Anno Domini progress report

[Rob (R8XFT)]

I thought Mithradates I was the king who ruled Parthia at its height.

@Yoda Power - it could be the Taj Mahal - and you're right in saying it was built after the timeframe - but the architectural style is good for the culture group. It looks great in-game.

 

[Yoda Power]

@Yoda Power - it could be the Taj Mahal - and you're right in saying it was built after the timeframe - but the architectural style is good for the culture group. It looks great in-game.

But it's not Indian architecture, it's muslim

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

Don't forget that the culture group I'm trying to cover includes Arabia, India, Parthia, Persia and Saba. I really like Aion's work and I think it covers the culture group nicely.

 

[Takhisis]

I thought Mithradates I was the king who ruled Parthia at its height..

NO! Mithridates VI ruled Ponto at its height!
Arsaces I defeated the Seleucids and became independent, Tiridates was his brother and conquered lots of places from the Seleucids in very little time, Orodes was the Parthian King around the time of Caesar (and coincidentally, defeated Crassus at Carrhae (look at the above), and Artaban V defeated the Romans in five successive battles before being defeated and killed by the Sassanids of Ardashir in 224 A.D.

 

[Takhisis]

btw As Parthia is only the region around the southern end of the Caspian Sea, Arsaces, Orodes, etc were Kings of the "Kingdom of the Parthians" not of "Parthia" and just that.

 

[cemo1956]

You have created many new units that will see daylight in the mod, BUT
I do hope that if you had some specials for these omitted Asians you will put them up for us other to download.
Just like the Asian leaderheads.

I'm hoping, since what I have seen they can only be top class.

 

[Olorin0222]

I second you, Cemo. I would really like to see (and use) the Asian units.

 

[ShiroKobbure]

yes Asia does need some units to fill the holes...R8XFT ^.^
only 2 days to go until your release of this mod correct?

 

[Olorin0222]

No, he has delayed it...right now, R8XFT is thinking it will be a fortnight before he can release it...he throughly explains it all in the first post.

 

[LouLong]

The Persians were Indoeuropean peoples who came in 1200-800 B.C. into Elam (Iran) and mixed into the Elamites to form the actual race of Iranians. They inhabited the south of present-time Iran. They preferred fighting with heavy cavalry/infantry.
The Pathians came later, about 300-B.C., installed themselves around the southern shore of the Caspian; they were of Scythian (Mongoloid) origin, and preferred fighting as horse-archers, like in carrhae, when 10.000 horse archers and 2.000 cataphracts defeated 35.000 Roman legionnaires and 4.000 mercenary cavalrymen with less than 100 dead on their side; the battle ended with 15.000 Romans dead, 10.000 deserted, 10.000 captured, and their mercenary cavalry exterminated.

Actually the Parthians developped the heavy cavalry known as cataphract or clinabarii (depnding on the type). These scared the Romans who nevertheless often succeeded against them. Carrhae was actually a "small" army made mostly of allied tribes (Iranian and/or Mongoloids) that still used the steppes warfare and of Srena's own light troops.

Now where did you get the idea Scythians are Mongoloid people ? In the global mix of the steppes sure some probably were but overall Scythians are definitely of the European type. I have watched enough of their gold masks and other craft to think so (except of course if the only drawned foreigners ).

 

[Antiochus VII]

NO! Mithridates VI ruled Ponto at its height!
Arsaces I defeated the Seleucids and became independent, Tiridates was his brother and conquered lots of places from the Seleucids in very little time, Orodes was the Parthian King around the time of Caesar (and coincidentally, defeated Crassus at Carrhae (look at the above), and Artaban V defeated the Romans in five successive battles before being defeated and killed by the Sassanids of Ardashir in 224 A.D.

Mithridates I ruled in the 2nd Century B.C. and is traditionally the founder of the Parthian 'Empire', annexing Persia, Media, Babylonia, and several other regions and assuming the title 'King of Kings'. Many of the kingdoms at the time used similar dynastic names, intermarried in the royal houses, etc.

 

[pinktilapia]

Yes, there were kings named Mithridates both in Parthia and Pontus, and certainly much earlier in the former than the latter. Must have been a prestigious name .

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

In terms of the Asian units, there was only one that was complete and ready to roll, which I'm using elsewhere in the mod. I'll look at finishing the others off (there were only a couple of others that I'd started) once the mod has been released .

 

[Olorin0222]

In terms of the Asian units, there was only one that was complete and ready to roll, which I'm using elsewhere in the mod. I'll look at finishing the others off (there were only a couple of others that I'd started) once the mod has been released .

Thank you! And it only makes sense for you to finish your mod first before you even start on the other units.

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

I've sorted out my cities for the culture group that has Arabia, India, Parthia, Persia and Saba.

The first era is the Fireaxis default Middle East; the second is by RedAlert. Aion did the last era and I made era three as a mixture of the second and fourth eras. I feel this is ok for those civs. I really like varwnos' Arabian cities, but felt that this set up offers some consistency over the eras.

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

That is some excellilent work R8XFT. The level of thought and effort you've put into this is amazing. You really got unit making down...

 

[Aion]

About the Parthians: So they were part of the succession of empires in the area of Persia? Like Medes - Achaemenids - Seleucids - Parthians - Sassanids etc. Or am I wrong? On the other hand, if we have a Greek and Byzantine civ, it shouldn't be a problem having two Persian civs.

As I'm the one who made the Indian cites... I think the combination of Firaxis', RA's and my cities you chose looks quite good and fits exactly the time frame and cultural area you wanted to cover.

The cities I made were supposed to be the second era. Yes, the building in the middle is loosely based on the Taj Mahal, and I know that it was built much later. But I wanted the second era to represent the Indo-Islamic architecture, which had its beginning as early as in the 12th century.

I feel somewhat guilty for still not having done the other eras BTW, but I'm glad if at least the one era I've done will be of use.

 

[Olorin0222]

I think there are 3 Greek Civs, excluding Byzantium. I also think there are 3 British Civs.

 

[Hrafnkell]

Actually, Mithradates the Great was king of Parthia from c. 171-132 BCE. Hope that helps. There is an image of one of his coins at Parthia.com.

Sorry Mithradates...didn't see your post before I made mine.

 

[Takhisis]

Actually the Parthians developped the heavy cavalry known as cataphract or clinabarii (depnding on the type). These scared the Romans who nevertheless often succeeded against them.

The Parthians DIDN´T invent cataphracts, they were invented by the Seleucids when the Heitaroi, wearing no armor, carrying a long two-handed lance and no shield, proved ineffective in battle. In the end, the SELEUCID cataphracts proved only to be a phalnx on horseback, because they were too cumbersome to outrun other heavy cavalry or elephants.

Carrhae was actually a "small" army made mostly of allied tribes (Iranian and/or Mongoloids) that still used the steppes warfare and of Srena's own light troops.

Carrhae wasn´t an army, it was a place in northern Mesopotamia/Syria. Mostly the Parthian army commanded by Pahlavi Surenas was composed of 10000 horse archers (with a few more thousands of slaves upon camels to replenish their stock of arrows) and 2000 Cataphracts that charged in and massacred the Romans when they finally retreated.

Now where did you get the idea Scythians are Mongoloid people ? In the global mix of the steppes sure some probably were but overall Scythians are definitely of the European type. I have watched enough of their gold masks and other craft to think so (except of course if the only drawned foreigners ).

Oooops... I was in a hurry when I wrote that. What I meant was to quote H.G. Wells´ Pocket History of the World (1942 edition) that said

…This westward drive of the Mongolian Horsemen was going on from 200 B.C. onward. It was producing a great pressure upon the Aryan tribes, and these again were pressing upon the Roman frontiers ready to break through directly there was any weakness apparent. The Parthians, who were apparently a Scythian people with some Mongolian admixture, came down to the Euphrates by the first century B.C. They fought against Pompey the Great in his Eastern raid. They defeated and killed Crassus. They replaced the Seleucid monarchy in Persia by a dinasty of Parthian kings, the Arsacid dynasty. …

, so I mixed up the part about the Parthians´ Mongoloid origin and the Scythians origin.