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Hellenisans

Units Description

Spearmen, Arab javelineers, and militia cavalry are trained in both Town Center and Barracks; other citizen units are trained in the Barracks, mercenaries except the Dahae horse archer in the Military Colony.

INFANTRY

Melee Class: Citizen Infantry Spearman.

    • Ranged Class: Skirmisher.
    • Melee Armament: Spear or "Dory."
    • Ranged Armament: Javelin.
    • Appearance: All levels carry the famous "thureos" celtic-style oval shield, although the center boss is an oval shape, rather than butterfly as in Celtic examples.
      • Basic: Pilos helmet. Basic tunic. Sandals. Decorative sheathed xiphos.
      • Advanced: Non-plumed Thracian-style Hellenistic helmets. Tunic with white stripe down the center. Brown boots. Decorative sheathed xiphos.
      • Elite: Plumed and crested Thracian-style Hellenistic helmets. Tunic with white stripe down the center. White boots. Decorative sheathed xiphos.
    • History: The cities at the heart of the Seleucid realm, Syria, fielded their own citizen militia infantry, usually armed as thureophoroi, or medium infantry. In 148 BC at the Battle of Azotos against the Jewish Maccabees, the Seleucid army was called the 'Power of the Cities', due to the high proportion of citizen militia mobilized from the coastal cities of Syria. The thureophoroi (singular: thureophoros) was a type of infantry soldier, common in the 3rd to 1st century BCE, who carried a large oval shield called a thureos which had a type of metal strip boss and a central spine. They were armed with a long thrusting spear, javelins and a sword. They also usually wore an iron or bronze Macedonian helmet. The thureos was probably originally an adapted form of a Celtic shield. Thracian and Illyrian infantry probably adopted the shield before the Greeks. However it has been suggested that the thureos was brought to Greece after Pyrrhus of Epirus' campaigns in Italy, as his Oscan allies and Roman enemies used the scutum. Thureophoroi were a 3rd century development on the Peltast and wore no body armor, but did wear sturdy leather boots for quick movement. Thureophoroi could skirmish, as well as fight in a phalanx when necessary. They were often stationed on the flanks of the traditional pike phalanx as a flexible link between the heavier pikemen and the cavalry wings.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Good vs. Cavalry when using spear. Good vs. spearmen and elephants when using javelins.
    • Special:
      • "Militia": Trained only at the Town Center and nowhere else.
      • "Thureophoros": Uses javelins at range, spear for melee.

 

Class: Citizen Pikeman.

    • Hacker Armament: Long Macedonian pike, the "sarissa".
    • Appearance:
      • Basic: "Chalkaspides" Bronze Shield pikeman.
      • Advanced: "Chalkaspides" Bronze Shield pikeman.
      • Elite: "Chrysaspides" Gold Shield pikeman.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Slow. Cavalry killer. Individually very vulnerable to ranged units and swordsmen when not in Syntagma formation.
    • Special:
      • "Syntagma" Formation.

 

Class: Citizen Infantry Skirmisher.

    • Hacker Armament: Javelins. Decorative curved sword.
    • History: Arabic mercenaries were recruited in vast numbers by the Syrian kings. At the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC, the army of Antiochus III had within it a contingent of 10,000 Arab troops. These men acted as a screen for the Seleucid war elephants and were ferocious fighters, but were of dubious reliability and effectiveness.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Counters spearmen and elephants. Countered by cavalry swordsmen and slingers.
    • Special:
      • "Mercenary"
      • "Impetuous"

Class: Mercenary Infantry Swordsman.

    • Hacker Armament: Long Thracian swords and rhomphaia..
    • History: Thracian tribesmen who wield the fiercesome rhomphaia polearm weapon in combat. They were ubiquitous mercenary swordsmen throughout Hellenistic times, sometimes even serving in two opposing armies.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Spearman and Elephant killer.
    • Special:
      • "Kleuros": Trained at the Military Colony.
      • "Impetuous"

 

Class: Mercenary Infantry Archer.

    • Ranged Armament: Bow.
    • History: Syrian archers mix the archery traditions of Crete with those of the East. Large numbers of Cretan colonists and mercenaries were settled within the borders of the Seleucid Empire. In return for lands, the colonists pledged themselves and their offspring to serve in the armies of the Seleucid king when called by him.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Special:
      • "Kleuros": Trained at the Military Colony.

CAVALRY

Class: Citizen Cavalry Skirmisher.

    • Ranged Armament: Javelins. Clutch of Javelins in his left hand.
    • Appearance:
      • Basic: Basic white tunic with player color stripe down the center. Boots. Chlamys cape. Floppy straw hat.
      • Advanced: .
      • Elite: .
    • History: Along with the citizen militia infantry there were also cavalry regiments of militia from the cities, known as Politikoi. The citizen cavalry was recruited from the richest citizens of the cities who did not hold the legal status of 'Macedonians'. Citizen cavalry of this sort are seen at the Daphne parade and, in this case, probably from Antioch and not collected from all the coastal cities. The Politikoi were probably not a unitary regiment of horse, but a collection of separate squadrons with each squadron having its own distinctive dress and equipment.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: .
    • Special:
      • "Militia"

 

Class: Citizen Cavalry Skirmisher.

    • Ranged Armament: Javelins. Decorative sword. Clutch of Javelins in his left hand.
    • Garrison: 1.

Class: Citizen Cavalry Archer.

    • Ranged Armament: Recurved cavalry bow. Decorative sword.
    • History: The Dahae or Dahaeans were a confederacy of three Ancient Iranian tribes who lived in the region to the immediate east of the Caspian Sea. They spoke an Eastern Iranian language. Known as the Dāha to the Persians, they were a staple of many Persian armies until the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. Later they freely joined the armies of Alexander as he invaded India and the armies of the Seleucids in their many battles with the other Successor states. The Dahae of the Parni clan, under Arsaces, would later invade the land of Parthia, depose its ruler, and found a dynasty that would eventually grow into the famed Parthian Empire.
    • Garrison: 1.

Class: Mercenary Cavalry Spearman.

    • Hacker Armament: Macedonian cavalry lance, the "xyston". Decorative sword.
    • History: There were two guard cavalry regiments, each 1,000 strong. These were the Agema (the 'Guards') and the Hetairoi ('Companions'). The Hetairoi were recruited from the younger generation of military settlers and acted as the standing guard cavalry unit of the army, serving in peace and in war. However it seems that writers referred to them by several names other than just the 'companions'; the basilike ile ('royal squadron' or 'regia ala' according to Livy), and the hippos hetairike ('horse companions'). Their full title may well have been the 'royal ala of the companions'.
    • Garrison: 2.
    • Function: Good vs. Skirmishers and Swordsmen, poor vs. Spearmen and Archers.
    • Special:
      • "Agema": Upon promoting to the 3rd ('elite') rank, the Companion becomes an Agema cavalryman with Champion Unit stats.
      • "Kleuros": Trained at the Military Colony.

SUPPORT UNITS

Class: Female Citizen.

    • Appearance: Dark skin, Grecian dress.
    • History: .
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Standard female citizen attributes--Good at gathering food. Has an 'aura' that boosts the productivity of citizen-soldiers around her. Does not fight. Runs when confronted with enemy attack. Capturable.

Class: Healer.

    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Average Healer stats.

Class: Trader.

    • Garrison: 2.

 

Class: Fishing Boat.

    • Garrison: Cannot.
    • Garrison Capacity: 1; support, infantry
    • Function: Gathering: Only method of collecting meat from fish.
    • Special: Garrison a support unit or infantry unit inside to boost fishing rate.

Class: Merchant Ship.

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: (Standard).
    • Garrison: Cannot.
    • Function: Sets up trade routes between friendly Ports.
    • Special: Garrison a Trader inside to boost the amount of trade received.

Class: Light Warship.

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: 2 tiers of oars.
    • History: The design of the bireme was modified from the penteconter, a ship that had only one set of oars on each side, the bireme having two sets of oars on each side.
    • Garrison: Cannot.
    • Function: These ships were designed to go fast so they could transport troops to the sites of battles.

Class: Medium Warship.

    • Appearence:
      • Shell: Three tiers of oars. Larger than the Bireme.
    • History: The first Triremes were built circa 650BC, and by 500BC the Trireme was the most widely used heavy warship of the Greek city-states. In the Trireme the outriggers were now an integral part of the ship's hull. The Trireme also had a partial or full fighting deck above the rowers. The length of the Trireme remained approximately 35-38 meters, and the beam was approximately 3.5 metres. A Trireme carried 170 oarsmen, plus twenty sailors and fourteen marines in Greek navies. The top speed of a Trireme was approximately 11.5 knots. Some Triremes may have been able to reach higher speeds in short bursts. A Trireme travelling from Athens to Mitylene in 427BC made the 350 kilometre trip in only 24 hours, averaging eight knots (14.6 km/h). The Trireme could accelerate much faster than a Bireme or Penteconter, and was much more manoeuvrable. This gave the Trireme an advantage in combat, where higher speed and manoeuvrability meant a better chance of victory.
    • Garrison: Cannot.
    • Function: The common tactics of the time were to ram one's opponent. Most ships at the time were equipped with a large battering ram at the bow which was used to crush the sides of an opponent. Another common tactic was to brush along the sides of the opponent's ship and snap all of the oars off. Once the ship was disabled and floundering in the waves, then the other ship could move in and finish its opponent. The Greeks employed the ramming tactics to excellent effect throughout out their naval battles. Speed was the key element for ramming and that required maneuverability and lightly armoured ships.
    • Special: Ramming.

Class: Heavy Warship.

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: Similar in size and function to the Roman and Carthaginian quinqueremes.
    • Garrison: Cannot.
    • Special: Ramming.

SIEGE UNITS

 

Class: Ram.

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: Covered ram.
    • Garrison: 3.
    • Function: Takes down enemy buildings, especially gates. Can garrison units inside for extra attack and speed.
    • Special: Bonus vs. gates.

Class: Stone Thrower

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: Stone-throwing catapult, similar to the Roman ballista.
    • History: The Lithobolos (Stone Thrower) hurled stones of 10 lbs (4.5 kilos) to 180 lbs (82 kilos) in weight. They all looked alike and differed only in size: the dimensions being calculated by a complex mathematical formula based on the spring diameter. Such machines were normally brought to point-blank range (150-200 yards [157m - 185m]) and were capable of stripping the battlements from fortified walls.
    • Garrison: 3.
    • Function: Anti-building siege. Used to take down Walls and Fortresses. 10-20% weaker than the Roman Ballista.
    • Special: Must pack and unpack.

Class: Siege Tower.

    • Appearance:
      • Shell: Siege Tower
    • History: When Demetrius Poliorcetes besieged Salamis, in Cyprus, he instructed that a machine be constructed, which he called "the taker of cities." Its form was that of a square tower, each side 90 cubits high and 45 wide. It rested on four wheels, each eight cubits high. It was divided into nine stories, the lower of which contained machines for throwing great stones, the middle large catapults for throwing spears, and the highest, other machines for throwing smaller stones, together with smaller catapults. It was manned with 200 soldiers, besides those that moved it by pushing the parallel beams at the bottom (Diod. xx.48).
    • Garrison: 5. <== Note largest garrison requirement you're likely to find.
    • Function: Functions much like a warship, but on land. Is able to garrison all types of units (except cavalry) to increase attack and other attributes, including other siege units.
    • Special: May unload garrisoned units over enemy walls.

CHAMPION UNITS

Players have to choose either the Traditional or Reform Army upgrade as part of unlocking certain champion infantry units. Silver Shield requires the Traditional Army upgrade to be unlocked. Champion cavalry need only a separate upgrade from the Stable to unlock chariots and cataphracts.

Class: Champion Infantry Swordsman.

    • Hacker Armament: Long "Sarissa" pike.
    • Appearance: -
      • Garb: Cuirass. Pteruges. Greaves. Boots. Clamys cape.
      • Helmet: Hellenistic types, plumed and crested.
      • Shield: Round Macedonian-style silver "pelte" shield slung over the left shoulder and strapped to the left forearm.
      • Figure(s): These pikemen on the right.
    • History: The 'Silver Shields' pike corps made up the infantry arm of the Royal Agema, or "guards." They were the élite of the traditional Seleucid and Macedonian infantry.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Slow heavy line infantry.
    • Special: "Syntagma" Formation.

Class: Champion Infantry Swordsman.

    • Hacker Armament: Xiphos short sword.
    • Ranged Armament: Javelin.
    • Appearance: -
      • Garb: Chain-mail, scale, and linothorax cuirasses. Short tunic. Boots.
      • Helmet: Late-Macedonian types, plumed and crested.
      • Shield: "Thureos" shield emblazoned with Seleucid iconography.
      • Figure(s): -
    • History: In 166 BC, at the Daphne Parade under Antiochus IV, the Argyraspides corps is only seen to be 5,000 strong. However 5,000 troops armed in the Roman fashion are present and they are described as being in the prime of their life, perhaps denoting their elite nature. It is possible that the missing 5,000 men of the Argyraspides were the 5,000 'Romanized' infantry marching alongside them. The training of a segment of the royal guard in 'Roman' methods was probably down to several factors. Firstly, Antiochus IV had spent part of his early life in Rome and had acquired rather an excessive admiration for Rome's power and methods. Secondly, the future wars that the Seleucids might be fighting would probably be in the Eastern satrapies against mobile enemies and other large areas of land. Training troops in this way would add to the overall efficiency and capability of the army and make it more maneuverable. Indeed, the 'Romanized' troops are seen facing the Maccabees at the Battle of Beth Zechariah in 162 BC. Thirdly, the defeat of the Macedonian Antigonids at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC was a great culture shock, showing the complete destruction of the Macedonian military system at the hands of the Roman legion. It has been suggested that the fact that these 5,000 men are marching at the head of the army was meant to show Antiochus IV's intention of reforming the entire Seleucid army along Roman lines, though whether or not this complete reform actually took place is unknown. The true extent of the adoption of Roman techniques is unknown, some have suggested that the infantry are in fact more likely to be Thureophoroi or Thorakitai, troops armed with an oval shield of the Celtic type, a thrusting spear and javelins.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Fast heavy infantry.
    • Special: Throws a javelin at the enemy target (if target is within min and max range) before closing with sword for melee.

Class: Champion Cavalry Spearman.

    • Hacker Armament: A very long cavalry lance, the "kontos" wielded by two hands.
    • Ranged Armament: None.
    • Appearance: -
      • Garb: Bronze muscled cuirass or Bronze scale corselet. Linen pteruges. Flowing cloak or Chlamys. Arms and legs wrapped in segmented armor..
      • Helmet: Plumed and/or Crested Hellenistic Phrygian helmets, with and without feathers. Bronze face masks.
      • Shield: None.
      • Mount: Large war horse covered in scale armor. Skirt made of scale in the front and on the sides. Bronze chamfron with crest.
    • History: As the Seleucids began to solidify their hold on much of Alexander's Eastern Empire they began to meld the best of the martial traditions of both East and West, culminating in the Seleucids fielding a corps of highly armored cavalry called 'Kataphraktoi.' These cavalrymen would punch through weak points in the enemy line and would often prove decisive in battle.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Highest armor of any cavalry in the game, but also one of the slowest. Very high charge bonus and trample damage, but low standard attack.

Class: Champion Chariot.

    • Ranged Armament (Primary): One rider fires a bow, while the driver drives.
    • Hacker Armament (Passive-Trample): Scythes.
    • Appearance:
      • Garb: The 1 rider and 1 driver each have random armor between bronze muscled cuirass and scale reinforced linothorax, with pteruges. No greaves. Boots..
      • Helmet: Thracian bronze helmets, crested and plumed, non-crested and non-plumed.
      • Shield: None.
      • Mount: A large chariot cart drawn by 4 armored horses. Long scythes extend from the hubs of the cart wheels and from the harnesses of the horses.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: Expensive "suicide" unit. Mostly used to rush into infantry and cavalry formations to slaughter a bunch of enemies with scythes ("Trample Damage" aura) before getting destroyed themselves. Countered by: Skirmishers and Elephants.
    • Special:
      • "Damage Frenzy".
      • "Trample Damage" Aura.

Class: Champion Elephant.

    • Hacker Armament (Primary): Tusks. Crushing attack.
    • Ranged Armament (Passive): Javelins thrown by riders at random enemies.
    • Hacker Armament (Passive-Trample): Feet.
    • Appearance: -
      • Garb: The 2 riders and 1 mahout have random armour between bronze muscled cuirass and scale reinforced linothorax, with pteruges. No greaves. Boots.
      • Helmet: Thracian bronze helmets, crested and plumed, non-crested and non-plumed.
      • Shield: No shields for any of the riders/mahout. Tower has Seleucid-emblazoned shields on the sides.
      • Mount: Large Indian Elephant with small wooden tower on its back. It has bronze segmented armour all over its body.
    • History: The Seleucids, having access to the East, specifically India after the war with the Mauryans, imported gigantic war elephants to augment their phalanxes. The beasts were armored and were used as giant battering rams to smash enemy infantry formations.
    • Garrison: 1.
    • Function: The Armored War Elephant will smash buildings with its crush attack. It also has a passive ranged attack from its riders throwing javelins. Last but not least, this unit also has a very high trample aura which kills nearby enemy infantry and cavalry alike.
    • Special:
      • "Damage Frenzy".
      • "Stench" Aura.
      • "Trample Damage" Aura.

SELEUCID HEROES

Class: Hero War Elephant.

    • Hacker Armament: .
    • Ranged Armament: None.
    • Appearance:
      • Body: As for a Chalkaspis, but with decorative tinned embossing on the bronze cuirass. Long flowing chlamys.
      • Helmet: Beautiful crested and feathered Phrygian helmet.
      • Shield: No shield - protected by tower (howdah).
      • Mount: Armored War Elephant with tower (howdah). Armour is silver instead of bronze, with gold inlays. Mahout same as Armored War Elephant.
    • History: "Always lying in wait for the neighboring nations, strong in arms and persuasive in council, he [Seleucus] acquired Mesopotamia, Armenia, 'Seleucid' Cappadocia, Persis, Parthia, Bactria, Arabia, Tapouria, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and other adjacent peoples that had been subdued by Alexander, as far as the river Indus, so that the boundaries of his empire were the most extensive in Asia after that of Alexander. The whole region from Phrygia to the Indus was subject to Seleucus." — Appian, "The Syrian Wars"
    • Garrison: 3.
    • Function: Elephant Corps Commander ("Zooiarchos").
    • Special:
      • "Zooiarchos" Aura (Boosts War Elephant attack and speed +20% within his vision.)
      • All Seleucid heroes are trained from the Town Center.
      • All Seleucid heroes can found new Town Centers. They are the only Seleucid units that can do this.

Class: Hero Cavalry Spearman.

    • Hacker Armament: Long two-handed cavalry lance, the "Kontos".
    • Ranged Armament: None.
    • Appearance:
      • Body: Golden muscled cuirass. Shoulder doubling. Segmented armour for the arms. Pteruges and leather boots.
      • Helmet: Plumed thracian-style helmet, with highly embossed face mask.
      • Shield: None.
      • Mount: Cataphract armour. Crested head dress. Highly decorated saddle blanket.
      • Figure(s): Amazing piece of art, depicting Antiochus' charge at 
    • History: Antiochus inherited a troubled kingdom upon the beginning of his reign. From the verge of collapse he managed to weld back together the empire Seleukus I so hard to found. The rebellious eastern satraps of Bactria and Parthia were brought to heel , temporarily securing his eastern borders. He then turned his attention to mother Greece, attempting to fulfill the dreams of his fathers by invading Greece under the pretext of "liberation". The Achaean League and the Kingdom of Pergamon banded together with the Romans to defeat him at the Battle of Magnesia, forever burying the dream of reuniting Alexander's empire.
    • Garrison: 2.
    • Function: Cavalry Commander ("Ilarchès").
    • Special:
      • "Ilarchès" Bonus (All cavalry trained during his lifetime gain +2 levels of all armour types. These cavalrymen retain their armour bonuses even after Antiochus is dead.)
      • All Seleucid heroes are trained from the Town Center.
      • All Seleucid heroes can found new Town Centers. They are the only Seleucid units that can do this.

 

Class: Hero Cavalry Swordsman.

    • Hacker Armament: Sword.
    • Ranged Armament: None.
    • Appearance:
      • Body: Tinned/Silver muscled cuirass. Linen groin and shoulder pteruges. White boots.
      • Helmet: Crested silver Boeotian Helmet with golden Laurel Wreath.
      • Shield: Small round bronze shield with Eastern motif.
      • Figure(s): .
    • History: Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a son of Antiochus III the Great and brother of Seleucus IV Philopator. Originally named Mithridates, he assumed the name Antiochus either upon his accession to the throne or after the death of his elder brother Antiochus. Notable events during his reign include the near-conquest of Egypt (twice), which was halted by the threat of Roman intervention, and the beginning of the Jewish revolt of the Maccabees. He died of sudden illness while fighting off a Parthian invasion from the East.
    • Garrison: 2.
    • Function: This guy captures buildings and enhances his army's crush attack.
    • Special:
      • "Conqueror" Aura (All nearby bipedal melee units gain a +2x attack versus buildings, siege engines, and ships. Building capture time reduced by 25% during his reign)
      • All Seleucid heroes are trained from the Town Center.
      • All Seleucid heroes can found new Town Centers. They are the only Seleucid units that can do this.

NEW UNIT TRAITS

  • Syntagma Formation: A Macedonian-style formation that makes pikemen nearly invulnerable from the front.
  • Damage Frenzy/Run Amok: If the unit loses 75% of its health, it will randomly attack nearby units, friend or foe, other than priests or healers. This effect can only be overcome by restoring the unit's lost health with a healer or by killing it.
  • "Stench" Aura: Enemy cavalry units are spooked by elephants and camels, and prove less effective when in range of them.
  • "Trample Damage" Aura: As with war elephants and melee cavalry of all types, causes passive crush damage to nearby enemy units through trampling.

TOWN CENTRE UNITS

  • Melee Infantry: Macedonian Pikeman.
  • Ranged Infantry: Syrian Archer.
  • Cavalry: Citizen-Militia Cavalry.

Structure Description

VILLAGE

Class: House.

    • History: Hellenistic homes were larger and more opulent than those from mainland Greece.

Class: Farmstead.

    • History: The Seleucid Empire straddled the Fertile Crescent, an area where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers regularly flooded and provided rich soil for farming.

Class: Field.

    • History: The Fertile Crescent, much like the Nile River basin and delta, was a net exporter of grain for thousands of years.

Class: Corral.

    • History: Basic animal pen.

Class: Storehouse.

    • History: Resources and building materials were kept in storehouses.

Class: Dock.

    • History: The Seleucids regularly fought the Ptolemies for control of the old Phoenician ports along the Eastern Mediterranean, or "Levant." At times, these cities provided the Seleucids with mighty warships by which they could project their power into the Mediterranean basin and Greece.

Class: Barracks.

    • History: Train Eastern infantry units. Research training improvements.

Class: Stable.

    • History: Stables are where horses are tended to.

Class: Outpost.

    • History: Lightly-manned outposts served to provide crucial advanced warning of invasion and attack.

Class: Palisade.

    • History: A cheap, quick defensive structure constructed with sharpened tree trunks.

TOWN

Class: Town Centre.

    • History: The Seleucids were founders of cities. These cities were populated by Greek settlers and veterans from the Seleucid armies.

Class: Temple.

    • History: A temple dedicated to the Olympic and Eastern gods. The Greeks, like the Romans later, often melded their gods with similar gods of those whom they conquered.

Class: Blacksmith.

    • History: The earliest smiths worked in copper, then bronze, and then finally iron.

Class: Market.

    • History: The center of a Seleucid city is its marketplace. Here is where vendors from the city and countryside can come to sell their wares and where commerce and local politics mix.

Class: Defense Tower.

    • History: Towers were an important part of city fortifications. The defending troops shot arrows at the enemy and poured boiling oil over the assailants.

Class: Wall.

    • History: Seleucid cities were surrounded by stone walls for protection against enemy raids. Some of these fortifications were massive structures.

Class: Wall Tower.

    • History: Towers were an important part of city fortifications. The defending troops shot arrows at the enemy and poured boiling oil over the assailants.

Class: Gate.

    • History: The gates to a city were often targets for besieging armies.

CITY

Class: Arsenal.

    • History: Arsenals are workshops dedicated to constructing siege weapons.

Class: Fortress.

    • History: Fortresses (also called a "phrourion") were built to guard passes and atop hills in order to command plains and valleys below.

SPECIAL STRUCTURES

 

Class: SB 1.

    • History: The Seleucid kings invited Greeks, Macedonians, Galatians (Gauls), Cretans, and Thracians alike to settle in within the vast territories of the empire. They settled in military colonies called cleruchies (klēroukhia). Under this arrangement, the settlers were given a plot of land, or a kleros, and in return were required to serve in the great king's army when called to duty. This created a upper-middle class of military settlers who owed their livelihoods and fortunes to the Syrian kings and helped grow the available manpower for the imperial Seleucid army. A side effect of this system was that it drained the Greek homeland of military-aged men, a contributing factor to Greece's eventual conquest by Rome.
    • Requirements: None.
    • Phase: Town.
    • Special: This is the Seleucid expansion building, similar to Town Centers for other factions. It is weaker and carries a smaller territory influence, but is cheaper and built faster.
      • Train Hellenistic settler-soldiers of various nationalities.
      • Min. distance from other Military Colonies: 100 meters.

Class: Atlas-only special building.

    • History: Alexander the Great founded libraries all over his new empire. These became a center of learning for an entirely new synthesized culture: the Hellenistic culture.
    • Requirements: None.
    • Phase: City.
    • Special:
      • Maximum of 1 built.
      • All Special Technologies are researched here.
      • Building one reduces the cost of all other remaining technologies by 10%.

WONDER

Class: Wonder.

    • History: About 6 kilometres west of the Seleucid capital city of Antioch lay the Paradise of Daphne, a park of woods and waters, in the midst of which rose a great temple to the Pythian Apollo, also founded by Seleucus I and enriched with a cult-statue of the god. The beauty and the lax morals of Daphne were celebrated all over the Western world; and indeed Antioch as a whole shared in both these titles to fame. Its amenities awoke both the enthusiasm and the scorn of many writers of antiquity.
    • Requirements: Temple.
    • Phase: City.
    • Appearance: An elaborate Greek temple surrounded by extensive lush gardens.
    • Special: As with all Wonders, The Paradise of Daphne casts a large territory radius and acts like a timed "game winner" in default gameplay.

Civilization Bonuses

CB 1

    • History: The Seleucid kings invited Greeks, Macedonians, Galatians (Gauls), Cretans, and Thracians alike to settle in within the vast territories of the empire. They settled in military colonies called cleruchies (klēroukhia). Under this arrangement, the settlers were given a plot of land, or a kleros, and in return were required to serve in the great king's army when called to duty. This created a upper-middle class of military settlers who owed their livelihoods and fortunes to the Syrian kings and helped grow the available manpower for the imperial Seleucid army. A side effect of this system was that it drained the Greek homeland of military-aged men, a contributing factor to Greece's eventual conquest by Rome.
    • Effect: This unlocks the Seleucid expansion building, similar to Town Centers for other factions. It is weaker and carries a smaller territory influence, but is cheaper and built faster.
      • Train settler-soldiers of various nationalities.
      • Min. distance from other Military Colonies: 100 meters.

CB 2

    • History: Seleucid and indeed Successor warfare evolved over the course of the 3rd and 2nd centuries. Contact with Eastern upstarts such as the Parthians and constant revolts of peripheral satrapies such as Bactria caused the Seleucids to reform their military and change their tactics, specifically in the cavalry arm. War with the Romans from the West and invasions from the Galatians also forced the Seleucids to evolve their infantry regiments to be more flexible.
    • Effect: At the City Phase, the Seleucids are given the choice of unlocking one of two sets of Champions: Traditional Army and Reform Army.
      • Traditional Army
        • Silver Shield Pikeman
        • Scythe Chariot
      • Reform Army
        • Romanized Swordsman
        • Seleucid Cataphract

Team Bonus

TB

    • History: The political core of the Seleucid Empire consisted of four 'sister' cities: Antioch (the capital), Seleucia Pieria, Apamea, and Laodicea.
    • Effect: Allied Town Centers are 20% cheaper.

Technologies

  • Infantry: Good.
  • Cavalry: Excellent, but expensive.
  • Naval: Mediocre. Has all 3 levels of warships, but few techs.
  • Siege: Good, but not all techs. One fewer tier of siege techs than Macedonia.
  • Economy:
    • Farming: Excellent.
    • Mining: Good.
    • Lumbering: Poor.
    • Hunting: Weak.
    • Fishing: Mediocre.
    • Land Trade: Good.
    • Naval Trade: Mediocre.
    • Architecture: Good.
    • Defenses: Good.

Special Technologies

ST 1

    • History: Beginning with Alexander, the Hellenistic monarchs founded many cities throughout their empires, where Greek culture and art blended with local customs to create the motley Hellenistic civilisation.
    • Effect: Town Centers gain double Health and double default arrows.

ST 2

    • History: Seleucus I Nicator invaded the Punjab region region of India in 305 BC, confronting Chandragupta Maurya (Sandrokottos), founder of the Mauryan empire. It is said that Chandragupta fielded an army of 600,000 men and 9,000 war elephants (Pliny, Natural History VI, 22.4). Seleucus met with no success and to establish peace between the two great powers and to formalize their alliance, he married his daughter to Chandragupta. In return, Chandragupta gifted Seleucus a corps of 500 war elephants, which would prove a decisive military asset for Seleucus as he fought the rest of Alexander's successors.
    • Effect: A one-time purchase of 20 Indian War Elephants from the Mauryan Empire.