Civilizations

Civilizations (sometimes called factions) are representations of ancient civilizations. They each have a look of their own, and unique characteristics, though they share the same basic buildings and have many similar units.

The first edition of 0 A.D. will allow the player to control any of thirteen ancient civilizations from the pre-common era. Each culture will be represented at the peak of its civilization, somewhere along the timeline of 500 B.C. to 1 B.C.

Athenians
The Athenians represent the City-State of Athens and the allies influenced by them. As the forebearers of Athenian democracy and philosophy, they are least war driven of all the Hellenistic factions - although the combination of their economic and military potential makes them very formidable with a selection of units.

Britons
The Britons represent the celtic tribes of the British Isles around or before the times of Roman conquest. They are similar to the Gauls, but have slightly divergent specialty. Their special units include Chariots, powerful heavy infantry, long swordsmen and war dogs, which can be useful for not only hunting, but also in combat.

Carthaginians
The Carthaginians, or Punics, were an ancient civilization centered on the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, located outside what is now Tunis, Tunisia. After gaining independence from Tyre, Carthage soon became a formidable force in the western Mediterranean, eventually taking over much of North Africa and modern-day Spain and becoming an economic powerhouse.

Gauls
The Gauls represent the Celtic tribes of Continental Western Europe which currently encompasses most of modern day France during the times of before and Roman conquest. They are similar to the Britons, but have slightly divergent specialty focused more heavy shock tactics. Their special units include heavy cavalry, heavy infantry and a special rotary mill that can improve farm production.

Iberians
The Iberians were fathers of the art of guerrilla warfare, capable of lightning strikes against an opponent and withdrawing before he can mass an offensive. Their foot units are some of the fastest and most rapid-firing in the game, particularly their Balearic Slingers. A number of their ranged units also have the unique ability to fire flaming missiles. Toledo steel grants them superior metal weaponry.

Macedonians
The Macedonians are a Greek faction originating from northeastern Greece around the Haliacmon valley, over time they came to expand and dominate Thrace and Illyria. Then under Alexander the Great went on conquer much of the known world traveling as far as India before dying of fever and forever cementing the influence of Greek culture throughout the contemporary known world. Perhaps one of the best known conquerors of nations, Alexander's legacy remained around for some time even under new kingdoms headed by his former generals. With a wide selection of units and siege engines, Macedonians are well suited to creative tactics and strategy - especially combined arms.

Mauryans
The Mauryans represent the Maurya Empire in India. While they have no siege units, they do have access to three different elephant units including the Worker Elephant, a mobile dropsite that can also repair buildings.

Persians
Cosmopolitan to the core, the Persian Empire levied a wide variety of troops from their vassal satrapies. Though their infantry were weak and poorly equipped, they could be massed in vast numbers. Their cavalry was strong and exotic yet expensive, and included the fearsome cavalry archer, camelry, mahout elephants, and scythed chariots. They were known for their lavish wealth, grand architecture and strong trade empire through the Silk Road.

Ptolemies
The Ptolemaic Kingdom was a Hellenistic kingdom in Egypt. It was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty that Ptolemy I Soter founded after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC—which ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC.

Romans (Republican)
Rome evolved from a republic in Latium to a great conquering imperial powerhouse, sweeping across Europe, the western shores of the Mediterranean and North Africa. The Romans were notable for their regimented military, powerful siege engines, broad range of naval vessels, politics, and adaptation to change. The Romans controlled one of the largest empires in the ancient world. Rising from a group of villages to controlling an empire stretching from southern Scotland to the Sahara Desert, Rome remained one of the strongest nations on earth for almost 800 years, controlling over 60 million inhabitants, one quarter of the Earth’s population at that time.

Seleucids
The Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic state ruled by the Seleucid dynasty founded by Seleucus I Nicator following the division of the Macedonian empire following the death of Alexander the Great. Seleucus received Babylonia and, from there, expanded his dominions to include much of Alexander's near eastern territories. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Kuwait, Persia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and northwest parts of India.

Spartans
Spartans are a Greek city-state that possess very strong melee infantry. Notably they cannot build Stone Walls, only palisade walls - the soldiers of Sparta will need to serve as their walls.

Atlas Only Civilizations
The following civilizations are only available in scenarios as Atlas only civilizations.

Celts
Originally included as playable civilizations, the Celts represented a generic Celtic faction. In Alpha 11, they were split into the less generic Britons and Gauls.

The Hellenic States
Originally included as playable civilizations, the Hellenes represented a generic Greek city-state. In Alpha 10, they were split into the less generic Athenians, Macedonians, and Spartans.

Mod Civilizations
The following civilizations are only available in various mods of the game. Each paragraph is named after the mod itself, and includes various paragraphs about the containing civilizations.