Strange Tech Glitch?

[The_Yellow_Dart]

I was playing as the Persians on Regent and got a pretty bad spot on the map. A little island surrounded by ocean and only big enough for 3-4 cities without crowding. There are no resources except horses and no luxeries. But I decided to play anyways.

I had just gotten into the second technology tree around 1625ish AD I believe when I spotted an Inca ship just off my island. Most of the other civs were anywhere from half-way through the second tree to the begining of the third tree. I didn't trade anything with the Inca but the next turn the russians traded me my territory map for my own map and 25 gold.

Now this is where the bug or whatever it was happened. A message popped up saying my Alchemist's have discovered monarchy. It wasn't the first time something like this has happened. Other games I played I would sometimes get older techs for whatever reason. When I clicked ok it said something along the lines of the Inca and Russian's teaching me engneering. Then it popped up with the tech selector and the then when I selected a tech it said I learned it. Then without selecting another tech it said I learned yet another tech. And to keep it short, it switched between the russians and inca teaching me something it says, to me learning it for no apparent reason. It did this all the way to the begining of the third area. I learned all the techs of the second area except democracy and free artistry. I also knew the initial three techs of the third tree.

My question is, has this happened to anyone else? And can anyone explain it?

 

[jguy100]

Did you build the great library? This wonder gives you free technologies that two other civilizations that you know have.

 

[The_Yellow_Dart]

Yea, as a matter of a fact, I did. I built it at a time when I hadn't had any contact with any civs. So the library gives you a free tech if any two civs know that tech? I was always under the impression that you gained two techs if a civ knew them and you didn't.

 

[jguy100]

You gain technology if you know two or more civilizations that own the technology. But once you learn Education, the GL's free advancements stop.

 

[DBear]

The Great Lib gives you tech that any 2 civs you have contact with learned, up to Education.

The Great Lib is your friend when you're stuck on a lonely island.

 

[Renata]

You lucked out. As others have said, the purpose of the Great Library is to give you any tech that is known by at least two other civs you have contact with, *up to the point where you learn education*, at which time the Great Library becomes obsolete.

However.

The game doesn't actually *check* whether or not the Great Library should be obsolete (i.e. whether or not you know Education) until after the end of the turn. So it is possible to gain techs long past education in circumstances like yours, where you are isolated yet build the great library.

Renata