Venice did have participation in major wars. They were an economic and naval powerhouse and fought against the Ottoman Empire. I personally think they are better candidates for a mod, I just wanted to defend the idea that they were actually more than just a city-state.
Hm, true, true, but... I just can't see it as a civilization, more like just a powerful city-state... I don't know... Kind of like Athens & Sparta in ancient Greece etc.