Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Happy Ides of March: Meet the Romans, Pontics and Parthians

Below is the seventeenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first sixteen articles in the series here.

I saved this piece on the Romans in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East for publication to coincide with the Ides of March. Although the Romans are NOT one of the 16 core civilizations and did not appear on the stage until the last of the 30 centuries over which the game plays out, they do appear in the scenarios. This is only right and proper, as their impact on the region, its peoples, its civilizations, and its history was as thunderous, as enormous, and as devastating as one of Jupiter’s lightning bolts. The Roman intrusion in the last century before Christ changed that world – and we are still feeling the impact of it to this day. As Virgil wrote in his Aeneid:

young Romulus
Will take the leadership, build walls of Mars,
And call by his own name his people Romans.
For these I set no limits, world or time,
But make the gift of empire without end
Virgil, Aeneid 1:371-375

(The Aeneas rule in Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is named for that character, who led the survivors of Troy to the west; we have a Gilgamesh rule in ACME that does the same thing: lets a player who is down on their luck get back into the game – and with a vengeance).

Rome vs Mithradates

The Romans make their first appearance in a scenario based on the war with Mithradates of Pontus – a “Successor” kingdom on the southern shores of the Pontus Euxinus (the modern day Black Sea), from which they took their name. Many well-known Romans were involved, notably Sulla – who bolstered by the spoils of his victory there went on to defeat Marius in a civil war and become dictator of Rome.

The Romans have one inveterate motive for making war upon all nations, peoples and kings; namely, a deep-seated desire for dominion and for riches. . . . The Romans have weapons against all men, the sharpest where victory yields the greatest spoils; it is by audacity, by deceit and by joining war to war that they have grown great. Following their usual custom, they will destroy everything or perish in the attempt . . .
Letter of Mithridates to the king of the Parthians Sallust (66 BC)

Pontus became a client kingdom – and it was a later Mithdradates who came to the aid of Julius Caesar when he and Cleopatra were besieged in Alexanderia.

*(Please note that this is a segment of the early playtest map for Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. This is not final art.)*

Rome vs Parthia

What Sulla did in Pontus, Crassus hoped to do in Parthia – a power that was essentially Persia ressurected and reborn following the collapse of the Seluccid “Successor” kingdom that had been formed by one of Alexander the Great’s generals in the 4^th Century BC. Crassus was one of the triumverate that took power after the defeat of Spartacus. The other two members of that trio were Pompey and Caesar (there’s that name again).

That invasion was a disaster second only to Cannae, where Hannibal had annihilated 80,000 Roman and allied troops in the 3^rd Century B.C. (something players can do in Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea).

When the men pursued,” they declared, “there was no escaping them, and when they fled, there was no taking them; and strange missiles are the precursors of their appearance, which pierce through every obstacle before one sees who sent them; and as for the armour of their mail-clad horsemen, some of it is made to force its way through everything, and some of it to give way to nothing.
Plutarch, Life of Crassus (on the first encounter with the Parthians)

The Parthians were famed for their horse-archers, especially for their ability to fire and retire – the so-called “Parthian Shot” (from which comes the saying “parting shot” ). After Caesar was named dictator for life in March, 44 BC, he called the senate together to announce his plan to march east and conquer Parthia. He never got to do that because it was at THAT meeting the knives came out. Yes, that meeting was called on the Ides of March.

PS: Caesar’s right-hand-man, Mark Anthony, took his revenge at Phillipi, where he defeated the Senators who had risen against Caesar. Of their leader, Brutus, Shakespeare has Mark Anthony say:

This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar.
He only in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, “This was a man.

ROME

Rome receives ALL of the bonuses of the Assyrians, but with a different Homeland (scenario dependent) with the following ADDITIONS:

Homeland:

In Mithradates Scenario: Thrace

In Rome vs Parthia Scenario: Aleppo

-Minimum Growth: The minimum Growth for Romans is increased from 3 to 6

-Loot: When the Romans Sack a City they gain 1 Mina in Loot IN ADDITION to the Captives required by the Assyrian Civilization Display.

In addition, Rome begins with the following cards:

–Armored Infantry (Card #31): Give the Romans Card #31 at the start of the game. This card is in addition to their initial hand.

-The Romans may NEVER Discard or be forced to Discard Armored Infantry, not even if the Breath of God Event occurs. Nor may it ever be stolen from their hand (set aside Armored Infantry when required to lose a card at random).

– If the Romans play Armored Infantry, turn it upside down. During their draw phase, they may either pay a Mina to turn the card face up or draw one fewer card in order to turn this card face up. Once face up, Armored Infantry is available.

Note: Armored Infantry MAY be Negated through normal card play.

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Sumerians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Egyptians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Elamites

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Indus Valley Civilizations (or “Dravidians, Harappans, and Mauryans, oh my!”)

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Assyrians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Akkadians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Babylonians

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Hittites

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Mittani

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Sea Peoples

Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East: Meet the Israelites