The realities in Civilization and the flow of knowledge in the ancient world.

[Apollo]

In the Civilization games exploration is a key part. This allows you to find places to expand into, locate key resources (Civ 3), contact other Civs, see how well your opponents are doing, and to settle your own curiosity over what the world looks like. One of the quickest ways to do this was to trade maps with other civs.

Trading with other civs is very important, especially on the harder levels and with the additions to Civ 3. Not only is trading maps important, but trading for contact with other civs is too so that you can benefit from trade with them.

In the real ancient world there was widespread trade amongst commodities to use such as spices, foods, and raw materials. There was also a constant spread of new technologies along with the movement of people. These are both represented in Civ by the trading of technologies and resources between two civs.

There are several things here that I am curious about. Was the trading of technologies and resources (this means luxuries such as perfumes and spices as well as natural resources) done by the leaders of the different civilizations, or was it predominantly carried out by the common people? Also, did the trading of maps and contacts with other civs occur at all?

I know more about ancient history than most people (which doesn't apply on a site like this) but it is primarily limited to the Mediterranean groups. The general feeling that I get is that the Mediterranean world knew very little if anything at all about the Far East, although if you apply the Civilization idea they should have been able to gain contact by going through the groups in between. Most maps from Ancient Greece stop at the Indus River. example If they had contact with the Persians, who had contact with the peoples on their eastern borders, who had contact with the groups to their east, then shouldn't there have been a flow of information back and forth through this chain? Even after the conquests of Alexander the Great which spread eastward to present day Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have heard of little that would show a flow of information between the Hellenistic world and the Far East. Did this exist and I just haven't heard about it? or was there something blocking it?

 

[Richard III]

Well, it depends. Some secrets were kept: Greek Fire, or Iron weapons, for example. Some were not adapted until taught. Most navigational techniques were closely guarded secrets until the early 1800s.

But, obviously, techs like "Monotheism" were spread by common folks. You have to bear with it a little.

R.III

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by Apollo
If they had contact with the Persians, who had contact with the peoples on their eastern borders, who had contact with the groups to their east, then shouldn't there have been a flow of information back and forth through this chain? Even after the conquests of Alexander the Great which spread eastward to present day Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have heard of little that would show a flow of information between the Hellenistic world and the Far East. Did this exist and I just haven't heard about it? or was there something blocking it?

Well, in this case, I do know the Persians kept the secret to themselves in order to monopolize their role as the middlemen betw China and the Mediterranean (and prospered fr it). The Persians were meticulous to keep the knowledge of one side out of the hands of the other, spreading misinformation in some cases. General Pan Ch'ao, the Han Chinese commander of the west (i.e. Central Asia) at one time sent an emmisary, Kan Ying, to seek out the mysterious Ta T'sin (probably Rome) in the far west. Midway, he turned back cause the locals (i.e. Persians) told him how dangerous it was to continue on, how very far away and so on. Kan Ying did reach the shores of some distant sea though before returning to the east. Probably the Persian Gulf. A great missed opportunity of history.

Also the Greek kingdoms in Bactria survived up till a few decades before Han Chinese units arrived in the area in force. Another missed opportunity. The Chinese did found the local art sculpture form (Greek) interesting enough to bring back home, where it was an influence on the local sculpturing scene I think. At least pretty prevalent along the Silk Road.

Also there're records in the Han empire to indicate a Roman legionary company might have ended up serving the Han. Apparently these were captured in the border region in Central Asia fr the Parthians and they remained in China to serve as a border garrison. Seemed they were some of the Roman legionaries captured at Carrhae where the Parthians routed the Roman army of Crassus and sent to the eastern border (the one with China). Or something like that.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Here's an interesting bit on what the Chinese recorded of the West before the modern era. I tried to upload but there's some kind of error.

Edit : - The txt was published in the late 19th century; so it's probably outdated. Just an interesting reading material.