The Egyptians

Tyrannosaurus · January 30, 2011

I know the Egyptians were no longer a major power during the time frame of 0 A.D., but since they are perhaps my favorite ancient civilization, I would still like to see them in the game.

EDIT: Now in Design Document format!

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION PROFILE
OVERVIEW
• Period: The Egyptians should be represented as they were during the height of their civilization, spanning from the Old to the New Kingdom (2686-1069 BC).
• Appearance: The ancient Egyptians were predominantly a dark-skinned Northeast African people related to northern Sudanese and Ethiopians today, not white or Middle Eastern as popularly thought. Most of the Egyptian units should have a mahogany-brown complexion and short-cropped hair. Armor was not worn except by charioteers and the Pharaoh; most soldiers simply wore off-white linen loincloths.
• Military: Spears, maces, daggers, and (during the New Kingdom) sickle-shaped khopesh swords were the main hand-to-hand combat weapons, but the Egyptians were also fond of bows and arrows. The New Kingdom saw the introduction of the chariot, but before then there was no cavalry. Sophisticated siege weapons such as catapults were absent, though there were ladders used to scale enemy walls. Egyptians typically begun battles by showering enemies with arrows to break up their ranks before sending in the infantry.
• Architecture: Most Egyptian buildings were built out of mudbrick, with stone being reserved for temples and tombs. Types of stone quarried include sandstone, granite, and most commonly limestone. Painted hieroglyphs and murals decorated columns and walls, giving Egyptian monuments a very colorful look.
UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
GENERAL RANK DIFFERENCES
• Basic: No headdress.
• Advanced: White headband worn around the head.
• Elite: Golden circlet replaces headband.
INFANTRY
• Name: Mawt Aha (Spear Warrior)
o Class: Spearman
o Weaponry:
 Basic: Copper-headed spear used for thrusting.
 Advanced: Bronze head.
 Elite: Slightly larger bronze head.
o Shield:
 Basic: Cowhide shield with a wooden frame and a shape that is generally rectangular, but tapering towards the top.
 Advanced: More rounded shield top.
 Elite: Golden instead of wooden frame.
o Appearance: No body armor, just an off-white linen loincloth.
o Function: Used once the enemy ranks were broken up by cavalry. Also ideal defensive infantry that can be effective against cavalry. Can be countered by swordsmen and archers.
o Garrison: 1
o History: The spear, originally used for hunting, was among the earliest weapons in the Egyptian arsenal. Wooden models carved in the shape of Egyptian spearmen were found in the Middle Kingdom tomb of Mesehti. Spears were also used by the chariotry when they ran out of arrows.
• Name: Jaqahawi Aha (Axe Warrior)
o Class: Swordsman (or, more accurately, Axeman)
o Weaponry:
 Basic: Copper-headed battle axe with a wooden handle.
 Advanced: Bronze instead of copper head.
 Elite: Slightly larger head.
o Shield:
 Basic: Cowhide shield with a wooden frame and a shape that is generally rectangular, but tapering towards the top.
 Advanced: More rounded shield top.
 Elite: Golden instead of wooden frame.
o Appearance: No body armor, just an off-white linen loincloth.
o Function: Offensive infantry that is best at countering other infantry at a close range.
o Garrison: 1
o History: The Egyptian battle axe, used during the Old and Middle Kingdoms, was effective at cutting apart enemies who, like the Egyptians themselves, did not wear much body armor. This weapon was replaced by the sword during the New Kingdom.
• Name: Jary Pedet (Bowman)
o Class: Archer
o Weaponry:
 Basic: Simple wooden bow.
 Advanced: Larger composite bow.
 Elite: Composite bow with gold-sheathed limbs.
o Appearance: No body armor, just an off-white linen loincloth
o Function: Breaks up enemy ranks with his arrows.
o Garrison: 1
o History: Perhaps the favorite weapon of the ancient Egyptians was the bow and arrow. Egyptians typically began battles by showering their enemies with arrows to break up their ranks before attacking with melee infantry. The Nubians to the south of Egypt were even more proficient with the bow, so the Egyptians sometimes called their land “Ta Seti” (Land of the Bow).
CAVALRY
• Name: Warrayut (Chariot)
o Class: Cavalry Archer
o Weaponry:
 Basic: Simple wooden bow for ranged attacks and copper-headed spear for melee combat.
 Advanced: Larger composite bow and bronze-headed spear.
 Elite: Composite bow with gold-sheathed limbs and bronze-headed spear.
o Appearance:
 Basic: No body armor on archer, nor are horses plumed.
 Advanced: Leather straps around archer’s torso and plumed horses.
 Elite: Bronze scale armor for archer.
o Function: Useful against both infantry and archers. Faster in a straight line than men riding directly on horseback, but less maneuverable.
o Garrison: 3
o History: The chariot was introduced into Egypt by the Asiatic Hyksos and was used during the New Kingdom by higher-ranking warriors. The Egyptians improved the chariot’s design by making it lighter, changing the axle’s position so that the driver would stand closer to it, and covering parts of the axle with metal to reduce friction. These changes had the effect of lightening the load on the horses and increasing speed. However, chariots were also inferior in maneuverability to men riding directly on horseback, but the latter would not become widespread until the 1st millennium BC, when Egyptian civilization began to decline.
SUPPORT UNITS
• Name: Sit (Woman)
o Class: Female Citizen
o Appearance: Young woman wearing a linen dress reaching from her breasts to her ankles. Braided black hair.
o Function: Good for gathering food and boosting the productivity of citizen-soldiers.
o Garrison: 1
o History: Although ancient Egypt was male-dominated, women enjoyed more rights than in some other early civilizations. They could own property, borrow money, and sign contracts, initiate divorce, appear in court as a witness, were regarded as equal before the law, and were often referred to as “mistress of the house”. On a few occasions, women even became Pharaohs, although for the most part government jobs were held by men.
• Name: Wat Junpawu (Priest)
o Class: Priest
o Appearance: Old man with shaven head and a leopard’s skin around his torso.
o Function: Healing friendly units and converting enemies; more effective at the former than other civilizations’ priest units.
o Garrison: 1
o History: In theory, the Pharaoh was the main priest in Egypt, but in practice he had a class of priests who would tend to the gods’ needs for him. Priests also served as magicians and healers; the Egyptians were famous for their relatively advanced medicine.
• Name: Sawty (Merchant)
o Class: Trader
o Appearance: Fat man with a donkey.
o Function: Terrestrial commerce unit.
o Garrison: 1
NAVY
• Name: Kebenit (War Ship)
o Class: Bireme
o Appearance: Large ship built of cedar planks with one rectangular sail. Archers on the deck.
o Function: Main Egyptian war ship. Can capture other ships, shoot arrows, ram, and transport soldiers.
o Garrison: Cannot
o History: The Egyptians did not have specialized war ships for most of their history; their navies were used primarily to transport land soldiers across water. However, these ships sometimes were stationed with marines and men with grappling hooks to board and capture enemy ships.
• Name: Jumowu (Ship)
o Class: Merchantman
o Appearance: Smaller cousin of the Kebenit.
o Function: Aquatic trade unit.
o Garrison: Cannot
o History: Many larger Egyptian vessels were constructed out of cedar imported from the Levant, as the wood of Egypt’s native acacia tree was very hard to cut through.
• Name: Maka (Boat)
o Class: Fishing Boat
o Appearance: Small boat built out of papyrus reeds.
o Function: Fishing.
o Garrison: Cannot
o History: The first Egyptian water vessels were rafts constructed from papyrus reeds; similar boats are found in parts of sub-Saharan Africa today.
SIEGE
• Name: B’a (Ram)
o Class: Siege weapon
o Appearance: A team of men carrying a wooden pole used as a battering ram.
o Function: Used to knock down buildings.
o Garrison: 3
o History: The Egyptians had no sophisticated siege weapons like ballistae or catapults, and rams are rarely if ever attested to. This unit is included solely for the sake of balance.
SUPER UNITS
• Name: Khopesh Medjay (Guard with Khopesh)
o Class: Super Infantry Unit
o Weaponry: Sickle-shaped bronze khopesh blade.
o Shield: Bronze shield with a rounded top.
o Appearance: Bronze scale armor and off-white linen loincloth.
o Function: Very powerful offensive infantry effective against the infantry of other civilizations.
o Garrison: 1
o History: The Medjay were originally a tribe of Nubian nomads who were allied with the Egyptians and used as mercenaries and patrollers. Medjay were used when the Egyptians were driving out the invading Hyksos just before the New Kingdom. However, in the New Kingdom, “Medjay” came to refer to an elite paramilitary policing force.
• Name: Jawantu Medjay (Guard with Bow)
o Class: Super Archer Unit
o Weaponry: Gold-limbed composite bow.
o Shield: None.
o Appearance: Bronze scale armor and off-white linen loincloth.
o Function: Very powerful archer unit with exceptional range and LOS.
o Garrison: 1
o History: See history for Khopesh Medjay.
HEROES
• Name: Narmer
o Class: Hero1
o Weaponry: Large mace.
o Shield: Large cowhide shield with a rounded top.
o Appearance: Wears a leopardskin loincloth, a lion-tooth necklace, and the white crown of Upper Egypt.
o Function: Very powerful and swift-footed melee unit.
o Garrison: 1
o History: Narmer, also known as Menes, is considered the first Pharaoh of Egypt. He was a chieftain of Upper (southern) Egypt who conquered the Nile Delta and brought the country under one government.
• Name: Hatshepsut
o Class: Hero2
o Weaponry: Composite bow.
o Shield: None.
o Appearance: Woman who wears the blue crown of war, bronze scale armor, and a white linen loincloth.
o Function: Very powerful ranged unit.
o Garrison: 1
o History: Hatshepsut is the most famous of a small number of female Egyptian Pharaohs, and by rebuilding trade networks that had been severed during the Hyksos’s occupation of northern Egypt, she helped usher in the prosperity of the New Kingdom. She also appears to have led several successful military campaigns in Nubia and the Middle East.
• Name: Rameses II
o Class: Hero3
o Weaponry: Pole-axe carried with two hands.
o Shield: None.
o Appearance: Wears the blue crown of war, bronze scale armor, and a white linen loincloth.
o Function: Very powerful melee unit; stronger than Narmer, but not quite as fast or agile.
o Garrison: 1
o History: Rameses II is among Egypt’s most famous Pharaohs and has often been regarded as the greatest, but although he was a prolific builder and warrior, he was not above dishonestly covering up his defeats on the battlefield or replacing the inscribed names of other Pharaohs with his own on monuments.
STRUCTURE DESCRIPTIONS
VILLAGE
• Name: Per’Aa (Great House)
o Class: Civ Center
o History: The term used for Egyptian kings, “Pharaoh”, literally means “Great House”.
• Name: At (House)
o Class: House
o Function: Raises population cap?
o History: Most Egyptians lived in mudbrick houses with flat, thatched roofs.
• Name: Ahat (Farmland)
o Class: Farm
o Function: Source of crops.
o History: Critical to the success of Egyptian civilization was the Nile’s summer flood, which brought water to farmers’ fields.
• Name: Ara (Pen)
o Class: Corral
o Function: Herd animals into this.
o History: Archaeological studies indicate that the Egyptians were descended from semi-nomadic cattle-herders who roamed the Saharan savannas during prehistoric times. Their lifestyle was similar to that of many East African pastoral tribes living today. Only when the Sahara turned to desert at the end of the predynastic period did the Egyptians permanently move into the Nile Valley and increase their dependence on agriculture. Even then, cattle continued to play an important role in the Egyptian economy.
• Name: Senewatu (Granary)
o Class: Mill
o History: Food was currency in ancient Egypt.
• Name: Xatu Sewenuw (Wooden Tower)
o Class: Outpost
o Function: Provides LOS.
• Name: Jeneru Sewenuw (Stone Tower)
o Class: Tower
o Function: Fires at enemies.
• Name: Jeneba (Wall)
o Class: Wall
o Function: Protects your village.
• Name: Arrawati (Gate)
o Class: Gate
o Function: Lets units through walls.
TOWN
• Name: Jedeb (Riverbank)
o Class: Dock
o Function: Builds ships.
• Name: Ara Per (Temple)
o Class: Temple
o Function: Trains priests
o History: Egyptians believed that their gods resided in temples, which along with tombs were the only buildings that could be built of stone.
• Name: At Aha (Warrior House)
o Class: Barracks
• Name: At Sewen (Trade House)
o Class: Market
o Function: Trade center.
CITY
• Name: Jetahi (Fortress)
o Class: Fortress
o History: The Egyptians built numerous fortresses along their borders to protect their country against invaders.
CIV BONUSES
• Name: Cattle Herders
o History: Archaeological studies indicate that the Egyptians were descended from semi-nomadic cattle-herders who roamed the Saharan savannas during prehistoric times. Their lifestyle was similar to that of many East African pastoral tribes living today. Only when the Sahara turned to desert at the end of the predynastic period did the Egyptians permanently move into the Nile Valley and increase their dependence on agriculture. Even then, cattle continued to play an important role in the Egyptian economy.
o Effect: Start with a large herd of cattle near your Civ Center.
• Name: The Wisdom of Imhotep
o History: Until Hippocrates, the Egyptians were regarded as among the best healers in the ancient Mediterranean world.
o Effect: Priests are much more effective at healing.
TECHNOLOGIES
• Infantry: Egyptian warriors generally did not wear much body armor, so no armor upgrades except for the charioteers (soldiers may receive shield upgrades though). Archers should be relatively strong, as they were among the most important Egyptian units, but for the most part, speed and agility rather than brute strength or protection should be the main advantage of Egyptian infantry.
• Cavalry: Chariots are the only cavalry the Egyptians have. They have both melee and ranged capabilities and are faster than other cavalry, but are also less maneuverable.
• Navy: Only one warship type, but a very flexible one, so navy should be about average.
• Siege: Cheaper to compensate for being relatively weak.
• Economy:
o Farming: Average.
o Mining: Very good.
o Hunting/Herding: Very good.
o Lumbering: A little below average (wood was not important to most Egyptian construction)
o Land Trade: Average.
o Naval Trade: Average.
• Architecture: Cheap and quickly constructed.
SPECIAL TECHNOLOGIES
• Name: Monument Builders
o History: Egypt is famous for its monumental tombs, temples, and colossal statues.
o Effect: Builders are cheaper and constructed more quickly.

Some concept art for one of the Egyptian units

Edited January 31, 2011 by Tyrannosaurus

**Kimball** · January 30, 2011

Neat idea. If you're interested in writing a design document for a faction that will fit seamlessly into our game environment, I'd recommend you study the documentation of our existing 6 factions: http://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/Design_Document

Good luck with the idea.

Tyrannosaurus · January 30, 2011

Neat idea. If you're interested in writing a design document for a faction that will fit seamlessly into our game environment, I'd recommend you study the documentation of our existing 6 factions: http://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/Design_Document
Good luck with the idea.

Matter of fact, I'm working on a design document right now. Thanks for the link!

FirePowa8 · January 30, 2011

Although the Egyptians have been done in many strategy games, I don't think they've ever been portrayed realistically at all, so I'm definitely behind this. Great start.

A khopesh wielding warrior could be one of the super units, specialising against non-Egyptian units, reflecting on its superior evolution from Canaanite beginnings. Just a thought.

Edited January 30, 2011 by FirePowa8

**Pureon** · January 30, 2011

You may have already seen it, but this was announced a few days ago:

Tyrannosaurus · January 30, 2011

I've finished my Design Document for the Egyptians. It's written on a Word document. Where can I post it?

**Kimball** · January 30, 2011

Just use a spoiler:

Content

Tyrannosaurus · January 30, 2011

EDIT: Design document moved to OP.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Tyrannosaurus

**Mythos_Ruler** · January 30, 2011

Need a better name for an Egyptian priest than "Shaman."

Tyrannosaurus · January 31, 2011

Need a better name for an Egyptian priest than "Shaman."

Would "Wat Junpawu" (which is actual ancient Egyptian for "priest") work?

**Mythos_Ruler** · January 31, 2011

Well, you don't have to use the ethnic name, but I think "High Priest" or something like that would work better than "Shaman" which has an animist overtone.

Tyrannosaurus · January 31, 2011

Well, you don't have to use the ethnic name, but I think "High Priest" or something like that would work better than "Shaman" which has an animist overtone.

Well, looking at the official Design Docs for the other civs, ethnic names seem to be in, so I chose an ethnic name for my Egyptian priest.

**Jeru** · January 31, 2011

Ethnic indeed, just the wrong ethnicity. (Wikipedia tells me it is a Turkic word. I would have guessed it's from one of the Native American dialects actually)

**SDM** · February 15, 2011

Ethnic indeed, just the wrong ethnicity. (Wikipedia tells me it is a Turkic word. I would have guessed it's from one of the Native American dialects actually)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Priests_of_Amun

According to Wiki, we're given several clues about the pronunciation of how they say High Priest in Egyptian. Just throwing this out there in case it's partially useful.

asmartgoat · March 1, 2011

Hey, I've been thinking Egyptian for a while now. and Have a screen shot

I've only been working on this for 1 hour, so its a work in progress, but its rolling sand dunes after the wet season.

EDIT: a mod is up and rolling at MODDB, and you're very welcome to join

http://www.moddb.com/mods/egypt-mod

New Link!

http://www.moddb.com/mods/northern-sunset

I need a name.

Northern Sunset is what i've been thinking.

Edited March 2, 2011 by asmartgoat

SMST · March 28, 2011

Very neat design document. One small note: Since most civilisations of 0 A.D. follow the mechanism "Super Infantry + Super Cavalry", you might consider to move the Charioteer to the Super Cavalry slot (this would also allow for the Charioteer to have ranged AND melee attack, as you planned it to have). You could lose the Super Archer in favor of the Chariot. This would leave the Egyptians without any citizen soldier cavalry whatsoever, of course.

Also, I know you are into New Kingdom Egyptians, but I would love to see the Pyramids and Obelisks which are already in the game to be aviable as special buildings for Egypt!

Tyrannosaurus · April 21, 2011

@ asmartgoat

I'm glad that you're interested in making the mod I proposed, but unfortunately I have no actual modding skills. The most I could do is draw some concept art, and I'm not even good at that.

Aldandil · October 6, 2011

Egyptians would be really awesome to add to 0AD. Sure OK, in the game's timeframe the Egyptians were in their "Late Period" and being conquered by various foreigners, but still these guys would be cool. I can see you've done a lot of research already, great!

I strongly suggest focusing on a narrower time period than "Old Kingdom to New Kingdom!" The New Kingdom was the height of their millitary power, while the 25th dynasty wasn't terribly weak and was closer to the game's time period. A narrow time period would let artists give the faction a consistent look. Pyramids and obelisks would still be standing in Egypt in either period, and yeah the Pyramid eye candy somebody made is wonderful.

Appearance: The ancient Egyptians were predominantly a dark-skinned Northeast African people related to northern Sudanese and Ethiopians today, not white or Middle Eastern as popularly thought. Most of the Egyptian units should have a mahogany-brown complexion and short-cropped hair.

Nitpick 1: Mahogany to me means dark brown. I agree Egyptians shouldn't look "white," but they should be light brown or tan, not dark brown. My undergrad archaeology textbook, The Human Past, is pretty clear that Ancient Egyptians were not very dark-skinned. When they depicted themselves in comparison to foreigners, they showed themselves lighter than Nubian "black" people and darker than Syrians, Bedouin, Hittites, and Libyans. A tan or reddish brown skin color is accurate. They should be darker than Arabs and Persians, but not as dark brown as Nubians.

EDIT: Sorry, I had the wrong reference. That's from Graham Connah, The Human Past 2005

Nitpick 2: It should be specified that they shave off all their facial hair.

Ranks: I would give the elite bronze bands on their heads and shield-rims instead of gold, which just seems excessive. To help differentiate them further, give the elites sandals and have the other ranks barefoot, and also have a different style and/or tint of kilt for each rank. My impression is that the Egyptian military philosophy was "field a crapload of guys without armor" or quantity > quality. I guess since armor was impractical in Egypt they had little option.

EDIT: Perhaps give shirts to elite infantry archers.? I don't know if this is accurate.

This website: http://www.cliohist.net/hiero/index.htm

is a useful resource I go to for translations to and from Ancient Egyptian.

This website: http://www.rostau.org.uk/aegyptian-l/learning/hierointro.html

explains the letter code used on cliohist for Egyptian, except cliohist apparently sometimes uses y for j.

Some useful words I found, which differ in spelling from those you use:

Soldier = wʿw (Waʿuw)

Spear = ḥnjt (Ḥenyet) while M3wt (Ma`wt) is the shaft of a spear. So spear soldier should be Waʿuw-Ḥenyety

Battle-Axe = jqḥw (Yeqeḥuw, Yiqeḥuw) so axe-soldier should be Waʿuw-Yeqeḥwy or Waʿuw-Yiqeḥwy

Chariot = wrrjt (Wereryet, Wureryet), mrkbt (Merkebet, Merekbet)

Chariot-soldier = snnj (Seneny)

Priest = wt jnpw (Wet Yenpu, Wut Yenepu), fktj (Fekety), ḥm k3 (Ḥem Ka`), Xry ḥbt (Khery Ḥebet), sm (Sem), sm3 (Sema`) (I prefer Sema`)

Trader/Merchant = šwtj (Shuty)

Woman = st (Set)

War Ship = ʿḥ3t (ʿAḥa`t)

Seagoing Ship = kbnt (Kebenet)

Ship = xmntjw (Khementeyuw), shrt (Sehert, Seheret), dpt (Depet)

Boat = mk (Mek), mʿt (Maʿt), mrt (Meret, Mert), mXʿ (Mekhaʿ), sḥjt (Seḥyet), sktw (Sektuw, Seketuw)

Barge = q3q3w (Qa`qa`uw), wsxt (Weskhet, Wesekht, Wusekhet)

Tower = swnw (Sewenuw, Suwenuw)

Khepesh is defined as battle-axe, but I know it has also been used for sickle-swords often enough.

History: Although ancient Egypt was male-dominated, women enjoyed more rights than in some other early civilizations. They could own property, borrow money, and sign contracts, initiate divorce, appear in court as a witness, were regarded as equal before the law, and were often referred to as “mistress of the house”. On a few occasions, women even became Pharaohs, although for the most part government jobs were held by men.

A woman also got to inherit one-third of the estate of their father upon his death. And Egypt even had laws permitting divorce "due to hatred" which sounds like no-fault divorce to me.

I am pretty sure 0AD does not have conversion of most units, only the capture of women and buildings. In any case it doesn't fit with how Egyptians (and most ancient non-Abrahamic peoples) used their religion for their priests to convert other units.

Ships: Egyptian ships over 100 feet long go back to the Early Dynastic, though as far as I know evidence for seafaring is not that old. Native acacia was unsuitable not for being hard to work, but for being fairly small trees and thus producing short planks. Egyptians as far as I know sewed their ship planks together and their ships had a forked mast that had two bases, one on each gunwhale, instead of one base in the middle of the ship.

SIEGE
• Name: B’a (Ram)
o Class: Siege weapon

Unfortunately since Ba` refers to the animal, the ram, it does not make a ton of sense to use it also for the siege equipment. I'd try to find a word for "large wooden pole." xt (Khet) seems to me the best choice for a word that could mean "a huge wood pole [to hit doors down]."

They may have had siege ladders, though. Generally I do not consider http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/index.html#state to be a super-reliable website since the author doesn't often site sources, but it can be a good starting point suggesting things to research, as long as you avoid/ignore the timeline section/page. The siege warfare section does suggest a bit more siege capabilities in the New Kingdom and later, and there's even a line drawing of a siege ladder supposed to date from the 5th dynasty. An actual word for battering-ram is supposed to be in the Piankhi Stela if you can find an image or transliteration of it.

STRUCTURE DESCRIPTIONS

I'm going to give you my name suggestions using the stages from the Design Document

VILLAGE

Civic Centre: jwjt (Yuwyet, Yiwyet, Yuwyit) = quarter of town, public place

House: ʿt (ʿAt) works fine. pr (Per) is household, generally including the fields as well as the actual house.

Field: 3ḥt (`Aḥet)

Corral: all I've got is hrmw (Heremuw) = poultry pen, jdr (Yeder, Yider) = herd, Xnm (Khenem) = herd, kmjt (Kemyet) = cattle herd

Mill: šnwt (Shenuwet) = granary

Outpost/Wooden Tower: Sewenuw Khety, Suwenuw Khety

TOWN

Dock: mnjwt (Menyuwet) = harbor

Temple: ḥwt nTr (Ḥuwet-Netjer) seems like the best option, but ʿḥ (ʿAḥ) may also work. pr nsw (Per-Nesuw) is the whole temple precinct, including store-rooms, priests' homes, and outer wall.

Barracks: I don't have an actual word, but Per-Meshaʿ (house of the army) is a compound I made up that might work. Or you could use Per-Nefuruw (house of recruits).

Market: I'd prefer to make a phrase using jwjt to suggest an open-air market, giving Yuwyet Suwen or Yewyet Sewen.

Wall: wmtt (Wemetet, Wumetet)

Tower/Stone Tower: Sewenuw Yenery, Suwenuw Yinery

Gate/Wall Tower: ʿrrwt (ʿAreruwet, ʿArerwet)

CITY

Fortress: jtḥ (Yeteḥ, Yiteḥ), mnnw (Menenuw), sfxj (Sefekhy). But according to the reshafim website stone, Asian-style fortresses of the New Kingdom were called Magadil. (Magadir to be consistent with the other names: some Egyptian dialects used L, some used R, none used both.)

SPECIAL STRUCTURES

pr ʿ3 (Per-ʿA`a) originally meant "the Palace" and my impression is that Civ centers are more like the main core of any generic city. In fact, from the Design Document it appears that every village starts out with one. I doubt the pharaoh had a palace in every village, so I think this could instead be a Special Structure. Egyptians should have one, definitely, since kingship was such a huge piece of their society. I'm not sure what function it would perform, aside from training hero units.

I like your civ bonus ideas and most technology ideas. I'd make their farming well-above average, at least near their starting location, since Egypt was such phenomenally fertile farmland before the Aswan dam changed the Nile river. Their lumbering tech could be worse to balance.

Edited November 14, 2011 by Aldandil

PrinceShu · October 6, 2011

My Notes:

*I agree with Alandil in that a focus on the New Kingdom and Late Period would work well.

*During the 25th dynasty, most of Egypt's troops were Lydian and Hellenic mercenaries. In earlier times, they used Lybian and Nubian mercenaries to lesser degrees.

*If I were to chose the heroes, I would pick Zhehutimis III (Thutmose), the most prolific conqueror, Psamtik I, who reclaimed Egypt from both the Assyrians and Nubians, and either Ramessu III, who fought off the Philistines or Sea Peoples, or Amasis II, who was a general who seized the throne for himself, and cultivated relations with many Hellenes including Polycrates of Samos, and battled Nebuchadrezzer. Narmer is before the suggested time period, I've never heard of Hatshepsut going to war, and I see Ramessu II as more of a propagandist than a commander.

*At the 'Battle of the Delta' Ramessu III used shore stationed archers against the Philistine ships to great effect. Make of that what you will.

Edited October 6, 2011 by PrinceShu

**Mythos_Ruler** · October 6, 2011

What would the Egyptian "Palace" do that the Persian "Palace" doesn't? Any ideas?

Here are a few ideas:

Egyptian heroes and priests can build Obelisks. These act like scout towers/outposts that give vision to the map, but have no garrisoning or attack. Cost something like 50 Stone and go up fast.

Instead of a generic "palace" they have 3 special buildings, 1 for each city phase. Building each of these increases territory radius effects for all buildings by 5% for the first one, 10% for the next, and 15% for the last one. First one is in the visage of a monumental pharaoh statue, the second one looks like a large Sphinx, the third looks like an ornate palatial structure. Each one is progressively more expensive.

Aldandil · October 6, 2011

Instead of a generic "palace" they have 3 special buildings, 1 for each city phase. Building each of these increases territory radius effects for all buildings by 5% for the first one, 10% for the next, and 15% for the last one. First one is in the visage of a monumental pharaoh statue, the second one looks like a large Sphinx, the third looks like an ornate palatial structure. Each one is progressively more expensive.

I like that. I'd say that the Town version should be a smaller, less ornate palace instead of a sphinx. But the biggest palace (Per-ʿA`a) for City Phase can have a couple man-headed sphinxes on either side of its gate.

Name options for monumental statue of the king: šsp (Shesep), sšmw (Seshmuw, Seshemuw), Xntj (Khenety, Khenty)

Name options for Town Phase small palace: jst (Yeset, Yiset), ʿḥ (ʿAḥ), ḥwt ʿ3t (Ḥuwet-ʿA`at, Ḥewet-ʿA`at, Ḥuwet-ʿA`t, Ḥuwt-ʿA`at), stp s3 (Setep-Sa`)

Word for sphinx: šspw (Shespuw, Shesepuw)

Word for obelisk: txn (Tekhen)

By the way, I found a few military words:

mwnf (Mewenef, Muwnef, Muwenef) means "garrison, (palace) guard, protector (of poor)"

ḥrj pDt (Ḥery-Pedjet) means troop commander

jmj-r mSa (Yemyer Meshaʿ), Yimyer Meshaʿ means general

Edit: Regarding mercenaries, whatever timeframe is used foreign mercs could help potentially with making Egypt balanced in areas they are super-duper weak in.

Edited November 14, 2011 by Aldandil

SMST · October 7, 2011

There has to be a place for buildable Pyramids in an Egyptian faction. Maybe we can think of some bonus regarding the afterlife cult of Ancient Egypt? (I can't at the moment.)

As far as heroes go, I would suggest Hatschepsut (the more female heroes one can get, the better), Thutmose III. (the most expansive Pharaoh) and Ramesses II. (the most iconic Pharaoh)

I also think that one of the Champion Units should be a "Sherden" Warband, the bodyguard of the Pharaoh, recruited from the various Libyan tribes or the "Sea People".

Aldandil · October 8, 2011

The problem with pyramids is that they were only built in the Old Kingdom, and even the small ones were HUGE. The requirements to build one would have to be "all the stone on the map."

EDIT: found the thread with pyramid and obelisk eye candy models

http://www.wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=13298&st=0

Edited October 9, 2011 by Aldandil

SMST · October 8, 2011

The problem with pyramids is that they were only built in the Old Kingdom, and even the small ones were HUGE. The requirements to build one would have to be "all the stone on the map."

I vaguely remember reading about Pyramids with a core of mudbricks being built during the New Kingdom. That may be wrong, though. And if the bonus they would give is worth it, they could very well be the most expensive (2500 stone or something) and most long-to-build structure in the game.

Aldandil · October 13, 2011

I was looking at screenshots and I realized what the Egyptians should have for their civ symbol (the one that appears at the top of the main screen when you play that faction). They should have the Sema`-Ta`uwy (Sema-Tawy).

There are a few versions of it:

http://www.crystalinks.com/semasm2.gif

http://valnor.deviantart.com/gallery/29900559#/d3ewqtx

http://www.egyptological.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/17-DSC06918-copy.jpg

http://www.edupics.com/hapy-t9843.jpg

http://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/horus13.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3605873029_00a8f53a2a.jpg

http://www.lessing-photo.com/p2/080102/08010263.jpg

Edited October 14, 2011 by Aldandil

The Egyptians

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