Genghis Khaiser
King
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2012
- Messages
- 764
How would you order the Civ 5 civilizations in their historical importance order?
This is my list, putting on the top the civs that I think are more essential to world history and in the bottom the ones I think are less worthy or are more suited to be expansion/DLC-only civs:
1. Greece. The birthplace of the Western civilization, how can we ignore them?
2. Rome. The second most important in the history of the Western civilization, or maybe the first.
3. United States. Do I need to say anything?
4. England/Great Britain. As I once heard in History Channel, nowadays every country and culture has been influenced in one way or another by the British vision and imagination.
5. France. Throughout its history, it has been England/UK's rival, and they got a "cultural victory" in the 17th and 18th centuries, as somebody said in a post.
6. Germany. A modern industrial worldpower, and the birthplace of many musicians, scientists, and thinkers.
7. Egypt. The location of two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and Ancient Egypt having a lot to inspire and to be talked about (Pharaohs, mummies, tombs, etc).
8. China. Everybody owns something that says "Made in China" on it. China has invented many revolutionary things, like gunpowder and paper.
9. Japan. Known for the Samurais and the Bushido in its past, and its technological relevance in its present and future.
10. Arabia. The birthplace of Islam, and we owe them many advances in science, mainly mathematics.
11. India. A large country, with one of the most diverse cultures in the world, and a former and soon-to-be worldpower.
12. Russia. The largest country in the world, and one of the two most important nations in the XX century.
13. Mongolia. Although today they are not a very important country, in the XIII century they made history's largest contiguous empire, allowing trade routes to be made between East and West, influencing each other's cultures.
14. Spain. From the XVI to the XIX centuries, they created one of the largest empires ever. That empire being the main reason of why Spanish is one of the most spoken languages and Roman Catholicism is one of the most practiced religions in the world.
15. Portugal. By some reason, they are never in a vanilla Civ game, they are always added in an expansion, but they had, like Spain, a large colonial and trade empire.
16. Netherlands. Same as Portugal.
17. Persia. One of the largest empires of the ancient world, and Rome's and later Byzantium's mortal enemy.
18. Babylon. They are one of the earliest civilizations in the world, and everybody has heard about the Hanging Gardens or Hammurabi's Code of Laws. If Sumeria ("the Cradle of Civilization") was in this game, it would be one or two places above Babylon.
19. Assyria. They, like Babylon, were a large and important Mesopotamian empire. If they were better known, they would be in a tie with Babylon.
20. Ottomans/Turkey. Being the Turks the second Muslim civ par excellence behind Arabia, they traumatized the Western culture by conquering Constantinople in 1453, they had a vast empire for six centuries. Also, their empire was one of the reasons behind the Age of Discovery.
21. Brazil. Cristo Redentor, the Carnival, an emerging worldpower, one of the largest and most populated countries in the world. Nuff' said.
22. Maya. Remember 2012, when everybody drove crazy because of a misconception that the Mayans had predicted the end of the world? Besides that, they still live nowadays, although they are not as awesome at science, technology, and architecture as they were. "The Greeks of the New World" as they are called, and I am a Mexican but I think they were cooler than the Aztecs.
23. Incan. The largest, most important and best-known South American ancient civilization, although not so ancient when compared to the Tiwanaku, Moche, Chimu, Nazca, etc, and they had a large empire and engineering wonders in the mountains that scientists cannot explain to this day. Incan roots and the Quechua language largely survive to this day, mainly in Peru and Bolivia.
24. Korea. North Korea is one of the world's military powers, while South Korea is one of the world's economic powers (Samsung, Gangnam Style and K-Pop anyone).
25. Danish/Vikings. The Viking raids are a key element in the medieval history of northern Europe.
26. Sweden. Alfred Nobel, Anders Celsius, the Nobel Prize, IKEA, ABBA, a military power during the XVII century, and one of the most developed countries in the modern world.
27. Austria. Austria is famous because of the great musicians that were from there, like Mozart. Also, it encompassed one of the most diverse empires in the XIX and XX centuries.
28. Celts. Millions of people in Western Europe, the British Islands and Anglo-Saxon countries can say they have Celt roots. Besides, I'm sure everyone has heard of the Stonehenge and Halloween.
29. Byzantium. The heirs and succesors of the Roman Empire, although pretty much the entire Western civilization is heir and succesor of the Roman culture. Byzantium managed to outlive Rome for around a thousand years.
30. Ethiope. The first Christian kingdom, and they remained independent during the European imperialism in Africa.
31. Carthage. They rivalized Rome during its rise.
32. Indonesia. Historically a diverse country and a trade power, and one of the largest and most populated countries in the world.
33. Aztecs. Although I am a proud Mexican, I think they deserve to be way lower than the Mayans in the list. They were one of many Mesoamerican empires, and even though they were larger and like them they had their religious, cultural and architectural wonders, they are in the game mainly for two reasons: first, because they are the best-known Mesoamerican tribe, and second, because they were the dominant empire when the Spaniards arrived. (I predict that putting the Aztecs so low in the list is going to be my most controversial decision here)
34. Polynesia. We do not hear about them in history books very often, although everynody has heard about Hawaii, New Zealand and Rapa Nui.
35. Morocco. An unexpected choice for a civ, although in its history Morocco has had cultural and economic ties with the Western world.
36. Poland. Not much can I say about Poland, besides them being a key player in the fall of Communism, a bunch of famous people coming from there (John Paul II, Frederick Chopin, Marie Curie)
37. Siam. Not very important to the international theatre. Awesome architecture and a lot of history though. If the Khmer and Vietnamese were in this game, they would have a tie with Siam.
38. Venice. I do not deny the economic world power they were during the Middle Ages and up to the Napoleonic era, but an Italian civ could be a better representative.
39. Songhai. One of many important economic powers in Westen Africa, along Ghana, and Mali, but they were a short-lived empire, and it would be some places above if all those three were represented by one civilization, like Mandinka.
40. Zulu. Although the most recurrent representatives of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Civilization series and one of the most important tribes in South Africa, somebody said Venice is more worthy of inclusion than them, and it is because the
41. Iroquois. There are MANY City-States that if promoted to a civilization in an expansion, they would be in a higher place than the Iroquois. They are a good precursor of modern republics though.
42. Shoshone. Although an interesting civ to play with, they are there because they could not get the Pueblo in.
43. Huns. They were not a civilization, and everybody knows they are there because of their role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
This is my list, putting on the top the civs that I think are more essential to world history and in the bottom the ones I think are less worthy or are more suited to be expansion/DLC-only civs:
1. Greece. The birthplace of the Western civilization, how can we ignore them?
2. Rome. The second most important in the history of the Western civilization, or maybe the first.
3. United States. Do I need to say anything?
4. England/Great Britain. As I once heard in History Channel, nowadays every country and culture has been influenced in one way or another by the British vision and imagination.
5. France. Throughout its history, it has been England/UK's rival, and they got a "cultural victory" in the 17th and 18th centuries, as somebody said in a post.
6. Germany. A modern industrial worldpower, and the birthplace of many musicians, scientists, and thinkers.
7. Egypt. The location of two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and Ancient Egypt having a lot to inspire and to be talked about (Pharaohs, mummies, tombs, etc).
8. China. Everybody owns something that says "Made in China" on it. China has invented many revolutionary things, like gunpowder and paper.
9. Japan. Known for the Samurais and the Bushido in its past, and its technological relevance in its present and future.
10. Arabia. The birthplace of Islam, and we owe them many advances in science, mainly mathematics.
11. India. A large country, with one of the most diverse cultures in the world, and a former and soon-to-be worldpower.
12. Russia. The largest country in the world, and one of the two most important nations in the XX century.
13. Mongolia. Although today they are not a very important country, in the XIII century they made history's largest contiguous empire, allowing trade routes to be made between East and West, influencing each other's cultures.
14. Spain. From the XVI to the XIX centuries, they created one of the largest empires ever. That empire being the main reason of why Spanish is one of the most spoken languages and Roman Catholicism is one of the most practiced religions in the world.
15. Portugal. By some reason, they are never in a vanilla Civ game, they are always added in an expansion, but they had, like Spain, a large colonial and trade empire.
16. Netherlands. Same as Portugal.
17. Persia. One of the largest empires of the ancient world, and Rome's and later Byzantium's mortal enemy.
18. Babylon. They are one of the earliest civilizations in the world, and everybody has heard about the Hanging Gardens or Hammurabi's Code of Laws. If Sumeria ("the Cradle of Civilization") was in this game, it would be one or two places above Babylon.
19. Assyria. They, like Babylon, were a large and important Mesopotamian empire. If they were better known, they would be in a tie with Babylon.
20. Ottomans/Turkey. Being the Turks the second Muslim civ par excellence behind Arabia, they traumatized the Western culture by conquering Constantinople in 1453, they had a vast empire for six centuries. Also, their empire was one of the reasons behind the Age of Discovery.
21. Brazil. Cristo Redentor, the Carnival, an emerging worldpower, one of the largest and most populated countries in the world. Nuff' said.
22. Maya. Remember 2012, when everybody drove crazy because of a misconception that the Mayans had predicted the end of the world? Besides that, they still live nowadays, although they are not as awesome at science, technology, and architecture as they were. "The Greeks of the New World" as they are called, and I am a Mexican but I think they were cooler than the Aztecs.
23. Incan. The largest, most important and best-known South American ancient civilization, although not so ancient when compared to the Tiwanaku, Moche, Chimu, Nazca, etc, and they had a large empire and engineering wonders in the mountains that scientists cannot explain to this day. Incan roots and the Quechua language largely survive to this day, mainly in Peru and Bolivia.
24. Korea. North Korea is one of the world's military powers, while South Korea is one of the world's economic powers (Samsung, Gangnam Style and K-Pop anyone).
25. Danish/Vikings. The Viking raids are a key element in the medieval history of northern Europe.
26. Sweden. Alfred Nobel, Anders Celsius, the Nobel Prize, IKEA, ABBA, a military power during the XVII century, and one of the most developed countries in the modern world.
27. Austria. Austria is famous because of the great musicians that were from there, like Mozart. Also, it encompassed one of the most diverse empires in the XIX and XX centuries.
28. Celts. Millions of people in Western Europe, the British Islands and Anglo-Saxon countries can say they have Celt roots. Besides, I'm sure everyone has heard of the Stonehenge and Halloween.
29. Byzantium. The heirs and succesors of the Roman Empire, although pretty much the entire Western civilization is heir and succesor of the Roman culture. Byzantium managed to outlive Rome for around a thousand years.
30. Ethiope. The first Christian kingdom, and they remained independent during the European imperialism in Africa.
31. Carthage. They rivalized Rome during its rise.
32. Indonesia. Historically a diverse country and a trade power, and one of the largest and most populated countries in the world.
33. Aztecs. Although I am a proud Mexican, I think they deserve to be way lower than the Mayans in the list. They were one of many Mesoamerican empires, and even though they were larger and like them they had their religious, cultural and architectural wonders, they are in the game mainly for two reasons: first, because they are the best-known Mesoamerican tribe, and second, because they were the dominant empire when the Spaniards arrived. (I predict that putting the Aztecs so low in the list is going to be my most controversial decision here)
34. Polynesia. We do not hear about them in history books very often, although everynody has heard about Hawaii, New Zealand and Rapa Nui.
35. Morocco. An unexpected choice for a civ, although in its history Morocco has had cultural and economic ties with the Western world.
36. Poland. Not much can I say about Poland, besides them being a key player in the fall of Communism, a bunch of famous people coming from there (John Paul II, Frederick Chopin, Marie Curie)
37. Siam. Not very important to the international theatre. Awesome architecture and a lot of history though. If the Khmer and Vietnamese were in this game, they would have a tie with Siam.
38. Venice. I do not deny the economic world power they were during the Middle Ages and up to the Napoleonic era, but an Italian civ could be a better representative.
39. Songhai. One of many important economic powers in Westen Africa, along Ghana, and Mali, but they were a short-lived empire, and it would be some places above if all those three were represented by one civilization, like Mandinka.
40. Zulu. Although the most recurrent representatives of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Civilization series and one of the most important tribes in South Africa, somebody said Venice is more worthy of inclusion than them, and it is because the
41. Iroquois. There are MANY City-States that if promoted to a civilization in an expansion, they would be in a higher place than the Iroquois. They are a good precursor of modern republics though.
42. Shoshone. Although an interesting civ to play with, they are there because they could not get the Pueblo in.
43. Huns. They were not a civilization, and everybody knows they are there because of their role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
