Whom do you trust more?
1. Aicantar of Shimmerene and the Imperial Geographical Society.
or
2. Telenger the Artificer and the Sapiarchs of Mythohistory and Enchantment.


Hello, mates. A pure speculation with no intent to prove anything. I have developped a theory recently, it is a Chinese Wall of text full of dates, references, qoutes and commentaries just like some of my guides in the parallel section, so I won't publish it this time. Below is just a very small part of it to explain it's point and the point of the question I asked above. So I called the theory "The New Elven Chronology" because it's point is that the Ayleids are the Aldmer we know from the chronicles, and thus Aldmeris the scholars tell us about in the books, is actually the Ayleid Empire. In other words, when we read the history of the Aldmer we have to keep in mind that Aldmer=Ayleids, Aldmeris=Ayleid Empire. Now to it's grounds.

Today we have the following general historical periods:
1. Dawn Era: ? - ME 2500;
2. Merethic Era: ME 2500 - 0;
3. First Era: 1E 1 - 2920;
4. Second Era: 2E 1 - 896 (ESO events - 2E 582);
5. Third Era: 3E 1 - 433 (TES I-IV events - 3E 389 -433);
6. Fourth Era: 4E 1 - ? (TES V events - 4E 201).
These are the periods developped by Aicantar of Shimmere and the Imperial Geographical Society. This chronology is supported by many other scholars, but the equal quantity of them do not mention any dates in their works on the events of the past. My theory touches the period of Dawn Era - 1E 668 as the turning period of the history of Tamriel - check the current list of dates and events here. All the other topics you might be interested in are located in the posts below the original one. It contains the method I used to calculate the dates of various events depicted in the lore, the history of how did I come up to this theory, views on different events and dates in the history of Tamriel, etc. you might find interesting. In order to make it more comfortable to navigate, I created the topics list subsection down below in this original post with all the direct links to those posts. The list is updated as soon as a new topic is published. Now on to the theory grounds!

The theory is based on several crucial ideas and facts:
1. The major part of the history from the Dawn Era to the First Era has no certain dates at all.
2. All the dates and the names of the historical periods we know today are developed and supported by two major chroniclers - Aicantar of Shimmerene and the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS). Almost all the other chroniclers unquestionably come after the chronology of Aicantar and the history based on it written by the IGS & Co. The first is known as a militant Altmeri supremacy propagandist almost in all of his books and interviews and the latter supports the doctrine of the Altmeri cultural primacy as one of the basic parts of the Imperial civilization and the Imperial policy. The history they've written leave multiple contradictions, mistakes and gaps that make certain indisputable historical events contradict the reality depicted in the game. It leaves more questions then the answers it gives.
3. If a single line in a text written by Aicantar or the IGS is considered true by default due to their unquestionable authority, the same way the Sapiarchs' research should be trusted, treated and developped further on.
4. The period of ME ~833 - 1E 242 is crucial to the history of Tamriel and the way it is interpreted defines the history and policy of all the following historical events. The majority of the events of this period were thrown back in time (on the paper, not literally) to the Middle and Early Merethic Era, while some of the events located there should be lifted back to the First Era.
5. The Narfinsel Schism started in the Late Merethic Era close to 1E 0 (including the Scouring of Wendelbek of 1E 198 as the crucial part of the Schism) and the Fall of White Gold Tower in 1E 243 are the turning points of the entire history of Tamriel.

The question of the poll is based on the article 3 I mentioned above. If you trust the Altmeri scholars and the IGS, then nothing changes to you. If you agree with the Sapiarchs then the New Elven Chronology based on it will show you that:
1. The first Elven civilization existed in the Heartland of Tamriel from the very beginning. The fall of the Ayleid Empire (the fall of Aldmeris) is the greatest catastrophe of the Elven history. The ancient Elven desire to find Aldmeris and return there, to reestablish the Elven rule and to ascend back to the status of divines is a metaphorical idea to restore the ancient Aldmeri-Ayleid Empire in Tamriel, to restore Aldmeris.
2. The dissolution of the Aldmeri-Ayleid society began sometime around 1E 0 when the Ten Ancestors and All Divines worship was split in two and the two parties of the Aedraphiles and the Daedraphiles established. This Narfinsel Schism caused the civil war in 1E 198, the Alessian Slave Rebellion and the massive exodus of different Ayleid refugee groups from the Heartland Tamriel at all directions after the 1E 243 especially. This is the time Veloth and his people, being chased by the Nedes, left Cyrodiil and traveled north-east a much shorter distance, than he is said to have traveled from Summerset by Aicantar. My theory says that before their change the Chimer were common Daedra-worshipping Ayleids like many other of their kin. This is the time the Altmeri refugees led by Torinaan left the Heartland at the opposite direction to the nearest isle of Auridon (possibly because the Ayleid King Narilmor refused to give shelter to anyone in Garlas Malatar). This is the time the Valenwood Ayleids who "soiled Time's line by taking Mannish wives" during the previous centuries and thus were changing their shape dramatically, gave shelter to their northern brethren and then they all finally became the modern Bosmer in 1E 369 during the very first Wild (..Elves?) Hunt.
3. Pelinal Whitestrake was not 243 years old as Aicantar says it, but appeared by the time of the Alessian Rebellion.
4. The Falmer and the Dwemer did not appear in the late periods of the Merethic Era from nowhere with all their religions (the Falmer), social structures and technologies already developped to that high level only to exist several hundrends of years and vanish.
5. All the modern Elven races are the remnants of the Ayleid Empire, they are equal in their heritage. The Altmer are the descendants of the Aedra-worshipping Ayleid refugees who fled south-west and south along with the Maormer; the Bosmer are both the descendants of the Aedra-worshipping Ayleids who lived in Valenwood since 1E 0 and the Ayleid refugees who fled there after 1E 243; the Chimer are the descendants of the Daedra-worshipping Ayleids who fled from the Nedic Rebellion and pursuit after 1E 243; the Falmer and the Dwemer are the only Ayleid descendants who stood away from the Schism, saved their original civilization's heritage but were finally defeated.
6. All the history of Tamriel is the history of the Human conquest of Tamriel and their attempts to maintain their authority through the "divide and govern" motto.
7. Etc., etc., etc. Lots of things actually (some more are mentioned below).

Ok, here's the background of the question I asked in the very beginning:

LATE MERETHIC ERA, ME~833 - 1E 0
* The proto-elves and the proto-men begin to transform into modern races - "In what historians called the Merethic (or Mythic) Era, the years before formal historical reckoning, the Aldmer came to Tamriel .. The Aldmer changed over time culturally according to their new environments, being at first temperamentally and then physically very distinct "races" separate from one another. The ones who stayed in Summerset became known as the Altmer; in Valenwood, Bosmer; in Morrowind, Chimer and Dwemer; in Cyrodiil, Ayleid; and in High Rock, a mix between Nedic and Aldmer birthed the Bretons. The Orsimer or Orcs were also created at this time; Aldmer warped by the destruction of their leader Trinimac, who it is said became the Daedra Prince Malacath. This disparate chorus may have been crafted consciously by the Daedra or by the shifts of the earthbones, but the reason why is not necessary for this history. Change they did. The Nedic people also changed over the centuries of their invasions from Atmora. The original Nedics of Skyrim are now known as the Nords. The ones who crossed west to High Rock, as we have said, interbred with the Aldmer there to create the Bretons, who are most commonly considered men, not mer. The Nedics who crossed south became the Cyrodiils, eventually the prisoners and slaves of the bellicose Ayleids of that region.".

Summary: keep in mind the time period they began to change.

MIDDLE MERETHIC ERA (ME~1667 - ME~833)
* The Aldmer leave the dying Aldmeris and settle in the isle of Auridon - the voyage performed by the High Lord Torinaan the Foresailor who sailed to the northern coast of the isle and set foot at a site called Nine-Prow Landing.
Our friend Aicantar says it precisely, the Aldmer came in the Middle Merethic Era - "In the Middle Merethic Era, the Aldmeri (mortals of Elven origin) refugees left their doomed and now-lost continent of Aldmeris (also known as 'Old Ehlnofey') and settled in southwestern Tamriel."
But someone called Fenilil the Wayfarer contradicts Aicantar, saying it happened in the Early Merethic Era - "I'm often asked when the Ancients first arrived in the Archipelago. My researches indicate that it was in the middle of the Early Merethic Period.".

Summary: so we have two accounts here and Aicantar's one seems to be accepted by the scholars of Tamriel including those who define history like the Imperial Geographical Society - the elven "Ancients" came to Auridon in the Middle Merethic Period.

EARLY MERETHIC ERA, ME 2500 - ME~1667
* According to Ancirinque, Sapiarch of Mythohistory, and Nolin the Many-Hued, Sapiarch of Enchantment, the Ayleid wizards were existing during this time and they began to perform experiments on the rune stones all across Tamriel - ".. runestones were already here when the Foresailor arrived from Old Aldmeris.", ".. they date from the early Merethic Era, and are the unintended consequence of an Ayleid wizard's experiment gone awry."

Summary: so, here we have two Sapiarchs who say that the Ancients mentioned by Fenilil the Wayfarer are actually Ayleid (not the Aldmer, their progenitors) and they acknowledge those Ayleids were existing in the Early Merethic Era, and thus the Ayleids are not the descendants of the Aldmer and are not the lesser brothers to the Altmer.
* The Ancients and even the projection of Lord Nerevar shown in the Elegiac Replication wearing the typical Ayleid armor, supports the Sapiarchs.
* The Ayleid design of the very first Aldmeri settlements of Torinaan and Quendeluun in Auridon supports the Sapiarchs.
* The Ayleid and the Altmeri existence is said to be contemporary. But the Ayleid history, heritage and supremacy over the Altmer in magic, architecture, socio-economic and religious development, airship building (yes, the Ayleids built airships), energy research, etc. depicted in the modern lore contradicts the Altmeri and the Imperial propaganda that "Summerset became one of the earliest centers of Aldmer civilization, which developed over thousands of years into the Altmer of historical times." and supports the Sapiarchs. That center should be the Ayleid Empire and Summerset is just one of the many destination points the Ayleid refugees settled after 1E 243.
* Sometimes our friend Aicantar of Shimmerene says some odd things especially regarding the dates he's considered to be specialist in - "During the Middle Merethic Era, Aldmeri explorers mapped the coasts of Vvardenfel, building the First Era High Elven wizard towers at Ald Redaynia, Bal Fell, Tel Aruhn, and Tel Mora in Morrowind." Does anyone understands what did he say here?.. Did he really mean that, before the Altmer became distinct from the Aldmer, those Altmer of the Middle Merethic Era built those Velothi towers, having transported them somehow from or to the First Era and then abandoned them to the Chimer? Oh, my. I guess that's the first recorded Dragon Break in the history.


This list will be updated to include new topics viewed from the New Elven Chronology theory:
* On Topal the Pilot;
* On the method to calculate dates;
* On the history of research;
* On the scales of the Ayleid Empire;
* On the location of Aldmeris;
* On the actual age of Nerevar (link to the "List of Dates" thread);
* On the source of errors in Aicantar's Chronology.