A hypothetical sub-type representing a civilization that harnesses energy on a scale smaller than its home planet, perhaps confined to a single region or ecosystem. This could describe a pre-industrial human culture, an intelligent species just mastering agriculture, or a society recovering from a planetary catastrophe that knocked it back from a higher type. Their energy signature would be virtually undetectable across interstellar distances.
Kardashev Type -1.0 Basic Civilizations *Example: Medieval Europe, the ancient Roman Empire, or a newly sentient alien species living in the canopy of a single vast bio-tree, drawing energy only from local food chains and primitive fuels, would be classified as a Type -1.0 civilization. Their horizon is their valley, not their world.*
by Abzugal February 3, 2026
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