Hints of role-playing byzantine

After number of victories as Justinian, mostly domination & 1 diplomatic (that was in fact domination - me and 5 my vassals voted for me) I've decided to play a game as would byzantine emperor. Not as player who gets Feudalism from an Oracle & lightbulbs Guilds
I've studied a bit of information on wiki that gave me general way. So let's start

Civics:
Hereditary Rule or Police State - Byzantine Empire was despotic monarchy with several dynasties, also many popular & succesful warlords became emperors
Vassalage - Empire was divided on themes, each had a military-civilan rulers - strategoi
Any labor civic - Slavery & Serfdom is very adopt with theme administration type, Caste System is good fit for unlimited merchants that filled byzantine treasury.
Free Market - merchant specialists & trade routes are main resourse of byzantine treasury
Theocracy - no comments)

Religion
Christianity. Turn on "Choose Religion" & try to found it. If not - adopt Chritianity.

Military
Strong Fleet. Greek fire made a Byzantine Empire a mediterranean powerhouse.
Your must spend couple of hammers each turn on a units.
You must be military strong. Lead Power rating.

Prefered Wonders
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
Great Lighthouse - as trading sea empire
Temple of Artemis - v.s.

Any "religion" wonder: Oracle, Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace etc.

Techs
Try to get a Theology as soon as possible - you will be able to build your main wonder (HS) & civic Theocracy.
Code of Laws - Justinian the Great implemented reforms in roman law. Law had severe importance in empire.
Astronomy - delay it as long as reasonable. Byzantines had not high progress with it.

Diplomacy
Ask leaders to adopt Christianity. Adopting Christianity has high importance when you truce with someone.
Any AI that refuses to adopt it is your potential target.

To be continued

 

Nice idea, I often do this without thinking to some degree. Like founding Christianity as Rome, or Taoism as China, or trying to get the early 'marble wonders' as Greece.

But then I don't play this game to 'Win'.

 

Sounds cool.

 

Themata were military administrative systems that employed peasant farmer-soldiers and supported them on State land. I'm not sure how any of that relates to slavery, although slaves were held and traded in the Byzantine world.

No, the land tax was. Trade wasn't as impressive as some fawning Byzantinists would have it.

The fleet fluctuated wildly in relative power over the centuries. Land power, and especially in the form of fortified places, excellent logistics, siege weapons, and cavalry, were key to Byzantine power on the strategic defensive.

 

I will agree with high land taxes (that can be displayed in game as % higher than science).
But I don't like nonconstructive criticism. If you have better understanding on this topic - give advices yourself