Roman Empire AD 117
In AD 117, the year Emperor Trajan died, Rome ruled more land than at any other point in its history. From the future line of Hadrian's Wall in Britannia to the riverbanks of Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean was quite literally "our sea".
The age at a glance
The empire was divided into provinces run by governors, and some thirty legions were stationed along its frontiers. Legionaries served twenty to twenty-five years before receiving land and citizenship, and this is what spread Roman-style towns across the empire. It is also why, in the game, the knight's role in the Roman era is filled by centurions and cavalry commanders.
Beyond the frontiers lay the many tribes of Germania, the remnants of Dacian power, the horse peoples of Sarmatia, and Parthia in the east. Within the empire, senatorial aristocrats and the equestrian order, freedmen and provincials were each climbing their own ladders.
Major events in the game
- Hadrian's frontier consolidation Trajan's successor Hadrian chose to halt conquest and build walls and forts instead.
- The Antonine Plague Carried home by armies returning from campaigns in the East in the 160s, the plague sharply reduced the empire's population. In the game, too, plague threatens your armies and your family alike.
- The Marcomannic Wars In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, tribes from beyond the Danube crossed the frontier in great numbers.
- The Crisis of the Third Century In the space of fifty years, dozens of emperors were raised up and killed. The Gallic Empire and the Palmyrene Empire even broke away. In the game, this is the period when usurpations and secessions are most frequent.
- The Edict of Milan and the East–West division Christianity is legalised, and the empire is finally split into East and West. Can you survive until the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
How to play this era
In the Roman era a single vast empire covers most of the map, so at first the game centres less on war than on rising through the ranks within the empire. Born on the Germanic or Sarmatian side, by contrast, you will be building a tribal confederation and eyeing the empire's weakening frontiers.
Major powers
| Power | In the game |
|---|---|
| Roman Empire | A giant covering more than half the map. Provincial governorships and legion commands are the rungs of the ladder. |
| Parthia | The arch-rival in the east. With horse archers and the desert at its back, it contests Mesopotamia with Rome. |
| Germanic tribes | Tribal confederations such as the Marcomanni, Quadi and Cimbri. Small, but united they can break the frontier. |
| Sarmatia | Horse peoples of the steppe north of the Black Sea. They sweep swiftly across vast lands. |
| Northern Britannia · Hibernia | Island kingdoms beyond Rome's reach. |
Life in that age
The life of a Roman citizen revolved around the city. Public baths, the amphitheatre, temples and the forum with its market were the stage of daily life, and wealthy families kept a villa (a large country estate). That is why events such as gladiatorial games, oracles and villa building appear in the game. Society was divided into citizens and non-citizens, free and slave, but military service, manumission and wealth offered ways to rise. In 212 the emperor Caracalla granted citizenship to almost every free inhabitant of the empire.
Religion centred on traditional polytheism, but it coexisted with Mithraism and the cult of Isis from the East, and with ever-growing Christian communities. Swinging between persecution and tolerance, Christianity was legalised in the 4th century and became the state religion.