Below is a replacement, prompted by GMT fan feedback, for the fourth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East.  Please note there’s an associated map change: PACTYA, in the map’s SE corner, is now MOHENJO-DARO. You can find the first three articles in the series here.

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Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.

advice of Chanakya statesman and philosopher, chief advisor and prime minister of the Indian Emperor Chandragupta (321 – 297 BC)

The Dravidian (and later Harappan – sometimes spelled Harrapan) peoples of the Indus Valley civilization established numerous and mighty city-states and kingdoms. Their great wealth and vast teeming cities both awed and enticed their neighbors. Weakened from incursions from the west, including a brief invasion by Alexander the Great, these prosperous states proved incapable of standing up to the war elephants, chariots and massed archers of the Mauryan emperor Chandragrupta.

In the game, the Indus Valley civilizations are unique – and unique in several ways. In games which start in Epoch I, they are the Dravidians, with their Homeland in Arachosia (present day Kandahar, in Afghanistan). In games which start in Epochs II or III they are the Harrapans, with their Homeland in Mohenjo-Daro (Larkana, in the off-map Sindh area of modern Pakistan). Both Dravidians and Harappans are encouraged to build the cities for which they were famous, and both of these civilizations gain bonuses during Growth to represent their wealth and burgeoning population.

Theirs is an empire of cities, not of swords. Regardless of whether they began as Dravidians or Harappans, however, in Epochs II, III and IV they gain an additional bonus of one Victory Point per four cities (fractions dropped). In games which start in an earlier Epoch and reach Epoch IV players may assume that any major barbarian invasion Event played upon the Dravidians/Harappans represents the Mauryan onslaught.

In games which begin in Epoch IV, however, the player is the Mauryans, whose initial invasions resulted in their replacing their predecessors. The warlike Mauryans gain bonus white disks in Competition INSTEAD of the bonuses enjoyed by the Dravidians and Harrapans. (Combine this military ability with the God of War and they will be formidable indeed.)

In the Alexander the Great scenario, which took place a mere decade before Chandragupta and his Mauryan invasion; the Macedonian player must confront an Indus foe whose power foreshadowed that of Chandragupta:  King Porus. Fittingly, Porus receives the bonuses of the Mauryans – as he and his vast army proved such a challenge that afterward Alexander made peace with him and turned back to the west.

To find out more about the Dravidians  check out:  http://en.lisapoyakama.org/the-indus-valley-and-black-dravidians-were-the-first-to-civilize-india/

To find out more about the Harappans:  https://medium.com/tathya-india/the-story-of-harappan-civilisation-359174da4edd

To find out more about the Mauryans: https://www.ancient.eu/Mauryan_Empire/

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