"History":"The Hellenes were a people famous today for their architecture, fighting ability, and culture. The Hellenic peoples of the Dorian, Ionian, and Aeolian tribes swept into modern day Greece from 3000 BC to around 1100 BC in successive waves that eventually supplanted the previously established cultures of Mycenae and Minoan Crete. They were most active during the period of colonization that took place in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, the Greco-Persian Wars (499-449 BC), the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), and the conquests of Alexander the Great (4th Century BC). Their civilization would endure until their final absorption by Rome in 146 BC.",
"History":"The classical phalanx formation was developed about VIII century BC. It was eight men deep and over two hundred men wide, and used overlapping shields and combined pushing power. 'Othismos' refers to the point in a phalanx battle where both sides try to shove each other out of formation, attempting to breaking up the enemy lines and routing them.",
"Description":"The player gains the Phalanx formation."
},
{
"Name":"Delian League",
"History":"Shortly after the great naval victories at Salamis and Mykale, the Greek city-states instituted the so-called Delian League in 478 BC, whose purpose was to push the Persians out of the Aegean region. The allied states contributed ships and money, while the Athenians offered their entire navy.",
"Description":"Triremes are 20% cheaper and build 20% faster."
}
],
"Heroes":
[
{
"Name":"Themistokles",
"Class":"",
"Armament":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"The general whom persuaded the Athenians to invest their income from silver mines in a war navy of 200 Triremes. A key figure during the Persian Wars, he commanded the victorious Athenian navy at the decisive battle of Salamis in 479 BC. Later, he pursued an active policy against the Persians in the Aegean, thereby laying the foundations of future Athenian power. Ostracised by the Athenians, he was forced to flee to the protection of the Persians."
},
{
"Name":"Leonidas",
"Class":"",
"Armament":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"The king of Sparta, whom fought and died at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. He successfully blocked the way of the huge Persian army through the narrow passage with his 7000 men, until Xerxes was made aware of a secret unobstructed path. Finding the enemy at his rear, Leonidas sent home most of his troops, choosing to stay behind with 300 hand-picked hoplites and win time for the others to withdraw."
},
{
"Name":"Xenophon",
"Class":"",
"Armament":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"Xenophon (c. 430 B. C. to c. 355 B. C.) was a Greek soldier and (later) historian who was born in Athens of an oligarch family and was a student of Socrates during his youth. In 401 B. C., Xenophon joined an army of Greek mercenaries lead by Clearchus and four other generals who were aiding Cyrus the Younger in his military campaign against his brother, King Artaxerxes II. He initially went along as a civilian observer and guest of his friend Proxenus who was one of the five generals. Unfortunately for the Greeks, Cyrus was killed in the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 B. C. and the 10000 Greeks found themselves alone in enemy territory, more than 1000 miles from the nearest Greek colony. In addition, the leaders of the force and a hundred captains were treacherously murdered during a negotiation by the Persian satrap Tissaphernes. On the very night after the assassination of Clearchus, the other generals and captains, Xenophon endeavored to rally the spirits of the surviving officers, successfully, and through the night they reorganized the army as if it had not been decapitated of its leadership. Through the timely intervention of a civilian hanger-on the Greek phalanx met the new day confident and ready to fight again, survive regardless of the odds against doing so. Xenophon was elected one of the new Greek leaders chosen to lead the army in its retreat out of Persia. In a march that lasted five months, traveled over 1500 miles, and overcoming many obstacles (both external and internal), they finally reached the colony of Trapezus (now Trabzon, Turkey) on the Black Sea, and then further found their way by land and sea legs back to the Greek homelands in a journey that took more than a year and a half altogether. As one of the five new Strategoi and most junior at that (having never been a soldier), Xenophon is given the task of commanding the rearmost division, the position that turned out to be the most dangerous during the ԁnabasisԬ or ԍarch Up CountryԮ Xenophon repetitively demonstrated his brilliance and leadership qualities in effecting new organizations of light troops and cavalry to include the tactics of their employment in the protection of the phalanx in countering and overcoming their adversaries along the route of march to a degree that he becomes the acknowledged leader of the entire force even though Cheirisophus was the senior strategoi who commanded the van and all the others strategoi outranked him. The story of the retreat from Cunaxa, which Xenophon himself wrote in the third person (as was the custom of the times), is one of the most famous feats of all time in recorded military history. Xenophon went on to fight and lead troops in numerous battles then later write numerous books on military tactics, organization and command throughout the remainder of his lifetime. Other than the legacy of the Anabasis itself his legacy left to the annals of warfare really took effect when Phillip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great (also a stude3nt of Socrates for a time) succeeding him put Xenophon's knowledge of warfighting to work for them and the latter went on to conquer most of the known world at the time."
"History":"Once coming to the throne, Philip II set about reforming the ragtag Macedonian army into a fearsome professional force. One such reform is the SYNTAGMA formation, derived from the oblique battle front developed by the Theban commander Epaminondas. The phalanx, consisting of 256 men, is arranged in the following way 16 men in width and 16 in depth.",
"Description":"The player gains the Syntagma formation."
},
{
"Name":"Hellenistic Metropolises",
"History":"Beginning with Alexander, the Hellenistic monarchs founded many cities throughout their empires, where Greek culture and art blended with local customs to create the motley Hellenistic civilisation.",
"History":"The king of Macedonia (359 BC - 336 BC), he carried out vast monetary and military reforms in order to make his kingdom the most powerful force in the Greek world. Greatly enlarged the size of Macedonia by conquering much of Thrace and subduing the Greeks. Murdered in Aegae while planning a campaign against Persia."
},
{
"Name":"Alexander the Great",
"Class":"",
"Armament":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"The most powerful hero of them all - son of Philip II, king of Macedonia (336 BC - 323 BC). After conquering the rest of the Thracians and quelling the unrest of the Greeks, Alexander embarked on a world-conquest march. Defeating the Persian forces at Granicus (334 BC), Issus (333 BC) and Gaugamela (331 BC), he became master of the Persian Empire. Entering India, he defeated king Porus at Hydaspes (326 BC), but his weary troops made him halt. Died in Babylon at the age of 33 while planning a campaign against Arabia."
},
{
"Name":"Demetrios Poliorcetes",
"Class":"",
"Armament":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"One of the Diadochi, king of Macedonia (294 BC - 288 BC), Demetrios was renowned as one of the bravest and most able successors of Alexander. As the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, he fought and won many important battles early on and was proclaimed king, along with his father, in 306 BC. Losing his Asian possessions after the battle of Ipsos, he later won the Macedonian throne. Fearing lest they should be overpowered by Demetrios, the other Diadochi united against him and defeated him."
}
]
}
],
"CivBonuses":
[
{
"Name":"Oikoumene",
"History":"The Hellenes envisioned themselves as comprising the civilised world (oikoumene), surrounded by more or less developed barbarians. Many foreigners also considered them men of higher stature.",
"Description":"10-15% cheaper technologies."
},
{
"Name":"Hellenisation",
"History":"By means of their superior culture and evocative language, the Greeks were highly successful in Hellenising various foreigners. During the Hellenistic Age, Greek was the 'lingua franca' of the Ancient World, spoken widely from Spain to India.",
"Description":"Every 90 seconds, a random unit from another civilisation is produced from the Theatron and comes under control of the player. Requires: Theatron"
}
],
"TeamBonuses":
[
{
"Name":"Oracle at Delphi",
"History":"The sacred Oracle of Apollo at Delphi was among the most highly cherished sanctuaries by Hellenes and foreigners alike. The Lydian king Croesus, for example, consulted the advice of the god before going to war with Cyrus the Great of Persia.",
"Description":"All units and allied units have increased LOS. ~ 10%"
}
],
"Structures":
[
{
"Name":"Theatron",
"Class":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"Greek theatres were places where the immortal tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and many other talented dramatists were staged to the delight of the populace. They were instrumental in enriching Hellenic culture.",
"Requirements":"",
"Phase":"",
"Special":""
},
{
"Name":"Gymnasion",
"Class":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"The Gymnasion was a vital place in Hellenistic cities, where physical exercises were performed and social contacts established.",
"Requirements":"",
"Phase":"",
"Special":""
},
{
"Name":"Tholos",
"Class":"",
"Emblem":"",
"History":"The Tholos is the meeting place for the city elders to dine and to make swift decisions.",
