordinate palaces, and this would end up being the reason for the collapse of the palatial cultures and the beginning of the Takatta Loa medieval age. From 700 to 900 CE, there were a series of incredible innovations that would lead to both the enrichment and development of mainland cultures, and the collapse of the palaces. The first major development was the genesis of the Loa scripts, which had since the 400s been slowly developing from pre-literate glyphs to a fully fledged writing system. The speed of this development is remarkable, but is generally assumed to have been influenced by the Latin script, as [[Caphiria| Caphiric]] artifacts have been found in the region around this time. However, the Loa scripts, tentatively called the Rongorongo scripts by emerging researchers, are thought to have not been derived from any occidental script but rather been a deliberate attempt to create a script from existing glyphs. One theory is that the palaces or one palaces in particular, created the script in order to control the language of trade in the region and prevent Caphiric scripts from taking root and potentially allowing power to shift into a merchant class. The fact that palaces would allow merchants to be educated in the (perhaps deliberately) convoluted logographic system for free suggests that this may be the case, as well as the bizarre and recurring phenomenon where the rulers of a palace boast in a stele or wall panel about how they “commanded the voice ... [and] bound the spirits [with it]”. This is thought to be a poetic interpretation of controlling trade through developing a system of keeping track of goods, as the Polynesians interpreted spirits as controlling fortunes. | |||
Despite its potential outside influence, literacy became an extremely influential aspect of palatial society at the time, with people very quickly realizing its use in poetry and general communication. Spiritual aspects as seen above became associated with writing, and since the palaces controlled literacy, this allowed them extensive control over the religious landscape of their domains. | |||
==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||