What is the first history map they show you when you are in school? Most likely all of us has been shown this map: four cradles of civilization.
View attachment 715503
Now, of course, in reality, the iconic number is six, but is a talk for another day:
View attachment 715504
Today I want to make a case for a very minor request. Our mod is called Dawn of Civilization, so it always bothered me that 3000 BC start would only feature the first three civs from the first map. I understand that, it has to do with the dates for the Xia dynasty. Even the dates found in traditional Chinese historiography on mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are always after 3000 BC (circa 2800ish BC) . But honestly, when the 3000 BC dawned there were some settled communities in all 4 agricultural cradles. It simply looks nice when you see that game starts with those 4 iconic civs, and the rest of the world follows. I simply suggest pushing Minoans to 2650 BC and pre-Xia to 3000 BC, just to make a point. When Chinese talk about 5000 years of written history -- they have a point.
Establishing an absolute chronology has proved difficult for Minoans anyway, since different methodologies provide different results. But generally we have EM I period (c. 3100-2650 BC), which is marked by the appearance of the first painted ceramics. Continuing a trend that began during the Neolithic, settlements grew in size and complexity, and spread from fertile plains towards highland sites and islands as the Minoans learned to exploit less hospitable terrain. This was followed by EM II (c. 2650-2200 BC), which has been termed an international era. Trade intensified and Minoan ships began sailing beyond the Aegean to Egypt and Syria, possibly enabled by the invention of masted ships. Minoan material culture shows increased international influence, for instance in the adoption of Minoan seals based on the older Near Eastern seal. Minoan settlements grew, some doubling in size, and monumental buildings were constructed at sites that would later become palaces. It is not a huge stretch to imagine that Minoans in gave correspond to EM II era.
Game- vise, Minoan and Xia UHVs will not be hugely affected by this largely cosmetic change, proposed just to pay homage to the iconic first cradles map!