What happens when you mix ancient Roman history, amplify the cataclysmic eruption of Vesuvius, and add dragons? You get the story of “Game of Thrones” Valyria. Now HBO has collected everything you ever wanted to know about a nearly extinct fictional culture into one helpful video.
George RR Martin borrows heavily from actual history for his “Song of Ice and Fire” series. You can see the skeletal structure of the War of the Roses in the current Seven Kingdoms conflict. The Wildlings are merely the Scots behind an inflated, magical Hadrian's wall. Spain becomes Dorne, the Ottoman Empire becomes the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea, the remnants of the Persian Empire become Old Ghiscari and the slave cities, the Mongolian hordes transform into the Dothraki, and on and on. It”s quite a delightful smorgasbord for any history buff.
As one of those lore nerds, I hope HBO releases more of these “History of Westeros” videos. Perhaps one for each culture?
[Via AV Club]