The Fall of the Great Empire of the Dawn

There are many theories about the Great Empire of the Dawn (GEotD). They all mostly say the same thing: they were ancient dragonlords who once harnessed dragons before the Valyrians, leaving numerous structures across the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. They built the fused black stones like the Five Forts but also the oily/greasy black stones like Asshai. They were the predecessors of the Yi Ti, and they were brought down by the Bloodstone Emperor.

But are these theories actually sound, or are they just fanfiction? I dive in deep into this topic and put them to the test.

0:00 - Intro
0:17 - The Foundation of the Hightower
4:45 - Dragonsteel
7:41 - The Five Forts
10:29- Asshai
15:12 - Ghosts of in Dany's Dream
17:37 - The Shadow People
19:50- Worldbuilding

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[yfullman]

I'm of the mind that the Gemstone Emperors and their families did have strangely colored eyes. I think after the Amethyst Empress was murdered her family fled west and eventually became the Valyrians. They did not have control of the military so they did not know how to make steel. Yi Ti is just trying to capture the essence and majesty of the Great Empire. They are all up-jumped peasants and not actually of the ruling bloodlines. That's why they don't have gemstone eyes. The eyes come from some form of magic, so the families of the God-Emperors would not be inclined to give that to their peasants and vassals. All Valyrians were peasants when they fled the Great Empire so that's why they all have the eyes

[rainy]

On the last bit, might be a stretch but the Bloodstone Emperor did marry a Tiger woman. Maybe the Empire of the Dawn wasn’t made of human races, after all, they also began their bloodline with the Lion of Night, so there’s some animal symbology that is tied to their mythology.

The new human Denizens could have adopted the old customs of the declining reminants of the old empire, much like how the First Men took on aspects of the Children’s religion/culture.

[casperfourie]

The Valyrians existing while both the Andals and First Men were in Westeros, would also explain why almost every major and powerful house in Westeros has an ancestral Valyrian Steel swords

[alicecuriosityoftenleadsto]

5000 years ago is 3, 000 BC. Stonehenge is newer than that and we have no clue who built it, or the Barrow burials, or hardly any archeological site dated 3, 000BC for that matter. Its entirely possible that Asshai forgot they were capitol.
Regardless I think there is a connection to the Fisher queens and Sothoros regarding the fortress and mazes, and that they probably are connected with YiTi too.
Also, purple could actually be amethyst for all we know, just translated into a different language so it was confused.
I really hope he explains this stuff eventually. I've spent too many years wondering!

[barbiquearea]

I thought Dawn was made from a meteorite? Also the idea that some of these ancient landmarks were thought to have been constructed by giants due to their massive size reminds me of how the Ancient Greeks thought that the large walls of the Mycenaean cities that pre-dated them were built by cyclops as they thought it was impossible for humans to have erected such massive walls.

[brennanbarnes]

Just getting started on the video but before I dive in I wanted to thank you for the continued ASOIAF content!

[LordWyatt]

If the Valyrian Empire was GRRM’s version of the Roman Empire, then I think the Great Empire of the Dawn was the Achaemenid/Alexander’s Empire. Obviously not to the degree that Yi Ti was east of them like India/China but perhaps a part of it or perhaps they were very influential on all the cultures they conquered or encountered.

[angelajansons]

Amazingly detailed and well-researched. Thank you for digging so deep.

[Riobloo]

We need your ASOIAF videos on YouTube again please come back I love your videos so much

[trehubb]

Good theory.. The age of man being preceded by other non human races is a common thing amongst story. No surprise it is alluded to in Game of Thrones

[lexj.]

A terrific and well made video. I like the idea of grrm shining a spotlight to a planet once inhabited and developed by non human beings. This story of ASOIAF isn't gonna be end to end humans, politics, and intrigue. The world and its history is much more dense and far more older.

[fapplejax]

Dragons stirred in the shadows of the sunrise could be just metaphor. The sunrise could represent the empire of the dawn, and the shadow would be the successor state of valyria (with dragons).

[gregoryharlow]

Late to the party, but this video is awesome. Subbed.

[dookieshoe]

There is the theory that Valeryan Steel is made by burning Shadewood giving it the smoky color. I wonder if maybe Dawn was made in the same way but with Weirwood. One theory is that Dawn might give its wielder slight precognitive abilities which would make it seem like the wielder an incredible swordsman. In this particular theory it's actually proposed that the same space rock that Dawn came from is what also brought Weirwood to Planet's making it an invasive species. Another theory says the Shadewoods are just corrupted Weirwood and the Hammer of the Waters wasn't done to stop humans from advancing onto Westeros but to stop the Shadewood from spreading their corruption to the continent.

Idk, it's just an interesting thought but I'm not really adding anything to it. Just bringing up the idea.

One cool thing I did think of recently though that is connected to the Weirwood/ Shadewood trees. On the world map commissioned and directed by George shows purple colored forests in Ulthos. Well I had the thought that maybe these trees are a combo of both trees. If fire and ice can combine, if love and hate can mate then maybe the trees can combine too and tbe blue and red leaves become purple. Idk what implications thus has or if it even makes sense. Just a fun idea I had.

[quattrobajeena]

You have no idea how much I love your content

[LegendaryObserver]

Unexpected video! What a pleasant surprise

[RevanX]

Keep in mind that on the timescale we're talking about, the Great Empire of the Dawn could have easily existed, yet still post-dated the likes of the Mazemaker civilization by thousands of years.

As it is I'm really looking forward to a video from you on the true timeline of history and the true first Long Night. That is to say the Long Night of great floods rather than ice.

[Qbgarden]

Besides the wall, winterfell and storms end, Bran the builder also helped with the hightower.

[fajita]

I think there’s an aspect to the Great Empire of Dawn story that has to do with the Bloodstone Emperor killing the Amethyst Empress and bringing the Long Night, and that being a parallel myth of Azor Ahai killing Nissa Nissa. I doubt that the choice of an Amethyst Empress (and the other gemstone references in the dream in GOT) and descriptions of Dany’s eyes as amethyst is not just a matter of sounding cool. Clearly there was some cataclysm in past, before the Doom of Valyria. That cataclysm was probably the Long Night.

[romease]

Could be why the valyrians annihilated the rhoynar--they knew how to make valyrian steel