So the neighborhoods are here. So what? I must admit when I was first told that each location in Ancient Worlds would have its own set of neighborhoods, I had no idea what to expect. People explained the concept to me, but it took me a while to really get it. The purpose of this article is to acquaint people with the neighborhoods of Celtia.

Prior to the neighborhood concept, the Ancient Worlds site was set up like any other website. You have an information architecture in which material is categorized and organized. "Celtia" is a term to mean "All Things Celtic", and under this heading that is exactly what you'll find. Under this old structure, a member had a screen identity, or persona, and he/she was able to associate him/herself with a family (or clan, or tribe) and by membership in groups.

The new neighborhood regime preserves the old structure while integrating a more complex, geographical aspect, linking you - the persona - to a specific geographic location, your own personal address. But it's not a complexity that should overwhelm us.

In a nutshell, as a persona in Ancient Worlds, you will now have an address. Where you were previously only associated with a clan and group, you can now be associated with a geographic location. The neighborhoods are just that. Think of www.ancientworlds.net as "The Earth" (of ambiguous antiquity). Across the globe there are the 8 world regions that we know and love. Now, within each of these 8 regions the geography is broken down even further, perhaps several layers deep.

"Celtia" is not necessarily a name for a geographic location, but it does identify regions of the world in which Celtic culture flourished. Its 4 neighborhoods - Albion, Eire, Gaul and Distant Realms - attempt to give Celtia more of a geographical identity. Now let's look at Albion (Great Britain). Within this neighborhood, there is another layer of neighborhoods that represent the regions of ancient Britain: Pictland, Llogres, Cymru, Dyfneint. Go to any one of these 'hoods and you'll find yet another layer. The conclusion to this geographical tree is your own dwelling. In the near future (the date is as yet undetermined), you will be able to purchase (through your AW sesteri) a piece of property - hut, hall, grotto, farm, etc - in a specific location. Priority in choosing and puchasing a home will be given to patrons. The higher the level of patronage, the more properties a patron will be able to own.

We see those links from the Celtia main page, and we panic. At the top of the middle column is a list of Featured Neighborhoods; these can change regularly. Below that list is a list of the first layer of hoods (Albion, Eire, Gaul & Distant Realms); this is your starting point. This list is not comprehensive; it doesn't show what lies beneath the surface of each of these 'hoods. To see them all, we must dig. Hopefully, with this article, I can save us all some time.

There are wonderful maps, images and informative content for most of the neighborhoods. Nearly every one has its own "Welcome" thread, where some have already started posting. But the 'hoods are meant to be more than a geography lesson. Public posting boards and threads can be created on any 'hood page, and a few already exist. It's true that we are not yet able to purchase property and connect ourselves to an address in ancient London, but we can still post there in social/RP threads. Think of it this way: We can visit, post and make our presence known, but we can't officially live there yet. The Scribes have already created a few public/RP threads, but they would really like to be getting suggestions of threads that members would like to see. If you would like to see a social/RP thread on any 'hood page, post your suggestion here. For example, if there needs to be a place for the monks of Iona to socialize, the place for the thread could either be on the Iona page or on a more specific 'hood within Iona. In other words, an Iona thread wouldn't be created on the main Albion or Pictland pages.

Below I've included a breakdown of every page in the Celtic neighborhood, with links to the appropriate pages, a "site map" if you will. The items that appear in Italics are the social/RP threads that currently exist. "Welcome" threads are not included here; every 'hood will have one of those eventually, if they don't already.

Celtia Site Map