Tradition tells us that the known history of Westeros extends back for 12,000 years. Prior to this, little is known of the peoples and tribes that populated the continent. The children of the forest were perhaps the most advanced race, but their uncharted history is lost to myth and legend. Giants may have walked far and wide in these primeval days; other peoples may have vanished into the mists of time as well, such as those who left the Seastone Chair behind on the Iron Islands. Eventually, all would either disappear or fall to invaders from the east.