Ch.5 The Age of the Gods

After the death of Typhojem (circa. 100,000 BBY) the Sith began to form a complex mythology surrounding what had happened. The details of Typhojem's reign are obscure, but it is highly likely that he was able to form the Sith people into a unified whole- at least for a short time. Following his death this unity vanished.

The overall technological level that the Sith possessed is unknown. If the Celestial hypothesis which most scholars accept is correct, then it is possible that they briefly were a spacefaring people. However, there is scant evidence for this.


The Problem of Archeology:

To say that studying the Sith is challenging is a massive understatement. Korriban's history dates back to 100,000 BBY and throughout the ages several layers of history were added, one on top the other. This is the problem of studying ancient planets. Archeology becomes more like geology as any relics or skeletons are so far submerged that they were almost indistinguishable from the fossils of ancient non-sentient beings. However, unlike with ancient animal fossils which stay in one place, the Sith have a habit of digging up remains and looking for secrets of past civilizations. Unfortunately for us, they seemed to be more concerned with looting ancient tombs for powerful artefacts rather than documenting the past. The result is thousands of years of history all jumbled up for archaeologists to piece together.

In addition, the Sith love to hide their secrets and unlike many cultures who place bogus curses on their tombs and artefacts, the Sith curses are quite real. If researchers are not careful, packs of Tuk'ata, Hississ, or even corpses reanimated by Sith alchemy could appear.

The Valley of Golg is a prime example. A walk through the valley reveals walls with layers upon layers of history dating back to the first Sith. Tombs belonging to hundreds of thousands of Sith Lords as well as the mass graves of upper class peasants line the walls dating back to before 40,000 BBY. Additionally, with some digging, artefacts and skeletons dating to before then are able to be recovered. In all, the Valley seems a prime archaeological site. However, the Sith who built the tombs did so by carelessly digging up and displacing these thousands of years worth of historical sediment. Because these tombs are everywhere, dating found sediment is almost impossible. Additionally, the tombs offer very little information as well since most have long since been pillaged. The final challenge is the still active curses and harsh wildlife. Hississ and Tuk'ata are the most common, but more dangerous predators such as the Jedi-hunting rancor-like Terentatek or the Sarlacc-like Silan are sometimes discovered. This is not even mentioning the campfire horror stories circulating among archaeological teams and spacers alike of still active Sith spirits, living shadows, shape-shifting illusions, and the living dead. On the more positive note, while Korriban is undoubtedly spooky, it is for the most part a dead world. There is little food causing the local wildlife population to be fairly low, and with aeons of Sith pillaging the tombs and ruins, any latent magics and curses are likely already triggered. There are still some stories of weird things happening, but these are more myth than fact. It is exciting to think that we may finally be upon the verge of many great discoveries made possible by the decay of the dark side energies surrounding the panet.

Jedi are often involved on these digs as their insight to the nature of the Force and it's dark side is invaluable. However, the Jedi seem to be even more spooked by the place than the archeologists themselves are. Additionally, Jedi masters are the only ones allowed to undertake these studies, as there are far too many tales of inexperienced padawans falling to the dark side to risk it. With masters in short supply there is usually a very small number willing and able to undertake expeditions to study Korriban.

One method of historiography proposed is to learn about the more ancient Sith through the lens of more recent Sith. For example, the One Sith, the New Sith (circa. 2000 BBY), and the Old Sith of Malak and Exar Kun (circa. 4000 BBY) have all made extensive studies of the Sith preceding them and their records could illuminate even earlier Sith history. However, there are problems. First, these Sith are more concerned with uncovering their predecessors power and knowledge rather than making a detailed history. Second, these groups are not exactly objective sources and tend to see their predecessors either in a deified or disdainful manner. And finally, these Sith records are, in themselves, hard to find.

Trying to dig on other Sith worlds such as Krayiss II, Vjun, Nicht Ka, Dromund Kaas, and Ziost have been in all more successful. However, the history of these worlds does not date back before 30,000 BBY at the earliest. Therefore, while these worlds can give us a more clear picture of Sith history after a certain point, Sith prehistory is still obscured by being confined to a single planet.

In short, anything that we can say about the past from an archaeological viewpoint has to be severely qualified.


That's not to say we know nothing. When it comes to ancient technology, anything found is usually in the form of primitive weapons suggesting that the Sith were never spacefairing before 30,000 BBY. However, since primitive weapons were used at every era, finding an ancient spearhead does not necessarily date back to the Age of the Gods. Additionally, any Celestial tech would be severely eroded and almost unrecognizable. However, there are a few good finds. The most famous discovery of Celestial technology is in the form of the Tho Yor Landing.

The Tho Yor Landing:

The Tho Yor are a series of eight pyramidal ships whose ruins are found on the planet Tython. Tython is a planet in the deep core that is believed to be one of the original homeworlds of the Jedi Order. However, the constantly shifting hyperlanes of the deep core prevent a detailed study of Tython's past.

The Tho Yor ships were originally spread out across the galaxy on planets with an indigenous population. Nobody is sure who exactly built them, but the most likely candidates are the Celestials. Circa. 36,500 BBY, the Tho Yor became active and collected force-sensitive natives to bring them all to the planet Tython. It is unknown why the Tho Yor brought these beings to Tython, but several hypotheses have been proposed. The most widely accepted one is that the Celestials intended to use them to create some sort of new order of force-sensitive servants. The theory that the Celestials have built the Tho Yor has been challenged in recent years. These scholars point out that the hyperdrive engines of each Tho Yor appear to be very different from those of other Celestial constructs. The hyperdrives that most Celestial constructs have are centered around external engines, that is to say, large engines onboard a space station that launch a ship into hyperspace like a cannon while the ship itself has no such engine. The engines on the Tho Yor are believed to be internal, such as those of modern hyperdrives. Supporters of the Celestial theory suggest that this indicates a gradual morphing of technology from the large scale to the personal, suggesting that they were built very late in the Celestials history.

One of these Tho Yor was originally on Korriban. WWhile the Tho Yor itself left for Tython long ago, the structure that housed it was recently discovered. It is not large, less than a kilometer in diameter, and unfortunately any data that its computer systems may have once contained has been severely corrupted beyond recovery. However, it is still the most valuable find, by far, from this era. It appears that the structure was used as a temple for the native Sith, both while the Tho Yor was housed there as well as after it left. Carvings and murals of the Sith gods and legends are found both on the structure as well as in surrounding Sith-built structures. All of this suggests that it was a holy place for the ancient Sith. Some even believe that it was used as the original palace for Typhojem and early Sith kings.

Whatever the case may be, this site provides the most detailed and systematic account of Sith prehistory as well as the most direct evidence of the Celestial Theory of Sith origins.


From the contents of the Tho Yor and other sites, a rough approximation of early Sith formation can be drawn.

Soon after the disappearance of the Celestials in 100,000 BBY, the Sith appear to be small and unified under a chain of monarchs. As the Sith population grows, groups break off and explore other areas of the planet. Eventually, the monarchy collapsed and the Sith split off into dozens of different warring tribes. In this state, perpetual war and a series of natural disasters prevent the Sith from forming a strong unified nation. However, smaller empires occasionally pop up, each one claiming to be the 'true Sith'- a grim foreshadowing of later Sith history. During this time the Tho Yor is used as a meeting place or as a site of pilgrimages. Once the Tho Yor leaves, the site begins to fade into obscurity. The Sith continue to be disorganized until they are invaded and conquered by the Killiks in 30,000 BBY which will be the subject of the next chapter.