Pre-Cataclysmic Age

Pre-Cataclysmic Age / Thurian Age
Name	Pre-Cataclysmic Age
Other Names	Thurian Age, Age of Atlantis, Atlantean days, Pre-Cataclysmic Age of Atlantis Age of Kull, Age of King Kull
Reality and Participants
Reality	Earth-616
Locations	Thuria; Atlantis; Lemurian Isles; Pictish Isles; Mu; Rikos and Demascar; Western Ocean; Attilan, North Atlantic
Protagonists	Kull, Brule
Antagonists	Serpent Men; Thulsa Doom
Others	Picts; Inhumans (King Myran), Kree Empire
Publication Details
Creators	Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas
First	Creatures on the Loose #10 (March, 1971)
First	Creatures on the Loose #10 (March, 1971)

Synopsis

The Pre-Cataclysmic Age was an imaginary period that began about 100,000 years ago, with the rise of the Thurian civilization. It came to an end around 18,000 BC, with the Great Cataclysm.

That era was marked by many civilizations of modern men, tens of millennia before the Neolithic; by Kull, the Atlantean barbarian who became king of Valusia and fought the Elder Gods' spawns, such as the Serpent Men and the Wolf-Men; by the creation of the Inhumans and the foundation of Attilan; by the creation of the Vampires; by the Human-Deviant Wars and the Second Host, both events resulting in the Great Cataclysm and the destruction of Mu, Lemuria and Atlantis.

The age of Atlantis and Mu was the last Golden Age, which ended with the cataclysm.

Preface

Datation

The Pre-Cataclysmic Age was an imaginary period that began about 100,000 years ago, with the rise of the Thurian civilization. It came to an end around 18,000 BC, with the Great Cataclysm.

Before the Pre-Cataclysmic Age

Before the Pre-Cataclysmic Age had come other periods of modern human activity, though their datation is blurry and incomplete, and what occurred in that period is mostly unknown:

• During the Age of Dragons, the Dragon Kings ruled over Lemuria, and Hyperborea.
• Circa 500,000 BC, the Age of Dragons gave way to the Age of Men after the first men defeated the Dragon Kings, in which a civilization of modern men developed on Lemuria.
  It is unknown if it was the same Lemuria that survived into the Pre-Cataclysmic Age.
• The Elder Days were the era preceding the rise of the Seven Empires.

History

Origin: Rise of the Thurians (100,000 BC)

The Pre-Cataclysmic Age began about 100,000 years ago, with the rise of the Thurian civilization, Valusia being the most ancient of the human pre-Cataclysmic kingdoms.

Attilan, Atlantis, Crete (50,000 BC)

Circa 50,000 BC, a mosaic of humanities existed: The technologically advanced human civilization of Attilan, "the Island of Gods", existed side by side with the kindgom of Atlantis (worshipers of Jupiter), humans "Cro-magnon" (including Tanir), the city of Crete and pre-human savages such as the Shaggy Ones (such as Ak), the Goreks, the Hairy Ones, Bonzo's tribe...

30,000 BC

Eshu was an early human, a nomadic hunter great, but incredibly anti-social. He was born over forty thousand years ago, preserved by the alien Plodex ship. Before that he was a great hunter, but incredibly anti-social. After he was rejected by his tribe, he was lured northward where he was captured by the Plodex ship, and eventually became known as the Master of the World.

Valka, one of the first new gods worshiped on Earth, achieved prominence about 30,000 B.C. which lasted at least 12,000 years. He was known as the God of all Gods.

23,000 BC or earlier

At least 25,000 years ago, Earth was ruled by sorcery rather than by science, and wizards dominated the world. Along with other sorcerers, the being who became known as the Dark Rider ruled tyrannically over mankind from their Towers of Magic, until they revolted, attacked the towers, and slew all the wizards except the Dark Rider.

Inhuman development (23,000 BC to 18,000 BC)

For a full presentation of the Inhuman history, please consult the Inhuman History page.

That section is adapted from sources that underestimate modern man in the involved areas: It states that Atlantis was the first civilization, or hints that man was only represented by cave-dwelling savages at that time. It also states the Inhumans wandered in Europe, when that continent existed in a very different form at that time.
Nearly 25.000 years ago, the alien Kree experimented on Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens, creating the Inhumans who quickly became an advanced civilization while the humans still huddled in caves. They develop powerful weapons, and were soon regarded as demons by the primitive humans, who grew more and more numerous and tried to slay them, forcing the Inhumans to seek new refuge over and over, using magnetic-powered arcs to transport the living specimens for their research.

After suffering centuries persecution from their primitive human fellows, the Inhumans grew tired and decided to create a refuge for themselves. The Inhumans wandered in Europe, under King Myran's rule, and settled in Northern Atlantic, established the city of Attilan on an island located about two hundred miles southwest of Iceland, and became one of the most advanced cultures on Earth. It took several decades for the Inhumans to complete the city. Mastering genetics, they instated a genocracy upon Attilan. Zuras, leader of the Eternals of Olympia, monitored Attilan's progress over the millenia, long observed the Inhumans and admired their capacity for leadership.
The relation, if any, between the Inhumans' city and the Attilan of circa 50,000 BC is unknown.

When the humans left the caves, some of them were confronted to the Inhumans, their technological advance and Attilan, believing it to be the city of demons. 4,000 years after the Inhumans settled in Attilan, the first mainstream human great civilization was built on the island continent of Atlantis. The Inhumans remained isolated, but it is speculated that there must have been interaction between the people (on the basis of etymological similarity between the words Atlantis and Attilan). The Inhumans' means to remain isolated are unknown, but it is presumed that Attilan resisted attempts at assimilation thanks to its technological superiority.

Decline of the Seven Empires (Before 20,000 BC)

Over twenty-two thousand years ago the Seven Empires started to decline.

At that time, the isle of Atlantis was a wilderness, with no true rulership, but barely tamed by barbarians.
The relation, if any, between this island and the Atlantis of circa 50,000 BC is unknown.

20,000 BC

By 20,000 BC, most of the Elderspawn (the spawns and grand-spawns of the Elder Gods) had been slaughtered or driven into seclusion.

19,500 BC

Circa 19,500 BC, a thousand years before Kull:

• King Eallal ruled over Valusia, until he was found hideously murdered in his throne room, killed by a Serpent-Man.
• Atlanteans started to spread on the mainland as mercenaries in the religious and political feuds existing between the greater powers.

Before 19,000 BC

Over 21,000 years ago, the new god Crom led a shaman to three iron-bound books of magic, which the shaman used to imprison Shuma-Gorath in what would become Mount Crom in Cimmeria.

19,000 BC

By 19,000 BC:

• Atlantis was the seat of a minor empire based on trade and crafts, whose fortunes fluctuated over the next centuries.
• The Annunaki's worship in Atlantis and Valusia started.

Age of Kull (18,500 BC)

The time of King Kull is sometimes stated to be circa 18,000 BC.

Second Host / Great Cataclysm (18,000 BC)

For a full presentation of the event, please consult the Great Cataclysm page.

Notes

• The Pre-Cataclysmic Age is sometimes known as the "Age of Atlantis", though Atlantis played a relatively minor roles in that era, dominated by the civilized Seven Empires of Thuria, whose rise marks the beginning of the era, 100,000 years ago. Thus, the "Thurian Age" is a more fitting name.
• The dates have fluctuated in the past, before being fixed as currently known (Age of Kull circa 18,500 BC, Great Cataclysm circa 10,000 BC, Fall of Acheron circa 13,000 BC, and Age of Conan circa 10,000 BC). Consequently some dates stated in comics were erroneous or were later retconned. Such cases includes:
  • "The Hyborian Age Chapter 1: The Pre-Cataclysmic Age" in Savage Sword of Conan #7 (August, 1975) erroneously stated the Pre-Cataclysmic Age to be set within circa 10,000 BC.
  • The Vampires' profiles in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #14 (March, 1984) and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #20 (February, 1988) mention the pre-Cataclysmic Atlantean sorcerers creating the Vampires about 15,000 years ago, which would be about the end of the Age of Acheron, circa 13,000 BC.

See Also

• 22 mention(s) of Pre-Cataclysmic Age
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Pre-Cataclysmic Age
• 159 article(s) related to Pre-Cataclysmic Age