Silk Road Civ Hint?

[MAHRana]

A new silk road civ seems like a likely choice, i found this in the civilopedia that might be worth mentioning—

Standing among the oldest cities in the world, Yerevan, the present-day capital of Armenia, traces its founding to the construction of the Erebuni fortress in 782 BC by King Argishti I of Urartu. Since that time, Yerevan has fallen under the rule of a number of powerful empires, having been conquered during the Arab invasions of the 7th century AD. It was during this period that Yerevan became an important stopover along the caravan routes connecting Europe to Asia. In the present-day, Yerevan is known for the many industries based in the city, which account for more than 50% of Armenia's total industrial output. Industries producing heavy machinery, chemicals, raw materials, and textiles, have all contributed to the city's growing economy. Yerevan also plays an important role in Armenia's reputation for producing high quality alcohol, as a number of manufacturers are based within the city.

Armenia/Urartu plausible? Or is Portugal enough for a new trade route civ?

 

[j51]

I think it depends on which militaristic city state was replaced by Sofia. If it's Almaty, then definitely, but it could also be Hanoi, or even Budapest or Belgrade, although I don't think we need more central European civs.

edit: I meant a silk-road civ (Khazars, Kushans, Timurids, etc.) not Armenia.

 

[Gucumatz]

...

That's no hint. Simply the civilopedia entry for a city state. And while Armenia is 'possible', so is any civ not in yet either. I frankly don't see Armenia getting in, sorry. Yerevan was a huge city sure and once a rival of many of the larger cities west of it, but as far as civs go I don't think its considered as much a Silk Road civ as many of the other civs out there

 

[nunor]

How is that a hint on the inclusion of a new civ more than any other city-state description in Civilopedia?

 

[jacer21]

I think this is a sign we need more information to talk about.

 

[Depravo]

I don't particularly associate Armenia with the Silk Road anyway, the main trade passed to the south of it.

 

[IkM]

I don't particularly associate Armenia with the Silk Road anyway, the main trade passed to the south of it.

+1

Silk Road (red) and spice trade routes (blue)

Spoiler :

 

[MAHRana]

Didn't the silk road have a Eurasian route running through Khazaria as well?

 

[IkM]

I posted early main road.

you should also look at this

Spoiler :

 

[cybrxkhan]

It's just a description... frankly if that were the case we could argue any CS was hinted in the civilopedia, from the worthy like Budapest to the unworthy like Singapore or Hong Kong.

I don't particularly associate Armenia with the Silk Road anyway, the main trade passed to the south of it.

Same here.

While I'm not questioning whether Armenia's an interesting or worthy civ, it's not associated with the Silk Road in the minds of most people. Silk Road conjures romantic and exotic images of far-off deserts, large trading hubs in Central Asia, steppes and nomads, and so on. Armenia doesn't really bring that up - and frankly for much of the history of the Silk Road Armenia wasn't even one of the most important places of trade there, even if it was part of the Silk Road.

The Almaty-having civ is a much likelier candidate overall for the Silk Road. A Silk ROad civ would most likely be one that is located geographically between Persia and China, because that's where most people associate the Silk ROad with anyways (and maybe the Khazars or some other group in southern Russia if the devs feel like it).

 

[MAHRana]

Hmm, so the options are limited for a silk road civ; a Khorasan conglomeration isn't really suitable either.

 

[Colmar]

I'm not completely sure if that first picture is spice vs. silk, rather than land vs. water on the silk road.

I think Yerevan's classification as a religious city state is enough to tell you that the developers don't see it as playing a significant role in the history of trade. I usually think of Samarqand when the Silk Road comes to mind, and i wouldn't mind seeing a Central Asian civ make it in Civ without representing the more brutish side of that area.

 

[Absolution]

I don't think that it's going to be a Middle Eastern civ like Armenia or Urartu.
There are too many civilizations covering those areas.

I would love to see the Kushans/Gokturks/Xiongnu and such.
But they are not trade based civilizations. At least not the Gokturks..
Maybe Tibet?

 

[Dragonflow]

The Timurids or some civ lead by Tamerlane are a likely candidate for a Silk-Road civ, mainly because Timur is relatively famous.

 

[Bandersnatching]

I don't think that it's going to be a Middle Eastern civ like Armenia or Urartu.
There are too many civilizations covering those areas.

I would love to see the Kushans/Gokturks/Xiongnu and such.
But they are not trade based civilizations. At least not the Gokturks..
Maybe Tibet?

Was Tibet ever known for being a major trading civilization? I always thought of it as deeply religious, and before that a contender for Empire with China.
And, of course, Lhasa is a religious City-State in G&K. But that isn't really an indication that the developers aren't going to add Tibet as a civ in and of itself.

I do think that Civ5 deserves a Silk Road civilization, especially in an expansion based around trade. And the Middle East region could definitely also do with some of its more positive attributes (commerce, justice, tolerance in empires long gone) being brought to light.

 

[Hakan-i Cihan]

I don't think that it's going to be a Middle Eastern civ like Armenia or Urartu.
There are too many civilizations covering those areas.

I would love to see the Kushans/Gokturks/Xiongnu and such.
But they are not trade based civilizations. At least not the Gokturks..
Maybe Tibet?

Well if you look at wikipedia for silk road, you see that the Gokturks and thereafter the Uyghurs definitly have made use of the silk road by protecting the merchants. This makes them at least at some extent a trade based civ. But I would agree if you said there are better choices as a trade based civ along the silk road.

 

[Depravo]

The Timurids strike me as a flash in the pan unless we take them to include the Mughals.

Already mentioned by others in this thread have been the Uighur, Gokturks and Kushan any of which would be great - as of course would Tibet but as above you think of religion rather than trade when you think of them.

 

[cybrxkhan]

I think of the nomadic groups, either the Uighurs or the Kushans would make the best in terms of focusing on matters other than the military. While both groups came to power because of their military (but many of the civs in game came to power because of their military anyways), they also contributed much to the commercial, cultural, and religious exchanges that define the Silk Road. The Kushans, for instance, played an important role in the development of Buddhist doctrine and art - so much that, if I rmember correctly, one of the better-known Kushan rulers was called a "second Ashoka". The Uighurs likewise were one of the few empires to adopt Manichaeism as a state religion (for those who don't know, Manichaeism is the only extinct world religion that was once spread all the way from Britain to China, where it died out (maybe) in the 16th or 17th centuries).

A Sogdian or Parthian Civilization would be interesting, though I'm not sure how the Sogdians would work out due to the fact that there was never really mcuh of a unified Sogdian state. Still, during the Silk Road's heyday, the Sogdians and Parthians were one of the most successful in terms of their large merchant networks - in fact, during late antiquity and the early medieval era, Chinese sources tended to stereotype the "Persians" as being wealthy precisely because many of the foreign merchants operating in China were of Sogdian or Parthian origin (the Sogdians and Parthians are groups related to the "main" Persians who dwell in modern-day Iran). Many of the Buddhist scholars and monks/missionaries who brought Buddhism to Central Asia and China, and who translated Buddhist texts into various languages including Chinese, were of Sogdian or Parthian origin. Though Buddhism isn't the world's biggest religion, it has had a significant impact on the cultural and social history of east Asia, so the Sogdians and Parthians, in my opinion, would definitely be deserving - though we all know that a civ doesn't get in the game because it's deserving, unfortunately.

But any good Silk Road group will do.

 

[IkM]

if there will be a trade civ it must be Khazars. they were more unique than most of other Silk Road civs. they were Turkic but Jewish (there isn't any Jewish faction in game) and they were real trademasters. I think they won't add Parthians because there is Persian civ. and Sogdians weren't actually a state. Uyghurs and Göktürks would be good choice too.

 

[turingmachine]

I really don't get where this sudden Armenia love is coming from. I'm sorry, even if they add a Silk Road civ, it probably wouldn't be Armenia. Actually, the only two Silk Road civs that I feel have any real general name recognition would be the Timurids or the Khazars.