Genava55

Map by Maptysk illustrating the various contributions from different material cultures to the formation of the Bastarnae (related to the Poienesti-Lucaseuca culture)

Excerpts from Gimbutas' book on the Balts:

Duileoga is working for a mod. Don't worry, there is little chance they would be integrated in the main game. The Chernoles culture disappeared a long time ago, around the 6th century BC. The Milograd culture existed in northern Ukraine and southern Belarus for several centuries. But it was replaced by the Zarubintsy culture, which represents a bit of a cultural break. There are elements of the Zarubintsy culture that originate from Germanic cultures. This culture of Zarubintsy appeared around 200 BC and existed up to the 1st century AD. After that, there is a transition period when the culture of Zarubintsy decays and a sharp reduction in the number of settlements. The Kiev culture is a reemergence of a Balto-Slavic culture which appeared around the 3rd century AD. The question of the Slavic origin is tied to how the Kiev culture appeared. If you want to portray the Venedi/Veneti, they are probably further in the North. Pliny and Ptolemy locate them near the Baltic sea region. So we can suppose the Venedi/Veneti were a confederation of different Balto-Slavic tribes. Generally, the Brushed Pottery culture, the Milograd culture and the Dnieper-Dvina culture are seen as a continuum of similar populations. So if you want to suppose the testimonies from Pliny, Tacitus and Ptolemy are also valid for a more ancient period, then you can suppose these cultures were related to the Venedi/Veneti. Like this you can use evidence from the Milograd culture, Dnieper-Dvina culture and Brushed pottery culture. And you can add Germanic mercenaries from the Przeworsk culture (Lugians) and from the Zarubintsy culture (probably the Scirii). You can also add Sarmatian and Scythian mercenaries.

https://archaeology.org/news/2025/12/12/new-thoughts-on-denmarks-ancient-hjortspring-boat/ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0336965

It is difficult to know when the Slavs separated from the Balts. The Kiev culture is the only one that can be definitively attributed to the Proto-Slavs. Regarding earlier cultures, there is no certainty. There are many contradictory and contested hypotheses. There is no consensus concerning their relationship with the Proto-Slavs. The cultures most frequently discussed are the Milograd culture, the Dnieper-Dvina culture, the Zarubintsy culture, and the Chernoles culture. In my opinion, the Kiev culture derives mostly from Dnieper-Dvina (Днепро-Двинская культура). Green = Dnieper-Dvina Orange = Brushed pottery culture Red = Pommeranian culture Blue = Milograd culture Hatched and dashed lines = Zarubintsy culture The earliest mentions of the Baltic Venedi are from Pliny the Elder and Tacitus, both writing in the 1st century AD. Too old for your mod?

@Stan` c'est possible d'intégrer la vidéo ?

Une très bonne conférence par Matthieu Poux qui présente les spécificités uniques aux Gallo-Romains et comment elles proviennent des anciennes traditions gauloises. Il y a tout une partie sur les sanctuaires et les temples, comparant les similitudes entre Gaulois et Gallo-Romains.

It's good to see that people are noticing. Changing the image that people have of the past is important.

Special abilities are indeed something lacking. Regardless of the direction the game takes in its design, having special abilities would be an asset in any case. And it's something that's realistic to implement.

That's exactly my point. Total War has its own features, its own mechanics. Code-wise, it is very different from Age of Empires and other RTS. You are giving the example of BFME2, which is both very different from Total War and very different from 0 A.D. in its mechanics. Implementing charging bonus, morale, fatigue, ammo etc. do not require battle formations. It is actually the battle formations which require new features to make sense. All the mechanics in battle should make sense with the formations. It requires a holistic approach. The challenge is to produce a well rounded design and balanced mechanics based on battle formations. While keeping the other features and design of 0 A.D., notably on the economy. And also making all that with the current engine, notably the pathfinding. This is a major overhaul. Total War and BFME2 were designed with this idea from the start, don't underestimate the ramifications. It would be great but I don't see how it is feasible with the current ressources and management.

What is the point of formations? Or more precisely, what are the motivations behind this wish? It seems to me that the motivations are mostly cosmetic. To give a total war vibe.

In French but nice and interesting video

Good to know

By Augustus, I assume you mean Gaius Octavius the first emperor? Then why asking for a later version of the pantheon when it has been reconstructed by Hadrian ?

The Massagetae are neighbors of the Dahae. They live near the Aral Sea. The Persians mention several peoples among the Saka/Scythians: Sakâ Haumavargâ – Scythians who prepare the sacred drink haoma Sakâ Trigraxaudâ – Scythians with pointed caps Sakâ tyaiy paradraya – Scythians from beyond the sea Sakâ tyaiy para Sugdam – Scythians from beyond Sogdiana It is very likely that the Sakâ Haumavargâ are the Amyrgians, a people difficult to locate but who must have lived close to the Massagetae. The Sakâ Trigraxaudâ are generally identified as the Massagetae. The Sakâ tyaiy paradraya are the Scythian peoples of the Pontic steppe, north of the Black Sea. They are divided into several groups, but the most powerful call themselves the Royal Scythians. Finally, the Sakâ tyaiy para Sugdam are probably distant Scythian peoples located north of Sogdiana, perhaps the Saraucae, who would invade the kingdoms of Bactria and Sogdiana in the 2nd century BCE. For me, there are several Scythian-related events that are particularly interesting. First, the campaigns of Cyrus the Great against the Massagetae and the Amyrgians. Then the campaigns of Darius against the Pontic Scythians—a long expedition around the Black Sea. There are also the campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great against the Scythians near the Danube, difficult wars that even caused a few defeats for the Macedonians. There are the wars between the Scythians and the Greek Bosporan Kingdom in Crimea. Finally, the destruction of the Greek kingdom of Bactria, the successive deaths of Phraates II and Artabanus I, and the eventual creation of the Indo-Scythian kingdom in northern India. It is a very rich history spread across a vast territory with many peoples. Most remain nomadic, but some Scythian groups do become sedentary. I think the Royal Scythians, the Massagetae and the Sakaraukai/Saraucae are all three interesting nomadic Scythians from different areas. This is a good idea but maybe it should be directly integrated into the Parthians civ. Starting as a nomadic tribe and becoming a Persian empire is original.

@Sundiata started a concept based on the sanctuary from Gournay sur Aronde but never showed it publicly, it was meant to replace the current Gallic temple: Edit: I added the blend file from Sundiata Gaul_Sanctuary_Gournay_sur_Aronde_V2.blend

Yes, I think the game engine is not made for monuments related to specific landscape elements. I think we need to have some imagination in this case. We have some account of sacred groves and sanctuaries in Tacitus' Germania but those are not usable since we are narrowing the civ around the Cimbri. I think the best option is to make a huge deposit with multiple items, like a votive gift. You have a good idea with the stone boat around the monument: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_ship I think we can make something bigger. A large stone in an elongated circle with a pile of various weapons, trophies, and spoils of war inside. It should represent the spoils of war of the Cimbri during their wars against the Romans, Celts, Iberians, etc. Large cauldrons like those found in Brå, Keldby, Rynkeby on Funen, and Sophienborg Mose could be added. We could have chariots like the one from Dejbjerg. We could also have freshly sacrificed horses. And on top of this pile, we could add two boats, leaning against the pile of objects. They could be slightly tilted to give the monument a sense of height. It would require making some props but it is feasible I think.

The only illustrative reference is from Ancient Warfare magazine but it is a sketchy simplification : The boat was submerged with blacksmith tools, with wooden vessels and recipients, animals were sacrificed, notably a horse and two dogs. Spears and oars were thrust into the silty bottom to anchor it. There were dozen of spears and shields submerged with the boat.

@nifa The only idea I can have specifically about the Cimbri, is the Hjortspring deposit. The boat was deposited in a small bog of approx. 50 m in diameter, in the middle of an island. I don't know if it is more practical.

I don't know. But I know the Germans from this time period didn't make new burial mounds, because they are practicing cremation, deposing the ashes in urns, which are then buried. At the best, they used older mounds to bury their urn in the upper layers.

I tried the nightly build and they had one. https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/26110-civ-germans-cimbri-suebians-goths/?do=findComment&comment=582009

Herodotus (Histories, IV, 82) tells the account of a large Scythian cauldron (which could contain up to 600 Greek amphorae) built for the king Ariantas.