New civilization idea: Assyria

[halfhalfharp]

Let's get Assyria return to CIVILIZATION.
Depicted as cruel butchers in the bible and many Mesopotamian records, ancient Assyrian empire was decadent from more ancient Akkadian influence and a military nation. Having the earliest records of using siege towers, they were rightfully feared in the whole Mesopotamia. We had angry and grumpy Ashurbanipal in CIV V. I will suggest, lets have a female leader this time?

Civilization Ability: Lion's lair
Capturing a city relocates the citizens into Assyrian cities, giving +1 population for all Assyrian cities. No war penalty for razing city, and razing cities causes a 10 turn -5 combat strength to all enemy units within 6 tiles of the city.

(Note that, the number of population bonus cannot exceed the population of the captured city. If it is the case, the +1 population will be applied to cities with higher population first. Recapturing a city applies the effect again. Assyrians were famed for their slaving taking and burning down of cities they captured so they absorbed many captives and future rebels into the empire over the course of conquests.)

Unique building: Royal library
Replaces library, contains one great work slot for anything. If it contains a foreign great work from other civilization, the culture in this slot is doubled. When the civic humanity is researched, the tourism it offers is doubled.

Unique Unit: Assyrian Siege tower
Replaces siege tower, +10 strength against cities to combat units it supports and another +5 strength when adjacent to another Assyrian siege tower.

Leader: Semiramis (or Shammuramat)

(The dressing and the background buildings are not historically accurate, I supposed, but the Iraq beauty with curly black hair should be a good depiction to ancient assyrians.)

Leader history: Legendary figure in history, being exaggerated by Greek and later era writers in myths. In reality, Shammuramat was a 3 year queen regent to the Neo-Assyria empire. The proof of her historical reign is still a mystery but her role in legends echoed for thousands of years. Thanks to Alexander Hislop's not so accurate accusation in The Two Babylons, she became famous as being entitled as the "goddesses and polytheism creator". Standing between twisting truth and tales, Semiramis remains fascinating as the debates surrounding her go on and on.

Leader ability: Queen of legends
When Semiramis captures a city with ancient or classical wonders, the tourism generated from these wonders increases by 1.5 times and doubled after modern era. Also, when she is at war, she gain an eureka in researching all technologies that unlock new units.

(Note: This is based on the fact that many ancient wonders and buildings in the Mesopotamia were credited to Semiramis's reign, although actually most of them are unrelated to her. The science boost is based on her innovations in battlefields. According to Diodorus's account, she once made false army of elephants to fool her enemies. There were also many different legends telling of her talent in innovation of war tactics.)

Agenda: Desire Driven
She likes civs with a active direct trade with her and dislike those who don't.

Note: this is based on the Iranian tales of Semiramis and Ara the beauty. In the tale, she was attracted by Ara the beauty, a young king with pretty face. After being turned down, her desire to win over this man even drove her into raging wars against his kingdom, and eventually, killing her loved Ara.

Favorable victory type: An early domination victory, or a later cultural victory. Scientific path is reasonable but needs well planning and timing.

Weakness: Lack of religious bonus, and almost nothing special when she cannot rage wars. The never-in-peace creed gives her high warmonger penalty in AI games. Also, she has no strength in combat out of siege so civs with early strong units can counter her well.

Leader lines: (in Aramaic or Akkadian, the f ormal court language of Assyria)

Introduction: Behold, before you is Shammuramat, daughter of Ataratheth and vessel of Ashur. Do you come to bend the knee? No? Oh, Things are getting interesting.

Notes: In legends, Semiramis was the daughter of the fish goddess Ataratheth/Derketo with a human man. Ahsur was the supreme god of Assyrian religion, giving the monarch divine right to rule.

Agenda approval: My desires are endless like great Apzu ... that is what defines me as a ruler.

Agenda disapproval: You know, I will get what I desire, even if that takes me slaughter all the way to your throne!!

Declare war: You didn't please me. This is the sole reason enough for Ashur to erase your tiny existence from your pathetic lands.

War declared: Ahah, war? Do you not know, out of all my pleasures, this is the most enjoyable one?

Defeated: I lived a life of conquering and taking...but being... conquered? Seems like you are finally giving me something new.

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Also a new wonder to fit the Assyrians:

Nineveh Library:
Comes with recorded history tech. It provides double culture from each great work or relics in the civilization and the bonus culture will be added to tourism when the humanity civic is researched.

It goes well with all culture centered civs with lots of great work and relics like Brazil and Khmer.

 

[Zatsukino]

Thanks for sharing this !

I absolutely love the way you portrayed Assyria with Semiramis as a leader, it's really wonderful, I was thinking about some middle-eastern famous queens besides Cleopatra, and Semiramis is one of the queens I want to see so bad in Rise and Fall.

She's probably the most eligible one to get picked for the game, along with Zenobia.

Great Work !

 

[halfhalfharp]

Thanks for sharing this !

I absolutely love the way you portrayed Assyria with Semiramis as a leader, it's really wonderful, I was thinking about some middle-eastern famous queens besides Cleopatra, and Semiramis is one of the queens I want to see so bad in Rise and Fall.

She's probably the most eligible one to get picked for the game, along with Zenobia.

Great Work !

Thx for your appreciation ^v^ !!!

I am thinking about Zenobia too. She is a certainly fascination queen in middle east history.

But I encounter a problem--it is hard to place her into a well defined civilization. She ruled Palmyra, literally a division of roman empire, so Palmyrene cannot stand alone as a civilization. Still Palmyrene empire was surely culturally different from Romans. With she ruling roman cant be right. But to what culture should it belong?

Geographically saying Palmyra is in Syria. But Syrian civilization can't be the right thing.

Historically it was a land mixing Cannanite, Semitic, Akkadian, Jewish cultures. I must say that I have little knowledge in this region's history. Maybe you can help me out?

 

[Zatsukino]

Thx for your appreciation ^v^ !!!

I am thinking about Zenobia too. She is a certainly fascination queen in middle east history.

But I encounter a problem--it is hard to place her into a well defined civilization. She ruled Palmyra, literally a division of roman empire, so Palmyrene cannot stand alone as a civilization. Still Palmyrene empire was surely culturally different from Romans. With she ruling roman cant be right. But to what culture should it belong?

Geographically saying Palmyra is in Syria. But Syrian civilization can't be the right thing.

Historically it was a land mixing Cannanite, Semitic, Akkadian, Jewish cultures. I must say that I have little knowledge in this region's history. Maybe you can help me out?

The Palmyrene civilization has a well defined identity, it was called the pearl of the desert, a giant oasis that prospered and flourished trough centuries, its sure has the roman/hellenisitc styled architecture but mixed with some Akkadian, Phoenician and Cannanite architecture also. The language they spoke was diverse, from Greek, Latin and Aramaic to arabic. The palmyrenians were pagans, they worshiped several semitic gods and goddesses but they were tolerant to other religions.

Zenobia was a cultured monarch and fostered an intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. She was tolerant toward her subjects, and protected religious minorities. The queen maintained a stable administration which governed a multicultural, multi ethnic empire. she died after 274, and many tales have been recorded about her fate. Her rise and fall have inspired historians, artists and novelists, and she is today a national hero in Syria.
She was the ruler of the eastern province of Rome, she led Syria, Egypt, Jordan and a part of Iraq, I don't think it can be much similar with the Romans, since we got Macedonia and Greece at the same time.

One wonder I can think of to describe this wonderful civilization is, of course, The Baal Temple ! She fits perfectly the Rise and Fall patch.

 

[Perseus Gold]

That artwork is terrible, people of the Levant and Anatolia were ethnically European prior to the 7th century CE. Stop getting your image of history from hollywood.

 

[liv]

That artwork is terrible, people of the Levant and Anatolia were ethnically European prior to the 7th century CE. Stop getting your image of history from hollywood.

It is a German artist.

 

[halfhalfharp]

That artwork is terrible, people of the Levant and Anatolia were ethnically European prior to the 7th century CE. Stop getting your image of history from hollywood.

I cant see the validity of your arguement.

How to define "European"? There is no "european" ethically. Do you mean "Caucasian", which includes the "european" and "semitic"(middle-east people)?

I dunno how people of the Levant look in your opinion, but the Assyrians painted themselves like this.

So I think that apprearance of an Iranian female with black hair is a better choice than a blonde Semiramis?

 

[halfhalfharp]

The Palmyrene civilization has a well defined identity, it was called the pearl of the desert, a giant oasis that prospered and flourished trough centuries, its sure has the roman/hellenisitc styled architecture but mixed with some Akkadian, Phoenician and Cannanite architecture also. The language they spoke was diverse, from Greek, Latin and Aramaic to arabic. The palmyrenians were pagans, they worshiped several semitic gods and goddesses but they were tolerant to other religions.

Zenobia was a cultured monarch and fostered an intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. She was tolerant toward her subjects, and protected religious minorities. The queen maintained a stable administration which governed a multicultural, multi ethnic empire. she died after 274, and many tales have been recorded about her fate. Her rise and fall have inspired historians, artists and novelists, and she is today a national hero in Syria.
She was the ruler of the eastern province of Rome, she led Syria, Egypt, Jordan and a part of Iraq, I don't think it can be much similar with the Romans, since we got Macedonia and Greece at the same time.

One wonder I can think of to describe this wonderful civilization is, of course, The Baal Temple ! She fits perfectly the Rise and Fall patch.

It appears that I really need more studies. Talking of the Palmyrene empire I always have the impression that it was a short-lived empire divided from the roman empire. But actually the Palmyrene had a long history before being the roman province.

And.. yeah, look at Greece and Macedonia, who care so much about the details. (I really don't think Macedonia had a very unique culture, but anyway)

Thanks for pointing all these out.