The Sonic the Hedgehog Continuity Thread of Love and Timelines

The echidnas predate the fourth great civilization by some thousand years according to the new timeline, so I really don’t think it’s their intention to make the civilizations rivals. I see it as the opposite, they’re putting them in separate parts of the timeline to move away from Chronicles’ backstory.

 

That's not exactly what the timeline says.
It says the Gizoids were created a thousand years after the Echidnas. That doesn't necessarily mean the civilization came a thousand years after the Echidnas. It might be an even more ancient civilization that just survived, because there was no competition (the Echidnas died).

If they just wanted to separate this civilization from the Echidnas, they didn't need to change the date. Everything was already set.
The civilization created the Gizoids, they died, and a thousand years later the Echidnas arose.

 

That wouldn't make sense, we've already seen Egyptian echidna architecture in Sonic Adventure 2, Team Sonic Racing and Sonic R. Team Sonic Racing even re-uses name Sandopolis for the desert tracks.

 

Well, yeah? Because there is Egyptian architecture in Angel Island. That doesn't mean it belongs to the Echidnas though, they are mainly Mayan.
In any case, that was just an example for a different civilization there, it doesn't have to be related to the Egyptian architecture.

 

I would point out the Egyptian Architecture being referred to predominantly has Humans, so it's likely Egypt is Humans.

Also, of course they went with the translation's sequential interpretation...

 

I mean, there are Sonics in Hydrocity's architecture...

In-universe it might be just foreshadowing. Like they predicted Sonic versus Eggman in Hidden Palace and put that in a mural. Maybe that's why they put Sonics in Hydrocity. And maybe that's why there are humans in the Egyptian thingies.

 

Regal Ruin is full of echidna sphinxes, both as 3D models on the track and in the 2D background. The desert levels in SA2 and TSR have echidna statues. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has an Egyptian echidna statue in the Wonder Museum track.

 

Spoiler

 

Maybe the Egyptians were humans, but they liked to use echidna imagery?

Just like real life Egyptians used animal imagery like lions, birds, jackals...

 

I honestly just figured the Egyptian Humans and the Olmec Echidna were close as a species, since they have symbology in Sandopolis, that we found out in Sonic Adventure was quite close to where the Knuckles Clan's capital was.

If we trust IDW to be depicting Angel Island accurately, Mushroom Hill and Sandopolis are quite close to the Altar of Emerald (obscured by Metal Sonic's base with a giant Robotnik statue, but later confirmed when Amy's heading for it that that's where the Altar is, just in case someone tries to put up an argument).



(Your guess as to how he didn't cross those to get to Red Mountain is as good as mine)

 

I'm aware of these. The third image depicts stylized echidnas.

The presence of human Egyptians doesn't negate the echidna Egyptian imagery that's recurred through the series, especially since the Frontiers prologue animation established multiple echidna tribes.

 

I never said it did, I'm just noting Humans are still the predominant imagery with the Egyptian side of things. Echidna imagery does pop up, as you've pointed out, but the first case was Human in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and both Egyptian themed Golems (in said game and Sonic Adventure 2) are Human.

At the very least, there's significant cultural crossover. I assume there was friendly relations, it might be that area was taken over by Echidna from Humans shortly before Perfect Chaos happened, or vice versa, but we'll never really know since I don't think they'll be going back to talk about the Echidna statues in Sand Ocean...

Though what do we do about the Hedgehog headed Sphinx?

 

I guess the Sonic versus Eggman prophecy was widespread...

 

The possibility may disappoint people, but I think the reveal might be that the echidnas aren't counted as a "Great Civilisation" on a technicality - there are plenty cases of such things happening in real life, like how Pluto was a planet until it wasn't. The other candidates - Ancients, Gaians, Babylonians and (potentially) the Fourth - they've all got commonality in stunningly advanced or impressive creations of a mostly technological nature. The echidnas certainly have plenty of nice architecture, but I don't think it really reaches the same level. Given the information we have, my understanding is that the echidnas were actually largely disconnected as a society, with the Knuckles Clan being the most notable for being wiped out by Chaos for their hubris towards the Master Emerald, with their conflicts most likely being on a tribal scale. All this to say that I think there's enough there that you can discount them if you just want to stick to four civilisations.