Kesh

Kesh is Anterra's largest and populous landmass. Primarily located in the Eastern Hemisphere, Kesh covers an area of 13,993,048 square kilometers and comprises approximately 30% of Anterra's land and 8.7% of the Earth's surface area. The continent is an island, surrounded by the Eurybian Sea to the North, the Tethys Ocean to the East, and the Iapetus Ocean to the West. Kesh has long been home to much of the global population and is home to many of the first civilizations.

While the concept of Kesh as a distinct region and its name itself dates back to the antiquity, it is largely a geographic concept rather than a cultural one, as Kesh is home to a vast array of various ethnic groups, religious communities, and ancient civilizations that have developed in the vast, geographically diverse expanses of the continent over the centuries. Kesh is also home to many of the world's major religions, such as Islam, Zoroastrianism, Ezditi, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.

History
Many of the world's first civilizations developed in the rich river valleys and coastal plains of the periphery of Kesh. In Sindhustan, the Ramaja civilization developed in the Sonasindhu River Plain; in Kodeshia, the earliest stages of Ying'guo civilization developed on the banks of the Changan River. As these civilizations grew, developing large-scale agricultural communities that later grew into cities and adopting hierarchical societies as the population grew, technological innovations such as writing, mathematics, and the wheel arose as trade networks eventually spread across the vast expanses of the continent, linking these civilizations together. These trade networks were the ancient precursors to the Silk Road.

One of the most important technological innovations during this time was the production of bronze from smelting its original copper and alloying with tin, leading to a period known as the Bronze Age, which is typically characterized by the development of bronze, writing, and urban society as well as the expansion of trade networks in early civilizations. The Bronze Age is said to have lasted c. 3000-1200 bce in the Middle East; c. 3000-1200 bce in the Sindhustani subcontinent; and c. 2000-300 BCE in Kodeshia. In Sindhustan, the development of bronze is linked with the Hamalshanbe Civilization in the Sadehrud River Valley and the Ramaja Civilization in the Sonasindhu River Plain, which at its height reached four million inhabitants before its collapse.

While the central steppes of Kesh, many of which lie in the Sadehrud River Valley in Sindhustan and in the plains of Guurdalai were home to settled, agricultural societies that developed on the banks of major rivers that provided narrow corridors of fertile land in grassy, windswept steppes; they were largely home to nomadic horsemen who entered in and out of the historical record, separating from more ancient civilizations by the vast deserts and mountain ranges that provided a geographic barrier. Throughout Keshian history, many of these nomadic horsemen would play a large role in the history of the continent as they came to conquer many of the settled societies that they were once isolated from, establishing long-lasting states that would change the history of the region.