A little over two years after I was born, Rome: Total War came out in 2004 and thus my holy book was born. For most of my childhood I lived in a bubble and I had no reason to change anything. Around a decade ago my uncle introduced me to RTW and I was instantly hooked into a new world that blew my mind very passing day. Looking at the map was very enjoyable, I would look and figure out many geographical facts that stick to me today: Gauls were tribes in what is now France, and Carthage is in Northern Africa right next to Sicily. It mainly showed me the difference in cultures from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
One things that became very clear quickly is the differences in technology and infrastructure. Not just learning about wonders of the world like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pyramid of Giza, but also about simple innovations like roman aqueducts which amazed modern architects for many years that seemed so simple when I was young that I now realize where civilization changing events. The detail put into emphasizing the importance of good roads and ports explained why the Roman Empire was able to build up tot he size it did. Through the game there are many announcements that gave information of events going on that shows how fast humanity was progressing: stoic philosophy, hand pump invented, Archimedes screw, Greek logic, star catalogue, concrete invented, and more.
Another thing I learned was the variety of religions that have been practiced in history. Although referred to as mythology, in this time period there was a wide assortment of gods and goddesses that were prayed to. The game focuses on Greek deity's in interactable figures that give brief descriptions of the monuments: Statue of Zeus, Colossus of Rhodes(Helios), and the Temple of Artemis. The developers sent time to make sure that each historical culture had many deities to show the diversity of thought in the ancient times. Tanit (farming), Baal (justice), and Milqart (trade) were some of the African deities that show how the people weren't living just living in dirt huts like they are sometimes portrayed, but really a growing civilization of laws, customs, and beliefs. This game made me more curious about the outside world and showed me how different cultures can be.
-Edjon
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