A Brief History of Barsoom

Barsoom has a long and rich history, much of which has unfortunately been lost over the milennia. What survives is a mix of legend and myth, and it is often difficult to distinguish between the two. The timeline below is by no means comprehensive, and contains much that is either apocryphal or conjectural. Sadly, the only remaining information concerning Barsoom's ancient history is contained within the creation mythology of the First Born, a notoriously egotistical and self-centered race (their own creation mythology can be read in the First Born section).

c. 23 Million Years BC*
Eons ago, before human life appeared on Earth, Barsoom was a lush jungle planet covered with five great oceans. The Valley Dor lay at the equator, and the tree of life flourished at its center. The oceans and hillsides were empty of animal life.

Milennia passed. The Tree of Life stirred, scattering its fruits across the Valley Dor. Within each husk was contained the seed of life, and from them came the many races of Barsoom. First to hatch was the black race, known today as the First Born. The black race then helped the other, less mature fruits to release their offspring, the white Orovars and the yellow Okars. Last to hatch were the lesser races of green men, white apes, banths, thoats and other lower forms. The hideous plant man had remained attached to the Tree, locked forever in a state of semi-intelligence.

Barsoom began teeming with life. Humankind spread across the planet, civilizations rose and fell, and great fleets of sailing vessels prowled the oceans.

c. 1,000,000 years BC
The Valley Dor had by now receded to a mere shadow of its former equatorial glory, and now dominated the South Pole of Barsoom. The Tree of Life was now long dead, its work accomplished. The three original races had spread far and wide across the planet, building, destroying, and rebuilding civilizations, each greater than the last.

As the centuries passed, and civilizations rose and fell, eventually the white race came to dominate most of the land surface of Barsoom. Their ships plied the oceans, carrying goods for trade and armies for war. In these great days were the greatest advancements made. Illness was conquered. The Barsoomian lifespan was extended to a thousand years and beyond. Great feats of technology, now lost to antiquity, were achieved.

The cult of Issus had been created among the Blacks, who used white initiates to spread their theology among the people of Barsoom. In time the cult would grow to the only major religion known upon Barsoom.

The green race remained in a state of barbarity. They made war on the white-skinned Orovars from time to time but their depredations were limited by the great oceans. They had no knowledge of seafaring.

Across the world, peace and prosperity reigned.

At some point in the distant past, however, Barsoom began to change. The seas and oceans began to dry up, the forests and jungles began to die off, rain ceased to fall, and lakes and rivers vanished. Empires crumbled and fell as the planet began to die. As the seas receded, leaving vast muddy plains in their place, the green hordes began to increase their raids, sacking and destroying everywhere they went.

The First Born retreated to the south pole, taking with them their cabals of white priests (who had since been called Therns). They settled in the Valley Dor initially but eventually retreated further south to the hidden sea of Omean, to be forgotten by the rest of the world. The Therns remained in the Valley, forever the guardians of the sacred River Iss and its entrance to the underworld.

The yellow race migrated to the north pole, retreating behind the safety of the northern mountains to escape the green barbarians. In time they, too, would be forgotten.

As cities fell, the survivors would regroup in safe enclaves, gathering together and interbreeding without regard for race. Eventually this intermingling would produce the red race that is dominant on Barsoom today. This new race was strong and hardy, accustomed to life in an environment of constant warfare. Eventually they took back the lands from the green hordes and rebuilt Barsoomian civilization.

A small group of Orovars in Horz refused to mingle with the new race and instead retreated to their long-deserted city, severing all contact with the outside world. For thousands of years they would remain locked away, convinced the rest of Barsoom had fallen to the green hordes.

Early in the cataclysm, it had become known that the atmosphere of Barsoom was slowly being depleted and would soon become too thin to support life. Scientists and inventors from every nation gathered together to design and build an immense Atmosphere Factory which would continue to provide the planet with precious, life-giving air.

Another group of scientists were commissioned to study the possiblity of transforming Barsoomian females from womb-bearing to egg-laying creatures as the green females were. This had been considered before, but had, in the dark times, become necessary. The problem of transporting pregnant women and young children in a world that had become increasingly violent and unpredictable was acute. The changes were made, slowly but surely, and today all human life on Barsoom is oviparous. The modern Barsoomian child is hatched fully developed except in size. His education begins immediately, and he is taught the necessary social skills and warcraft he needs to survive. The typical Barsoomian child now reaches maturity 5 to 8 years after hatching.

c. 500,000 years BC
The centuries continued to roll by, and the struggle for life went on. Eventually the great Atmosphere Factory was completed, and Barsoom's scientists turned their attention to another problem - the need for water. The oceans had long since dried up, and though some water was still trapped in underground aquifers, few rivers remained. Most of the planet's water was locked away in the north and south poles. To alleviate the problem, the red nations began constructing a network of canals and waterways. The First Born of the south pole helped, building a set of immense pumping stations to circulate the waters of the Sea of Omean to the rest of the planet. The task was arduous, and at times seemed impossible, but eventually the canals and pumps were completed. The red men began irrigating the land and growing crops, and began the long, slow journey back from the brink of extinction.

Fortified cities had sprung up all over the land, and nations began to retreat within their borders as the planet's resources dwindled. The green hordes grew ever greater in number, an omnipresent threat.

Still, trade and commerce flourished between the more civilized nations. The world was kept alive through the heroic and continuous efforts of the red men.

The Orovars had not been seen in many thousands of years. Most of them had either died off, been assimilated through interbreeding, or had retreated into the imagined safety of their cities and waited to die.

The First Born, the Therns and the Yellow race had become the stuff of legend as well, hidden as they were in their polar enclaves.

And so it was, for five hundred milennia.

0 years BC The year is 1866, Earth reckoning. An Earth-born human named John Carter has died on his homeworld to find himself reborn, naked and alone, on Barsoom. Captured by the green hordes of Thark, he rises quickly to power and prominence as a chieftain of the savages. He thinks himself alone upon the strange world until fate brings him into a meeting with the incomparable Dejah Thoris, Princess of the red nation of Helium. His love for her leads him to unite the green hordes (at least temporarily) and destroy a nation just to win her hand in marriage.

* BC - Before Carter; AC - After Carter. John Carter's first arrival upon Barsoom is estimated to have occurred c. 1866, which is year 0 on this chart. All time measurements are in Barsoomian years (about 2 Earth years).

c. 23 Million Years BC*	Eons ago, before human life appeared on Earth, Barsoom was a lush jungle planet covered with five great oceans. The Valley Dor lay at the equator, and the tree of life flourished at its center. The oceans and hillsides were empty of animal life. Milennia passed. The Tree of Life stirred, scattering its fruits across the Valley Dor. Within each husk was contained the seed of life, and from them came the many races of Barsoom. First to hatch was the black race, known today as the First Born. The black race then helped the other, less mature fruits to release their offspring, the white Orovars and the yellow Okars. Last to hatch were the lesser races of green men, white apes, banths, thoats and other lower forms. The hideous plant man had remained attached to the Tree, locked forever in a state of semi-intelligence. Barsoom began teeming with life. Humankind spread across the planet, civilizations rose and fell, and great fleets of sailing vessels prowled the oceans.
*c. 1,000,000 years BC*	The Valley Dor had by now receded to a mere shadow of its former equatorial glory, and now dominated the South Pole of Barsoom. The Tree of Life was now long dead, its work accomplished. The three original races had spread far and wide across the planet, building, destroying, and rebuilding civilizations, each greater than the last. As the centuries passed, and civilizations rose and fell, eventually the white race came to dominate most of the land surface of Barsoom. Their ships plied the oceans, carrying goods for trade and armies for war. In these great days were the greatest advancements made. Illness was conquered. The Barsoomian lifespan was extended to a thousand years and beyond. Great feats of technology, now lost to antiquity, were achieved. The cult of Issus had been created among the Blacks, who used white initiates to spread their theology among the people of Barsoom. In time the cult would grow to the only major religion known upon Barsoom. The green race remained in a state of barbarity. They made war on the white-skinned Orovars from time to time but their depredations were limited by the great oceans. They had no knowledge of seafaring. Across the world, peace and prosperity reigned. At some point in the distant past, however, Barsoom began to change. The seas and oceans began to dry up, the forests and jungles began to die off, rain ceased to fall, and lakes and rivers vanished. Empires crumbled and fell as the planet began to die. As the seas receded, leaving vast muddy plains in their place, the green hordes began to increase their raids, sacking and destroying everywhere they went. The First Born retreated to the south pole, taking with them their cabals of white priests (who had since been called Therns). They settled in the Valley Dor initially but eventually retreated further south to the hidden sea of Omean, to be forgotten by the rest of the world. The Therns remained in the Valley, forever the guardians of the sacred River Iss and its entrance to the underworld. The yellow race migrated to the north pole, retreating behind the safety of the northern mountains to escape the green barbarians. In time they, too, would be forgotten. As cities fell, the survivors would regroup in safe enclaves, gathering together and interbreeding without regard for race. Eventually this intermingling would produce the red race that is dominant on Barsoom today. This new race was strong and hardy, accustomed to life in an environment of constant warfare. Eventually they took back the lands from the green hordes and rebuilt Barsoomian civilization. A small group of Orovars in Horz refused to mingle with the new race and instead retreated to their long-deserted city, severing all contact with the outside world. For thousands of years they would remain locked away, convinced the rest of Barsoom had fallen to the green hordes. Early in the cataclysm, it had become known that the atmosphere of Barsoom was slowly being depleted and would soon become too thin to support life. Scientists and inventors from every nation gathered together to design and build an immense Atmosphere Factory which would continue to provide the planet with precious, life-giving air. Another group of scientists were commissioned to study the possiblity of transforming Barsoomian females from womb-bearing to egg-laying creatures as the green females were. This had been considered before, but had, in the dark times, become necessary. The problem of transporting pregnant women and young children in a world that had become increasingly violent and unpredictable was acute. The changes were made, slowly but surely, and today all human life on Barsoom is oviparous. The modern Barsoomian child is hatched fully developed except in size. His education begins immediately, and he is taught the necessary social skills and warcraft he needs to survive. The typical Barsoomian child now reaches maturity 5 to 8 years after hatching.
*c. 500,000 years BC*	The centuries continued to roll by, and the struggle for life went on. Eventually the great Atmosphere Factory was completed, and Barsoom's scientists turned their attention to another problem - the need for water. The oceans had long since dried up, and though some water was still trapped in underground aquifers, few rivers remained. Most of the planet's water was locked away in the north and south poles. To alleviate the problem, the red nations began constructing a network of canals and waterways. The First Born of the south pole helped, building a set of immense pumping stations to circulate the waters of the Sea of Omean to the rest of the planet. The task was arduous, and at times seemed impossible, but eventually the canals and pumps were completed. The red men began irrigating the land and growing crops, and began the long, slow journey back from the brink of extinction. Fortified cities had sprung up all over the land, and nations began to retreat within their borders as the planet's resources dwindled. The green hordes grew ever greater in number, an omnipresent threat. Still, trade and commerce flourished between the more civilized nations. The world was kept alive through the heroic and continuous efforts of the red men. The Orovars had not been seen in many thousands of years. Most of them had either died off, been assimilated through interbreeding, or had retreated into the imagined safety of their cities and waited to die. The First Born, the Therns and the Yellow race had become the stuff of legend as well, hidden as they were in their polar enclaves. And so it was, for five hundred milennia.
*0 years BC*	The year is 1866, Earth reckoning. An Earth-born human named John Carter has died on his homeworld to find himself reborn, naked and alone, on Barsoom. Captured by the green hordes of Thark, he rises quickly to power and prominence as a chieftain of the savages. He thinks himself alone upon the strange world until fate brings him into a meeting with the incomparable Dejah Thoris, Princess of the red nation of Helium. His love for her leads him to unite the green hordes (at least temporarily) and destroy a nation just to win her hand in marriage.