8housesofelixir
Emperor
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Gokturks were a Turkic subgroup that established a series of powerful nomadic khanates from 552 to 744, including the Turkic Khanate, Western and Eastern Turkic Khanate, and the Second Turkic Khaganate.
The Turkic Khanates were the first continent-spanning nomadic confederation in Inner Asia since the Xiongnu Confederation, and they deeply intertwined with its powerful neighbors, such as the Tang, Byzantines, Sasanian Persians, and the Arab Caliphates. The Turks fought major wars against the Tang, allied with the Byzantines, forced the Persians to construct great walls, and gradually became the Mamluk soldiers within the Abbasid caliphate. Other important semi-nomadic powers, such as the Khazars, the Bulgars, and the Maygars, were once subordinates of the Khanates.
The early Turks not only occupied a crucial position in world history, they were also the first major nomadic power to leave their own language and literature to us, in the form of Old Turkic inscriptions in the Orkhon Valley as well as some texts stored in Dunhuang Caves. This means we have plenty of information to draw from.
Name - Gokturk
Historically, the early Turks were just called Türks (or Türük, Türkit, Tujue, etc.) To differentiate them from the later Turkic peoples and polities, I use the name "Göktürk," which historically referred to the early Turkic groups under the Ashina/Ashinas clan.
Period - Ancient Age
This is a tricky decision, since the Turkic Khanate belongs to the medieval period, while Civ 7 doesn't have a medieval period. I suggest having the Turks in the Ancient Age, primarily because they were, in many ways, the predecessors of the Mongols, especially their way of establishing a nomadic empire. Gokturks-Mongols would be a satisfactory progression. It could also fulfill the position of an Ancient Age nomadic civ with interesting gameplay aspects, rather than the typical "Huns or Scythians whose culture and language we don't really know and without a proper city list besides archeological sites."
UA - the Ashinas Tribe
The clan and tribe that established the first Turkic confederation. "Ashinas" is the recently established rendering of their name in academia based on Sogdian texts; conventionally, they are called "Ashina."
Old Turkic word meaning "lance" and "campaign."
Old Turkic word meaning "arrow" and "tribe."
A line from the Orkhon Inscriptions, meaning "making the few people numerous," refers to the expansion of the nomadic confederation.
The winter camps of the Turkic nomads. Sometimes, these camps will develop into stationary settlements and even cities for living through the winter, shifting from a purely nomadic lifestyle to a semi-nomadic one.
Old Turkic word meaning "leader," usually a title for elite soldiers or minor commanders.
A title for Turkic tribal leaders, usually ranked only below the Khan.
A complex that houses the two Orkhon stelae in memory of Kul Tigin and Bilge Khan. It is fully excavated, and both stelae are on public display today.
The sacred homeland of the Turkic people, located somewhere in today's Orkhon Valley, probably not far from the Orkhon Memorial.
Other Turkic city names can be found in Mahmud al-Kashgari's Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first dictionary of the Turkic language that also recorded many place names. As indicated above, the early Turks sometimes established (or chose) stationary settlements for wintering, thus making a proper city list possible. Besides the capital region of Otuken, other Turkic cities include Yangikent, Jend, Barchinkent, Syganak, and Karakum ("Black Sand" or 黑沙 in the Chinese sources, the capital of the Eastern Turkic Khanate), etc.
Overall, I tried to design a proper 1st Age nomadic power with interesting game-wise abilities that can also offer a glimpse into their culture. Civ 7 is still a very "urban" centered game, and it is not easy to reflect the historical farmland vs. pastures dynamic between the agricultural states and the steppe people using the current in-game mechanics, so I resorted to emphasizing the gift economy and the heterogeneous coalition aspects of the early nomadic empires. Hopefully, a later major DLC can expand on the farmland vs. pasture aspect and make an accurate nomadic gameplay variable.
The Turkic Khanates were the first continent-spanning nomadic confederation in Inner Asia since the Xiongnu Confederation, and they deeply intertwined with its powerful neighbors, such as the Tang, Byzantines, Sasanian Persians, and the Arab Caliphates. The Turks fought major wars against the Tang, allied with the Byzantines, forced the Persians to construct great walls, and gradually became the Mamluk soldiers within the Abbasid caliphate. Other important semi-nomadic powers, such as the Khazars, the Bulgars, and the Maygars, were once subordinates of the Khanates.
The early Turks not only occupied a crucial position in world history, they were also the first major nomadic power to leave their own language and literature to us, in the form of Old Turkic inscriptions in the Orkhon Valley as well as some texts stored in Dunhuang Caves. This means we have plenty of information to draw from.
Name - Gokturk
Historically, the early Turks were just called Türks (or Türük, Türkit, Tujue, etc.) To differentiate them from the later Turkic peoples and polities, I use the name "Göktürk," which historically referred to the early Turkic groups under the Ashina/Ashinas clan.
Period - Ancient Age
This is a tricky decision, since the Turkic Khanate belongs to the medieval period, while Civ 7 doesn't have a medieval period. I suggest having the Turks in the Ancient Age, primarily because they were, in many ways, the predecessors of the Mongols, especially their way of establishing a nomadic empire. Gokturks-Mongols would be a satisfactory progression. It could also fulfill the position of an Ancient Age nomadic civ with interesting gameplay aspects, rather than the typical "Huns or Scythians whose culture and language we don't really know and without a proper city list besides archeological sites."
UA - the Ashinas Tribe
The clan and tribe that established the first Turkic confederation. "Ashinas" is the recently established rendering of their name in academia based on Sogdian texts; conventionally, they are called "Ashina."
- Receive an extra copy of a Resource when using a Pasture to improve a Resource.
- Reflects the nomadic economy of herding horses and sheep en masse.
Old Turkic word meaning "lance" and "campaign."
- Increase Combat Strength on cavalry units.
- Reflects the steppe cavalry traditions.
Old Turkic word meaning "arrow" and "tribe."
- Increase War Support per assigned Resource.
- Reflects the political significance of the nomadic gift economy and how it contributes to the internal cohesion of the nomadic empires. In a way similar to the Civ 6 Montezuma.
A line from the Orkhon Inscriptions, meaning "making the few people numerous," refers to the expansion of the nomadic confederation.
- Defeating IP units will increase the relationship with the IP.
- Reflects the nomadic practice of coalition-building by force, or "since I defeated you, we are now buddies." Offers a new way of assimilating IPs besides Influence spending.
The winter camps of the Turkic nomads. Sometimes, these camps will develop into stationary settlements and even cities for living through the winter, shifting from a purely nomadic lifestyle to a semi-nomadic one.
- Happiness base. Adds Food per adjacent non-urban tiles, and adds Gold per adjacent urban tiles.
Old Turkic word meaning "leader," usually a title for elite soldiers or minor commanders.
- Unique Military Unit. Cavalry unit with ranged attacks. Can move after attack.
A title for Turkic tribal leaders, usually ranked only below the Khan.
- Unique Commander. Increased Movement. When stationed in a settlement, adds Happiness to the settlement.
A complex that houses the two Orkhon stelae in memory of Kul Tigin and Bilge Khan. It is fully excavated, and both stelae are on public display today.
- Add Trade Route capacity. Gain Influence on Resources assigned to this city.
- Reflects how the complex was built from resources traded from various foreign nations, which worked as a display of royal power.
The sacred homeland of the Turkic people, located somewhere in today's Orkhon Valley, probably not far from the Orkhon Memorial.
Other Turkic city names can be found in Mahmud al-Kashgari's Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first dictionary of the Turkic language that also recorded many place names. As indicated above, the early Turks sometimes established (or chose) stationary settlements for wintering, thus making a proper city list possible. Besides the capital region of Otuken, other Turkic cities include Yangikent, Jend, Barchinkent, Syganak, and Karakum ("Black Sand" or 黑沙 in the Chinese sources, the capital of the Eastern Turkic Khanate), etc.
Overall, I tried to design a proper 1st Age nomadic power with interesting game-wise abilities that can also offer a glimpse into their culture. Civ 7 is still a very "urban" centered game, and it is not easy to reflect the historical farmland vs. pastures dynamic between the agricultural states and the steppe people using the current in-game mechanics, so I resorted to emphasizing the gift economy and the heterogeneous coalition aspects of the early nomadic empires. Hopefully, a later major DLC can expand on the farmland vs. pasture aspect and make an accurate nomadic gameplay variable.
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