Sundiata

Feel free to elaborate... "last proper lider", who? "intervention is needed" from who?

@Nescio I have a very strong preference for using dictionary definitions of words... Genocide doesn't mean the total destruction of a people, as many think.. There are still 3 million Tutsis, for example.. Romans were genocidal They wiped out peoples, cultures, languages and religions, in a deliberate policy of Romanisation... It doesn't mean because they tolerated and even patronised some, that others weren't wiped from the pages of history... Necrometrics: Body count of the Roman Empire: These are by no means precise/absolute numbers, but they give a good idea..: http://necrometrics.com/romestat.htm Those numbers by no means include all the Roman massacres... For example, studying Kushite history, I learnt of the sack of Napata, its destruction, killings and deportation of its population in to slavery are not included, but are mentioned by Strabo and possibly the Kushites themselves in the Hamadab Stele. No specific numbers are given, but there were dozens of towns and cities between the Roman border and Napata, so what happened there? The area was reported to be largely abandoned a few generations later. The Roman conquest and destruction of Germa (of the Garamantes) isn't mentioned. Roman campaigns in Dacia and Thrace aren't mentioned. Samnite wars and Roman-Etruscan wars aren't mentioned. None of the earlier Roman Gallic wars are mentioned. The invasion of the Sabaean Kingdom isn't mentioned... Each of these conflicts was accompanied by acts of genocide (and other severe human rights violations)... I'm not trying to overly demonise Romans here, I know nearly everybody wielding so much power ends up committing atrocities (including all of our civs in game)... I'm also not trying to moralise them with my 21st century ethical standards. I'm just pointing out that they were very proficient at killing huge numbers of people, resulting in total/partial depopulation of regions, resettled by "friendly" tribes, for example after the massacres and deportations of the resisting Belgae (Nervii, Atrebates, Viromandui and Atuatuci).

@Nescio, mostly true... except: "Occasionally" he says... lol, just playing, but seriously, Romans did more than just the "occasional mass murder"... lol... Let me quote Calgacus in the words of Tacitus: "They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace." Sums it up pretty nicely... Entire regions were depopulated... More cultures and languages went extinct during the Roman occupation than any other period in European history (I think). Sure, they also brought about innovations and infrastructure, but the wholesale destruction of pre-Roman cultures makes it almost impossible to ascertain exactly at what cost.

@Lion.Kanzen it think all the violence and oppression has more to do with power groups maintaining a certain status quo that benefits them, using both soft, and hard power, where "appropriate". The idea behind the "necessity of violence" is part of the process of manufacturing consent (e.g. "the enemy has weapons of mass destruction" or "the infidels are corrupt in their ways", "Ashur is supreme, the gods have abandoned our enemies"). These kind of rhetorical arguments have been used since the very first states in ancient Sumer and Egypt This is also interesting: At the end of the day, it's about power and resources, and the two are very much interlinked... Violence will be used where possible and "appropriate", in large scale (war) or personal attacks (persecution/executions) to maintain status, but this usually has very little to do with the actual necessities of the masses. I'm not a pacifist, but violent conflict usually only benefits a select few...

Sorry to hear that. I understand Venezuela is going through some rough times... I wish you all strength! How is it on the ground? It's difficult to figure out exactly what's going on from the news... Are there any "good guys" in the picture, or is proper leadership missing from all sides? How do you see the situation evolving? Euhm, not really, no... lol I mean, what have the Romans ever done for us? But seriously though, Romans were genocidal maniacs... Most Imperial civilizations actually...

Here's some Ethiopian nationalism for you guys At the beginning of the second Italo-Abyssinian war, the various Ethiopian princes (Ras), chieftains, generals, warlords and regular soldiers pledged allegiance to the Emperor, Haile Selassie I, in spectacular ceremonious splendor. After months of heavy fighting, in which the Italians used hundreds of tons of poison gas (sprayed from airplanes), Haile Selassie (who actually fought in the trenches with his troops) was forced into exile. Addis Ababa was captured by the Italians, and the remaining Ethiopian forces formed a resistance movement, called "the Black Lions". Resistance fighters heavily restricted the movement of Italian troops outside of Addis Ababa and Axum, making Italian attempts to control the countryside a nightmare. The frustration led to several major massacres of civilians and clergy, the destruction churches and even archaeological sights. Monuments like some of the Stelae of Axum were taken back to Italy in their entirety, and more bad stuff... This war was a major prelude to WWII, as it showed the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations. 5 years later Ethiopia was liberated with help from allied forces, and Selassie was reinstalled. Some of the dudes in the video are major commanders, turned resistance fighters in the later part of the war... There's dudes "riding" lions in this video... Like, seriously... Anyway, it's this spirit of resistance that inspired Rastafarians so much. Ethiopian nationalism is very strong among most Rastafarians, which is why you see the red, gold and green so often in association with the movement. This imperial iconography and spirit of resistance permeates Rastafarian art, including music, and since Rastas make some of the best Reggae music out there.... Haile Selassie during the war: Traditional warriors (chiefs/commanders) Elite, personal guard (European equipment) Zabagna Selassie and Mussolini Selassie haunts the dreams of Mussolini: Selassie and Rastafarians: Mortimo Planno (Rastaman) was an important mentor to Bob Marley... "Be Good Rasta, Be Good", Check out dr Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana meeting with Haile Selassie, and one of his lions... Hilarious, the way they're scared and excited at the same time to pet a lion. These are absolute heavyweights in African/world history: And Menelik II, Haile Selassie's uncle and predecessor. It was under him that the Italians were first defeated at Adwa, 1896.

The world used to be so beautiful in all its diversity... Now it's just shopping malls, highways and Netflix...

The Garima Gospel (Aksumite) The Garima Gospel (Aksumite) earliest surviving complete illuminated Christian manuscript, IN THE WORLD, written in Ge'ez, ancient Ethiopic script. Supposedly written by Syriac monks, but apparently that's not so certain anymore... Evangelist portrait of Saint Mark from Garima 2 Other ancient illuminated manuscripts: This all belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, by the way.. Other Ethiopian Monks: The Bahitawi are a specific type of Ethiopian hermit monk, separate from society. They follow similar Old Testament commandments as (strict) Rastafarians, which makes them look similar. A great source of spiritual inspiration for Rastafarians and Ethiopians alike. Cross-continetal mysticism... Two Rastafarians and a Bahitawi monk

Some of the earliest surviving churches anywhere, lol... Ezana, King of Axum was the first Ethiopian monarch to convert to Christianity... In 330's AD! Ezana is also the King who invaded and totally destroyed the Kingdom of Kush... lol... Don't know whether to hate him or to love him Ethiopian coins minted bearing Ezana's name are even found in India...! Kush is still taking up too much time, In due time, lol But Aksumites are super-cool... Pagan, Jewish, Christian and even Islamic elements. Had intense relations with Byzantine empire. Built rock cut churches... Conquered Kush... Conquered Yemen... Sent an army (including a whole lot of elephants) to conquer Mecca not so long before the advent of Islam. Conquest of Mecca didn't go so well... During the Higira (Mohammed's flight to Medina), a significant number of the first Muslims emigrated to Axum, to seek refuge from persecution in Mecca (instructed by Mohammed, because he knew the Christian King would protect his people from the Pagan persecutors, because the Mohammedans worshipped the same god as the Christian King) and built the walled town of Harar, the earliest Muslim community outside of Arabia. Supposedly the Ark of the Covenant (or Tabot) is located in a treasury near the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Axum has some of the largest standing monoliths in the world... Original location of the supposed "Ark of the Covenant", in Axum: Current location in Axum Stelae of Axum Underneath the stelae field are an underground network of tunnels and chambers: the burial chambers of Aksumite kings:

@Lion.Kanzen Yeah, I'm absolutely in love with Ethiopia... Every aspect of their history, from the Kingdom of D'mt, to the Aksumite Empire, the Zagwe Dynasty and the Abyssinian Empire are all simply delicious...

Yes, Haile Selassie is seen as the Christ... "The Lion of Judah, shall break every chain". According to the Ethiopian national history, he descends from the line of King Solomon and David, through Menelik I, son of Queen Makeda of Sheba and Solomon. Haile Selassie and his people are actually confirmed to be of Afro-Semitic ancestry, and an ancient Jewish population still lives in Ethiopia (although most migrated to Israel not long ago), known as Beta Israel (or archaic "Falasha")... Beta Israel, ancient Ethiopian Jews: The Rastafarian movement is a strong mix of literal and spiritual interpretations. Judeo-Christian ideology, mixed with Imperial Ethiopian iconography and a dash of mysticism. Check out the battle of Adwa... Italians were literally outgunned by the Ethiopians. One of the few occasions where an indigenous African army used artillery against a European army, to terrifying effect... Dude, he's talking about the colours of the flag carried by Rastas/Reggae artists...

@Lion.Kanzen You mean the red, gold and green? Those are the colours of the Imperial Ethiopian flag. In 1896, in the Battle of Adwa, the Ethiopian (Abyssinian) army under Emperor Menelik II, (commanded by among others, Ras Makonnen, Haile Selassie's father) decisively defeated a major invasion by the Italians, who sought to colonize Ethiopia. This was the largest single defeat of a modern European army in the history of Africa. A traumatizing event for the Kingdom of Italy, but an event that catapulted Ethiopia to the forefront of African liberation struggles. All around the world people of African descent rallied behind the Ethiopian colours, and with the wave of decolonisation that swept over Sub-Saharan Africa, in no small part due to the efforts and support of Haile Selassie I, many African countries (including Ghana ) adopted the red, gold and green as their own national colours (in remembrance and respect for the early liberation struggles). Among Rastafarians, Haile Selassie has a divine status, and Ethiopian Imperial iconography is widely used, including the imperial flag (and Lion of Judah), which is strongly preferred to the Jamaican National flag, or any other flag for that matter.. Although I've heard/read different explanations as well including: Red for the blood of the martyrs; Gold for the riches of the country/culture and Green for the land/nature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adwa Emperor Haile Selassie I, born under the name and title: Ras Lij Tafari Makonnen, or simply Ras Tafari. The Kebur Zabagna, Imperial troops carrying the flag Haile Selassie visits Jamaica, is welcomed by thousands of Ethiopian flags

@Lion.Kanzen I can't promise to redraw that particular coin in the coming days (time...) I did use the other eagle's face as inspiration to adjust my earlier version..

Special Exhibit: Xiongnu, Henan Provincial Museum, Zhengzhou, China. Shamans: Dudes on the left and right, with their drums are perfect for our Xiongnu Shaman. Some animated drumming for healing process would be awesome Big white Yurt with a golden dome and cattle skull decorating entrance as our temple... Other dudes: Xiognu meet Han Chinese delegation:

Basically yes...

@Nescio, eyes and a little bit more curvature.

@Nescio, hmmm, I looked at like a bajillion Ptolemaic eagles from their coins and it's all kind of the same strict iconography that I followed literally. The references are in the original post... In the majority of the coins, the talons are all angled weirdly like that. Maybe that's why he's so angry? It's just a bit of an awkward eagle... It's up to you guys...

@stanislas69 @Lion.Kanzen, just updated my interpretation of angry bird one last time, png's in original post. Do with it as you will

Don't know whatchu talkin bout...

off-topic: Doesn't that lambda have a wrong rotation?

@stanislas69 & @Lion.Kanzen, don't know if this is any good? png's & refs:

@Lion.Kanzen I'll see what I can do

Scythian champion unit, Amazon cavalry?! https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141029-amazons-scythians-hunger-games-herodotus-ice-princess-tattoo-cannabis/ Also: Scythian Hero unit??

The chief deity of the Mochica, the god Ai Apaec, "The Decapitator", has my vote

@stanislas69 I really think those buildings are right on the money! So you need more architecture references for the Thracians huh? I'll see what I can come up with... If you believe it or not, I'm still neck deep in Kushite research I'm doing the final fact checking/sourcing and systematically updating/rewriting the first post on the Kushite introduction thread so that all reference material used in the development can be seen in one (long) read. I'll give everybody involved in the development a ping when it's done.. Then I can finally move on to other civs @Nescio I forgot about the Parthians Yes, those guys... Maybe some civs need a 4th "Imperial" phase, like Romans, and Persians evolving in to Parthians? Dacians, yes Illyria, Armenia, Pontus, Numidia and Garamantes, Sabaeans, Nabataeans, Germans for mini-civ/campaigns?